He’s towering over me, and I hadn’t realized how much taller ice skates make someone. I raise my leg, and he holds the blade of my skate between his thighs and unties the laces.
“You must trust me a lot. One quick flick of my ankle, and you’re in bad shape.” I waggle my eyebrows.
He sets his eyes on me. “Believe me, you injure him, and you’re the one missing out.” He arches an eyebrow.
The space between my thighs tingles. His long fingers flex as he fixes my laces, tying them tighter than I had, and a quick picture of him doing this for a child, our child, comes to mind.
I mentally chastise myself because what the heck was that? Talk about fast forwarding—I don’t even know what this thing with Carter is. It’s not as if we’ve talked about it. Why am I already casting him in the role of father to my children?
Get a grip, Ashley.
“There you go.” He gently sets down my leg.
I wiggle my toes, and Carter holds his hand out to help me stand. I can instantly feel how much more stable my ankles are. “This is much better. Thanks.”
He places a chaste kiss on my lips. It makes me smile, this ease with which we’ve fallen into being comfortable showing each other affection.
“Want to give it a shot?” he asks.
“Let’s do it.”
My skate hits the ice, and I immediately fall, almost taking Carter down with me.
“Try to keep one foot planted and push off with the other one.” Carter holds my hands and skates backward in front of me.
I do as he instructs and take a wobbly glide forward. But at least I’ve found some balance, and I’m no longer falling on my ass every time I move.
“That’s it, you’re doing great. Now do it again and then again.”
Other people whip by us, but Carter says to ignore them, don’t think about how stupid I probably look. Normally, the mortification would have me packing it in like I did last time, but Carter gives me the confidence to keep going. I push off like he said and do it again and again until what I’m doing bears some resemblance to skating.
A grin forms on both our faces.
“You’re doing great,” he says. Carter has been so patient. “Let me know when you think you’re okay for me to let go of you.”
His words make me grip him harder. “Not yet.”
He chuckles. “I’m not going to let go until you tell me you’re ready. Don’t worry.”
“Did you skate a lot growing up?”
He nods. “Played hockey growing up. I was never amazing at it, but I did all right. I’m trying to convince my brother, Tre, to put my niece Ryah in hockey. I want to take her skating when I visit.”
I remember from our first date that he grew up in a small town named Climax Cove in Oregon.
“He’s not into it?”
Carter shrugs. “We used to have a bit of a rivalry growing up since he was the star football player, and I was into hockey.”
“Do you enjoy being an uncle?”
The megawatt smile is on his face answers before he even responds. “It’s the best. Ryah has such a fun personality, and I’m sure Maisie will be the same. She’s just a baby, so I haven’t seen her enough.”
A warm smile stretches my mouth. After my experience with him teaching me how to skate, I can picture him being a wonderful uncle to his nieces.
“Do you want to be a father someday?” I feel a little awkward asking that question. I don’t want him to think that I’m wondering as it relates to me, even if I kind of am.
His gaze meets mine, and it feels weighted with possibility as though he knows why I’m asking and is okay with it. “I do, yeah.” Then he squeezes my hands, like some kind of promise.
