Page 35 of Ace
It's going to take a lot of convincing to get Penny to let me buy Leliah her own set, but this is baby steps. I'll take the win I can get.
"Make sure to hold onto him really well!" Calling out to her, it's a miracle Penny's voice doesn't waver. "Smoke, you better go slow!"
Before his motorcycle revs, he offers a thumbs-up.
"We could follow them," she says, looking over toward my bike. "Just in case."
Pulling her toward me, we watch as Smoke pulls off, Leliah clinging to him like she's a little scared.
"The kid's nearly thirteen. If you keep hovering, she's going to go out of her way to start sneaking in her own rides without us knowing." Fighting hard not to chuckle, I know that's how it was for me growing up. I hated all the different people breathing down my neck, even if I know Penny's feelings are different. "There they go, look at them."
"I am..." Whimpering, she lifts on her toes like it'll make a difference.
Smoke takes the first slow lap around the block. Real slow. I can practically hear him grumbling inside that helmet about going a grandma's pace, but he does it anyway. In the second lap, he picks up a little speed. Leliah's tiny arms are still wrapped tight around his middle, but I catch her little head tilting—looking around, taking it all in. Not squeezing her eyes shut as I expected.
"Look," I murmur, nodding toward them. "She's loving it."
Penny's hand finds mine, squeezing so hard I lose a little circulation. But I don't pull away. I wouldn't dream of it.
"They're coming back," she breathes as Smoke rounds the corner and comes to a stop in front of us.
Smoke pulls off his helmet first, then helps Leliah with hers. Her face is flushed pink, windblown, and absolutely glowing.
"That was freaking awesome!" She's practically vibrating, showing no signs of getting off. "Can we go again? Please?"
Penny's frozen beside me, her eyes darting all over Leliah like she's checking for broken bones.
"One more lap," Penny finally says, her voice still tight. "Just one more. And Smoke—"
"I know, I know." He's already pulling his helmet back on. "Slow. Got it."
Leliah whoops as he slaps her helmet back in place, making her laugh. She waves at us as Smoke pulls away again. This time, he kicks it in gear, and Leliah’s giggle-scream fades off as they shoot off at a normal speed.
Penny exhales softly, but she doesn’t look as tense.
"She's fine," I say softly. My arms slide around her from behind, pulling her back against my chest. She fits there. Like she was always meant to.
"Breathe," I murmur against her ear. "She’s a natural, trust me. Soon, we’ll have to upgrade her bicycle."
Her hands come up to rest over mine, where they've settled on her stomach. She scoffs at the idea.
I stroke my thumb back and forth across the soft fabric of her shirt. Slow circles. The kind of touch that's meant to soothe, but the longer I do it, the less soothed I feel. In fact, I want to spread out my touch, but I know that’ll just earn me a scolding.
We stand like that for a while, wrapped around each other, watching Smoke and Leliah disappear around the corner again. The rumble of the bike fades, then grows louder as they come back into view a few minutes later. Must’ve taken a detour.
Leliah's beaming, happy as can be. Something as simple as her happiness is this woman’s weakness. Already knowing the teen will ask to go again, I consider taking a seat and getting comfortable. I can offer my thighs as a cushion for Penny while I'm at it.
It’s going to be a long afternoon. Knowing I’m going to have to keep her worried mother nice and distracted, I’m already enjoying all the different methods coming to mind.
As much as Penny loves our kid, she loves me, too. It won't take much effort to get her where I need her to be for a few minutes with all of her attention on me.
If all goes smoothly, the four of us could take a trip to get some ice cream. That is, unless this woman doesn't give me too much of a sugar rush.
With my never-ending appetite, I don't think that's anything we'll have to worry about anytime soon.
