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She swallowed. “Sure… I’ll be at my parents though…”
“Perfect. We’ll swing around and getcha. Just make sure you bring your skates,” I said with a wink.
________
After picking up Josie, I drove us to the rink, and then the three of us were sneaking into the stadium’s side door. We could totally enter through the front, but Stevie liked making everything a mission– so did I, to be honest.
“I take it we’re going skating? Why not just tell me?” Josie whispered as we sat on the bench lacing up our skates.
“Shh, no questions, you’ll ruin the surprise.”
Stevie shot me a thumbs up that it was a good response, and I internally chuckled.
As soon as I finished lacing up mine and then Stevie’s skates, we were all walking on the skate-safe rubber floor to the stadium’s entrance.
“Wait,” Josie pulled back on my arm, “are we even allowed to be here?”
“Shhh,” I told her, fighting an amused grin.
“If you get kicked off the team for this, it issonot my fault,” she continued.
I gave her hand a squeeze. “Relax, little buddy.”
She shot me a dark look, making me laugh.
As soon as we entered the rink, the lights were all shut off except a tiny backup light way across the ice, giving the rink an eerie glow.
“How do we turn the lights on? What do we do?” Josie asked, retreating back into me.
“We skate,” I told her, guiding her to the door.
Stevie already hopped on the ice and was holding onto the boards, waiting for us.
Josie whirled on me. “Are you crazy? It’s so dark.” Her eyes widened in panic.
I pulled out my phone and hit a couple buttons. In a second, Mariah Carey’s voice boomed through the rink and little string lights strung up around the boards started twinkling. I bribed the front office to leave everything as is from the team’s swanky donor banquet last week. I slid my phone’s flashlight on. “It’s an ice show! You said you liked skating in the spotlight!”
Her hands shot to her mouth. Then her body shuddered with giggles. But then… was she sniffling?
I froze. “Josie… are you… Are you crying?” I asked, pulling her hands from her face.
“Yes!” Her eyes were teary and the rims of her eyelids were all red. She lightly wacked my chest. “You made me all–” she sniffled again, “emotional. This is so sweet.”
My body shuddered with a chuckle. “Aww, c’mere.” I pulled her into my chest and rubbed her back. “Let’s not waste your ice show time though, c’mon.”
She didn’t have to be told twice. She ran out onto the ice and I followed behind her, holding my flashlight.
We spent the next half hour just messing around on the ice. Per Stevie’s request, the two of us raced– I won, even though her skating was much prettier, and then we taught Stevie a few things.
While Josie taught Stevie a simple two-foot spin, I hopped up on the boards and started videoing, and I was struck with an overwhelming feeling of gratitude for the two of them. How many years had I spent wishing for this kind of Christmas day? For a family to share it with? Christmas felt souneventfulbefore them, like it was just another day. But today, I was seeing it through their eyes, and it made everything feel brand new.
A minute later, Josie was skating over to the boards. “I can’t believe you remembered I said that. This is like a dream.”
I pointed to my head. “Steal trap, baby. I remember everything you say.”
She blushed as she looked out onto the ice. “Well, thank you. This makes me feel so… special.”
“You are special, Josie.” I paused. At that moment, I knew I needed to get us back on track and to make sure she knew how important she was to me. To us. I wanted every Christmas to be like this. “Josie, I think I jumped the gun with saying we should go on a–”
