There have been several times in my life when I’ve wanted to find my father and shove my successes in his face. The first time my skates hit Olympic ice, the moment I had a gold medal draped over my neck, and now as I search for the man I love at a festival that he put on for the community and every athlete in the city because his heart is just that big.
I wonder what he would say if he could see how happy I am—how much I’ve accomplished in such a short time. Yet there’s also a small part of me that doesn’t want to give him that pleasure.
After growing up being showered with so much love from my mom and then getting to witness the love Cooper receives from both his parents, I know my father wouldn’t be worthy of witnessing my successes.
Beth faced an adversity that not many of us could say we would have dealt with the same way. She risked everything for Cooper, and even though it almost broke her, it didn’t stop her from doing what she knew was right.
That’s the kind of parent we all deserve. And that fact alone helps break me out of my thoughts long enough to catch said woman standing off to the side beside a corn dog stand with her phone clutched tightly in her hands.
Her eyes are wide and frantic, and I turn to Ava, saying a quick “be right back” before jogging toward Beth. A feeling of protectiveness hits me when I register the fear on her face.
“Beth! Hey,” I say when I reach her. Her head snaps up, and some of the tension on her face disappears when she spots me.
“Oh, Scarlett. Hi.”
“Are you okay? Have you seen Adam yet?”
She shakes her head. “I haven’t been able to reach him, and I’m late for my date with Cooper.”
I put a cautious hand on her forearm and try to reassure her with a smile. “I’m looking for him too. Ava thinks he’s inside with Cooper and forgot his phone in his office. We can find him together if you want.”
“That would be great, actually. Thank you.”
I shrug. “It’s not a big deal. I don’t do well with crowds either. Or people at all, really.”
“I think you’ve been doing okay so far. You came up to me and pretty much saved my ass and you barely know me.”
“You’re Cooper’s mom. That’s all I need to know.”
“That’s sweet. I don’t see why they call you Scary Spice.”
A huff escapes me before I can hold it in. “Don’t let my Prince Charming moment fool you. It probably won’t ever happen again.”
“Lucky me for getting to bear witness to such a rare occurrence, then,” she jokes.
“You’re funny. I see Cooper got that from both his parents.”
My honesty must surprise her because there’s a beat of awkward silence that follows my words. Beth looks around the empty field behind us and blurts out, “Has Adam told you? About me?”
“Most of it. He said there was certain stuff he thought you should have the right to tell me yourself.”
“He’s a good man. A great dad,” she says.
“Yeah, he is.”
“I was unfair to him when I told him about Cooper,” she starts, her gaze falling to her shoes. “What he probably didn’t tell you or want you to know at all was that I told him it was his fault. How I screamed at him in that alley and told him such awful things that weren’t true, but that flew out before I could stop them. I gave him Cooper as if he were a damaged box of goods instead of a little boy, and I’ve never forgiven myself for that. Adam did, though. He forgave me, offered me money, welcomed me into our son’s life even after I gave up custody. He never saw me as damaged and gave me a life with our son because that’s just who Adam is, and I want you to know that I am so happy he has found you.
“You don’t need my support or acceptance, but you have it anyway. Adam and Cooper both deserve to have you in their lives. Knowing you’ll be there for them makes me so, so happy.”
The next time Beth looks at me, she’s smiling. It’s a smile fit with a thousand emotions, but I can only decipher one. Happiness.
“I don’t know what to say . . .” I mumble, at a loss for words.
Out of all the things I was expecting Beth to tell me, her confessions were definitely not one of them. I don’t know whether to cry or smile. I’m leaning toward smile, but my nerves have short-circuited my mind. I release an awkward, short laugh instead.
Much to my surprise, Beth starts laughing too. “That’s okay. I think we’ll get along quite well, don’t you?”
I nod. “Yeah, I really do.”
And just like that, we head toward where Ava is waiting, devouring a corn dog, suddenly more comfortable and at ease with each other.
ADAM
Cooper has never been into sports. He’s always chosen music and art over anything that requires physical activity, and unlike my own parents, I made sure to never fault him for realizing what makes him happy and what doesn’t.
However, once a year, at this festival, he entertains me for a few minutes by putting a pair of skates on and gliding around the rink with me. He’s a natural, even with a lack of experience.
“It’s freezing in here!” he shouts from the opposite side of the ice.
“I told you to put a sweater on!” I shout back, laughing.
Like any twelve-year-old boy, he figured he knew better than me and insisted he would be fine. Oh, how I love proving him wrong.
I watch him speed up and head right for me, a silly grin splitting his pink cheeks. There’s a joy in his eyes that has me taking off in his direction.
“Dad!” His eyes go wide when he notices I’m coming at him. “Slow down!”
“No can do!”
He shrieks when I skate up to him and grab him around his middle, lifting him off the ice and holding him sideways against my side as I keep skating.
“You’re going to kill us both,” he warns before I briefly loosen my grip and pretend to drop him.
He shakes against me as he breaks into a fit of laughter. The happy sound rings off the walls of the arena and settles in my chest.
“This will teach you for not listening to your old man.”
“You think you’re so funny.” He slaps my abdomen.
I cluck my tongue to the roof of my mouth. “I don’t think, buddy, I know.”
