A/N - Look a story, le gasp.
John was standing on the driveway, Susan at his side. Her new bike in front of them, John holding it up by the handles. Susan was 6 now and for her last birthday, they'd bought her a new bike. They'd put the training wheels back on for her, so that they could teach her to ride on 2 in the summer.
So now that the summer had come, John had waited 2 weeks and then Jack was away with friends for the day and Rose was working, so it was time for John to give his daughter her first lesson. Susan was looking nervous at the bike, but John urged and she climbed upon and squealed as the bike wobbled.
"Daddy." She screamed and John stepped closer, still holding tightly to the bike. "Hey I'm right here, I'm not going to let you fall." He said as he stepped into her view and she stared at him worried. "Promise me?" She begged and John used his free hand to run a hand across her head.
"I'm going to be right here, the whole time." He promised and stepped out of her view to give her some encouragement to move, without his prompting. It took her a few seconds before she tested the peddles and wobbled, but John's hand on the back kept her upright.
"Hold on Daddy." She said scared and John instinctively tightened his grip. "I am holding on sweetheart. I won't let go until you're ready." He promised her, having explained to her earlier that he won't let her go until he thinks she can do it and then he'll still be with her when she's on her own.
"I'm not ready yet." She replied, turning her head to look at him, as she curled her feet away from the peddles, just to prove her point to her father and John just smiled at her and patted her shoulder. "Then I won't let go sweetheart." He says and it takes a few more moments of encouragement before Susan pushes off on the peddles again.
"Well done love, that's it." John praises as Susan gets the hang of the peddles and manages to balance herself. John keeps a tight grip on the back of the bike, but he knows if he was to let go anytime soon Susan would keep herself level. He also knew as soon as she panicked she would topple, so he didn't let go but he did continue to run alongside her, holding onto the bike as Susan sped up.
On their second lap of the street, John let go but kept his hand out to grab the bike if Susan suddenly tumbled. They got halfway down the street before Susan noticed her father wasn't holding the bike and suddenly pitched herself and the bike sideways.
John grabbed the back of Susan's top and as the bike toppled, he hoisted Susan into the air, to save her from tumbling with the bike. "You said you wouldn't let go." Susan cried out as John placed her on the floor. "I told you, I would keep holding you until you were ready to ride on your own and you were ready. You went halfway down the street on your own." John explained as he lifted the bike up and checked it over, but the small collision with the road didn't do it any harm.
Susan looked between John and the bike and then down over John's shoulder to the end of the street, where she had come from. "I came all that way?" She asked, sounding surprised and John nodded. "Yeah, all that way." He said carefully, and Susan looked at the bike and then climbed back on. "You can let go when I'm ready, but stay close so I don't fall." She said, turning to look at her father seriously and John nodded just as seriously.
So he held the bike as she got back into the groove of it and then let go and she got all the way to the end of the street before she came off again, but this time she was excited to get back on and go again.
The father and daughter were out in the street for nearly 2 hours before John decided to call it a day. That night after Rose and Jack had returned home, Susan was excited to tell them all about her exciting day and her mother and brother listened with rapt attention.
"And I only fell off a couple of times. Daddy says he'll take me further next time, because I only fall off when I stop, or turn." Susan explained between her mouthfuls of food. Rose and Jack smiled at her and Jack started telling her all about the cool things they could do, now that she's riding like a big kid.
John looked over at Rose and she was smiling at him, that smile that always melted his heart. Damn, how had he gotten so lucky to get a woman like her and a family like this.
Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed
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