Cora
Riley was so excited, he didn’t even wait for me to tie his skates. He just plopped down on the bench, tugged at the laces with clumsy fingers, and grinned up at me with flushed cheeks and sparkling eyes.
“I’ve got it, Mom. I want to learn everything myself.”
I chuckled, even as my fingers itched to help. “You’ll still need me to drive you here, bud.”
The rink echoed with the scrape of blades and shouts of encouragement from coaches. Other parents watched from behind the glass, chatting about equipment brands and competition goals.
It was also so unbelievably and reassuringly normal in the absolute chaos of my life.
I leaned forward, elbows on the railing, trying to let their normalcy ground me. It had been days since the fake engagement, and I wasn’t feeling any better ab
