Page 66 of Small Town, Big Storm

Holly gets a little over confident.

She pushes her speed, wobbles, overcompensates, and?—

Clothes are suddenly the last thing on my mind.

“Ouch!”I hiss as she goes down hard.

Every Mom Instinct in me has me lurching toward the door.

But before I can be an idiot and race out onto the ice, Storm is there with a crying Holly in his arms.She’s trying to be brave about it, but she’s scared and honestly, her hip and butt have to seriously hurt with how hard she fell.

“M-Mom,” she sobs as Storm carries her to the bench, setting her down onto it.

“Breathe, baby,” I say, smoothing back her hair and wiping away her tears.“I know it hurts, but let’s just try to breathe first, okay?”

A shaky nod, her rapid-fire breathing slowing a smidge.

“Here.”Storm passes me a tissue, worry etched deep into the lines of his face.

I want to reassure him.Tell him that falls and tears are an inevitable part of parenthood.

But I have to make sure Holly’s okay first.

“You did really good,” Storm says a few moments later.

Holly scowls as she scrubs at her face.“Until you let me fall,” she accuses.

He flinches, steps back.

“That’s not nice,” I tell her firmly.“Remember how many times you fell while learning to ride your bike?It’s part of the process.”She sniffs, her scowl deepening, and I take a breath.Remind myself she’s only six—being rational isn’t always possible.“This isn’t Storm’s fault and you need to…”

I turn to look up at him, my command for her to apologize to Storm fading away.

Because he’s not there.

Something twists inside me, but I just focus on Holly, hugging her close, wiping away her tears, brushing back her hair.

“You need to apologize to Storm,” I say once she’s pulled it together.

Her bottom lip sticks out, but only for a second.Then she exhales and whispers, guilt rippling across her face.“I know.I shouldn’t have said that.It wasn’t his fault I fell.I didn’t bend my knees like he said I should.”

I open my mouth?—

“Here.”

We both turn, see that Storm is back, a steaming cup in his hand.

“Hot cocoa,” he says, “is the best cure for falls.”

Holly lights up and takes the cup eagerly.

“Slowly,” I advise.“It’ll be hot.”

She nods, blows on the top, then sips carefully.Storm sits on her other side and waits.

Eventually, she works up the courage to look at him.“I’m sorry,” she whispers.“It wasn’t your fault I fell.”

He shrugs those big shoulders.“It’s okay.”