Page 20 of His Arranged Plus-Size Mate

I tapped my finger on the counter, trying to think of the perfect place I could take Hazel. After the argument on the way back home, I could see just how hurt she was. She truly believed the words she was saying, and I couldn’t stomach that. It was one thing to be in a mood and lash out at me, but another to think that she was alone in the world and that no one cared about her.

I heard a door open upstairs, and I knew she was up. She got home late last night after going over to her sister’s and Westley’s place. I was pretty sure she might not return at all after that. I was worried she was going to ask to move out and that she was done with this entire thing.

She came down the stairs and paused when she spotted me. She was wearing a baggy shirt with shorts that hardly covered her ass. Her hair was in a messy bun, and she looked like she hadn’t slept. I could see the bags under her eyes.

She chewed on her cheek, refusing to look me in the eyes. “I thought you’d be gone.”

“I was just leaving, but before I do, I wanted to let you know that we are going to go out and have some fun later today. I found a place we can go ice skating.”

She frowned, glaring at me. “I told you that there is no point trying to make this look real.”

“I’m trying for us to get along, Hazel. Because in the end, we live together now. I don’t want you to think you can’t trust me. I know that this marriage is fake, but that doesn’t mean I can’t be your friend.”

She crossed her arms and sighed.

“It will be fun,” I added. “I heard that they put lights on at night. If anything, it’s a fun time out.”

She walked into the kitchen and poured herself a coffee. “And I’m guessing if I say no, you’re going to drag me out anyway?”

“You are correct. Because you need to have fun.”

She sighed again. “Fine. I’ll agree to skating. But that’s it, no dinner. No date. Just skating. And you can’t laugh if I fall.”

“Alright.” I accepted her offer.

I did my rounds, checking in on the people Brandon asked about. I walked the outskirts of town to make sure the barrier was still secure, and had a meeting with Chelsey to go over details for next week. The day went by quickly, and before I knew it, I was heading home.

I was getting home a little before three and found Hazel digging through her clothes. She had clothes thrown on the bed, boots scattered across the floor, and she was sitting cross-legged in her closet. It looked like a bomb had gone off in her entire room.

I knocked on the door frame. “What are you doing?”

She looked at me holding two different jackets. “What do you wear to go skating?”

My eyebrows went up. “You’ve never been skating before?”

She shook her head. “I’ve always thought it would be fun, but I’m not very coordinated.”

I couldn’t help but smirk picturing her on skates. “Just wear something warm. I’ll be there to help.”

She looked at me, pausing her hands. “Have you been skating?”

I nodded. “I did hockey growing up. Great way to let out some anger.”

She clicked her tongue and pulled herself up. “Well, I’m going to change. So, I’ll be ready in five minutes.”

I left her to find some wool socks for myself. I was waiting at the front door when Hazel came down. She put on a pair of jeans with long socks. She was wearing a thick sweater and holding some gloves. She had a hat pulled on and a scarf wrapped around her neck.

I waved a hand at her outfit. “See, you’re ready to skate.” A small smile formed, and I took it as a win.

We drove over to the ice rink that was at one of the parks. There were only a few people out on it when we pulled in. Hazel looked nervous as she chewed on her cheek. She looked at me as we got out. “You’re going to help me. I’m not going to spend most of my time on my ass?”

I laughed, nodding my head. “Yes, I’ll help you.” We walked over to the rink, and I tugged her toward the bench and the spare skates. “What size are you?”

“Seven.”

I pulled out some skates and pointed toward the bench. I showed her how to tie her skates up. I told her to make sure they were tight enough that she couldn’t move her ankles. She sat nervously as I pulled myself up, offering her a hand.

“You did that with ease.”