Page 33 of Merciless King
“Depends on who you ask. The last time I had skates on my feet was over eight years ago with your mother.” I look over at Piper, wondering if she remembers our time together fondly.
Her lips twitch upward, but she quickly schools them back into neutral. “If you ask me, no. He has terrible balance.”
“My talents always lie elsewhere.” I wink at her, then think twice about the innuendo of that statement.
As we arrive at the roller rink, a wave of nostalgia washes over me. Memories of high school outings with Piper flood back. She’s right. I sucked at skating, but I endured it because it always made her laugh. Then we’d have pizza and I’d steal kisses.
We get our skates and move to a bench to put them on. Inwardly, I laugh as I lace up the skates, wondering what I’m getting myself into. But I’m happy. Excited. Hopeful. I haven’t felt like this for a long, long time.
From the first step, my awkwardness on wheels is immediately apparent as I wobble out onto the rink. Piper and Elysse glide over to me, their faces lit with amusement.
“Try not to fall,” Elysse says helpfully.
“I’ll try. I’m a bit rusty.”
Elysse giggles and grabs my hand. "Don't worry, we'll help you!"
With Piper on one side and Elysse on the other, I find my balance. We make a few tentative laps, their encouragement helping me build my confidence. I don’t have much control, and when I drift toward Piper, her hand brushes mine, sending a jolt of awareness through me. I'm playing with fire. I have no right to insert myself into their lives. But for tonight, I let myself believe that anything is possible. That maybe, just maybe, I can win back the only woman I've ever loved.
As we pick up speed, I grow bolder, but my skate catches and I tumble down, my arms flailing, grabbing for something to keep me upright. I end up accidentally pulling Piper down with me. We land in a tangle of limbs, Piper sprawled on top of me. For a breathless moment, we stare at each other, our faces inches apart. The rest of the world falls away and it's just us. My heart stutters in my chest. The urge to kiss her is almost more than I can resist. I want to taste her, to pour out all my longing so she can feel the sincerity of my heart.
Elysse’s laughter stops me. It wouldn’t be right to kiss Piper in front of the child. Not when she has a father, the ungrateful fuck wad that he is.
“Mommy, Elio, are you okay?"
Piper quickly scrambles off me, her cheeks flushed. "We're fine, sweetie. Just a little tumble."
She helps me to my feet, and we brush ourselves off, carefully avoiding eye contact. The charged moment has passed, but it still crackles through my blood.
"I think I'm getting the hang of this," I say lightly, trying to defuse the tension.
Elysse claps her hands. "You're doing great! Let's race!"
“I need to visit the ladies’ room. Elysse, come with me.”
“Do I have to? Me and Elio can skate.” She takes my hand.
She glances at me. “I guess it would be okay.”
I fight feeling offended at Piper's distrust of me. I remind myself that I’m a stranger to Elysse. Not that she’s worried about me. Elysse is pulling on me to keep skating.
"Looks like it's just you and me for a bit, kiddo. Think you can teach me some of your fancy moves?"
Elysse's face lights up. "Sure! Watch this!" She turns around and begins to skate slowly, but surely, backward. I applaud her efforts.
She turns to the front again and takes my hand, and we skate on.
"So, your dad's not big on family outings, huh?" It’s wrong for me to probe, but I have to know what I’m up against.
Elysse's smile falters, but it’s not sadness I see. "He's away a lot. For work and stuff. But it's okay. I like when it's just me and Mom."
"Must be tough, him being gone so much."
"I don't mind, really," Elysse says. "He's not my real dad, anyway."
I nearly stumble over my skates at her casual revelation. Not her real father? My mind reels with the implications.
"Oh? What do you mean?" I hope my voice sounds neutral.