Amelia shrugged. “Okay. If you say so.”
“Let’s do it then.” Amelia cracked her knuckles. “Hand me a bar.”
“In this family, pushups always come first.” Zoey dropped to the mats on her hands and knees. “Come on, might as well get this over with.”
She’d saidfamily. A knot pressed against his throat, and he coughed. Man, he’d been living with women too long if he was getting this sappy over a single word.
But it took a bit of the sting off Amelia’s lack of trust in him, compared to her obvious trust in Zoey. Theywerea family—and the reason they’d even started this unlikely unit in the first place was paying off. Further confirmation that he needed Zoey in his life.
In their lives.
Though after that whole bus slip-up, he still needed to keep his guard up with Zoey, keep as much distance as the same household would allow.
Kind of hard when they were supposed to be in love in front of Amelia.
Amelia reluctantly knelt beside Zoey and mirrored her position. Both of their forms were terrible, but it made them think they were actually doing a pushup, so he let it go. Never mind the fact their chests were a mile away from the mat.
“He has…to do them…too.” Amelia gasped as her thin arms wobbled.
Zoey shifted into a knee pushup. “Try these.”
They actually had the right form that time. Linc moved into position next to Zoey, set himself into a plank, and then casually stuck his left arm behind his back. Pushed up on just his right. It took three reps before they noticed.
“A one-arm pushup?” Zoey shoved back on her heels, out of breath. “Oh my gosh.”
“Whatareyou?” Amelia scowled. “Alien?”
He sat up, chest on fire, refusing to show it. He shrugged. “Do more pushups, you’ll get there.”
Zoey tilted her head. “Not sure that’s a personal goal of mine.”
“Bet he can’t do a handstand pushup.” Amelia’s dark brows shot up in challenge. “I saw that on YouTube.”
He winced. “You’re probably right.”
She wasn’t.
He walked to the nearest clear piece of wall, making a show of looking confused. “So I just, like, what? Flip into a handstand?”
“Yeah, and then do a pushup while you’re upside down.” Amelia stood to join him, folded her arms. “If you can, anyway.”
“Like this?” He easily launched into a handstand, feet smacking the wall. He pulled his legs straight up, no longer using the wall for balance, and, bracing his wrists, dipped into a pushup. Two. Three.
His pecs were on fire, his shoulders lit up, but the upside-down, shocked expression on his daughter’s face made his inevitable ice bath later worth it.
“Maybe I’ll do a few more pushups after all,” Amelia mumbled under her breath as she walked back to her mat, but not before he caught the awe in her eyes.
“Well done, Super-Dad.” Zoey joined him as he stood upright, lowering her voice, her own gaze lit with admiration. Over his actual pushup, or the way he’d impressed his daughter, he wasn’t sure.
Hopefully both.
“My cape’s at the cleaners.” The blood rushed out of his head, and he steadied himself on the wall. Or maybe that was a rush from the look Zoey gave him.
“Wow, you’re actually cracking jokes. The gymdoesmake you happy.”
So did she.
Zoey looked over her shoulder at Amelia, who was cranking out a few knee pushups with surprising speed. “Any more phone calls from Ms. Bridges?”
