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“I don’t slow things down. I speed them up,” Ember said, and we laughed.
How would I go back to living alone in an apartment in town? All my friends and colleagues were paired off, and Sebastian had a family with Ember, his brothers, and his mom. My family was close, but not like the Monroes.
“Should we put a few ornaments on the tree before bed?” Sebastian asked Ember.
She nodded. “Yes.”
Sebastian lifted a red and a green ornament out of the box, and Ember eagerly took them and hung them on the tree.
I watched them for a few minutes, my heart squeezing at the beautiful family they made. Knox hung a couple higher up, and Sebastian praised Ember for how the tree looked. Was I ready to walk away from these two? Or would I regret not telling Sebastian how I felt?
Feeling conflicted, I eventually went inside to make hot chocolate.
I busied myself warming the milk, pouring the cocoa, and hunting for mini marshmallows and candy canes. I had the mugs lined up on the table when all three walked in, bringing a gust of cold air.
“Hot chocolate!” Ember exclaimed when she came into the kitchen, dropping her hat and gloves on the floor.
“Ember, put your stuff away first,” Sebastian reminded her.
Ember’s face screwed up, but she grabbed the things she’d dropped and placed them in the basket by the front door.
When I was around them, I realized parenting was never-ending. Ember needed constant reminders about cleaning up, being nice to others, and considering how her actions affected others. It was similar to teaching but on a much bigger scale. Sebastian was responsible for this little human growing into a caring and responsible adult. I respected him for doing it alone.
“You didn’t have to do this.” Knox sat in the chair next to Ember and made a dramatic show of blowing air over the top.
“You can drink it. It’s not hot.” Ember lifted her face, revealing a chocolate-covered nose.
I sat across from them. “It shouldn’t be. It’s been sitting for a few minutes.” Then, to Sebastian, I asked, “Is the tree done?”
“We decided to finish it up,” Sebastian said with a smile in Ember’s direction. He stood at the counter.
“I’ll have to take a look in a bit.”
“We can go back out once this one’s in bed,” Sebastian said with a wink.
I wished he was insinuating we’d be doing something else after Ember was in bed. But that was my overactive imagination envisioning what it wanted to see.
Knox blew bubbles in the hot chocolate, and Ember giggled.
Sebastian leaned against the counter and crossed his arms over his chest. “You’re acting like a child.”
Whenever I observed Sebastian with his brothers, he was the more serious one. He didn’t let loose and have fun. I wondered if that was something I could help him with while I was here.
“It’s supposed to snow tomorrow,” Knox said.
“Will it be enough to go sledding?” Ember asked, excitement filling her voice.
Knox nodded. “They’re saying four to six inches. If it’s the right kind of snow, we should be good. The light and fluffy flakes aren’t great for snowmen or sledding.”
Ember pouted. “I want it to snow, but I want to miss school.”
“We don’t get everything we want,” Sebastian reminded her gently.
“I’ll just be happy with snow.” What could be better than staying in Sebastian’s cabin and getting snowed in for a day? I couldn’t think of anything else I wanted to do than play in the snow with them.
Knox nodded before draining his mug. “We were lucky to get that big storm last year. Before that, it hadn’t snowed much.”
“If it snows, we’ll sled on the hill by Mom’s,” Sebastian said.
