As much as I wanted to let her rest, first she needed to take some medication, and then she could sleep it off.
I managed to wake her long enough to get her to take the pills, and flash me another look at those spectacular tits I’d never forget before she rolled over, hugged my pillow to her chest, and drifted back to sleep.
I didn’t want to leave Noelle alone too long, so I hastily scribbled a note, left it on the bedside table and headed back down to the office.
“Where’s mom?” Noelle asked, looking up from the nest of blankets she’d turned into a fort.
“Mom’s upstairs sleeping. She’s got a cold,” I explained. “So, you and I are going to hang out down here for a while and let her get some rest.”
“Can we build a snowman?” Noelle asked, bouncing to her sock-covered feet.
“You want to go and build a snowman?”
“Can we? It’s not too cold.”
I didn’t think it was even possible, but Noelle was somehoweven more dangerous than her mother. She had the ability to look at me, bat her lashes and pout her pink lips, and I became putty in her hands.
“I’ll make you a deal,” I began, and Noelle stopped bouncing and stared at me, waiting to hear what came next. “We can go out and make a snowman …”
“Yay!”
“If …” I cut off her excitement, needing to get the rules out before she went and got ahead of herself. “You dress up in your coat, scarf, boots, and gloves. You dress warmly and we’ll go build a snowman.”
In a rush to get out the door, Noelle slipped on the blankets and face-planted. Thankfully, she fell on the pile of pillows, and while my heart threatened to burst through my rib cage, she giggled happily. The sound was infectious and once my head caught up with the idea that she was fine, I let go of the breath I was holding and joined in laughing.
I reached out my hand and helped pull her to her feet.
Noelle stuffed her feet into her boots and shrugged on her coat before spinning in circles.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“Do you know where mom put my scarf?” she asked, her face filled with worry.
I had no idea where her scarf was, but I wasn’t about to let the lack of a scarf stop us from going out and playing in the snow. “You can use mine,” I offered, winding the navy scarf around her neck and watching as she tugged her beanie over her ears.
“You ready?”
“Yep,” she exclaimed.
I hated to admit it, but I might’ve even been more excited than Noelle. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d taken a minute to appreciate the snow rather than just bitch and moanabout how cold it was and all the things it was making harder. Things like getting out of bed in the morning, people staying on the roads and not skidding on black ice into the ditch or the power going out.
“Let’s go!” I cheered, and Noelle reached for my hand.
With her tiny hand clasped in mine, we headed out the door. Patting the pocket of my coat, I made sure I had my phone. Holly mightn’t be well enough to be out here with us, but I’d make sure I captured the moment to share with her.
I shoved open the heavy door, thankful the wind had eased. Heavy white snowbanks were pushed against the buildings. Overhead, dark clouds filled the sky, but they were holding off. It felt like the worst of the storm had passed, and soon enough, the world would go right back to normal. Too soon. I was going to have to say goodbye to them and I was sure I wasn’t ready. I didn’t know if I ever would be.
Noelle though, she wasn’t caught as deep in her thoughts as I was. While I was staring across the road and down the deserted streets, Noelle shouldered her way by me and threw herself recklessly into a pile of snow.
I went to call her out, but the giggles once again reached my ears and all thoughts of chastising her evaporated.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
“Making a snow angel,” Noelle replied as she waved her arms and legs about.
Reaching for my phone, I clicked a few photos before sliding it back into my pocket. “I can see that. I thought you wanted to make a snowman,” I reminded her.
Noelle ignored my comment and, instead, insisted that I lay down beside her and make my very own snow angel. And since I was wrapped around her little finger, I dropped to my knees in the frigid snow and swooshed my arms and legs back and forth like a damn fool, completely unable to wipe the smile from myown face—a problem I couldn’t remember the last time I’d had to face.
