Andrew #2
Danielle is staring at him, wide-eyed, and nowhere near ready for him to pull her on the ice. He stops at the door, spraying her legs with snow and holding a hand out for her.
“Come on,” he says, grinning, “your turn.”
“I think I’m good here,” she says, shaking her head no. Andrew looks over his shoulder at Harper, making sure she’s okay before he steps off the ice and walks to Danielle, crouching in front of her and taking her hands in his.
“I’ve got you, D,” he grins, standing to his full height, “come on. ”
“Andy –”
“I want you to like this part of me, too,” he says, smiling softly, “if you don’t like skating, I’ll never ask you to do it again, but I want you to know why I love it.”
She pulls her lower lip between her teeth, and he wants to kiss her. So, he does.
A quick one, short enough that Harper won’t catch them, but long enough that Danielle’s eyes practically pop out of her head in surprise before she grins.
“Plus, Harper says you’re a scaredy cat, and I want you to prove her wrong,” he says, pulling her up so she’s standing on her feet. “I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”
He helps her wobble toward the door, vice-grip on his arm, and they step onto the ice. She holds onto the wall with one hand, and his arm with the other.
“Glide,” he says, showing her the same steps as he showed Harper. And to her credit, Danielle tries. She really does. But she’s holding onto his arm, and the boards and trying to walk and it’s just not working.
He stops.
“Trust me?” he asks, standing in front of her and taking her hands. She nods. “Don’t do anything, just hold onto me. ”
He starts skating backwards, pulling her away from the boards.
“Now try,” he says, “I’m not going to let you fall.”
He feels like he’s said this about six thousand times today, but he also knows that sometimes it just takes a little bit of reassurance. He looks over his shoulder at Harper, who is somehow skating like she’s a pro, and then focuses back on Danielle.
“Push off with your right foot, and balance on your left,” he says, “then set your right foot down and push off with your left.”
He skates backwards slowly as she gets the hang of it, grinning with every step she masters.
Her smile grows as she catches on, and he thinks this might be the best day of his life up to this point.
He’s got his two favorite girls on Herb Brooks Arena ice, and they’re learning to do the most important thing in his life.
“I’m going to let go,” Andrew says, “but I’ll stay right here to catch you if anything happens.”
She nods, and he skates just out of her reach, making sure to go slow as she keeps her pace.
“See, it’s not that hard,” he says, watching, “you just have to glide. ”
“They’re starting to feel like blades of glory,” she laughs, taking another step to glide. Her center of gravity shifts, and her arms windmill to catch herself, but he skates forward and grabs her around her waist before she can fall and pulls her close.
“Blades of glory, huh?” he asks, brushing their noses together with a grin.
“We’re getting there,” she replies, hitting his chest gently, “but it’s not so bad.”
“I’m going to have to get you some skates.”
“Don’t push it.”
“Yes ma’am.”
He takes them to lunch in Saranac Lake, and it’s funny that driving twenty minutes away makes them feel like they’re in a different world. No one knows who Danielle and Harper are, even though Andrew gets a few turned heads, and it’s nice to just exist.
“Harper, what do you want to eat?” he asks as they head down the sidewalk. Harper steps between Danielle and Andrew, taking one of their hands in each of hers and swinging their arms back and forth.
“I think tacos sound good,” she says, huge grin on her face. “Yeah, tacos. ”
“Tacos it is,” Andrew says, nodding.
“And ice cream after?” Harper asks, looking up at him and then at Danielle. “Aunt D, please?”
“Maybe when we get back to Lake Placid,” Danielle says, “I don’t know if your stomach will be able to handle all of it at once.”
“Fine,” she says with a huff, “but I’m going to get two scoops when we get back.”
Danielle rolls her eyes, and Andrew grins at her. She never usually gives up without a fight, especially when it comes to rules with Harper, so she must be feeling extra relaxed today.
Andrew holds the door open for both of them as they step inside, letting Harper choose the table nearest to the window. He and Danielle sit across from Harper and he thinks that they must look like any other normal family, out on a Saturday.
The thought hits him like a ton of bricks, and he has to take a deep breath to steady himself. He’s told Danielle that he feels like they’re building a family together, but until today it has all been in a place where they’re known.
Today, they’re in a town where they could just be anyone and that makes it feel different .
It feels heavier, but special. Like they could just be Harper’s parents, without the grief and struggle that goes along with that. They could just be two thirty-somethings and their daughter, not a disgraced NHL player and a woman raising her dead best friend’s kid.
“What a lovely family you make,” an elderly woman says, walking by their table. Her husband has a hand at her elbow, guiding her towards the door.
Andy smiles up at her, and she stops beside their table to take a rest as she smiles back at him.
“Thank you,” he says with a smile, answering for both of his girls.
His girls. Wow.
“How long have you and your husband been together?” Danielle asks her. The woman lights up.
“Seventy years in January,” she says, “it’s a long ride, but growing together is never something to sneeze at.”
“A World War couldn’t keep us apart,” her husband says, looking down at his wife fondly. “And we still have dates. Our daughter drops us off, of course.”
He turns to Andrew with a grin. “They bribed the DMV to take my license. ”
“You can’t blame them,” his wife says. “You’re ninety-seven years old.”
“And I still have both knees,” he says, hitting his leg with a hand. “All natural, these are.”
“You might have your knees, but your mind is going,” his wife says, teasing. Andrew laughs, and Danielle grins by his side. “When you’re our age, everything is going.”
The minute the woman finishes her sentence, their waitress comes with their food. Harper digs in, hungry after skating earlier that morning.
“We won’t keep you,” the older man says, resting a hand on his wife’s lower back. “We just love to see young families out and about. Reminds us of a life once lived.”
He smiles, then guides his wife out of the restaurant. Danielle catches Andrew’s eye, and he smiles softly. He leans into her, kissing the top of her head.
“That might be us,” he says softly.
“If we’re lucky,” Danielle replies.
“I’m going to be sick,” Harper says, “stop being icky.”