Page 131 of Almost Ours
At his name, my stomach flipped but I kept my face neutral. “Yeah.”
Nina’s brow arched, a sly smile tugging at her mouth. “What’s he really doing out of town? Secret family?”
Shane actually laughed–one of those full, unguarded laughs–and shook his head. “Yeah, right. No, he’s just helping out our buddy. That’s it.”
Both Nina and I looked at him, waiting, like maybe he’d say more.
His grin faltered, and he got to his feet, grabbing his coat off the arm of the chair. “And on that note, I’m gonna get going.”
Without another word, he was out the door, leaving us in the quiet he’d blown through just moments ago.
The next afternoon,after school, Nina and I got the boys into the car and headed for the outdoor rink. The sun was low, spilling gold over the snowbanks that lined the path. Our breath curled in the crisp air as we wrestled with laces and gloves, the familiar scrape of skates on ice filling the space around us.
Connor was nearly bouncing out of his seat on the bench, tugging at his skates before I could even tighten my own laces properly. Ryan had surprised me with a pair of my own after thethree of us had gone skating together a couple months ago. Liam was already halfway across the ice, skating in circles.
I stepped onto the ice and glanced back at Nina. “Come on, it’s fun,” I called, motioning her toward the ice.
She shook her head, hands buried deep in her jacket pockets. “Nope. I do not skate.”
“Have you ever tried?”
“Once,” she said, a smirk tugging at her mouth. “Didn’t end well. I’ll cheer from here, thanks.”
I laughed, pushing off, the sound of my blades cutting clean through the ice. Connor zoomed ahead, calling for Liam to race him. For a while, the afternoon unfolded with easy warmth–shouts, laughter, the rhythmic scrape of skates, and the faint scent of hot chocolate drifting over from the concession stand. For a while, I forgot about everything else.
Until the back of my neck prickled.
I slowed, scanning the edges of the rink. Out of the corner of my eye, just beyond the chain-link fence, a figure stood half-hidden in the lengthening shadows. Too still. Too focused. My heartbeat stumbled, a faint thud in my ears.
I turned to get a better look, but movement off to the right drew my attention.
Nina wasn’t sitting on the bench anymore. She was standing rigid, her body angled toward a woman with dark hair and sharp features I recognized instantly–Lily. Nina’s sister. Liam’s biological mom.
Even from across the ice, I could see the heat in their exchange. Lily’s voice carried, sharp and cutting. “You can’t keep him from me forever, Nina. He’s my son, whether you like it or not–” Her tone dripped with bitterness, the words tumbling faster, harder.
Instinct screamed at me to step in, though I hesitated. Nina could handle herself. And Liam… he didn’t need to see this.
My gaze darted to the boys–still skating, still laughing, completely oblivious. Relief threaded through my chest.
“Hey,” I called to them, forcing a smile into my voice. “Hot chocolate break. Let’s go.”
They cheered, skating toward me, cheeks flushed. I guided them to the far side of the rink, keeping my tone light and my pace steady, though my eyes kept flicking over my shoulder.
That prickling sensation was still there, needling me. The figure I’d seen earlier had vanished, but the unease lingered like a cold draft under a locked door.
I told myself to let it go-to focus on Liam’s grin as he talked about the race he’d just won, on Connor’s red cheeks and wide smile. But deep down, the knot in my stomach stayed tight.
Dinner wasat one of Kyle’s favourite pubs, the kind of place that had seen better days but still had plenty of charm. The weathered wood tables had initials carved into them, the jukebox in the corner was at least two decades out of date, and the whole place smelled like beer, fried food, and bad decisions.
We snagged a booth near the back, where it was quieter, ordering burgers and fries. Kyle, as usual, was in his element.
The moment our waitress–a brunette, with a bright smile and an easy laugh–walked up, he was ready.
“Well, hey there,” Kyle drawled, flashing a grin so lethal it should’ve been registered as a deadly weapon. “What’s your name, sweetheart?”
She arched an eyebrow but smiled back. “Jess.”
“Jess,” he repeated slowly, like he was rolling the name around on his tongue. “You must be new here. I’d definitely remember you if I’d seen you before.”
