"I know you're still getting used to the idea," she said.
"I'm ignorant, but I'm not unwilling," he said. "I never thought I could have a kid, so I haven't looked at one. Like, ever."
"I know," she said. "Baby steps."
As they moved on, she saw Dane's head still turned to watch the children. "Those are some seriously short skis," he said, holding up his hands about two feet apart. Then he chuckled. "Awesome."
* * *
The Cliff Lounge had beautiful peaked ceilings, exposed beams and a stuffed elk's head on the wall. Willow sat on a leather sofa with Dane. J.P. and a few other guys sprawled on the furniture around them, drinking beer and blowing off steam.
"Let's see the sore knee," Willow said, patting her own lap. She reached down for his ankle and guided the recovering leg up where she could reach it. "Tell me if this is too much," she said.
Dane closed his eyes as she began to work his lower quadriceps. "Christ. You are a superior being, and I am not worthy of your excellence."
"That sore, is it?"
He nodded with a grimace.
"Danger!" called a gruff voice. A giant guy with a red beard appeared over them.
Dane reached up to give him a fist bump. "Folger, that was some sick air you caught on the jump."
Folger had a laugh that was as big as his enormous head. He dropped himself down onto the sofa next to Willow. "I got a little more than I bargained for on that one. Cost me two-tenths of a second that I couldn't afford." He held his hand out to Willow. "I'm Folger. You must be Willow."
"Nice to meet you," she said, breaking off Dane's massage to see her hand disappear into Folger's hairy paw.
"We're all curious as hell about you." Folger shook her hand. "We can't figure out who would put up with Danger for more than a half hour."
Willow looked at her watch. "Well, we've only been here a few minutes. You never know." The whole group guffawed at her answer.
"If you get tired of him, I'm available," Folger offered. "The women are in short supply this evening, since their event is tomorrow."
"Get your own, asshole," Dane said. But his smile was amused.
"Ah, there's the Danger we're used to," J.P. said, kicking his feet onto the coffee table. "I think we're almost ready for another round of beers," he said. "Folger needs a beer. And so does Willow."
She shook her head. "I'll have to pass."
"I hope you don't have a bad case of altitude sickness," he said, signaling the waitress. "If it's your first trip to Tahoe, that can be rough."
"Nah," Dane said. "She's got a bad case of being knocked up."
"Whoa!" The men erupted into cries of amused surprise. "Like a boss!" somebody called out.
But Willow gasped, her face getting hot. "You," she pointed at Dane, "had better find a more polite way of making that announcement."
"Go easy on him," Folger said. "The man is proud of himself. His swimmers made it onto the podium."
"In this crew," J.P. added, "we're not known for being polite. But if you want to teach him a lesson, hide his cane."
"Good idea," she said, reaching across to touch her water glass to J.P.'s beer bottle.
Dane eased his leg to the floor. And then he slipped his arm around her, pulling her closer to him. His lips drew down to her ear. "I'm sorry if I embarrassed you."
She gave him a quick smile. "It's a little too early to tell people."
"You're the authority on that," he said, his voice low. "It's just that I'm starting to get excited about it."
She felt her eyes mist as she met his gaze. The fact that he told the truth was reflected in his face, and in the warm look waiting there for her.
He leaned in, whispering. "When Finn died, I thought there would never be any more family for me. But I was wrong." He kissed her then, and his lips were soft, filling her heart with unexpected joy.
"Great goblins!" Folger cried. "Aliens have stolen Danger and left this guy in his place."
Well before their kiss broke off, Dane's middle finger was raised in Folger's face.
"Okay, maybe it's still him," Folger corrected. "How's the knee, anyway?"
"It's fine." Dane reached for his beer. "You know the drill-lots of tedious therapy. But I'm just so glad to get off crutches."
Folger nodded his oversized head. "Ain't that the truth? All those weeks where you can't drive your own car."
"Wait-do all of you spend time on crutches?" Willow asked.
"Hell, yes," J.P. agreed. "But we're not as bad as the freestyle guys. Watch a mogul competition on TV, and the announcers spend half their time talking about who's had the most recent ligament surgery."
"Crutches are the pits," Folger went on. "You can't carry anything in two hands. I wore a backpack around my own goddamned house. By the end, you're stoked to move around like a normal guy. I couldn't wait to lay my girlfriend down, climb on top of her and fuck her properly. Am I right?"
That earned him a howl of laughter all around.
"Am I right?" Folger asked again, reaching behind Willow to smack Dane on the head. "Though with a baby on the way, you two must be making it happen."
"Dude, I think leisure agrees with Danger," J.P. said, tipping his beer bottle back. "I never saw him smile twice in one day before."
"I was just saving them up," Dane said, adjusting his bad leg.
J.P. shook his head. "You know, I never did get you."
"What's there to get?"
J.P. pointed his beer bottle at Dane. "You have the whole world hanging off the end of your dick, and you never seemed to enjoy it."
"Huh," Dane said, squeezing Willow's hand. "Everybody's a shrink."
She squeezed back.
"You know, if Danger's having a kid, that's great news," Folger said, stroking his goatee. "The entire circuit will be thrilled."
"The circuit doesn't give a rat's ass," Dane said.
"Au contraire, mon frère," Folger said. "If you have a girl and a kid, maybe next year you'll dial that death wish down a notch or two. A man with something to live for should be easier to beat."
Dane snorted. "Have fun trying."
"The preseason smack talk begins already!" J.P. announced.
"Bring it," Dane laughed.
* * *
"I told you those guys were rowdy," Dane said, stripping off his clothes in their hotel room. Willow was already in the bed, her hair spread out on the pillows, looking like an angel. Every night they spent together made him feel luckier than the last.
"They were fun," she said, reaching for him as he slid between the sheets. "I didn't feel the urge to squeeze your wrist or remind you to feed the platypus. That Folger has a mouth on him."
He turned onto his side, his lips against Willow's forehead. "I'll never get sick of this," he said.
"Of what?"
"Climbing into bed at the end of the day, hearing what you have to say."
"Oh. I thought maybe you meant hotel-room sex."
"That's pretty good too," he said, caressing her bare shoulder. Privately, he thought hotel sex was overrated. Willow's bed was just about the sexiest place he'd ever been.
"This trip is fun," she said, her fingers tracing very distracting circles on his belly. "I like visiting your strange little world."
Dane leaned down, covering her perfect pink lips with his own. The kiss he gave her was deep and slow, the kind you have time for when the girl is for keeps. Then he said, "I'll make you a permanent resident of my strange little world, if you'll let me. I have a couple of ideas."
Willow twisted a lock of his hair around her finger. "Tell me."
"I want you come out west with me this summer." He propped up his head on one hand. "Can you find what you need in Salt Lake City to finish your degree? I could support you, take the pressure off so that you could do your thing. And then, when the time comes, we'll take care of the baby together."
She blew out a breath. "Wow. Really?"
"Really. The timing is a little tricky, but that's life."
"Why?" she asked.
"Well, September fifteenth is your due date. And that's when the downhill training happens in Chile." He began to chuckle. "Coach Harvey is going to love me bailing on that. I can't wait to see his face."
"That sounds like a problem," Willow said, her voice careful.