Of course.
I dry my hands and squeeze into the space. When I settle onto the stool, my thigh presses against hers, and I hear her sharp intake of breath.
I focus on the snowman cookie in front of me, trying to ignore the way Desiree’s scent wraps around me. “What color should his buttons be?”
“Red! Like Mommy’s doing!”
I glance at Desiree’s cookie. She’s added careful red ornaments to her tree.
“Your mommy’s very good at this,” I say, watching her from the corner of my eye.
“That’s ’cause Mommy’s good at everything,” Bella declares.
Desiree’s lips curve into a smile. “Not everything, B.”
“Everything important,” I correct quietly, and catch her brief smile.
Across the island, Gina clears her throat. “Mycah, that reindeer is looking great. Very artistic.”
Bella chatters about her snowman while I try to focus on frosting, on restraining my hand when Desiree leans closer to help Bella with a particularly tricky detail. Her breast brushes my arm, and I have to close my eyes briefly, reminding myself that there are five children and two very observant adults in this kitchen.
“You okay?” Desiree whispers, so only I can hear.
“Just trying to remember how to frost a cookie,” I murmur back.
“Uh-huh.”
“Snowmobiles!” Asher abandons his cookie entirely. “Somebody’s coming!”
They scramble off their stools, Bella nearly knocking over the sprinkles in her haste. Even Mycah drops his too-cool facade to join the stampede to the front door.
“Careful!” Gina calls after them, but they’re already gone. She shoots Maverick a look. “Were we expecting anyone?”
“No.” Maverick wipes his hands on a towel, heading after them. “Let’s see who it is.”
I follow more slowly, Desiree beside me. Through the front windows, I can see two snowmobiles pulling up, their riders bundled in winter gear.
“Margot!” Bella’s shriek carries through the walls.
The cold hits me the moment we reach the foyer. Through the doorway, I see Margot pull off her helmet, shaking free the snowflakes that cling to her long dark hair. Red and green parcels are strapped to her snowmobile.
Bella barrels past Maverick and launches herself at Margot.
“There’s my best girl!” Margot catches Bella mid-leap, spinning her around. “Did you miss me?”
“So much!”
Beside me, Desiree has gone very still. “Who is she?”
Ride Slow, Burn Fast
Desiree
Iwatch this stranger spin my daughter in the air like they’ve done this a thousand times before. The cold bites at my arms, but I can’t seem to move from where I’m standing in the doorway.
“Who is she?” I ask.
“Margot,” Enrick responds. “She’s my—”
