Page 155 of The Overtime Kiss

“I’ll be your backup, Dad,” Luna says.

“I’ll be the director,” Parker adds.

“Perfect,” Sabrina tells them as she laces her white skates while I tug on my black ones.

The thing is, she can shoot videos herself, using the stick and the stabilizer thingy.

But Iwantto do this for her.

I want to be the one capturing her.

We step onto the ice in this rink that looks like a frozen lake in winter. It’s still and bracingly beautiful in the chilly dawn air. I’ve got her phone in my hand, the video settings already adjusted for movement and tracking.

“Let’s do it, Snow,” I tell her.

“Catch me if you can, Falcon,” she says.

I want to RSVP with ahell yes.

Analways yes.

She pushes off on one foot, then glides on both blades, quickly gathering speed, her blonde hair flying like a mane behind her. I keep pace with her the whole time, filming her as she moves—graceful, athletic—while the sun peeks over the horizon, peach and pink painting the morning sky.

She races backward, a blur of black and white and pink motion, shiny and strong, and I do my best to capture every crossover, every spin, every jump.

And as she builds strength and momentum, her arms widen, like she’s inviting all of us into her world—of ice, of beauty, of strength, of grace, of confidence.

I can’t help but think of the hand she was dealt by her family, by her ex.

But here she is.

As resilient as the morning. As strong as the ice beneath her blades.

As brave as the birds soaring past her while the sun climbs above the horizon, bringing on a new day.

When she spins—head back, arms wide—it’s like she’s melting into nature itself.

And I can only hope I’ve done this justice.

Then she finishes, and her breath comes fast as she skatesover to me, cheeks rosy, face glowing. There’s a look that says she’s about to come in for a celebratory kiss too.

And it’s my turn to hit the brakes.

I give a quick nod toward the two little kids rushing toward us on their blades.

It hurts to keep holding back.

Especially when they ask to skate with us, and the four of us take laps around the rink together.

The four of us.

This is what I want.

More than I want to have a great season. More than I want to win every game. I want to catch her and keep her.With us.

But how the hell I’m going to do that is still up for debate.

We meet Corbin at The Cozy Griddle, where we demolish more stacks of pancakes than I can count—most with hemp hearts and bananas, of course. When we’re done, it’s past nine, so the town has fully woken up.

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