Page 102 of It's Always Sonny

“Wow.”

The earth is blanketed in thick, white snow. Our feet sink into the powder. I saw it earlier on my call to Jimmy and Bulldog. The worst of the storm already passed, but there must be six or eight inches on the ground, and it coats the woods behind us like a blanket. Tree limbs are heavy with white. It’s both cloudy and intensely bright, and the look on PJ’s face tells me it’s also absolutely magical to her.

Which makes it even more magical to me.

Sienna and Ash are about fifteen feet away on four-wheelers. I want to grab PJ’s hand on our quick walk, but being out of the tent, out of the sleeping bag, and in front of the people we’re closest to has me second-guessing myself. How am I supposed to act?

“Is your knee worse after last night?” she asks.

“It’s just stiff from the cold,” I say. “Don’t worry about it.” She frowns, and I grab her hand and tug her to face me. “I’m allowed to care about you without it being a flaw in either of us. I won’t apologize for choosing you over a job … or a few extra days of rehab.” I smooth her hair behind her ears and then adjust her beanie. “Okay?”

She squints at the word “job,” but she doesn’t press it.

“Okay,” she says.

Okay. She may as well have said “I do” for the effect this has on my heart.

My smile stretches so far, so fast, it almost hurts. “Okay.”

And now she’s smiling to match. And it’s snowing, and we’ve just spent half a day in a sleeping bag pressed together like a sandwich with absolutely no funny business, and now all I can think about is how her hair is still down, stuffed under a beanie, and her dark eyes and deep red lips are so intense against the brilliant white snow, and she’s leaning forward on her tip toes …

“A-hem,” Sienna says. Ash smacks her shoulder. “What?” Sienna asks. “I’m his big sister. It’s in my job description to ruin romantic moments. Sorry, Parker.”

I see the embarrassment on PJ’s face, so I pull her against my chest. “I will pay you back, sis. I’m going to creep into your tent tonight and put Nair all over your head and watch you wake up bald.”

“I would look amazing bald,” she says.

“Fine, then I’ll do it to Chris.”

“No! I’m sorry, okay? Do not touch his hair. I’ll let you two snog your faces off next time. In fact, here, you two take my quad.”

PJ slips out from beneath my arms and hops on the quad. I gingerly get on behind her, wrapping my arms around her waist while Ash takes a picture of us with a goofy grin. PJ tenses, and I want to tell Ash to knock it off, to stop spooking her. But if I want us to build something that can last, I have to deal with the discomfort of her discomfort.

Ash and Sienna stick their helmets on and take off.

A moment later, we follow.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Parker

We stop at the animal barn, a big dark red building that Tripp had built for Millie’s animal-assisted therapy. I know for a fact it was built with a ton of extra security precautions to create a safe place for the children that Millie and the other therapist treat.

They could never have anticipated a massive tree limb falling onto the barn. The weight of the ice coating the top limb proved too heavy for the stormy conditions, and it snapped sometime in the early morning and crashed into the roof.

Rusty is overseeing the animals’ care, but instead of farm workers helping, it’s Sonny’s family. When they heard about the barn, they all offered to help. And considering the farm workers were busy with the numerous other emergencies that came up last night, Tripp and Jane relented.

“You guys are on vacation,” I say to Sonny’s family. “There’s plenty we still can do today over at the reunion grounds.”

“That’s sweet of you to worry about us,” Sonny’s mom says. She pulls me in for a side hug that’s somehow both casual and motherly. System failure. Multiple systems. “But there’s nothing we’d rather do,” she continues. “Especially when cute baby farm animals are involved.”

I look at Sonny, who makes a “you got this” gesture, as if he can read my “what do I do” face.

Which he probably can.

I don’t give her my fake smile from yesterday but rather a small half smile, one that feels natural enough. “Thanks. I know it will mean a lot to everyone here.”

Sonny’s family quickly gets to work. As Rusty leads animals out, Lucianos follow his instructions, herding them into livestock trailers. The farm doesn’t have that many animals, as they’re only for petting zoos and therapy, so the work is done soon. But I keep an eye on the animals as they come out. The last one is Louis.

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