Page 68 of Like A Daydream
“Trust me?” he asks, standing in front of her and taking her hands. She nods. “Don’t do anything, just hold onto me.”
He starts skating backwards, pulling her away from the boards.
“Now try,” he says, “I’m not going to let you fall.”
He feels like he’s said this about six thousand times today, but he also knows that sometimes it just takes a little bit of reassurance. He looks over his shoulder at Harper, who is somehow skating like she’s a pro, and then focuses back on Danielle.
“Push off with your right foot, and balance on your left,” he says, “then set your right foot down and push off with your left.”
He skates backwards slowly as she gets the hang of it, grinning with every step she masters. Her smile grows as she catches on, and he thinks this might be the best day of his life up to this point. He’s got his two favorite girls on Herb Brooks Arena ice, and they’re learning to do the most important thing in his life.
“I’m going to let go,” Andrew says, “but I’ll stay right here to catch you if anything happens.”
She nods, and he skates just out of her reach, making sure to go slow as she keeps her pace.
“See, it’s not that hard,” he says, watching, “you just have to glide.”
“They’re starting to feel like blades of glory,” she laughs, taking another step to glide. Her center of gravity shifts, and her arms windmill to catch herself, but he skates forward and grabs her around her waist before she can fall and pulls her close.
“Blades of glory, huh?” he asks, brushing their noses together with a grin.
“We’re getting there,” she replies, hitting his chest gently, “but it’s not so bad.”
“I’m going to have to get you some skates.”
“Don’t push it.”
“Yes ma’am.”
He takes them to lunch in Saranac Lake, and it’s funny that driving twenty minutes away makes them feel like they’re in a different world. No one knows who Danielle and Harper are, even though Andrew gets a few turned heads, and it’s nice to just exist.
“Harper, what do you want to eat?” he asks as they head down the sidewalk. Harper steps between Danielle and Andrew, taking one of their hands in each of hers and swinging their arms back and forth.
“I think tacos sound good,” she says, huge grin on her face. “Yeah, tacos.”
“Tacos it is,” Andrew says, nodding.
“And ice cream after?” Harper asks, looking up at him and then at Danielle. “Aunt D, please?”
“Maybe when we get back to Lake Placid,” Danielle says, “I don’t know if your stomach will be able to handle all of it at once.”
“Fine,” she says with a huff, “but I’m going to get two scoops when we get back.”
Danielle rolls her eyes, and Andrew grins at her. She never usually gives up without a fight, especially when it comes to rules with Harper, so she must be feeling extra relaxed today.
Andrew holds the door open for both of them as they step inside, letting Harper choose the table nearest to the window. He and Danielle sit across from Harper and he thinks that they must look like any other normal family, out on a Saturday.
The thought hits him like a ton of bricks, and he has to take a deep breath to steady himself. He’s told Danielle that he feels like they’re building a family together, but until today it has all been in a place where they’re known.
Today, they’re in a town where they could just be anyone and that makes it feel different.
It feels heavier, but special. Like they could just be Harper’s parents, without the grief and struggle that goes along with that. They could just be two thirty-somethings and their daughter, not a disgraced NHL player and a woman raising her dead best friend’s kid.
“What a lovely family you make,” an elderly woman says, walking by their table. Her husband has a hand at her elbow, guiding her towards the door.
Andy smiles up at her, and she stops beside their table to take a rest as she smiles back at him.
“Thank you,” he says with a smile, answering for both of his girls.
