Page 85 of If You Stayed

“This was the best birthday ever!” Elijah exclaimed, covered in snow as Gabriel carried the three sleds on his back. I held Elijah’s hand in mine as we danced through the snow. “Thanks for bringing me, Kierra!”

“And to think your big doofus brother wanted to stay home and watch the ball drop on television,” I remarked with a big grin at Gabriel.

He smiled back, knowing we’d just had the best time. Elijah’s joy was worth it.

Gabriel walked beside me and nudged my arm. “You did good, Penguin.”

“I did, didn’t I?”

He leaned in slightly and kissed my earlobe. “You did.”

I was still getting used to the kisses he’d deliver to me. We’d officially been dating for a year now, and I still got butterflies whenever he came near. I loved him. I loved him so much that sometimes it made me tear up.

“It’s snowing again!” Elijah said, dropping my hand and tilting his head up to the sky. He opened his mouth and stuck out his tongue. I did the same as him, catching as many snowflakes as possible.

“Okay, snowmen, let’s get a move on before the snow comes down too fast,” Gabriel ordered, dragging the sleds.

“She’s a snowwoman, Gabby,” Elijah said. He was the only one who was allowed to call Gabriel Gabby. Anyone else would’ve received a punch to the gut. “Not a snowman.”

“You’re right. My bad. Snowman and snowwoman, let’s get going.”

“We should make snow angels first,” Elijah remarked, flopping down into the snow.

I arched an eyebrow at Gabriel with a wicked grin.

He pointed a stern finger toward me. “Don’t you dare, Kierra.”

I shrugged. “I can’t help it. I can’t say no to this little dude.” I then plopped beside Elijah, and we began making snow angels together, waving our arms and legs out in sync. “Come on, Gabriel. There’s room for three.”

“It’s almost one in the morning. We need to get home,” he said.

“Snow angels! Snow angels!” Elijah chanted.

I joined him in the chanting. “Snow angels! Snow angels!”

Gabriel rolled his eyes. “This is peer pressure.”

“Only the best kind of pressure,” I said, patting a spot beside me. “Join the madness.”

With a big huff, he surrendered, dropping the sleds nextto us. He then plopped down and began making a snow angel beside me.

I couldn’t think of a better trio to make snow angels.

We stayed in the snow too long, and the snowfall increased. “Okay, we should actually get going,” I said.

Gabriel stood first, helped Elijah up, and then held a hand out toward me. I grabbed his hand, and he pulled me up to his chest and kissed my nose. “My favorite snowwoman.”

Butterflies.

This man would nevernotgive me butterflies.

“Enough kisses, more walking,” Elijah ordered, tossing the sleds toward Gabriel, one at a time.

“Don’t worry, boys! I’ll drive us home,” I said, knowing Gabriel left his glasses at home. He couldn’t see when it wasn’t snowing outside, let alone in what was turning out to be a blizzard.

We hopped into the car, and I cranked the heat up as Gabriel made sure Elijah was buckled in. He checked and double-checked, even though Elijah was old enough to buckle himself in. Amma was very overprotective of her kids, and if Elijah showed up with a mere scratch on him, she’d freak out. Truthfully, after Gabriel’s father passed away, Amma had become a helicopter mother. She made sure to almost always know where her boys were. If she’d known about our trip that evening, she would’ve shut it down quickly.

After Elijah was safe, Gabriel hopped into the front seat.

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