Page 42 of As You Ice It

“Excuse me,” I say in the politest voice I can muster. She shifts her legs slightly, but it’s still a challenge to get by, and I almost faceplant. Based on her little smirk, this was probably her intention.

Women’s solidarity is a very real thing. But so is the existence of mean girls at every stage of life.

“You okay?” Camden calls.

“Yep. All good.”

Thankfully, no one is sitting down at this end of the ice, and when Camden stops, I plop into one of the seats right by the glass. Kids of all ages start spilling out onto the ice, going to various stations around the rink. I do a double take when I see Liam skating toward us.

He’s notgood, but before he started, I don’t think he could stand up on a pair of skates. Now, with a choppy stride, he makes his way over to Camden, pausing to wave at me and almost wiping out in the process. His grin is huge, and I yank out my phone to snap a picture.

He shakes his head, smile disappearing, and if it weren’t for the plexiglass and the general din of dozens of kids now shouting and laughing, I bet I could hear him groaning,Mom.

Too bad, kid. A mom’s gotta do what a mom’s gotta do. In this case, what this mom’s got to do is to record some pictures for posterity. Or frames on the wall, if I ever remember to print the photos I take on my phone.

I’m quickly able to forget my self-conscious feelings and the fact that anyone else is in the building. My sole focus is on Liam and Camden. They run through a series of drills focused on basic skating skills like stopping, making turns, and the proper skating stance. It has to be so boring for Camden, who has the equivalent of a double doctorate in all these things. But even without being able to hear their conversation, I can sense his patience with Liam.

Every few minutes, Camden smiles at Liam, gives his shoulder a squeeze, or taps his helmet for a job well done.

Each time, Liam looks so pleased with himself. Then he smiles up at me, checking to make sure I’m watching.

And each time, a tangle of feelings swells in my chest. Mama pride because of my amazing kid doing hard things. Listening. Learning. Falling and getting back up.

But also, my attraction to Camden is growing almost primal. Because I’m not just seeing a man I like forme; I’m seeing a man who is really great with my son. I saw glimpses of it this summer, which is one of the things that made me panic.

Being good with Liam doesn’t necessarily mean Camden would be a great dad. Or even that he wants to be. But it meanssomething. Something really big.

Despite not having a dad in the picture, Liam has always had Jake’s steady presence. My dad has been involved, and though he’s busy running his pirate-themed bar, he’s never too busy for his grandson. More recently, Liam has had Hunter and Benedict, who married Merritt and Sadie, respectively, and are around a lot. It’s like getting two sudden bonus uncles.

But this is different. He’s a man giving time to Liam not because he’s family or family adjacent. Camden is doing this either because he cares about Liam or … about me.

Maybe both?

Don’t mind me over here, the emotional land mine of a human being, set to explode at the slightest provocation.

Which is why I jump when suddenly, two bodies are climbing into the chairs on either side of me, coming down from the row above.

“Holy Moses!” I grip the armrests.

Parker smiles at me. “Sorry if we scared you.”

“It’s okay.” My heart is still wildly beating in my chest from being startled. I’m not sure if my reaction is so strong because I’ve been so focused on watching Liam that I pretty much forgot about my surroundings or because I feel suddenly caught because of the thoughts I was thinking about Camden.

“This is Greyson.” Parker gestures to the woman on my right. “She just started working for us, handling merch.”

Greyson has long blond curls, and her energy matches Parker’s. If I put these two in the same room with Eloise, their combined positive energy would blow the roof off a building.

“You can call me Grey if you want, but I’ll answer to either.”

“Nice to meet you.”

Parker leans forward to look at Greyson, pointing toward the rink. “That’s Liam, working with Camden. He’s Naomi’s son.”

“That’s nice that Camden is giving him one-on-one help,” Greyson says. “I didn’t think he was even signed up to help with this.”

“He wasn’t,” Parker says, shooting me a sly look.

“Really?” I glance back out, where Camden is showing Liam how to stop, sending a spray of ice in the air. Liam tries and falls down, but he gets right back up and tries again.

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