Maise is almost beside herself when the sleigh slows in front of us and the folks disembark.
CC puts her down, and Maise slides her little hand into Celeste’s before lacing her fingers with mine. The three of us stay joined as Maise climbs the silver drop-down stairs and into the white-and-gold sleigh. Letting Maise go, I help CC up before jumping in beside the girls.
“Ready?” Caleb turns back with a shit-eating grin.
I glance at Maise.
She sits up, clearing her throat before saying eloquently, “Ready, sir.”
Caleb chuckles and slaps the reins. “Walk on.”
Celeste’s smile is fixed. She watches with wonder as Maise takes in the sleigh as the six reindeer pull us along at a steady pace, rounding the farmhouse along a snowy path until it opensup into a hilly field. The glistening white rolling spans sends crisp air around us as we slip along its surface.
“Hup hup,” Caleb calls, slapping the reins twice, and the deer burst into a lope. The sleigh lurches forward a little before settling into a quick pace.
Maisey’s grip tightens around my fingers, and I lean down. “You good, kiddo?”
“Perfect, Daddy. This is so perfect.”
“It’s pretty good.”
She rolls her eyes at me but leans into my side. I wrap my arm around her small shoulders.
How can I lose my baby girl?
It wouldn’t just devastate me, it would do much worse to her.
Stella has one hell of a fight on her hands if she thinks she’s going to get what she wants.
Celeste leans over. “This is amazing.”
We fly over a rise and shoot down the other side. It’s pretty fucking awesome. But the best part is the two girls I’m sharing it with.
And there is no way in hell I’m losing this.
“We’ll be fine.” Celeste cups my face. “I’ve got this. Go sort that crazy, selfish woman out. And come home to us for Christmas.”
Every inch of my being rejects the fact that I have to be away from CC and Maise for two nights as I haul her in close. “Thought you hated Christmas, baby.”
She pushes back, meeting my gaze. “It’s growing on me.”
I give her a lazy smile, dotting a kiss to her lips. “Good. You deserve a little tinsel in your life.”
She rolls her eyes at me. I swear she got that from Maise. Who I’m leaving with Celeste. Or I’m leaving Celeste with Maise? At any rate, they will be here, in my house, together. Until I come back from Boston, hopefully with this custody bullshit sorted.
“I’ll miss you both something fierce. Make sure you stoke the fires, and if you need anything, call me. If I’m not answering, try Caleb.”
It pains me to have a backup. But I won’t leave them alone with nobody to call. My ego isn’t that ridiculous.
“We will be fine, Quinnie. Go, get your baby sorted.”
Fuck. I want to. But I can’t get my feet to move. My hold on Celeste tightens. And what I wouldn’t give to have her by my side through this.
That thought grows roots, unfurling into something huge and permanent. I swallow past the stone growing in my throat. And now I need to leave before I do something stupid, like propose.
Damn, my head is all over the place.
“Bye, baby.”
