I think.
“Hi,” Rachel says. “Ari said we could have ice cream.”
Shit. Cody raises a judge-y brow.
“These are my little brothers and sister,” I explain. “I was supposed to babysit, but I forgot.”
I was on the verge of something with Cody, but this looks bad. Hell, I guess it is bad, and I’m flushing any chance I had down the drain.
“They can skate,” I explain. “Bryce and Dawson both play hockey and Rachel’s in lessons.” I don’t mention that those lessons are taught by Merc and yours truly, but we’re professionals. Kind of. We know what we’re doing, anyway.
“We’re pretty damn awesome,” Dawson says.
“Kids who swear?” Cody asks.
“You guys,” I hiss. “Outside manners.” We have different manners inside the house than we do outside. It was the best we could come up with. When you don’t have a real parent, you get the rules your older siblings invent out of necessity.
Cody nods. “I’m trusting you, Ari.”
Dammit. Pressure. So much pressure.
Things seem okay, though. I give him a special smile. Bam! Instant blushing, blooming in his cheeks. Adorable.
I help all my siblings with their skates to some degree. Bryce needs help tightening his better. Dawson gets his skates on, but can’t tie them at all, so I do it for him. Rachel puts them on the wrong feet, so I get her fixed up, sliding her foot in and then holding the skate between my thighs while I lace her up. I make all of them wear helmets, elbow pads, and knee pads, much to Dawson’s dismay.
“Don’t get injured,” I warn them before they head out on the ice.
“Why would we?”
Because you’re Meyers, I don’t say. “Look after your little sister.”
“I can skate, Ari,” she says, crossing her arms. So feisty, that one. I think she’s gonna grow up to be tough and confident like Mercy.
“I know you can, sweetheart.”
I keep my eyes on them, which means there’s less time for staring dreamily at Cody. That’s probably good tonight. I doubt he’ll have any loving gazes to send my way after springing something like this on him. I sharpen skates and make sure the boys are keeping Rachel upright. They’re good older brothers and they do a good job with her. Us Meyers mature a little faster than the norm. We have to.
With the last skate sharpened, it means everyone’s out on the ice and the concession stand can take a break. I expect to see Cody looking my way, but he’s gone.
The sexiest man alive skates onto the ice.
Or, well, he tries to skate onto the ice. Oh, Lord. He cannot skate. He hasn’t even done those skates up properly and he’s gonna bust his ankle. Was he so worried about the kids that he rushed out there as soon as he could? I don’t know why he would. They’re fine. Rachel notices him struggling and skates over to assist with her skate trainer. Cody declines, clinging to the boards instead, his eyes darting in every direction.
Fuck, I’ve got to get out there. I rip off my skate guards, hop over the boards like a maniac, and rush to his rescue. I think I like rescuing him a bit too much.
I grip under his wrists to hold him upright, catching him just before he hits the ice. He collapses against me. “Lemme fix your skates, eh?”
Cody flushes pink, barely able to look at me, but nods.
“They’ll be okay,” I assure him, referring to my younger brothers and sister.
“I see that.”
Um, okay. Isn’t that why he risked his neck to skate out here?
I take him off to one of the benches and do as I’d done for the kids, holding his skate between my thighs, lacing him up nice and tight, then lead him onto the ice.
I skate backward, encouraging him with a smirky smile. He totters a bit, but bravely attempts to glide.
