Fake Dating My Ex's Favourite Hockey Player novel Chapter 221

Chapter 221

TESSA

The recital starts with a long–winded welcome speech from a woman in a sparkly shawl who takes her volunteer position very, very seriously. The parents clap like they’ve just been handed an Oscar, and then the lights dim until the stage glows.

Tiny ballerinas file out in matching pink tutus, arms bent like crooked teapots. I spot Kenzie immediately because she’s the only one beaming like she owns the stage. Her bun is slightly off–center, and her tights have a smudge at the knee, but she does a perfect curtsy before the music even begins. My heart just about combusts.

Beside me, Aaron leans forward a little, elbows on his knees, watching like nothing else in the world exists. The tough hockey player melts into a soft pile of uncle mush, and it’s devastatingly attractive.

“She’s so good,” I whisper, my hand clutching the edge of my program like it’s my ticket to heaven.

He turns his head, slow, just enough for his profile to catch the faint light from the stage. “She’s the star,” he says simply.

I grin like an idiot because that’s all he needs to say–somehow his quiet conviction makes me believe it too.

The girls start twirling in little circles, a few veering off course. Kenzie nails her spin, and I gasp like I’ve just seen Simone Biles stick a landing. Aaron smirks at my overreaction but doesn’t look away from the stage.

In the hush of the dark auditorium, my shoulder barely brushes his. The faintest point of contact, but it might as well be electricity. He doesn’t move away. If anything, I swear he tilts the tiniest bit closer.

I force myself to breathe normally, though my pulse is doing its best drum solo.

Claire leans over from Aaron’s other side and whispers, “She practiced that twirl for weeks. Drove us insane at home.”

“She nailed it,” I whisper back. “Like, nailed it nailed it. I’d give her a standing ovation right now if it wouldn’t get us kicked out.”

Claire chuckles softly. “Careful, she’ll hear you. That child feeds on applause like oxygen.”

Onstage, Kenzie and her group line up for their bow. She spots Aaron in the crowd and waves so hard her little crown almost falls off. The entire row behind us laughs, but Aaron just lifts a hand in return, his lips twitching at the corners.

I glance at him again, my chest aching at how full–circle this moment feels. For once, I’m not drowning in shadows or bitterness. I’m watching a five–year–old in sparkly shoes light up her uncle’s entire world–and I get to sit right next to him for it.

And God, I don’t think I’ve ever wanted something to last longer than this little pocket of dark and light.

Kenzie spots us the second she tumbles out from backstage, still in her glittering tutu and a crown of plastic pearls. Her little legs carry her in a sprint, and she practically launches herself at Aaron’s knees

“Did you see me? Did you see me?!” she demands, eyes wide, cheeks pink from both the stage lights and sheer joy

Aaron crouches, scooping her into his arms like it’s second nature. “I saw.”

Her face beams, expectant. “And?”

He leans in close, conspiratorial. “Best one there.”

She squeals in delight, turning her bright gaze on me. “What about you? Did you see me?”

“Of course I did!” I gush, crouching so I’m level with her. “Kenzie, you were amazing. Your spins? Perfect. Your curtsy? Straight out of the royal palace. Honestly, I don’t even know how the stage didn’t explode with all your sparkle.”

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