Page 34 of Isabelle and the Beast

I hit him square in the chest.

“Yes!” I squeal. I start doing a happy dance, swinging my hips and turning in a circle, which is kind of tricky in the snow.

When my back is turned to him, I get smacked by something cold on my back.

I turn and face Adam, who has a mock innocent expression. “You hit me with a snowball!”

He shrugs. “What are you going to do about it?” And then he turns and runs off. Well, more like he trudges through the snow at a slightly quickened pace.

But I take my time, making multiple snowballs before chasing after him. I need to be prepared. With an aim as bad as mine, I need to have multiple attacks ready at once. After I’ve made five snowballs, I start following him through the snow.

It’s a lot of work to run in calf-high snow, but I’m lighter than Adam and make it over to where he’s hiding around the corner of the castle pretty quickly. I take aim, and my first two snowballs miss, but my third hits him on top of his head.

“Ouch!” he exclaims, rubbing his head with a gloved hand.

“Oh, no! Did that hurt?” I drop my other two snowballs and run over to him, guilt running through me.

Shoot. Did I just injure Adam Stone? Is he going to sue me?

I reach him, not sure if I should touch him or what. His face is contorted in pain, and I feel awful. Before I can make a decision, though, he hits me in the chest with another snowball that was hidden by his side.

“Hey!” I cry out.

His eyes are filled with delight.

My mouth drops open in shock. “It was a trap!”

He laughs out loud, throwing his head back. It’s a glorious sight. I haven’t seen Adam this happy and free the entire time I’ve been here. In fact, he never portrays this even in his movies. Brooding, stoic, and serious are his strong suits. But this fits even better than I would have expected. A deep sense of pride wells up in my chest, and I beam at him.

He looks back down at me with a wide smile.

“Are you making a snowman?” Theo’s little voice sounds from around the corner at the front of the castle. I turn myhead, breaking eye contact with Adam, but I can’t see him from where we’re standing.

“Theodore!” I hear Brigette call. “Get back inside this instant!”

“But I wanna make a snowman!” he whines back.

“We’re not making a snowman, Theo,” I call.

Adam doesn’t say anything, and the levity is gone. His expression is back to its stony default. I sigh inwardly, disappointed that all my work has gone to waste.

I leave Adam’s side, trudging through the snow to find Theo. Adam follows behind until we see Theo standing at the front door in his Captain America pajamas and fur-lined boots. Poor kid has been stuck inside too, and now we adults are outside having all the fun.

I point at the sky, where the sunset has turned into an inky blue sky dotted by a few stars. “It’s dark now, see? But we can make a snowman tomorrow. I think the storm is over.”

“I want to make a Snow Hulk,” he says.

“That sounds like a great idea.”

Theo looks satisfied and goes back inside. I look back at Adam. His expression is serious, unflinching. Gone are the laughs and the cheer we shared. But even still, I want to finish this occasion on a good note. “Thank you for coming outside with me. I needed this.”

He nods silently. Lionel opens the door to the castle entrance and we walk back inside.

As disappointed as I am that Adam snapped back into his usual self, I saw a flicker of who he could be. And maybe who he once was. He has so much affection for his little sister, Lily. Did he ever play outside with her like this? Even from the couple of pictures I’ve seen of her, I can tell she has a sweet and playful personality. Surely he wanted to entertain her, too.

I head off to my room, looking forward to a warm bath, but I can’t stop picturing that moment when Adam seemed like someone I’d like to know.

Chapter

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