Page 27 of Icing on Top

“How are you feeling?” I asked, brushing the now dry strands of hair from her face.

“I’m okay.”

She’d finished off the pickle, so I took the juice-filled pouch from her to throw away later.

“I’m sorry,” she mumbled.

“What on earth are you sorry for?”

“I scared you. Again.”

I wrapped my arm around her shoulder and bent down to press a kiss to the top of her head. “Not the first time, and it won’t be the last,” I said before chuckling softly. “You’ve been scaring me ever since you first came into this world.”

Her eyebrows crinkled together. “I have?”

I nodded. “But I know you’re a tough cookie.” I raised my brows at her and booped her on the nose. “Doesn’t mean you can’t tap out every now and then if you’re getting tired, though.”

She scrunched her nose and giggled, making me smile.

“Okay, Daddy.”

She sunk into my side with a tired sigh, and I just held her closer. Was she going to take my advice? Probably not. But who was I to judge?

The Puffins pulled out the win, and Charlie had regained enough energy to cheer for her teammates and exchange fist bumps as they returned to the bench. She put her skates back on to get across the rink, leaving me to gather all of her gear in my arms and carefully pick my way across.

“Daddy, I need to ask Coach Zo about baking,” Charlie reminded me as I tucked her things away into the bag.

I glanced around for Zoe’s blue baseball cap, but the bleachers were currently a mess of parents and players packing up. Then Zack’s family stood up to leave, and I spotted her chatting with a couple of the moms. Charlie and I stepped closer to wait our turn.

“I can’t believe you’ve already had that many players sign up. This is going to be an actual league!” Jane said.

Zoe’s eyes met mine over the woman’s shoulder. “Well, it’s not all me. This guy here is largely responsible for our success.”

I forced a smile onto my face as the two other women turned to look at me. “It’s a joint effort.”

Zoe’s smile softened, and I ignored the way that made my heart jump.

“Either way. We can’t wait for the start of the season,” Jane gushed.

The moms bid their goodbyes, and then Zoe turned her full attention to us. Thankfully, Charlie stepped forward and took center stage.

“Coach Zo, I have a question.”

“Shoot.”

“My school is having a bake sale next week, and I was hoping you could help me.” She waved her hand over her shoulder in my direction. “Daddy’s not very good at baking.”

I scoffed at the slight, and Zoe laughed softly. She tried once more to meet my gaze, but I kept my focus on Charlie.

“Of course, I can,” she answered.

Charlie bounced on her toes excitedly, more energy running through her body now than I’d seen in the last couple of days. “I’m going to have the best baked goods.”

“It’s not a competition, Tot. It’s a fundraiser,” I reminded her.

“She’s not wrong, though.” Zoe grinned. “How about Friday? I’m free after work, and then the cupcakes will be nice and fresh for the bake sale.”

“You can just come to our house, if that works,” I said.