The backyard rink in Evergreen Hollow had been flooded every winter for over forty years.

Rowan and Holly had started the tradition the winter after the mistletoe bet. They’d built the boards by hand, flooded it with garden hoses, and watched Lily take her first wobbly steps on ice. Every season after that, the rink had hosted goals, laughter, falls, tears, and quiet victories.

Now, with Rowan and Holly gone, the family gathered one last time to flood it.

It was early December, the ground ...