Back to You(86)

He was smiling down at Erin, but when he looked up and saw her expression, his smile fell, his face turning serious.
For a second, they just stared at each other, and Lauren found that she was struggling to keep her breathing even.
“What else can we do?” Erin asked excitedly, gripping Lauren’s hand, and she pulled her gaze from his, looking down at Erin.
“Um,” she said, blinking quickly.
She could still feel his eyes on her.
Lauren swallowed hard and lifted her eyes, scanning the gym for a second, and then she saw it.
The corner of her mouth lifted in a smile. “I have an idea. Come with me,” she said, pulling Erin toward the back corner of the gym.
They walked across the mats and up the padded incline that dropped off suddenly into an enormous pit of colorful foam blocks. Lauren remembered this being one of her favorite exercises when she just started out.
Michael walked up the incline behind them, and she glanced over at him. He smiled at her, but his eyes were uneasy. Cautious, even.
And there he was; she could see him clearly in the expression on Michael’s face. The abandoned little boy.
This time she couldn’t help it.
She walked the few steps over to him, wrapping both arms around his waist as she rested her head on his shoulder.
Instantly she felt the tension drain from his body as he exhaled, wrapping his arms around her shoulders.
“Are those blocks?” Erin asked. “Is this a pool? Why are there blocks in the pool? Are we gonna swim in here? Daddy! Let Miss Lauren go so she can swim with me!”
Michael laughed softly, planting a kiss on the top of Lauren’s head before he released her. “I was given strict orders not to steal you away from her tonight,” he said. “I’m breaking the rules right now.”
Lauren laughed. “I think we have to let the birthday girl call the shots tonight,” she said before she unwrapped her arms from around his waist.
She looked up at him and he smiled, tucking a lock of hair that had fallen free from her ponytail behind her ear at the same time that two tiny hands clasped hers.
“Let’s swim, Miss Lauren!” Erin said, tugging her away from Michael.
He took a step back, holding his hands up in surrender, and Lauren couldn’t help but laugh before she turned toward Erin. “It’s not a pool, sweetheart. It’s something called a foam pit. You want to do something cool?”
Erin smiled broadly as she nodded, and Lauren walked her to the edge of the incline. “Okay, turn around and face Daddy. Put your back to the pit.”
As Erin did what she was told, Lauren knelt beside her, putting one hand on her lower back and the other behind her knees. “Okay, on the count of three, I want you to jump as high as you can. Ready?”
“Ready!”
“Here we go. One…two…three!”
As Erin jumped, Lauren supported her lower back as her other hand flipped Erin’s legs up over her head, sending her off the platform in a backflip. She sailed into the foam pit, bouncing into the multicolored cushions.
Erin squealed with hysterical laughter. “Again!” she called from the pit. “Do it to me again, Miss Lauren!” { display: block; text-indent: 5%; font-size: 0.88rem; margin-top: ing to ry
Lauren laughed. “Okay, get over to that ladder and climb out. Come back around.”
Michael approached the edge of the incline, looking into the pit beside Lauren. They watched Erin struggle through the large foam blocks, stumbling and giggling.
“So what do you think? You want to try taking lessons again?” Lauren asked as she bumped him with her shoulder.
“Nah. You can’t improve upon perfection,” he said, brushing his fingers over the top of his shoulder.
Lauren pursed her lips to hide her smile. “Come on. Give it a shot. At least this time you’ll land in the foam instead of on your ass.”
Before she could even process what had happened, Michael whirled and scooped her up bridal style, causing her to gasp.
He spun once and tossed her over the side and into the foam pit, and she flailed sloppily, her squealing laughter rivaling Erin’s as she bounced into the foam.
She looked up to see Michael standing at the edge of the incline, looking down at her. “Well, that wasn’t very graceful. And you call yourself a gymnast?”
She picked up one of the foam blocks and threw it at him, but he sidestepped it easily. Then he took a step back and did one of the worst cartwheels Lauren had ever seen off the edge of the incline, his legs splayed apart and bent like broken hangers.
When he plopped into the cushions next to her, she was laughing so hard she couldn’t breathe.
“See?” he said, somewhat winded. “Perfection.”