“What’s a pawameter?” Maise scrunches up her face.
“The things that each snowman has to have.” CC wriggles her brows at her. “Like two arms, three buttons on his chest, two eyes, a nose, and a mouth. Okay, Quinnie?”
The cheeky damn smile stretching her face is going to keep me up later. But sure, I can agree to that. “Deal. We start in three... two... one... Go!”
The girls rush about gathering snow as Maise giggles. Celeste cackles at her when they slip into each other and snow flies everywhere. I squat, raking snow into a pile until I have enough for the first round section. The girls are doing more laughing than building. But I guess that’s the point to all this.
Thirty minutes later, and between three out-of-breath, snow-covered people, we have two-ish snowmen. Mine is super basic. The girls went all out, giving theirs accessories and stick hair.
They’re damn hilarious.
CC comes to stand by my side as the self-appointed snowman judge, a.k.a. Maisey, walks with her hands behind her back, eyeing each one in turn.
“Hmmm. Ten points for a structurally sound snowman, Daddy. But that’s all. You have no flair.”
CC’s shoulders shake as she slaps a hand over her mouth.
“CC, our—I mean,yoursnowman... has all the trimmings. I declare you the clear winner!” She rushes CC, who is now shaking from the cold and not from laughing at my John Doe snowman. CC bends down, hugging her tight.
“Group hug, Daddy!”
I fold myself around them both without hesitation. And the look of pure joy I get from Maisey all but seals the deal on my back-and-forth about including Celeste in our lives.
How could a guy say no to that face?
“As warm as your hugs are, I’m absolutely freezing, Maise. Can we go inside now?” CC begs.
Maisey hugs her tighter but relents. “Sure. We need to celebrate in style, anyways...”
Maise leads CC inside by the hand, and I follow behind, watching as they chatter away about future projects, snowmen, and this Christmas season.
It almost feels like a new normal.
Almost.
An elementary-aged boy dressed up as an elf gives us a bored look as I hand over our two tickets to the school’s Christmas play at the gymnasium doors. Maisey bounces around me as we make our way inside. The gymnasium has been transformed into a winter wonderland, mirroring outside but more... magical?
I flick a text to CC. Knowing her, she has Hank squared away somewhere inside already.
“Oh, Daddy, look! Can we sit with Hayley from my class?”
A small blonde girl is standing on a chair further up, waving at us.
“Sure, let’s grab a seat before people start filing in.”
We shuffle sideways in the third row until Maise is in the chair by Hayley’s mom. At least, I think that’s who it is.
The small blonde girl jumps up and whispers into Maisey’s ear. And Maise is shaking her head.
“But we organized this,” Hayley says, her brows dropping.
“That was before,” Maise says softly.
“Before what?” Hayley throws her hands up.
“CC.”
Now she has my attention. I check my phone for a reply as I listen to the two girls.
