“Unless that trouble is…oh…taking the vacuum apart.”
His eyes went wide.“Oh, shit.”
“Yes.Or taking the bottom part of his door off the hinges.That was fun…”
JP had to chuckle at that.“So there is stuff he rushes headlong into, same as Tori.Just in a different way.”
“Yes.If it involves a screwdriver or mechanics…” Ian shook his head and stretched.“How are you feeling?”
“Pretty good right at the moment.”He gave Ian a grin.“Last night was… it was really good, Chou.”
“It was.You tasted…just like I remembered.”Ian kissed his jaw.
“I didn’t think I’d get there, but-- like I said, magic.”He turned his face to kiss Ian properly.
Ian chuckled softly, smiling against his lips.“Yes, well…I was inspired.”
“I’m glad.”He licked at Ian’s lips, traced them with the tip of his tongue.
“Be good, now.I have to make breakfast and be a good father.”Ian’s gaze was happy, though, and that smile was something he felt in his bones.“What is on your schedule today, love?”
“I have to do my PT, but it’s the at-home stuff today.Mike’s coming at ten to help me with that.”
“Excellent.I have to take books back to the library, and it’s ice skating day.So I will have one excited child and one sobbing child.”
“When’s the skating?I can come with you, see if I can’t jolly Petey into having a better attitude about the skating.”He wanted both his kids to enjoy it at least, if not love it like he did.
“It’s from two to three.It takes me at least that long to get everyone’s skates on.”Ian rolled his eyes.“I get Tori ready, get her to the little pod of skaters — have I mentioned she’s informed me she’s starting Hockey Tots in the fall?”
“I think that’s awesome.”He loved how much she loved the game.She was going to play for the PWHL one day, he was sure of it, even without having seen her actually skating yet.“I’ll be done with my physio by eleven-thirty, so I can come with you and help.Maybe convince Petey it could be fun.”
“I’d love that.Tori would too.She’s…well, she’s your girl — fierce, competitive, brave, passionate.”Ian winked at him.“Stubborn, temperamental…”
“Shut up.”He didn’t take it to heart, though.He knew damned well he was a stubborn asshole.Ian was the brightness in their relationship.
A sharp knock came to their door.
“Daddy!It’s skate day!I need breakfast!”
JP decided to field that one.“We’ll be down in a minute, Tori.Why don’t you get all your gear ready?”He turned to Ian.“She can do that on her own, right?”
He nodded.“If she can’t, we literally have—” He peeked at the clock.“—six hours to fix it.”
He chuckled at that.“Okay.I just wanted to make sure I’d said the right thing.”This being a father thing was hard.
“She loves ‘skate day’.I blame you, you know.”Ian winked at him.“My ice baby.”
“I will happily take the blame for that.”He hadn’t even seen her skate, and he was already so proud of her.“Why is Peter so scared?”
“The kids walked out on the ice in their little walkers, both of them immediately fell on their butts.”Ian rolled his eyes.“Tori giggled hysterically.Peter sobbed.”
“Was he badly hurt?”
“Nope.Not a bruise.Not a bit.It was scary.”
JP shook his head.He was going to have to figure this out, because he wanted both his children to know how to skate.Peter didn’t have to become a hockey player, but skating was pure joy, and he wanted that for his son.
Even Ian was a perfectly serviceable ice skater.
