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They screamed all the way down, making us smile.
“There’s nothing like living life through a kid’s eyes. Before Addy, I’d be annoyed that I had to clear the lane, and a day off was missed profit,” Knox mused.
“And now?” I asked.
“It’s one more day I can spend with my family.”
Sarah hugged Knox, and he kissed the top of her head.
My heart squeezed at their connection. I wanted what they had. I wanted Hanna to look at me the way Sarah looked at Knox.
Was it possible for us, or were we doomed to be friends forever?
CHAPTER 11
SEBASTIAN
The girls flew down the hill, screaming and then laughing when they came to a stop at the bottom. They immediately jumped up to do it again.
“It’s your turn,” I said to Hanna, placing the larger sled at the top of the hill. I sat first, then gestured for her to climb in.
Hanna shot me a dubious look before she glanced over at the girls, who were pulling their sleds up the hill, and finally nodded. “Let’s do this.”
I carefully avoided looking at Sarah or Knox while she settled in front of me. Even between our thick layers of clothes, I was hyperaware of her body pressed to mine.
I placed a hand on her stomach and eased her back slightly so that her back was pressed to my front.
Then I turned to Knox, who was watching us with an amused expression. “Can you give me a push? A light push?” I quickly corrected. Back in the day, my brothers were known to go overboard.
Thankfully, he only ran a few feet with his hands on my back before letting go. It was the perfect amount of momentum to send us down the hill at a decent clip, and not at breakneck speed. I didn’t want to scare Hanna. I wanted to show her a good time.
I wrapped my arms firmly around her while her hands gripped my thighs on either side of her body. It felt good to have her so close, even though the ride was over almost as quickly as it started. When we came to a stop, Hanna popped up and said with a smile, “That was fun. Let’s do it again.”
Pleased, I got up a little slower and grabbed the sled’s string. At the top of the hill, the girls were lining up for another ride. “Let’s watch the girls come down.”
Hanna moved closer, but I didn’t reach out to touch her. I was aware that Knox and Sarah had been watching us closely. Knox knew how I felt, but I wasn’t ready to broadcast it to everyone else. Not before I spoke to Hanna at the bachelorette auction.
The girls came flying down the mountain, their smiles wide and their cheeks pink as they came to a gliding stop next to us.
“That was so much fun, Daddy!” Ember exclaimed as she hopped off and waited for Addy to do the same.
I couldn’t remember a time that I’d been happier. I had Ember, my family, and now Hanna here. I couldn’t see how the day could get any better, but I was practically light-headed with anticipation.
I helped Addy when she tripped getting up, and we all walked up the hill together. The girls talked about how they could go faster down the hill, and I was content to just take it all in. At the top, Sarah and Knox had gotten onto their sled and were waiting for me to give them a push.
“Let’s push them,” Addy yelled to Ember, as they dropped the strings to their sleds and raced toward Knox. They both put their hands on his back and moved their feet, but it barely budged.
“I think we’re too big,” Knox finally said.
“Let me get in there,” I said so the girls would think they were helping, too. With all three of us, they got off to a great start, and we could hear Sarah’s screams all the way down.
“Let’s go again,” Addy said as they lined their sleds up, and I pushed.
“You want to go again?” I asked Hanna when we were alone.
Hanna smiled wide. “I’d love to.”
We sledded down and climbed up the hill for an hour before Ireland and Emmett and then Marley and Heath showed up. No matter how grumpy we got over the holiday season and Christmas tree sales, we all loved a good snow day. Sure, there was stress about money and profit, but we could let go for a few hours and just have fun.
