Page 32 of A Crossroads Christmas

I reached for her hand and held it so she wouldn’t be sad. “I won’t let that happen.”

“Should I tell my Daddy?”

“If you think he won’t get mad.”

Zara scrunched up her nose. “He’s been sad.”

“Then maybe not tell him until we find the reindeer,” I suggested.

“Should we go look for it?”

“It’s snowing, Zara.”

“All the flakes stopped falling down.”

Huh? I peeked out of the closet. All the snow left. No more flakes coming down.

“See? No snow.”

“It’s cold out,” I warned her. “It’s too much for a girl.”

She squeezed my hand. Hard. “So? I’m a strong girl.”

I sighed. “Yeah. Okay, you’re strong.”

Zara yanked on my arm as I dropped her hand. Her grip made my fingers tingle. “I wanna go.”

“It’s getting dark out.”

Her lower lip stuck out as she pouted. “But the reindeers.”

“After breakfast in the morning.”

Her smile was too bright as I looked at her. “I love you bunches, Miles.”

Ugh. Girls were gross.

Chapter 10 Diablo

December 23rd—

I stood on the porch, sipping coffee as I watched my kids throwing snowballs at one another in the front yard. The war had begun when Rev threw one at Olivia. She retaliated and tossed one at her brother but hit Thunder instead. Laughter followed, and so did the big balls packed with white snow. My yard soon became littered with them.

Yesterday, Thunder arrived with Rya. They planned to stay for a week, and I couldn’t hide my joy that I finally had all my children together under one roof again.

This was what the holidays meant to me. Thunder, Rev, Olivia, and my Gina. Our family. That also included Rya now since Thunder wouldn’t leave her side. After all they’d been through, I didn’t blame them for holding on a little tight.

Hell, I still did that with Rev and Olivia on occasion. Learning to love and let your children out into the world, free to succeed, fail, fail in love, and live on their own terms, was the scariest part of fatherhood. I had to let these precious souls out of my umbrella and safety where the world could harm them. At times, I hated it.

It was impossible to count how many times I’d felt that way with Thunder since he was a boy. Losing him for years had nearly gutted me, but I wouldn’t focus on the past. The present and its joy were all that mattered.

“Dad?” Thunder called.

Dad. I still loved to hear him say it. I would always be Dio to Thunder, my Little Man, but looking at the man he’d become, I couldn’t be prouder to see the life warrior before me. And his Rya? She was a life warrior, too. Glancing at Rev, I knew he’d experienced similar soul-crushing trauma, but you’d never knowit to look at him. They were all strong, resilient, and beautiful souls.

Choking up a bit, I blinked back tears before they could sting my eyes. “Yeah?”

“Heads up!”

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