Her gasp is so pretty.
Staring out at a sea of white, she presses her hands to the sliding glass door and takes in the view.
“This is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.” She turns to me with watery eyes. “It’s breathtaking.”
“Like you,” I whisper, tipping her quivering chin with my finger. The look of wonder on Grace is… spectacular. Warmth spreads through my chest and I feel lightheaded.
I’ve fallen madly in love.
I want Grace to see this mountain in every season. There’s no doubt she’ll have the same look on her face when heavy spring rain fills the streams and ferns uncoil along the paths. She’ll fall head over heelsfor the firefly show that runs for weeks in the tall grass and the clear summer nights when the stars are so bright, they glitter like crazy. And in fall, when the trees burst into vibrant reds and golds and smoke glides across the property from a big bonfire. But winter? With everything draped in white, the ice that shimmers in the sunlight, the way the moon reflects off the slopes… this is my favorite.
“See? I told you it was going to snow.”
Grace squeals and drops her blanket, running upstairs as fast as her legs can carry her.
“Hey! Where are you going?” I yell.
“Where do you think?” She dashes into her room and a few minutes later, comes out dressed in snow attire. “We’re playing outside!” She hops on one foot while shoving her boots on. “Whoop!” She loses balance and crashes against the wall.
Laughter blows out of me. “Slow down, you menace.”
Oscar jumps on the door, scratching it. She’s just as excited as Grace. It’s like neither of them have seen snow before.
She tugs my beanie over her unruly bed head and searches for her gloves.
Shoving my feet into boots, I hold the door for her. Luckily, I’ve already shoveled a path out for the both of them.
“Holy crap!” She stops at the step. “How much is there?”
“About two feet so far.” This is the first big snowfall of the season, but it won’t be the last, or the most.
She scoops some into her hands. “It’s so fluffy.”
I’m worried about how much snow will fall, and what kind of white out conditions there will be if it gets any worse.
Grace slept through the morning, and well into the afternoon. My girl was exhausted from what we did last night.
Yes, I’m proud of that.
“Woo!” She trudges across my front yard, wading in the snow like a baby bigfoot. Oscar leaps after her. “Let’s build a snowman!”
The snow doesn’t stick together when she packs it into a ball.
“Too cold.” I gather a bunch of the powdery white stuff in my hands and toss it in the air. “Terrible snowman material.”
Grace falls back, disappearing as she makes what I assume is a snow angel.
Or demon, knowing her.
She’s so excited, I suspect this is probably the first time she’s been able to play in the snow. Her mother isn’t here to shame her for it. God, what a bitch that woman must be. To know Grace has been to some of the most luxurious ski resorts in the world and hasn’t been able to enjoy herself like this is such a shame. I’m determined to always let her have fun and be herself.
Messy, silly, wild… whatever Grace wants to be, she’s perfect to me.
My stomach drops when my cell vibrates in my back pocket. Someone needs to be plowed out. I’d put it off this morning, but that’s not going to be possible for much longer. Damnit, I just want one day to have fun. One moment to breathe.
You had that last night, I remind myself. Except one night isn’t enough. I want more nights. More mornings. More afternoons when I can just enjoy my life.
Grace hops up and marches through the snow, straight at me, with a big smile. “I’ve got to make some content out here. This is too stunning to waste.”
