Bright twinkling Christmas lights hung onto the bare limbs of trees as the six of us walked through the park, admiring the snow forts that kids had built that afternoon. I rubbed my hands together and then blew some warm air on them.

"I told you to wear gloves." Bridget scolded me. I narrowed my eyes at her in rebellion.

"I hate wearing gloves, I feel claustrophobic in them." I whined. I heard Ray and Declan's laughter beside me and I turned to glare at them. Declan wrapped an arm around my shoulders and pulled me close.

"I have never in my life heard of claustrophobia due to wearing gloves." Ray bellowed out through his laughter.

"Well, now you have!" I whipped back. My remark only made him laugh harder. I nuzzled myself into Declan's side, absorbing his warmth.

"You should've at least worn a jacket with some pockets, you dork." Declan commented. I looked up at him and stuck my tongue out. He grabbed it between his thumb and forefinger and then chuckled at my helplessness. I bit down on his fingers and he cried out in pain as he retreated them.

"Don't pick on me." I whined.

"Yeah, don't poke the bear, man." Ray joked and I turned my glare to him again.

"Ray, please stop." Bailey whispered to him, barely loud enough for me to hear. She tugged on his sleeve and he leaned down and kissed her lightly on the lips.

"Alright, but only because you asked, Bambi."

"Bambi?" I raised my eyebrow but Ray only laughed in response and Bailey looked down at her feet.

"Goldi, wanna go play that?" Declan asked me, pointing towards something ahead of us. People were in a line up to a board with a hole in it. They were throwing snowballs at the wooden board and attempting to get them in the hole.

"Sure." I got out right before he started pulling me towards the game to get in line. Declan looked excited as we waited for our turn. He kept poking his head out to the side to see how close we were to the front.

"You're like a little kid." I commented and he laughed.

"Says the girl who sticks her tongue out." He jabs back and smirks. I narrowed my eyes at him and then took a step closer.

"Declan, you have something on your nose." I said, pointing at it. He quickly went to wipe it away but forgot he had snow on his gloves and got his face wet with the cold ice. I giggled at him as he realized what I did.

"Yeah, you have something, too." He said before taking his wet glove and wiping my face with it. I quickly took my sleeve and wiped the water off.

"Oh no, you didn't!" I quickly leaned down and grabbed a fistful of snow with my bare hands and threw it at him, landing perfectly on his jacket. I laughed but then started running when he picked up a wad of snow. I squealed as I ran down the pathway, but then felt something hit my back. I whipped around to see Declan standing smugly with his hands on his hips.

He got me!

I grabbed another handful of snow and winged it at him. He had flinched but it was too late; I had successfully hit him in the side of his head.

"Goldi!" He yelled and then ran after me. I tried turning around to run again but I slipped on a patch of ice and fell on my butt. He swiped me up into his arms and squeezed me tightly against him.

"I win!" He yelled through his laughter. After we had both calmed down we realized we had gotten out of line and now we would have to go to the back.

"Ahw, man!" Declan whined and then set me down. I pecked a kiss on his cheek before replying.

"Come on, kiddo, let's go get back in line." He sighed but then let me take his hand and pull him towards the game again.

After a while, it was finally our turn. Declan paid the couple dollars it cost to play and then grabbed two snowballs from the pile. He handed me one to throw first. I wound my arm up and threw it as hard as I could. When it flew right past the board and hit someone that was passing by, I hid behind Declan, hoping they would think it was him. He doubled over in laughter, leaving me exposed to smile sheepishly at the man who I'd hit. He rolled his eyes and continued walking and I sighed in relief. After he calmed down, Declan took his turn and hit just beside the hole.

He was really bummed that he didn't win so I took him over to buy some hot chocolate in a small building that was serving food and drinks. Once we sat down at a table, we sipped on our drinks as we talked. We decided to catch up with the group so I called Bridget.

"Hey, we see you!" Bridget yelled into the phone. I looked up and saw them so we waved as they walked over and sat down with us.

"Did either of you win?" Grant asked.

"If hitting a passerby was the goal then Goldi won the grand prize!" Declan answered as he smirked. Everyone broke out into laughter as I glared at Declan.

"Yeah but my aim was pretty good when I hit you in the head!" I said and then grinned triumphantly.

