Page 31 of Saving You

“We’re all good in my truck.”

Unlocking it, I open the back door and help Charlie in. I buckle Charlie in, making sure everything is secure, and turn around. Bailey’s staring at me, mouth agape. I chuckle and walk up to her, placing two fingers under her chin and help her close it.

“Bails, you good?”

“You got her a booster seat?” Her voice is full of vulnerability.

“Yeah, I did. If I want to take you girls out, I need to make sure I have the proper things. I need to know you two are safe, so I grabbed the best-rated one and installed it. Now, no matter what, I know Charlie can ride safely in my truck.”

Tears gather in the corners of her eyes. I cradle her face and wipe them away gently with my thumbs.

“Bails, what’s with the tears today?”

She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath as if trying to gather herself. When she opens them, I fall into their bright-blue depths. They shine with her held back tears, and I want nothing more than to take any and all pain away from this woman.

“Nothing, it’s just a lot to take in. Thank you, Caleb.”

We stand there for a beat before I lean forward and place a soft kiss on her forehead. Her skin is soft against my lips, and her sweet scent fills my nose. I’ll never be able to smell the mix of vanilla and jasmine and not think of this woman in front of me for the rest of my life.

Taking a step back, I open the passenger door, offering Bailey my hand as she gets in. When she’s seated, I grab the seat belt and secure it for her before jogging around the front of the truck and sliding in. I start the truck and ask, “Everyone ready to go?”

Charlie excitedly says, “Yeah,” while Bailey nods.

The radio plays softly in the background as we play a game of Eye Spy on the way to the rink. When we get there, I grab my skates out of the back, and Charlie insists on holding both Bailey and my hands. Inside, I pay for both Bailey and Charlie’s rentals, insisting they both wear hockey skates instead of figure skates. The support hockey skates offer is better for learning because it prevents the ankle from rolling.

Bailey hangs around the boards while I help Charlie onto the ice. I hold her hands as I skate backwards and she gets her footing on the ice. She startsoff slowly, figuring out how the blades feel as they glide and how hard she needs to push off.

I catch her a few times as she falls, but she begins to pick it up. After a couple of laps, I’m able to let go and just watch her as she slowly skates towards me. Her smile is contagious as she holds her arms to her side and slowly pushes forward. When we get back to Bailey, I attempt to show her how to stop, but it’s not as easy for her. She slips a little, and I catch her, righting her on the ice.

“Did you see me, Mommy? I did one whole time all by myself!” Charlie exclaims.

“Yeah, Baby Girl, you did great!”

“Now it’s your turn, Mommy.”

“Come on, Bails, time for a spin,” I say, reaching out my hand.

She takes it hesitantly, and I begin to move backwards as she lets me just drag her along. Charlie works to follow us, and I make sure to keep a slow pace so I don’t lose her.

I stop us and reposition myself behind Bailey, placing my hands on her hips and leaning in, my mouth beside her ear. “Just push off with your right foot, nice and easy.”

She pushes off slightly, and I glide behind her.

“Mommy, you’re doing it,” Charlie says from right beside me.

I smile down at her, watching and making sure she’s doing okay. After we do a lap around the ice, we come to a stop, and Charlie asks, “Caleb, can you go around as fast as you can?”

“You want me to go as fast as I can?”

“Yeah, like superfast.”

“Okay.”

I turn, moving a little bit away from the boards so I can miss all the people using them as support, and I start. The air moves through my hair as I go on a straight breakaway up the ice. I lean into the turn at the end as I barely go over the goal line. My legs move faster as I hit the straightaway again.

I grin. It’s been a while since I skated for fun, without it being for a game. I lean into the next turn and when I hit the straightaway, I head straight for Charlie. As I get close, I grab her, picking her up while still skating, and continue in my loop. She giggles as I lean into the turn, bringing her with me. She holds on tight, and I hold her back just as tightly. When we get back to Bailey, I stop quickly, sending ice shaving all over her legs. Both girls burst into laughter, and I follow suit.

I can’t remember the last time I had this much fun and laughed like this. We continue to skate around for another half an hour before Charlie says she’s hungry. We return their skates and head back out to the truck. I drive us to a little hole-in-the-wall Italian restaurant I like and want to share with them.

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