Page 151 of Unloved

“Yeah?”

He trembles in my grip, but his smile is infectious, pressed to the skin of my neck.

“Yeah,” I breathe. “Now, I want to go on a date with my boyfriend.”

He kisses me, and just like the very first time he kissed me, freshman year, my knees go weak.

CHAPTER 54Freddy

“Ice skating?”

“Yep.” I grin up at Ro from where I’m kneeling with her foot shoved into a crappy rental skate. I almost full-body cringeagainjust looking at the unsharpened blade. “It was one of yournever have I everthings that we didn’t do on our hooky day.”

“Kinda busy for a holiday,” Ro blurts out, eyes darting around at all the families skating around the community rink. Her cheeks flush. “I’m a little nervous. Maybe we could come back when I’ve practiced more in an empty rink.”

“Nope.” I pop thePextra hard. “Look, it was either this or ‘dance on top of a bar’ from your bucket list. And all the bars open on Thanksgiving are gonna be sad and weird. I’d rather not put you on a bar top while divorced dad music plays on a loop and people are drowning their sorrows in beer.”

She giggles and my entire body lightens.

I grasp her hands, watching her weak little ankles wobble as she stands in front of me, still shorter than me but taller than every other girl here.

“I’m so tall and uncoordinated,” she moans, reading my thoughts easily. Her head tries to dip in embarrassment. “I’m gonna look like a baby giraffe.”

“Aww,” I coo, stepping backward onto the ice with her hands inmine as she treads slowly onto the already cut-up ice. “A very,verycute giraffe, though.”

Ro stumbles two steps onto the ice, legs immediately sliding like she might slip into a split and rip her jeans. She cries out lightly before I’m looping my arms around her waist to get a better grip on her body.

Blowing a breath to push her messy curls out of her face, Ro angles a fierce look over her shoulder at me. I manage to maintain myvery innocentdemeanor.

“I thought you were some superstar hockey player.”

A laugh rips from me. “I thought getting on the ice would be easier than that.” I adjust my grip, hands digging a little harder into her waist. “I’m gonna let go of you—”

“Wait, no—”

Her tone is desperate, pulling easily at my heartstrings.

“Relax, princess.” I try to soothe her. “I’m going to get in front of you. You just need to stand up and I’m gonna pull you, okay?”

“Please don’t let me fall,” she says, real nerves making her words come out a little panicked. My stomach hollows, but I nod, schooling my features into a calm, neutral expression.Be solid, like Bennett. Let her rely on you.

“I won’t,” I vow before releasing her carefully and moving in front of her. I grab her hands again, skates spreading a little wider. “Ready?”

“No,” she blurts, shaking her head rapidly. “But we should probably move away from the entrance.”

“Probably.” The truth is, I’d just stand here with her for as long as she needed. But my girl is fierce and determined in a way not many really know or appreciate.

I skate backward easily, pulling Ro toward the curve of the ice. Ro overcorrects and almost tips backward immediately. A few kids pass by us, struggling alongside their parents but going three times our speed easily. Ro eyes them precariously.

“I think I need one of those.”

Flicking my head over my shoulder, I bark out a laugh seeing the toddler holding on to a walker, making good progress across the ice toward his mom, who stands at the red line in figure skates.

“A walker?” I shake my head, hair flopping lazily into my eyes before I flip it back again. “Nah, you’ve got me. You’re fine. You’re getting better already.”

My words are confident and strong—but the truth is that she’snot. We’re barely moving, the slowest people on the ice. And every time one of the little hockey shits skirts a little too close to Ro, she tenses and almost falls again. I’m tempted to check one of them into the boards, but they’re probably twelve and I’d easily get us kicked out.

A smile tugs the corner of my mouth. It might be worth it.

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