Page 54 of Snowed In With The Second Chance Daddy

I smile. “Yeah, you. I promise it’s not serious, it’ll be quick.”

Iris steals a look at Rose.

She’s distracted, no way she’ll overhear something if things go sideways, though I don’t anticipate this conversation will gotoopoorly. Might break my heart, but it’s not going to be a fight or a flirtation.

“What’s up, Trevor?”

“I…um…” I reach into my pocket and extract the thin envelope that’s been crunched up throughout the morning. “I got you something.”

Iris leans away. “Oh god, Trevor, I didn’t get you anything, I didn’t think we–”

“Relax, I didn’t expect you too.” I hold out the envelope toward her. “Merry Christmas, Ris.”

Iris blinks at the envelope, then me. The corners of her mouth turn up, a weak, but present smile. “You didn’t have to get me anything, Trevor.”

“Open it.”

Iris lifts the closure on the envelope and withdraws two tickets. It takes her a moment to realize what they’re for. “The ballet? You got me tickets to the ballet?”

“Box seats.” I shrug. “I know we always said we’d go this year, and…”

Iris’s expression becomes unreadable to me. Clouds obscuring the sun.

I’m not sure if they’ll bring rain.

“And since you’re headed out of town, I thought–” I clear my throat. “You don’t have to take me, obviously.”

Of course she does, dummy, that was the whole point. It’s supposed to be a fucking date.

“I just wanted to give you the Christmas that I promised this year.”

Iris shakes her head. “I don’t know what to say. Thank you, Trevor. This is such a nice gift.”

“You’re welcome.” I rub the fronts of my knees. I guess I should go, but I want to know if she’ll take me or if that was a stupid hope. “You know, you could…take Rowan, or I guess Rose might enjoy it. Or–”

“Trevor, don’t be silly. We’ll go together.”

Everything in me lifts. Relief.

I have one more chance. One more night with her. Now I can really enjoy Christmas.

I could kiss her. In fact, I will. I lean in, waiting for her to push me away.

But it’s not Iris’s hand that stops me but one of the kids screaming at the top of their lungs, “It’s snowing!”

Chaos erupts, children running to go outside, parents trying to wrangle them into at least their coats and boots, some of them breaking free through the sliding glass doors into the yard.

Iris and I leap to our feet to try and help, but it’s a lost cause. It’s a madhouse.

And it’s sort of beautiful.

Oliver comes over and scoops Rose up. “Come on, Mommy will kill me if you go outside without at least a sweater, baby girl.”

Iris follows the stampede outside, and I follow Iris, not minding that I don’t have a coat or even shoes on. If I get a cold, so be it. The cold will go away eventually. And this moment is fleeting. I don’t want to lose it.

The cold air hits my face and rushes into all my bones, but I don’t care. Not at all.

Outside, the kids are running around, spinning in circles under the snow, some with only boots others with one arm in their coats. Chunky white flakes float down from the sky, creating a white cast on the ground.

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