“I’m way heavier than I was the last time you did this.”
From the burn in my bicep, that much is obvious. Still, I make it my mission to hold him for at least another minute. “I would hope so. The last time I did this, you were eight. You didn’t wiggle so much then either.”
“I could slice your butt with my skate. Then you would let me down.”
I laugh. “Try it, funny guy.”
“It’s not as satisfying when you agree like that,” he grumbles.
The unmistakable sound of the rink door slamming shut captures our attention. I spin us around to face the entrance and find Scarlett and Beth standing by the boards.
“Don’t let us interrupt all the fun,” Beth says.
I barely hear her, though. I’m too focused on the woman beside her, smiling at me like I’m the answer to every single one of the questions she’s ever had.
She raises her hand and wiggles her fingers. My lips tip up as I carefully set Cooper down on his own two feet. He huffs a quick good riddance before Scarlett’s placing something by the boards and skating onto the ice.
Those yellow-laced skates are bright on her feet as she moves toward me, not stopping until the tips of them brush mine. “I was looking for you,” she whispers, tilting her head to meet my stare.
Unable to help myself, I slip my hand in her hair and palm her nape. “Really? Because I was waiting for you.”
“What are the odds of that?” she teases.
“Apparently pretty slim. I was beginning to think you got lost along the way.”
“Me? Lost? Let’s go with sidetracked.”
My laugh kisses her mouth before I do the same. She grabs my waist and curls her fingers into my sweatshirt, responding eagerly.
“I missed you,” I groan when we break apart, all too aware of our surroundings.
“I missed you too. Let’s not do that time apart thing again, accidental or not.”
“You just don’t want to have to use the espresso machine again,” I poke at her, loving the way her nose scrunches when I say the word espresso.
“Speaking of, I sort of got you something,” she says nervously. “I’ll be right back.”
I cock a brow and watch as she quickly skates to the boards and picks up whatever she had set down when she arrived. My curiosity only grows when she comes back to me with a small gift bag in her hands.
“What did I do to deserve a gift?” I tease.
She rolls her eyes, handing me the small white bag. Feeling antsy, I take it from her and dig through the tissue paper to find a mug. A loud laugh escapes me when I pull it out and hold it up in the air, inspecting the black writing and hot pink bunny ears splayed over the white mug.
“Adam the Puck Bunny, huh? I told you it had a nice ring to it.”
“It was only fair you had one too. Considering the one you slipped into the staff room for me.”
I grin and reach for her, holding her warm waist. “It’s perfect, baby. Thank you.”
She returns my smile before leaning up and pressing her lips to mine, stealing a quick yet earth-tilting kiss.
Too quickly, a throat clears, and we reluctantly break apart. We look at Cooper at the same time, but I don’t release her waist.
“Dad, I like SP, but kissing is so nasty,” he tells me before looking up at Scarlett. “I like your skates. They remind me of bumblebees. Do you like bumblebees?”
She shrugs. “As much as the next person, I think. Do you?”
“Same. They’re alright. Hey, do you think you could teach me how to take a slapshot?”
Her lips twitch. “Do you have a stick?”
“Yeah. Dad makes me bring it when we do this.” He skates to the side of the ice and bends over the boards. When he comes back, it’s with a stick in his hands. “Will this work?”
Scarlett looks at me, almost like she’s asking for permission, and I don’t hesitate to nod.
“Yeah, that will work. Come on,” she tells Cooper before leading him to the puck bucket and getting him set up on the centre of the ice.
I feel Beth wobble up beside me as I watch them. “She’s not what I expected, but maybe that’s why you work so well. You’re obsessed with each other.”
Fuck yeah, we are. “Cooper likes her too.”
“He does.”
Scarlett uses his stick to demonstrate the positioning, regardless of the fact it’s far too small for her. After showing him the proper movements, she hands it to him.
“Come on, buddy!” I shout.
I stifle a laugh when Cooper tries to copy Scarlett’s moves, but his blade skims the puck. She’s calm with him and walks him through the steps again. The next time he swings, he sends the puck a few feet in front of them and twirls in a circle with a loud whoop.
“Boo-yah!”
Scarlett claps, grinning at Cooper before we all watch him lose his balance and fly backward. He lets out a low sound of pain when his butt makes contact with the ice, but not even a second later, starts laughing.
After pushing himself to a sitting position on the ice, he looks up at Scarlett with a mischievous grin. “Help me up?” he asks her, blinking innocently.
She doesn’t hesitate to offer him a hand. “You wanna try again? Maybe with a bit less twirling?”
As soon as the words escape her, Cooper’s clutching her hand and pulling, bringing her down to the ice beside him. She squeals when she hits the ice before a loud laugh cuts through her surprise.
When she sits up, Cooper leans his head on her shoulder. “Sure, SP. Maybe we can do this another time too. You’re actually pretty cool.”
“What do you mean ‘actually pretty cool’?” she asks him.
His reply is a cheeky smirk as he pushes off the ice and collects another puck, ready to try shooting again.
Scarlett’s eyes meet mine then, and the spark in them makes my heart thump harder in my chest. I give her a thumbs-up and watch as she mouths the three words I can’t wait to hear her say for the rest of forever.
I love you.
