Ash shrugs and looks at us slyly. “The turkey. It’s always stuffed.”
“Where did you learn that one?” Angel asks while Kylie and I laugh and roll our eyes.
“I got it in my email this morning,” Ash replies like it’s the most casual thing in the world. “Gotta be able to make Nora laugh once in a while. Your jokes are so lame.”
I giggle and shake my head at Ash. He is always ruffling his brothers’ feathers. It’s one reason Kylie is so perfect for him.
“I got the same joke inmyemail this morning, so how are my jokes lame when you have the same ones?”
It hits me that my husband just admitted to having jokes sent to him. For me? And Ash, too? Does he get them so he can make Kylie laugh?
A lump forms in my throat, and I blink several times before my eyes fill with happy tears.
Kylie runs ahead to throw a snowball at Pop while Ash chases after her. I smile at them as they play wildly in the fluffy powder.
“Can I go run, too?” I ask as excitement bubbles within me.
My husband looks down at me, a flash of shock on his face before he quickly masks it. It’s rare that I want to detach myself from his side to play. I can’t help it today. All the girls are so excited and full of fresh energy this morning.
“Of course. Be careful, though,” he answers before he kisses me and swats my bottom to get me going.
Taking off after Kylie and Ash, I giggle and squeal when a snowball hits me on my lower back. I spin around and glare as my husband smirks and packs another one together in his gigantic hands.
After sticking out my tongue at him, I reach down and scoop up some snow and then make the wimpiest snowball ever.
As I’m making it, it keeps falling apart in my palms. Wolf comes up and starts helping me. Lucy giggles, her pigtails bouncing as she hops up and down, jumping through the fluff.
“Add a little at a time and pack it, then add more snow,” he says softly as he squats down so he’s slightly shorter than me. It’s his way of making himself seem smaller so he doesn’t frighten me.
I eye him, and even though I think Wolf might be the gentlest one of all in the family, his looks are anything but. He tries so hard to show me he’s not scary. And even though I still find it difficult to talk to him, he’s become one of my favorite people.
When he’s done helping me create the perfect snowball, he winks at me. “Now, hit Angel in the balls with it for me, okay? He deserves it for doing it to me.”
“We were seventeen when I did it, asshole!” Angel calls out.
Grinning so wide my cheeks hurt, I huff the snowball toward my husband and then take off running as he throws one gentlyin my direction. Pretty soon, everyone is throwing snowballs at each other while we all laugh and giggle together as a family.
At one point, I trip and land on my bottom, but within seconds, Colt is in front of me, lifting me onto my feet.
“You okay, Little one?”
I smile and give a thumbs-up as Colt brushes the snow off my clothes without hesitation before he lets me go.
“Are you sure?” he asks, looking worried.
Giving him a smile, I nod. “I fell on snow, silly goose.”
My voice catches him off guard, but just like Angel, Colt quickly masks it and grins.
Angel jogs over, concern etched on his expression. “You okay, baby?”
“Yes. I just fell, Daddy. It didn’t hurt.”
Relief washes over my husband’s face as he reaches for me and pulls me into his chest while Ava comes over to Colt.
“Let’s go find our tree, yeah?” Angel asks.
“Yeah. Let’s do it.”
