After Allie leaves, I spin around and run a hand down my face. “I’m so sorry about that, Kenna. People around here are always trying to fix me up. It’s embarrassing.”
She tilts her head. “Do they ever succeed?”
“I’m a thirty-two-year-old single dad to a growing teenage boy, and I have a business to run. Doesn’t leave much time for anything else.”
“You don’t ever date?”
“Do you?” I say, throwing it back at her.
“Right.” She looks down at the ground before giving me a wry smile and a sigh. “So let’s finish this job before my fingers freeze off.”
We lean over, and together roll our large snowman base over near the bench. Christian and Bug’s middle part is as large as the bottom, while the head Amelia fashioned is basically just a large snowball. Once put together, we all stand back and laugh at our ridiculous creation.
Bug races inside her house and comes out with a handful of blueberries and a carrot. Amelia helps her make a ‘face,’ which is difficult considering how small the head is. Christian puts his baseball cap on Frosty’s head, then Bug flips the cap backwards.
“Perfect,” I say.
Kenna doubles over laughing. “Perfectly horrendous.”
I pull out my phone. “Stand next to him,” I say to everyone, then snap a photo.
Bug walks over and takes my phone from me. “You go. Family photo.”
I glare at her, hoping Kenna didn’t overhear. But then I follow orders, because somehow I know I’ll be spending a better part of the evening staring at the pictures she’s about to take.
~ ~ ~
By the time we make it back inside, Amelia looks ready to collapse.
Kenna takes off her daughter’s wet shoes and outerwear, then looks over at me. “It’s been a long day.”
I thumb to the garage. “I’ll just get your things.”
She shakes her head. “We can wait on the boxes. I need to get her to bed. Maybe just bring down the two green suitcases for now?”
“On it.”
By the time I get the suitcases downstairs, Amelia is asleep on the couch. She doesn’t even wake when one of the suitcases falls over with a loud thud. I cringe and whisper, “Sorry.”
“She’s out. I might not even bother with her pajamas. I’m just going to carry her to bed.”
I step over. “Allow me.”
I lift Amelia up effortlessly. She’s light as a feather. I almost feel stupid doing it when Kenna is clearly capable.
Kenna opens the door to the bedroom and pulls back the freshly washed sheets. When I set Amelia down, she turns over, not even opening her eyes, and snuggles with Horton who was patiently waiting for her to join him.
Quietly, I exit the room. Kenna comes after me, but lingers in the doorway staring at Amelia.
“She sure is something,” I whisper.
“She is. Looks like we both hit the jackpot in the kid department.”
I laugh quietly. “Yeah, if only I could hit the real jackpot, my life would be perfect. I mean what’s the Powerball up to now, two hundred million?”
Kenna abruptly turns away and leans against the wall. She looks about as tired as Amelia.
“Hey, listen. I’ll probably be up way before you are tomorrow. I leave early. But promise you won’t move all the boxes. They’re heavy as shit.”
