Chapter 21
twenty-one
. . .
Al
With a quick trip to the gear closet, I get Riley into her skates and ready. Kneeling on the mat between her feet, I keep my focus on tying her laces and not on how vulnerable it is to be in this position.
It’s only a family skate. That’s all it is. It’s not like I’m proposing to her. We’re already married.
Henry volunteered to watch Emmy, and since he has a young kid at home, maybe two or three months old, I trust him to do the job well. Normally, he’s the first one out the door to get home to baby Cora, but he has a PT session with Amelia in an hour, so he’s hanging around the facility for a bit.
That gives us plenty of time. I don’t think Riley will want to spend a full hour on the ice, especially not for her first time.
My wife gazes down at me with an inscrutable expression on her face. Equal parts fear and excitement and something else I can’t identify.
I could ask her. But that wouldn’t be half as much fun as puzzling it out myself.
Rising to my feet, I offer her my hand, and when she takes it, I lace our fingers together. I lead us over to the gate and Riley freezes, clinging to the half wall.
“Don’t let me fall,” she whispers.
“I won’t.”
Stepping onto the ice, I turn to face her and take her other hand, too.
“It’s going to feel kind of wobbly. That’s okay. That’s normal.” Skating backward, I pull her along with me until we’re at the blue line. “Let me guide you.”
“What do I do?” Her voice rises into a squeak on the last word as she teeters on the thin blades. “I don’t—oh, fuck.”
“What’s wrong?” I glide to a standstill, but she doesn’t stop in time, and the forward momentum crashes her body into mine.
Wrapping my arms around her, I hold her securely, our bodies flush together.
The scent of her lavender shampoo makes my stomach clench, and my heart nearly beats out of my chest, my blood pounding in my ears.
Her smaller body pressed to mine is making me think thoughts I definitely shouldn’t be having about my wife.
My mouth goes dry, and I lick my lips, trying to figure out what the hell is happening.
Dressed in a T-shirt instead of full practice gear, I barely register the chill of the rink, my skin heating at her touch where we’re connected.
My cock hardens automatically at her nearness.
At how perfect she feels against me. I’ve gotten myself off to the thought of her nearly every night since the gala, and now I have a new fantasy to occupy my thoughts.
“I’m on the ice,” Riley whispers, letting out a hollow laugh. Her eyes dart up to mine, wide and unfocused. “How is this happening?”
My smile stretches my face. “It’s just skating. You’ll be doing laps of the place in no time.”
She giggles, the sound warming me from my head to my toes. “I don’t think so.”
Slowly, I unwind my body from around hers. She squeaks, stumbling on her skates, and my hands drop to her hips to steady her. Any excuse to touch her.
“You’ve got this. I’ve got you.”
She exhales slowly. “I can do this.”
“Yes, you can.”
“Okay. Teach me how to skate.”
“Keep your knees bent. Push backward with your left skate,” I instruct. “Then do it with the right, and then you’ll be moving. Don’t think of it like walking, it’s a whole different movement.”
My hands find hers again, and I hold her at arm’s length as she tentatively shuffle-glides her skate backward, propelling her forward.
“Good. Just like that. Now the other foot.”
She moves a few inches, and I take a few strides backward, pulling her along with me.
“Keep going.”
“And you—”
“I won’t let you fall,” I promise.
Except if she wants to fall in love with me. That, I wouldn’t mind.
Slowly, she gains confidence until she’s able to take a few strides on her own. At her nod, I release her hands, and she skates about twenty feet on her own. She picks up speed until she’s nearly at the half wall, and—
Oh, fuck, oh, fuck, I forgot to teach her how to stop.
Snow flying, I race down the ice and pivot in front of her. She throws her hands up over her face, bracing for impact. She crashes into my chest and I cradle her to me. Burying her face in my chest, she wraps her arms around me. She’s shaking, her shoulders heaving.
“I’ve got you,” I murmur into her hair. “You’re okay.”
Riley breaks into a laugh tinged with hysteria. “What the hell was that?”
“So maybe I’m not the best teacher.” I chuckle awkwardly. “I’m sorry.”
Pulling back, she stares up at me, studying my face. After a moment, she nods, opening her mouth to say something and then looking away. She seems to remember she’s still wrapped around me and leans back, but that sets her off balance, and I clutch her to me again.
“Come on. Let’s sit for a bit.” I lead her over to the gate, and as she steps off the ice, my eyes fall to her ass in those tight jeans that cling to every curve. Biting my lip, I force my gaze to the back of her hair, pushing the thoughts away.
“So that’s ice skating,” she drawls.
She settles on the bench and I sit beside her, my hand only an inch from hers. I want to reach over and twine her fingers with mine, but it would be weird while we’re just sitting here.
“Yeah? What did you think?”
“Different from what I thought it would be.” She hums. “I’ll probably be sore tomorrow.”
“I can give you a massage,” I offer, before I can think better of it.
Riley turns to me, her lips parted in surprise. “What? Why?”
In for a penny, in for a pound.
I meet her stare head-on. “If you’re sore, I can give you a massage. Or if you want to schedule one with a professional, I can watch Emmy while you take a few hours for yourself. We can get a babysitter if you want.”
Her mouth opens, then closes, and she blinks a few times.
“That’s not necessary. I’ll be fine.” She crosses her arms over her chest, a stubborn set to her jaw.
I shrug, trying to decrease the sudden tension. “Okay. But if you ever want some time to yourself, and I’m not available, we can find a babysitter. Even if all you do is go upstairs and take a nap while they play with Emmy. We can make it happen.”
“I’m not going to leave my baby with a random stranger.”
Lifting my hands into the air, I back off. “I didn’t say anything about a random stranger. We’d vet them. Hell, we could probably ask Cari. As long as she doesn’t have training, I’m sure she’d love to come over and raid our fridge.”
“I’m not going to ask your sister to watch my baby.”
My eyebrows shoot up. “Your baby?”
Riley’s face pales. “I—I mean, she’s your child. She’s not mine. Not like that.”
“Face it, babe, she’s your kid, too.” Enjoying the shell-shocked look on her face, I nudge her ribs with my elbow. “I like that you call her your kid. I’m not a fan of unilateral decisions, though. Let’s talk this out. Let’s figure out a compromise. You deserve to have a break from all of… this.”
“I don’t want a break from Emmy.”
The finality in her tone has me nodding.
“Okay. We’ll table this for now. But we do need to have a list of babysitters on hand for emergencies.”
Or date nights.
“We can use Vanessa’s nanny. Bridget.” She frowns as she says the other woman’s name.
“Brigitte,” I correct automatically.
Riley blinks. “You know her?”
“Full disclosure, we met for coffee once. It didn’t go any farther than that.” I shrug. “She probably doesn’t hate me, but if she’s their nanny, she won’t be available when they’re out of town and I’m gone.”
“Oh. I hadn’t thought of that.”
My hand falls to her thigh, and before I can second-guess myself, I squeeze her leg. “We’ll figure it out. I’m sure someone in the organization knows a good nanny.”
Her eyes drop to my hold on her leg, and I quickly pull back.
“Do you want to try another lap? Or are you done?” I nod to the ice. “We’ve got another half hour before Henry comes back.”
Fierce determination shines through her expression as she squares her shoulders, lifting her chin. “Let’s do this.”
Taking her by the hand, I lead her back to the ice. I’m expecting her to let go, but to my surprise, she’s the one who laces our fingers together while we inch our way around the rink.
Her hand in mine feels good. Right. She feels right. Like she belongs in my life.
And I’ll spend the rest of my life proving that.