Page 72 of No Love Lost

It wasn’t long before Troy was calling teams to return and send their photos in for scoring.

“How many did we get, Spitfire?”

Nina counted as she double-checked. “Nineteen. We didn’t find any freshly made ginger snaps.”

Heath laughed. “Wait. Ginny didn’t have any, which is really odd. I bet she’s put some in the Saloon for when we get there.”

Nina’s eyes lit up. “Good idea. I’ll get the picture, even if it’s late. Unless someone else thought of it before Troy called time, we’re going to win.” She ran off, leaving him and Addy standing in the square.

Addy bumped her hip into him. “I wonder where she gets that competitive spirit from.”

He laughed. “I was thinking that earlier. You never cared if you won or lost a game as long as everyone had fun.”

Addy laughed. “True. I like to save my energy for other things.”

“Like raising a wonderful girl on your own. And building a career from something you love. And finding amazing people to support you.”

Addy pulled off her mittens and placed her hands on his cheeks. “Wonderful people like you. I’ve been so incredibly lucky in my life, Heath.”

He wanted to snort. She’d been next to penniless and homeless while pregnant. She’d had to take on several jobs to support herself and Nina.

She laughed and leaned up to kiss him softly on the lips. “I’m serious. I wish you hadn’t missed out on Nina’s childhood, and if I could, I would change that. But we have a wonderful daughter. We’ve found each other now and I don’t want to spend any more of my life regretting the past. I want to spend my life enjoying the present and the future with you.”

Heath felt a weight lift off his chest with her words. She was right as usual.

He placed his hands over hers where they rested on his face. “I like the sound of that. I’m going to let the guilt and regrets go. Let’s live in the now and the future.”

And he sealed that vow with a kiss.

Addy flipped the Christmas morning pancakes while Heath and Nina finished setting the table. Chocolate chips in the batter and real maple syrup had been their tradition for years. She loved that Heath was all onboard for continuing their traditions while adding new ones as well.

As they finished up breakfast, Heath grinned. “I’ve got a plan for the rest of the morning. It’s a little weird, and I’ll need you both to trust me.”

Addy’s eyes widened, and she looked at Nina, who was grinning. She had the feeling her daughter was in on the surprise. “Okay.”

Heath grinned and leaned over to kiss Addy softly. “Keep on the Christmas pjs, but bundle up. We’re going on a road trip.”

A road trip? In her pajamas?

She was going to protest, but Nina was giggling and excited, and she didn’t have the heart. Not when she looked to see the same look in Heath’s eyes as well.

By the time they’d cleaned the kitchen, Heath had loaded some boxes into his car. Animosh jumped in the back with Nina. While Addy locked the house, he stood behind her and blocked the wind. When she turned, he leaned down and kissed her.

Not so sweetly this time. Her body started tingling again, remembering how he’d woken her up that morning. His voice was the growl she loved. “Thanks for trusting me. I’m going to ask one more thing of you when we get in the car. I promise it’ll be good.”

Bewildered, she got into the car. Once in the driver’s seat, he passed sleep masks covered in Christmas patterns to her and Nina. “Put these on. It won’t be long and I promise to be a safe driver.”

Nina grinned. “You’re always a safe driver, Dad, especially when we’re in the car.”

Heart filled, Addy put on her seat belt and then the sleep mask, even though that was hard. She could feel the joy radiating off of Heath and Nina. She’d do almost anything to make them happy, but feeling in the dark and out of control wasn’t easy. It reminded her too much of the feeling when she’d woken in Jonas’s basement.

Heath reached over and lifted the mask. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think wearing the mask would be anything other than fun. That was thoughtless of me.”

The concern in his gaze had her warming and wanting to be brave. “I think I’m good. If I start to freak out, I’ll take it off.”

“You don’t have to.”

“I know. But I also don’t want to be a wimp, so let’s do this. Drive quick.”

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