In the quiet of the cabin, the only sound is the snapping of the fire, I take advantage of this chance to examine the man beside me. His chin is resting on his chest, breaths steady and even, but there's still a sense of watchfulness to him. A muscle in his cheek twitches and his lips form a silent word I can't interpret. Then his fingers clamp down on my leg and I pull back automatically.
His eyes shoot open and he stiffens on the couch, looking around us immediately.
"Don't worry. It's just you and me," I say, keeping my voice low and soft. I press my hand on the top of his where it's still touching my leg. "Unless you have a dog or cat you didn't tell me about. Or maybe a goldfish?"
My teasing is rewarded with an almost smile when his attention turns to me again.
"No pets." He gives me a quick once over, then asks, "How are you feeling?"
Leo asks the question like my answer really matters to him. "Alive."
"Mission accomplished, I guess." It's a joke, or something resembling one, at least. He lifts my legs up carefully, sliding out from under them and standing, stretching his arms up above his head. It gives me a clear, full view of his body, even with the sweats he's wearing. The sheer size of him is intimidating. Like he could deadlift a car if he had to.
"Speaking of the mission," he gives me another look, and raises an eyebrow at me. "When do you think we can get the presents delivered?"
I brace myself for disappointment. A part of me expects him to say the snow's too deep, the weather too cold, or some other reason he can't help me finish the job I set out to do.
"Sounds like we can leave soon." He cocks his head to the side at my surprise. "The wind's died down a lot and the snow might still be falling, but at least we'll have good visibility."
Hope flares to life in my chest. "You're not backing out on this?"
Leo gives me a glare. "No."
He turns his back on me and picks up the two bundles of gifts, depositing them in front of the couch, then goes to the kitchen. When he returns, it's with two steaming mugs of what smells a lot like hot chocolate.
"Sugar will help. Get your energy up, and we'll eat something before we go. Though we'll need to make sure these gifts are secure so we don't lose any along the way."
I sip at the sweet liquid, relishing the taste of it, the way its warmth spreads through me as it works its way down. As Iwatch, Leo sets the blanket we'd used as a makeshift sack on the couch beside me.
"Make sure these are all organized by delivery. This will need to be a drop and go sort of operation. Based on the number of presents, it seems like we'll have a lot of stops to make."
"The addresses are in my coat pocket." He nods and makes his way to where he hung up our things. "Some of the houses have multiple kids, so it's less than you think."
He smooths out the piece of paper that I've stowed in my pocket and waving my dead cell phone in his other hand. "Want me to plug this in for you?"
"Yes, please." My cheeks burn with a bit of embarrassment. I should've thought to do that before I fell asleep.
He does as asked, then returns to sit on the couch. I pull gifts out, one by one, reading off the names.
"Keith Morrow. This is a model airplane set he wanted. He's going to be a pilot when he grows up." Leo takes it, checks the list, and gives a nod. "This is for his sister, Annie. A full set of books by her favorite author. I was able to get them signed."
Slowly, we work together, separating the gifts into individual piles, organized by family. I can see the calculations he's doing, creating a map in his mind of the different addresses we'll have to visit.
Once we've gotten through every name, he looks over each pile, and back to me.
"You know every single one of them. Every kid, every gift."
Confusion makes me wary. "I asked their parents questions, just to make sure I was getting them the exact right gift. Sometimes the kids aren't specific, so I try to make sure I'm thinking like Santa would." Why this seems unusual to him feels odd. But then again, he didn't seem excited that I was going to be playing Santa to a bunch of kids, either.
He's silent for a few seconds, and I sneak the chance to examine him. There's an array of emotions I see there, ranging from disbelief to grief, and even, maybe, something like hope. I can sense when he makes a decision. It comes with a deep breath as he scrubs his hand through his hair.
"We'll need to bag these up together, then we can load them onto the sled. Tying them all down is the best option, to make sure none of them fall off."
My throat clogs with feeling, and now I'm the one dealing with a range of emotions. "You're still going to help me?" It hits me then, how part of me expected him to back out at the last minute.
"Of course. But we better get moving so we're not late."
He stands and offers me his hand, but I shock him when I wrap my arms around his waist. The hug isn't enough, not to fully convey how grateful I am for all he's done and is willing to do. His hands hover in the air, before dropping down to embrace me back. His strength surrounds me, warm and secure, and I lean into him even more. He holds me there, the strong planes of his chest the perfect counterpoint to my own curves, and I'm tempted to stay there like that all night. Forever.