"Yup, and how is that spot on your back?" He asked as he winked. I stuck my tongue out in response.

"Anyways! How about we all go ice skating together?" Bridget intervened. We all nodded in response and then made our way to the ice rink. After everyone got their rented skates on, we made our way to the ice. Bridget and Grant went off gliding like they had lived on skates their entire lives. Ray was helping Bailey as she nervously made her way around the rink. Whereas both Declan and I looked like the clumsiest people on earth as we both stumbled around. We both ended up falling on our butts and laughing like giddy little kids.

"We suck!" I yelled through my laughter.

"Agreed. For being the most athletic people here, we suck at this skating crap." He replied as he got back onto his feet.

"No shit!" I cried as I tried to get up but fell again. Declan reached his hand out to me and helped me up, barely keeping both himself and I stable. Slowly, we made our way around the rink once and then called it quits. After we got our skates off, we watched the other four skate around. I felt Declan's warm hand wrap around my cold one and I scooted closer to him, eager to soak in his warmth.

"Are you having fun?" He asked suddenly.

"Yeah...I really am." I said as I smiled and watched Ray catch Bailey from falling for the umpteenth time.

"Good. You deserve to have some fun." I snuggled closer into his side and glanced up at his face. He was looking out over the ice rink and a small smile graced his lips. I felt my heart flutter seeing his face so serene.

"You do, too." He frowned slightly at that.

"Hm."

"What?" I asked, confused why he seemed upset all of a sudden.

"It's just...I'm not used to that."

"Used to what?"

"Kate never cared if I had fun on our dates. It was always about what she wanted. I never realized how much she took advantage of me until I met you."

"Kate was your ex girlfriend?" He nodded and I let myself look back out at the ice rink.

I let his words sink in and everything started to make sense. The reason why he wouldn't give up on me even when I was mean to him was because he was used to being treated that way. The guilt overwhelmed me as it all set in. I didn't deserve this man. I was horrible to him for the longest time. I felt my eyes prick with tears and I tried to hold them back but I felt a tear fall and I quickly swiped it up with the back of my hand so no one would see.

"Goldi, are you ok?" I moved away from him and turned my head so he couldn't see my face.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"No, you're not. What's wrong?" I stayed silent for a moment. I didn't know what to say. If I wasn't so selfish, I would have broke up with him that instant. He deserved better than me. There were so many women who would be nice to him and treat him like a king.

But I couldn't do it.

"I'm so sorry." I finally said. He reached out and cupped my cheek.

"For what? You didn't do anything." Confusion coated his voice as I felt my heart pound harder and harder against my chest.

"I was so mean to you. You didn't deserve that." I choked out as I barely held back my tears.

"Goldilocks. You're worth it. I'm glad I kept pursuing you even though you didn't want me to. You are an amazing girlfriend. The fact that you are happy that I had fun today shows that." He leaned in and touched our foreheads together before continuing. "The best things in life, you have to fight for. I fought for you, Goldi. And if I had the choice to go back and change that, I wouldn't. Because I love you...I love you so much." His eyes were watering with intense emotion as they stared into mine.

"I love you, too, Declan." I whispered.

We both leaned in slowly until our lips met, sending electricity shooting through my body with waves of emotion and hormones. His lips were soft and warm against mine, soothing me with his touch. Our mouths moved together, exploring each other. His tongue tasted of chocolate as it massaged my own. I wrapped my hands around his neck as he wound his around my waist.

I wanted to engrave this moment into my brain forever. The way his lips felt against mine and how sweetly he explored my mouth. It was as if he were examining my soul; taking his time to soak in every single thing about me.

After a long while, we pulled away and stared into each other's eyes. Without having to say a word, we connected on a level I didn't even know existed.

How was it possible to feel this much?

So much love, passion and understanding was transmitted between the two of us that I felt it overflowing out of me.

The cup that had been dumped out weeks ago was now so full that the love was pouring out of me. I couldn't contain the feelings that were surging through my veins.

I leaned back into him, eager for another taste of his sweetness but just as our lips were about to touch, I could feel a presence beside us. We both turned to the person that had interrupted our intense moment.

I felt my breathing hitch and my stomach dropped. My heart that had just a moment ago been filled with love was now brimming over with hatred. I gritted my teeth as I seethed in my own anger.

"Dad."