Page 34 of Face Off

“Yes, you do.”

I almost shoved him away. Holly didn’t need to know I was the dangerous one.

“It’s okay. I won’t push her too high.”

Holly eyed her daughter like she knew we were being manipulated. “I just don’t want you to have to be the designated pusher for the rest of the night.”

“I don’t mind.” Well, normally I didn’t. Right now, I wasn’t really in the mood.

“How about I help?” She looked down at the three kids. “I think between us we can get all of them to the very top.”

I smiled and nodded. She picked up Sadie and put her on a swing, making sure her hands were gripping the chain tight. We moved behind them and in perfect unison started them out.

Neither of us spoke as they rose higher and higher, forcing us to move back and out of kicking range. Once they were satisfied and we only had to help them occasionally, she turned to me.

“You seemed kind of upset when you walked away.”

“It’s been a rough few weeks. I shouldn’t have taken it out on Mitch, though. He’s just trying to be a good friend.”

She gave Milo and Sadie another push, then moved back next to me.

“I know a thing or two about that.”

“About Mitch being a good friend?” I joked.

She smiled. “About having a rough time. Although, I’m sure he is an excellent friend.”

“How do you get through?” I asked, not really expecting an answer.

She pointed to Sadie. “I don’t really have a choice. I just have to.”

That sounded a lot sadder than she probably meant it to. At least when I was having a pity party, I could be alone and ignore the world. She didn’t have that option. She couldn’t shut down or be selfish.

“Do you have any friends to abuse in the process?” I asked, then hurried forward to give Finn and Milo a push.

“Not really.” She looked thoughtful. “I guess I kind of vented on my blog, and my readers offered their support, but that’s not the same. It’s not real. I mean, I’m sure they meant it, but typing out a sentence on the internet wasn’t what you meant.”

I shook my head. “No, it wasn’t.”

Did she really not have a friend group where she lived before moving here? How did she manage life as a single mom without support?

“What about family?”

She exhaled loudly. “My parents are great, really, but they have my younger siblings at home to worry about. My ex’s family was nice, too, until they weren’t.”

That was the first time she mentioned an ex. Was that Sadie’s dad?

“They’re not in the picture anymore?”

“No.” She walked away to push all three of them, then came back.

There was a whole lot more to that story, but she didn’t say anything else so I let it go. “At least you have the Pride now.”

She smiled. “Yeah, they’re great. It’s been two weeks, and I feel more included than I ever have in my life.”

I wanted to know more. I wanted to know everything about her. Talking to her, while pushing kids on swings, was the best conversation I’d had with a woman in a very long time. And we weren’t even flirting. Neither of us pushed the other. At the end of the day, Sadie was barely able to keep her eyes open and reached for me to carry her when Holly tried to get her to stand up. I swear my heart cracked in that moment as I picked her up and held her in my arms on the way to their car. Her innocence and trust made me want to never let go.

It was easy.