Page 53 of Pink and Country

In the kitchen, I was pouring myself a glass of water when Jack came running. “Is April still here?” he asked, breathless.

“Yes, why?” Jack bent forward to catch his breath.

“Bea will be here in five minutes. Her mom is dropping her off for the afternoon. We’re having a playdate.”

“Does your mama know?”

His head bobbed fast. “Yes. She told me I could invite her over.”

When the doorbell rang, I greeted Mrs. Foster and Bea, just as April and Dahlia came back, Bubble Gum dressed in navy-blue snow pants and a bright pink jacket. My lips curled at the sight. “You’re not looking too bad in those,” I complimented with a wink.

April’s cheeks flushed.

Jack disrupted the moment when he tugged at April’s sleeve. “This is my best friend, Bea. Bea, this is April, Carter’s fairy friend. The one I told you about.” Just like she did earlier, April squatted down and held out her hand to shake Beatrix’s little one. The girl’s hazel eyes rounded as she offered April her best smile.

“Hi, Bea. I’m happy to meet you. Jack told me all about you.” And then the questions popped from Beatrix’s mouth at a quick pace. She barely had time to catch her breath before firing another one. Bea never even noticed her mom leaving, a giant grin on her painted red lips as she watched her daughter in full awe mode. I snickered under my hand at the sight of two five-year-olds in a serious discussion about hair color.

“Well, if you wanna go, I guess I need to break this party up,” Dahlia whispered in my ear. “Either that or April will faint from heat stroke underneath all these clothes.” Dahlia’s hand found mine, and she gave it a strong squeeze. No words were needed.

“You’ve made quite an impression,” I said to April as we climbed back into the truck. “You’re lucky they let you go.” April laughed. A clear and happy sound. “I’m not joking. Ever heard of being abducted by kids so they could experiment with strands of your hair and steal your magic? It’s some serious shit. Being a fairy, you should know all about it. For your safety.” April laughed some more, and I joined in.

Ten minutes later, we arrived at my special spot, the one I’d been bringing Jack to since he was old enough to stand on his feet by himself. My heart beat a little faster, knowing I brought someone else here. April was the first woman I let around Jack. For a reason I ignored, it felt right. A rock grew in my stomach. Her time here had an expiration date, and I needed to remember that.

“I’m surprised there’s snow here,” April observed, her eyes traveling all around us. I snapped out of my daze. “Everywhere else, it has melted.”

I cleared my throat. “The valley is always feet deep covered in snow. This and the ski mountain. Everywhere else in town, it comes and goes. Ready?” April followed me close. We’d parked at the top of the hill, and the view from here was breathtaking. Snowy mountaintops. Valleys. A glimpse at Main Street below. The slope was about half-a-mile long and not too steep. Fairy had wide eyes as she looked around. A piece of my heart expanded.

“It’s peaceful here. I understand why it’s your special spot.”

We settled ourselves on the sled, way too small for two grown-ups. With my height, it was a bit of a challenge to fit both of us on the wooden sleigh. April sat in front of me, and I wrapped my legs around her.

“Zip up, you don’t want to turn into a snowman.”

“All done,” April said, excitement clear in her voice.

“Hold on tight,” I warned her before we launched ourselves down the snowy hill. With a push of my hands, I propelled us down the slope and circled her waist with my arms. It satisfied some of my urges to touch her. Whenever April was nearby, my hands itched to brush her skin. The sled hopped. April yelped. My heart swelled in my ribcage. This girl lit up like a Christmas tree for what most people would consider boring. Snowflakes. Crunching leaves on the ground. Hot chocolate. Her cat snoring. Sunsets. Winning a game of Monopoly. Buying groceries.

The sled tipped over at the bottom of the slope, enveloping us in white powder. April’s contagious laugher resonated around us in the valley. We were in our own world when we tumbled in the snow together. The kid in me was having a blast.

“Oh. My. God. This was insane. I can’t believe I’ve never done this before.”

We were both lying on our backs on the ground. I turned to my side, removed one of my gloves, and using my fingertips, I dusted off snow from April’s nose and cheeks. The air in my lungs turned to ice. April’s bottom lip shuddered when the pad of my thumb smoothed the length of it. April closed her eyes. This was it. The moment I let all restraints go. Our lips were a hair’s breadth apart when April sneezed, breaking the moment.

“Sorry,” she said as she sneezed again and sat upright. I rose to my feet, grabbed her hand to pull her up, put my glove back, and dusted off the snow covering her hat and shoulders.

“Can we go again?” April looked at me with her best puppy eyes.

“Come on. Hop on.” I turned around, adjusted my erection in my pants, squatted low, and carried April on my back the entire way up. Even from under all our winter clothes, Pink Hair Girl’s heartbeat, strong and fast, throbbed against my back.

At the top of the hill, April fixed her hat, her smile never faltering. “Thank you, Carter. I’m glad you insisted I wore proper winter clothes.” Yeah. One hypothermia scare was more than enough.

* * *

“Today, I’m giving you a snowboarding lesson. I bet you’ve never tried it before?”

April shook her head. “Isn’t it dangerous? Can we break our back or something?”

I dropped a kiss on her wrinkled forehead. Pixie was clueless about everything related to winter. “You’re cute. I’ll never let anything bad happen to you. I promise. You’re safe with me.”