AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The words of our last conversation rang in my head constantly. But I was determined to show her different. I got it that her parents' relationships had really fucked her up—nobody knew that better than I did. But just like I needed to prove that I wouldn't leave Wolfie, Reagan now needed to know that I wouldn't leave her, that I was in this for the long haul.
After I picked up Wolfie from school, we grabbed a quick bite at a pizza place and then went to a sporting goods store to get all his gear. I had Wolfie looking like a regular team hockey player by the time we went to the year-round rink on the other side of Brooklyn.
I was worried he might fall over with all that gear, but my man stayed steady. Reagan had gotten dropped off by a rideshare after work, then disappeared into the ladies' restroom to change into her street clothes.
For the next two hours, she and Wolfie struggled to stay on their feet in their skates, laughing the whole time as they helped one another out.
"Look at that," I called after Wolfie, who very quickly was able to skate laps around Reagan. He took to that rink like a duck to the water, and I was proud. "Like an old pro." I clapped my hands and whistled.
I turned to Reagan, who was struggling to stay upright. "Don't look at me," she warned. "I will figure this out, but I'm not going to be able to do it with you looking at me." I could hear that competitive edge in her voice, the same one that turned me on so damn much.
"Listen, Miles. Don't tell me you're one of those uncoachable athletes," I teased her.
"Oh, don't pretend you're my coach now, of all the insufferable things," she began to rant as I skated close by.
"Do you want my help, Aunt Rea?" Wolfie asked.
I saw her bite her lip, so I jumped in. "Don't you worry, Wolf-Man, just keep practicing. I got Aunt Rae," I said, grabbing her hands and then placing my other hand against her back to help keep her steady.
"Now, I know you don't like directions from me, except for very specific situations," I said, only loud enough to where she could hear.
"Adam," she hissed in warning.
"But this is kind of my sport, so at least let me give you a few tips. First, you gotta relax," I coached.
"Oh, you would say something stupid like that at a time like this," she snapped, and I had to bite back a laugh. Reagan did not like not naturally excelling at something.
"Yeah, well, it's true in this case. Secondly, you've got to quit trying to go so fast. Remember, slow is smooth. Smooth is fast."
She rolled her eyes at me, but then, I saw her look towards the ice and her feet, willing her feet to glide easily back and forth, as she sucked in a determined breath. I could feel her stance change beneath my palms as she started to glide slowly and smoothly across the ice. "There you go, that's it. You're doing great. Look at that—you're a natural."
"Quit being so patronizing," she muttered.
"I'm not. I am encouraging you, dammit. Do you always have to be this stubborn?"
"I am not stubborn," she insisted. "I just know my own mind, and I do not want to hear that 'atta-girl' stuff from you."
We continued to bicker back and forth for a while, then suddenly stopped when I heard a clear, joyful sound across the ice. Guiltily, we looked away from each other and back at Wolfie. He was watching us, laughing his head off of us arguing with one another.
"Hey, peanut gallery, what are you laughing at?" I asked him in a teasing voice.
He pointed at both of us. "You two are funny."
"How dare you laugh at my pain, Wolfie." Reagan moaned as she continued her slow glide across the ice. It just made him laugh harder. "I'm struggling here, little man, and you're laughing. You're just like your uncle," she called over her shoulder while I chuckled behind my hands at her outrage.
By the end of the evening, Wolfie was confident in his skates. Reagan, not so much, but she has improved greatly.
I'd offered to drop Reagan off at her place, but Wolfie popped up and asked her sweetly if she would help read him a story tonight. I saw the expression on her face and knew she was not going to be able to resist that, so she came back with us. I was secretly pleased.
After we tucked Wolfie in, Reagan lingered around the couch. "I'm going to be sore for days," she whined as she plopped onto the couch.
"Well, I would prefer you saying those words under different circumstances, but I'll take it."
She made a face at me. "You never quit, do you?"
My expression sobered as I shook my head, "No, I don't. Once I decide on something, there's no stopping me—remember that, Reagan."
The teasing light in her eyes went out, only to be replaced by a sorrowful one. "You'll have to excuse me if I find it a little hard to believe."
