Page 70 of Promise Me

“Figure skating is right after us, boys—let’s not lose any time tonight.”

The boys hustle onto the ice, but their coach stays back with me.

“This was a nice surprise, and if you’d like to stay for practice, we’d love to have you watch. If you’re still here at the end, I might even cut it early for the boys to chat with you if you'd like.”

“I would,” I say without missing a beat.

“Good to hear.” He disappears into the rink, leaving Sadie and I alone. I walk closer to the glass and then take a seat.

“Are we staying for a bit?” she asks.

“Do you mind?”

“Not even a little.” She sits next to me.

Her eyes drift to the players on the ice, but mine drift to her.

Did I think that I’d return to the rink one day? Yes. Is it better than I could have ever expected because of the woman next to me? Double yes.

“You’re not watching the players,” she says, never taking her eyes off the ice.

“I know.” My voice catches, and she turns to me.

A smile touches her lips, and in a moment when I think I’d be stressed or worried or I don’t even know, all I can think about is how those lips would taste. How would they feel pressed against mine? How, after all these years, all the fights, the feuds, the bickering … I can honestly say that I never, ever want to go back to how things were between us.

This version of us is my favorite.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

SADIE

“Are you sure you want to do this?” Hudson asks as soon as we pull onto my dad’s street.

I nod.

“Are you positive? Because I know I made you agree to do this, but if you change your mind, I’ll support you.”

“I’m positive. I might not be ready to move back into my old room, but I can’t avoid this house forever. This is the right next move for me.”

I keep my eyes out the front window, the row of houses that I grew up with passing by. At least the street looks the same.

Hudson doesn’t say anything, so I turn to him.

“This is the right move, right?”

He shrugs. “I can’t answer that for you, but if you feel it is, then yeah. This is all on your terms, Sadie. Don’t let anyone rush you.”

I nod again, because clearly that is the only response I have right now.

“It is.”

Hudson pulls the truck to a stop in front of my dad’s house.The first thing I noticed when I came home from the hospital was the fresh coat of white paint and the new blue front door. Mom would have loved that blue door.

I bet he did that for her. I just wish I knew how he coped with everything. I hope my living with him for the last few years helped. I don’t have to remember everything to know that it helped me. My life was on track somewhere, wasn’t it?

I startle when Hudson appears at my door and opens it.

“Are you staying in the truck?” he asks.

---