Four months later
Kinsey yelped and grabbed the support rail at the edge of the ice skating rink as one foot slipped out from under her. She managed to stop her fall before landing on her ass, but only just. And she was pretty sure any attempt to get both skates firmly on the ice would only result in another tumble.
Sasha scraped to a graceful stop in front of her, eyebrows raised. “You okay?”
“Why did I let you talk me into this, again?” Kinsey asked, clinging to the rail.
Sasha grinned. “Because you love me. Obviously.”
Kinsey puffed out a long-suffering burst of air, unable to keep up her frown. “It is remarkably hard to remember I hate skating when you’re sparkling at me like that.”
Laughing, Sasha offered a hand up. “Just hold onto me, darling. I won’t let you fall.”
“You underestimate my inability to sport,” Kinsey said, scowling as Nova did some kind of jumpy spin thing at the far end of the rink.
You’d think the fact it was nearly summer would mean there would be no ice rinks to go to. But no. Freaking White Plains had to have a big indoor rink just a few miles from Kinsey’s parents’ house.
The worst part was this was actually Kinsey’s idea. She couldn’t let Sasha’s birthday pass without getting her friends together and doing something she liked. Even though spending a couple of hours trying not to break any bones on slippery ice sounded distinctly like torture to Kinsey. Sasha would enjoy it, and so would the rest of their friends, so Kinsey could make herself enjoy it too. Or at least enjoy the fact that the rest of them were enjoying themselves.
She had sort of hoped she could get away with sitting on the sidelines with a warm drink and cheering everyone on. But on the way in, Sasha had asked if she was going to actually rent a pair of skates with that slightly teasing dare in her eyes. Kinsey, without thinking, had protested that of course she was. She couldn’t regret it because saying yes made Sasha beam. And what did a little incompetence matter, when it earned Kinsey that smile? Fifteen minutes on the ice probably wouldn’t kill her.
Setting her teeth, Kinsey gripped Sasha’s fingers with one hand, keeping the other on the rail. It took some scrabbling and another near-fall, but eventually she got both feet under her.
“There you go,” Sasha said brightly. “You’re nailing step one of skating.”
“What, standing up?” Kinsey asked. “You’re sweet, but I’m not sure how long that one’s going to last.”
Sasha squeezed her hand. “Don’t worry, I’ve got you. Try bending your knees a little.”
Kinsey bit her lip as some of the other girls glided past, calling out a jumble of friendly greetings and good-natured taunts. Sasha laughed and ordered them to behave themselves, her grip on Kinsey’s hand not wavering for an instant.
Knowing she couldn’t cling to the rail without moving all day, Kinsey unmoored herself from the bar. Her skates instantly tried to escape again. She flailed, searching blindly for the security of the railing, and found Sasha’s free hand instead.
Kinsey’s shoulders sagged in relief. “Thanks.”
“I told you I wouldn’t let you fall,” Sasha said with an encouraging smile. “Do you want to try actually skating now?”
“I guess,” Kinsey grumbled. “Just promise me this isn’t going to turn into paintball on ice.”
Sasha chuckled. “Paintball on ice? Is that a thing?”
“I hope not,” Kinsey said, horrified that Sasha would look so excited by the idea.
Sasha glided half a step closer and lowered her voice. “I didn’t see any paintball guns lying around the locker area, so I think we’re safe. Come on.” She tugged gently on Kinsey’s hands as she started skating backwards, towing Kinsey along after her.
“You are disgustingly good at this,” Kinsey complained as she struggled to keep her feet parallel.
Sasha’s smile just widened. She bumped a kiss to Kinsey’s lips. “Thank you, darling. Now try actually moving your feet.”
Kinsey scowled, but Sasha’s hands were steady, and there really was no saying no to that grin.
It was nice to see the smiles come so easily these days. The first few weeks after Sasha decided to cut her mom off had been rough on her. She’d had to work through a lingering sense of guilt over the decision, made worse when she actually did get some pushback from some of her relatives. They just couldn’t seem to understand why Sasha had finally dug her heels in.
