I don’t hesitate this time. “I’m yours.”
“Then stay still for me,” he murmurs, his breath brushing against my skin as he leans closer.
When his lips meet mine, it’s barely a kiss. It’s a soft, fleeting touch, more shared breath than contact. But it’s enough to make my entire body react, to make my pulse thunder in my ears as butterflies swarm in my stomach.
I hear my sixteen-year-old self screaming with joy and have to hold back a sob, overwhelmed with everything I’m feeling.
Ace pulls back so his forehead almost touches mine, his hand still cupping my cheek. His eyes remain closed for a moment as if savoring the connection.
And in that stillness, I know—I’m home.
We stay like that for what feels like forever, our breaths mingling in the quiet. My pulse still thrums from the kiss when Ace lets the tip of his nose glide over mine before reluctantly pulling away.
“Come on. We’ve got to make sure you look cool while handing out decks of cards.”
I let out a laugh, wiping the corner of my eye where another stray tear threatens to spill. “Cool? On these?” I gesture to the skates, wobbling dramatically for emphasis. “You’re aiming a little high, don’t you think?”
His lips twitch, the faintest hint of a smile breaking through. “You underestimate yourself.”
“Or maybe I have a healthy fear of falling on my ass.”
“Hey, at least I don’t make you do parkour.”
“Ha-ha.”
Ace and I wobble onto the driveway, though the contrast couldn’t be more glaring. He glides effortlessly as if he’s done this a thousand times while I teeter and clutch his hand like it’s a lifeline.
I can almost hear Rosalee in the back of my mind, mocking both of us in that way only she could.“Honestly, watching paint dry would’ve been less painful than this.”
The ache sneaks up on me out of nowhere.
God, I miss her.
And with Ace back, it’s somehow worse. It’s as though her absence has grown louder, the space she used to fill more glaring now that there’s someone here who knew her the way I did. Who bickered with her, laughed with her.
I blink hard, focusing on Ace as he gives me an encouraging smile. For a moment, it’s enough to quiet the hollow place in my chest.
“You’re doing fine.” His tone is patient but amused as I almost lose my balance again. “Relax your knees a little. If you’re stiff, it’s harder to stay steady.”
“Easy for you to say,” I mutter, trying to loosen up. “I’m one wrong move away from becoming a skid mark on this driveway.”
Ace chuckles, steadying me with a gentle grip on my elbow. “You’ll get better. We’re going to practice every day until the show. Not only the skating but also getting me outside with you. It’ll be good for both of us.”
I glance at him, his confidence calming my nerves a little. “We can’t hand them out by foot, I guess?”
“Nope,” he says, popping theP.“Not fast enough.”
I nod, biting my lip as I try to focus on keeping my balance. “Okay, but you’re going to have to break this plan down for me because I still have no idea what the hell we’re all doing.”
Ace pulls me along gently as we circle the driveway, and it’s already so much easier. “At first, Levi and Koen will kick thingsoff with some magic tricks in honor of Oscar. Something big, flashy. Exactly what he would’ve wanted. After their opening act, we’re going to trick Veronica into joining them onstage for some… interactive magic.”
“That sounds ominous,” I mutter, wobbling again, but Ace steadies me without missing a beat.
He grins. “After that, Levi has a trick planned that involves the audience. That’s where we come in, handing out decks of cards to everyone.”
“Okay, so far, so good,” I say, nodding. “Then what?”
“Once that’s done, Koen will get Belmont, Foster, and Blackwood to the front for a little hypnotism. While that’s happening, the evidence we’ve gathered will be plastered on the screens of the Lane Building.”
