AllFreeNovel
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“You weren’t saying that last night,” I tease, and she stops short, scrunching her nose. She’s about to fire off a witty rebuttal, but I lean down and kiss her.
Something I’d never thought to do in public before reconnecting with her.
When she sighs into my arms, I laugh against her lips and then pull back. “Only a few more blocks.”
The sunlight beams down on us. Cass wears a pair of sweats with a T-shirt, but in her arms, she carries a hoodie, something she will need shortly.
A block later, I stop, motioning toward where we are.
She looks up, recognizing the bench where she found me yesterday. The confusion is evident on her face. “Back to the bench?” she asks comically.
“Nope.” I point toward the building a few feet past the bench. “In there.”
Her head tilts. “And what’s in there?”
“You’ll see.” I grab her hand and pull her toward the building.
“Okay. Fine.” She rolls her eyes. “Let’s get to it, then.”
Together, holding hands, I lead her into the Redville youth center. Then I walk us down the long hallway until we enter the ice rink.
The moment we step inside, the cold air hits us in the face, and Cass shivers beside me.
“Happy I told you to bring a sweater?”
“Yep.” She pops the p as she drops my hand and puts on her hoodie for an added layer.
Once she’s done, I lead her down to the rink, where we head to the benches next to the ice.
I wave to Coach Joseph, who returns the gesture, turning toward the team and saying something we can’t hear. A moment later, a bunch of kids skate toward us.
“What is this?” she asks, turning toward me with a huge smile.
“This, Cass, is the youth league I sponsor.”
“Really? This is awesome, Aiden.”
She hasn’t seen one of the most special parts of it, but then one of my players turns, and she sees the team’s name.
The Pipsqueaks.
42
CASSIDY
My heart beats in my chest like a drum as I take in the words written on the back of the boys skating in front of me.
The Pipsqueaks.
It feels like I might faint. My mouth opens and shuts, and I turn to look at Aiden.
He has a mischievous-looking smile on his face, like he knew this would be my reaction, waited for it, and by the way he’s smiling, he loves it.
I stare at him for another second, trying to find the words I want to use, but I’m speechless. Nothing comes out at first. I just stare.
“Not what you expected, right?” His voice is teasing, and it makes me close my lips before a laugh comes bubbling out.
“No. Not at all.” I turn to look back at the little kids. They appear to be around four or five years old, if I had to make a guess. “Why are they called the Pipsqueaks?” I ask, my voice low.
