Page 49 of One Chance to Stay
His lip turned up, the faintest suggestion of a smile. “Haven’t heard any complaints so far.” To my dismay, he rolled off, getting to his knees. As he stood, he held out a hand, leaning back as he lifted me off the ground.
“So…” he said, looking to the snowmen lining the walkway. “I guess we should get started.”
“First—” I hopped on one foot, pointing to my very cold foot.
“Cold will put some hair on your chest.” I prepared a list of swears. “Morehair.” When he glanced over his shoulder, flashing a grin, I bit my tongue. This was a version of Seamus I had yet to meet, and I looked forward to getting to know him.
“You smile at my misery?”
“Sometimes.”
I’d suffer if it kept that smile stapled on his face… or at least catch a cold.
My right foot teetered on the verge of numbness. We had spent the last hour rolling about in circles as we made our snowman. Now that we looked at our creation, we both leaned to the right, mimicking our less-than-stellar efforts.
“We’re bad at this,” I said.
“Yes, you are.”
I jabbed him with my elbow. “I’m not the one who wanted it to be bigger than life.” It easily stood two feet above its counterparts. It lacked the refinement of the others. Our oversized middle snowball made it appear as if our creation enjoyed a little too much cake, if there was such a thing.
“He’s a husky fellow.”
“Makes two of you.” He scoffed, amused by his own joke.
I patted Seamus on the stomach. “Three of us.”
I searched the ground for loose rocks. I found two, one double the size of the other. When I wedged them into the snowman’s head, I couldn’t help but snort. Now our burly friend had a perpetual question on his face. Considering the wedding was about to take place, it made sense.
“We make a good team,” I said. I wanted to add, “In more than one way,” but I hoped Seamus picked up on the subtext. I’d jest all day, but being mushy? That didn’t quite feel right. “Hope Walter appreciates me almost losing a foot for this.”
“He will.”
Seamus had come to the bachelor party, and yet, he didn’t quite belong with the crowd. I considered minding my business, but I hoped the occasional smile meant I could invade his personal space. Funny how sex came easily, but sharing a moment building an abdominal snowman felt more intimate.
“How do you know him?”
Seamus shifted, hands shoved in his pockets as he let out a long sigh. He transformed into a statue, that stoic gaze a permanent fixture on his face. I could almost hear the bricks clacking as the wall around him rebuilt itself.
“You can tell me now, or I can hound you for the rest of the night.”
Harrumph.
“He has a daughter Grace’s age.”
The thought of Seamus as a young dad wrangling a fiery daughter warmed my heart. From changing diapers to learning how to braid hair, I bet he had gone above and beyond to be a wonderful dad. I’d love to see the two of them together. If the photos in his house were any indication, he worshipped Grace.
“Girl dads. That’s sweet.”
“Try raising one. I should have enlisted. It’d have been less dangerous.”
I snorted. “Grace’s boyfriends must have been terrified of you.”
His eyes dropped and shoulders slumped. “I wouldn’t know.” Trying to be funny, I had misstepped and hit a landmine. “She went to live with her mum.”
The statement gave me a clearer picture of the timeline. Grace’s mom must have left when she was younger. If that were the case, and he claimed to only have ever been with one man…
“You’ve been alone this whole time?”
