If I had my way, we would blow up those insecurities one at a time until she’s all shiny and shit. Until her go-to look is not one of nervousness and fear, but of excitement and discovery.
“Good job. Now, grab your skate buddy and stomp like me. Just follow the beat. You ladies know it, you picked it.” I lifted my skates, my moves exaggerated to click against the floor, straight up and down, in time with the music. The girls followed along, each stomp harder as they became braver, their smiles growing wider.
“That’s it, just like that.”
None of them seemed to notice that they’d started moving forward a couple inches at a time and I sure as shit wasn’t saying a word. Let them be surprised.
I rolled backwards, keeping an eye on our pace out of the corner of my eye with every intention of steering them around the bend, keeping them going as long as I possibly could.
“Now, bend your knees just a little bit more. Like this. It’ll help you balance. That’s it, just like that.”
They immediately followed my lead and in minutes, their torsos more upright now, the confidence began to show in their bright eyes and big smiles. They even started letting go of their skate buddies with one hand while their heads bopped to the tempo.
“Look at you already. You’re doing it, girls; you’re really doing it!”
I kept their attention on me, exaggerating my movements, raising my knees almost to the point I practically marched in place. I’m sure I looked absolutely ridiculous, but I didn’t care because every minute brought more laughter. Little did they know, with their eyes on mine, they’d begun turning the corner.
Stomp, stomp, stomp.
For ten minutes we kept marching. When Addison started pushing her skate buddy ahead of her a few feet before catching up to it, I knew the time had come to ditch them altogether.
This was where they would fall.
Why the hell did it make my heart ache just thinking about it?
“Okay, how about it, girls? You ready to try without your skate buddies?”
Ellie and Addison squealed in unison while Rylee just smiled up at me, her flushed cheeks chasing away the pale fear.
I crouched down in front of her while the other two distracted themselves rolling their skates back and forth. “Remember what I said. You’re going to fall. What’s important is you get back up, okay?”
“Okay,” she said quietly, lacing her fingers with mine.
“Good.” I kissed her knuckles and stood. “Alright, here’s what we’re going to do. Knees bent, march it out to the beat, arms like mine.”
I kept them tucked into my sides to the elbow and then arched them out with my palms facing down.
“We’re going to look like we’re waddling like penguins, but we don’t care, do we?”
“Nooooo!” they called out.
“And when you feel like you’re going to fall, get low, your hands out like you’re driving a tiny car. Like this,” I said, getting into the position. “Now you show me.”
They mimicked my moves and made it a whole ten feet when Addison dropped onto her knee, but she popped right back up with a smile just like I said. Not that it was surprising she was the first; she was the most adventurous of the three with Ellie right behind her.
Ellie fell next, landing right on her butt. She winced, then scrambled to her hands and knees, crawling as she scurried back up.
We turned the corner, then the second and the third. The girls never even noticed they’d stopped stomping and had begun gliding.
I crouched low to stay eye level with them while I rolled along backwards. This was it, their real first time. They’d never be this again and I was the one here teaching them. I wanted to take pictures. I wanted to record them. I wanted to brag to everyone at The Shipwreck and then do it all over again at Banked Track over drinks. I wanted to fly around the rink in a victory lap; I wanted—Priest.
I spotted him over Addison’s shoulder where he leaned against the lockers in faded blue jeans, one leg bent, his thumbs hooked in the edge of his pockets. His black tank top showed powerful muscular arms. His face unreadable, his gaze never wavered from mine.
The man didn’t even blink.
“Oh…oh…oh no…Maaiiissssyyyyy!”
At the sound of Rylee’s frantic cry, my attention snapped back to the girl. She’d picked up speed, the frantic windmilling of her arms doing nothing to help her regain her balance. Terrified eyes locked on mine as I reached for her to slow her momentum, but it was too late. Before I could so much as stand upright, she crashed into me and we both went down.
Rylee’s elbow landed right in my stomach as she pushed herself up over me. My grunt turned into a laugh as I smoothed the wisps of hair out of Rylee’s worried face. I glanced at Ellie and Addison who stood bent over us. “See, girls. I can still fall.”
9
Mayhem lay under the heap, her head thrown back in laughter, her cheeks flushed, an open, sweet smile spread across her face.
I let go of the breath I’d been holding in a rush of air. Goosebumps prickled over my neck and my heart rate kicked up a notch.
No longer casually observing her for my own amusement, I voraciously studied her. Every last bit of her.
Her affectionate grin alone delivered a crippling blow to my gut. But that was just the warm-up for the uppercut coming right after when she slipped the errant strands of hair from the scared little girl’s forehead, tucked them behind her ears, and cupped her cheek.
The nurturing there punched right through my ribs into my chest and mercilessly rooted around for my heart.
Even drawn to her determination and drive—hell, even the slice of attitude—I’d managed to fortify my barriers. My armor hadn’t even taken a hit when I caught a glimpse of humor and vulnerability. I’d clutched