Fortunately, the pushback didn’t last long. As soon as Trevor found out about it, he’d taken it upon himself to run interference with the rest of the family. Whatever he told them, it worked. A few of the naysayers actually reached out to apologize, and the rest at least had the decency to let the subject drop.
After that, it seemed to get easier. Sasha still woke out of the odd nightmare, but she’d started taking them as signs she needed to vent, and the more she talked, the less the dreams bothered her—and the more she smiled. The relief of not having to worry about the next time her mom called overtook the last remaining guilt, and slowly, slowly, Sasha had blossomed into a woman more shining and brilliant than ever.
“Don’t look now, my dear, but you’re skating.” Sasha withdrew one hand and deftly moved to Kinsey’s side.
“Don’t let go,” Kinsey warned, gripping Sasha’s remaining hand as she awkwardly made some forward progress.
Sasha squeezed her hand back. “I wouldn’t dream of it.”
Skating wasn’t so bad as long as Sasha was holding her hand. Kinsey was aware she probably looked like a newborn foal next to Sasha’s athletic grace, but she really didn’t care. Her hand was secure in Sasha’s fingers, and she was the reason Sasha was smiling, and nothing else mattered.
She actually felt a twinge of disappointment when they had to get off the ice for a few minutes so they could send the little truck thing around the rink.
“Are you two coming to grab anything at the snack bar?” Nova called from the bench where she and a handful of other girls were pulling off their skates. Kinsey wouldn’t say they were best of friends these days, but Nova had come around when Kinsey brought Sasha back from Pennsylvania. They got along about as well as could be expected for two women who didn’t share many interests.
“Maybe in a minute,” Sasha said with a wave, gently tugging Kinsey toward an empty bench.
“You can go get something if you want,” Kinsey said softly, pressing her shoulder against Sasha’s as they walked. “You should hang out with your friends some, too. I’m the one who gets to take you home.”
“Yeah, but you’re going to get tired of skating in a few minutes, and I don’t think I want to stop holding hands just yet.”
“I don’t either,” Kinsey protested. “That’s the best part of the whole skating thing.”
“Well, I’m glad we’re on the same page, then,” Sasha said, brushing her thumb against Kinsey’s palm.
Kinsey didn’t have time to reply. Beatrice, who’d been running late, turned up to attack both of them with hugs and to chat for a few seconds before running back to find Julian and rent their skates.
With most of the crowd at the snack bar, the benches around the rink quieted until the most prominent sound was the motor of the machine creeping across the ice like a giant snail, leaving deadly smooth ice in its wake. The handful of people who’d hung back were either standing at the side of the rink or sitting on benches out of earshot, chatting or stretching.
Kinsey poked Sasha’s arm to get her attention. “Enjoying your birthday?”
“Yeah, I am,” Sasha said, a note of surprise in her voice. “I mean, any time I can get you to strap wheels or blades or boards of any variety to your feet is going to be a great time.”
“Well, that’s a given. I’m such a disaster I have to be entertaining.”
“You’re not a disaster. You’re a sweetheart.” Sasha drew her closer and kissed her, one of the just-because kisses that Kinsey loved. “Thank you for planning this for me. I don’t have a great track record with birthdays going smoothly. And you’ve made this one just . . . perfect.”
Kinsey squeezed Sasha’s hand protectively. She knew ranting about how people treated Sasha wouldn’t help much in this scenario. It helped sometimes, but only if Sasha was taking up guilt that didn’t belong to her. Which didn’t seem to be a problem today.
It took Kinsey a moment to settle on something better to say. “This is going to sound cheesy,” she began, “but I’m glad you were born. And that you somehow found your way to me. You’re the most lovely, wonderful, big-hearted person I’ve ever met. I’m so thankful I get to know you.” She rested her palm above Sasha’s heart, feeling its steady beat and holding her gaze. “I love you, Sasha Deforest. Every single particle.”
Sasha didn’t flinch. She didn’t deflect. She didn’t even break eye contact. She just pulled Kinsey closer, her smile soft and luminous. “I love you more, Kinsey Han.”
A warm, bubbly feeling settled under Kinsey’s skin as she lifted her chin. “Not a chance, Deforest,” she said, her lips brushing Sasha’s as she spoke. “Not a chance.”