Page 34 of Bryson's Treasure

“Yup.”

She smiled back at him. He knew then he would do anything she wanted. Over the years, he’d heard about fathers being wrapped around their daughters’ fingers. The statement had never registered with him before that moment.

* * *

Lynn watchedas Bryson helped Azadeh lace up her skates. It was the middle of the day on a Wednesday, so the ice rink was empty. Lynn hadn’t skated before, so she was happy she would only be making a fool out of herself in front of Bryson and Azadeh.

She couldn’t hold back a smile over the conversation she had overheard. Lynn knew it was private, but when she heard her name, she couldn’t help but listen. Azadeh had asked for a mom for Christmas, but it was more than that. She wanted Lynn to be her mom. It took everything in her not to burst into the kitchen and give the young girl exactly what she wanted. Bryson’s voice was what had stopped her. She wanted to know how he felt.

When he’d said that he would have to woo her, her heart had opened a little more, and she turned to let the two continue their private conversation.

“Are you ready?”

“Yes,” Lynn answered as she wobbled on her skates. She could barely walk on the padded ground, she had no clue how it was going to go when her feet hit the ice.

“I help you.” Azadeh smiled up at her. “We learn together.”

Lynn squeezed Azadeh’s hand and steadied herself by grabbing onto Bryson’s arm.

“TV makes this look so much easier.”

Bryson’s lips twitched for a second before he opened the gate to the ice rink. “You’ll get the hang of it in no time. If not, you have padded pants on.”

She didn’t think her snow pants would have enough padding to protect her ass from hitting the hard ice.

Bryson held onto her hand as she stepped into the rink. “Hold onto the rails while I help Azadeh.”

“Shit. I’m going to fall on my ass,” Lynn said as she gripped the rail. Her feet slid in two different directions, neither of which she had planned for, and somehow she ended up on her ass. “I’m going to sit here for a second.”

Laughter bubbled from Azadeh’s throat. “You’re silly.”

“I’m going to take her around a few times, and then I’ll be back to help you.”

She nodded.

Bryson stood behind Azadeh and held her around the waist to catch her if she fell. By the second pass, Azadeh was skating on her own. Bryson hadn’t left her side, even though she said she could do it on her own.

Seeing the two together brought tears to Lynn’s eyes. Bryson was a good dad. Lynn only had a few memories with her dad, and the older she got, the more they faded away.

Azadeh continued to make her rounds around the rink, and Bryson effortlessly skated over to Lynn, slowly stopping before he got too close.

His back straightened when he got close and noticed the tears in her eyes. “What’s wrong? Did you hurt yourself when you fell?”

“Nothing’s wrong.” She reached up and wiped the tears from her eyes.

“Please tell me.”

“I just never thought I would have this.”

He nodded and reached down to offer her a hand. Lynn let out a breath, thankful that Bryson understood what she meant without having to explain it to him. When she was standing on wobbly legs, he pulled her into his arms and pressed a kiss to her lips. Not a soft one like he did from time to time. It was hard, with a purpose to show he felt the same way. Lynn felt a tug on her arm, and when she pulled back from Bryson and looked down, Azadeh stood next to them.

“Is this wooing?”

Bryson placed a quick kiss against Lynn’s lips. “Yes,” he said before scooping Azadeh up in his arms and taking off. He raced with her across the rink and spun for a second. Her laughter filled the air, and getting to see the girl so happy added a smile to Lynn’s face.

Lynn wanted to be close to the two people she was in love with. Her feet scrambled for a second. She loved them both and didn’t care how quickly their family happened. She just knew whatever the future brought, she wanted it to be with them. Now more than ever, she was determined to be next to them.

Not brave enough to skate without help, she held on to the side of the rink and worked her way to the other end, where Bryson was spinning Azadeh in circles.

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