Page 126 of One Foggy Christmas
“It wasn’t great,” I joke to offset the emotion taking over my eyes.
“Like you said, we both got over a fear today.” Sadie reaches for me with her free hand. I can’t feel it through all the layers, but it still means a lot.
This new version of our relationship swings back and forth between serious and fun. Both are equally important for us to move forward, but I’ve had enough serious for now.
I bend my knees and wrap my arms around her stomach like an offensive lineman.
“Nash!” she yelps as her poles and skis drop into the snow.
I pick her up, throwing her over my shoulder with no real plan of what to do with her—it’s all just part of flirting and dating. A giant snowbank with pure powder seems like the perfect place to drop her. I carry her to the pile of snow, flinging her body into it. She screams even though the landing is like cotton balls. I bodyslam her like they do in WWE and then spend the next twenty seconds trying to defend myself from the snow she shoves into my face. It takes me a second, but I pin her arms above her head, stopping the fight.
“Now, you’re in trouble,” I say, leaning over her.
Her pretty lips pull into a smile. “Or was this my plan all along?”
“Youplannedto lose our snow fight?”
“No, I planned to get you close.” The flirtation behind her stare has my head swimming with all sorts of ideas.
“Why do you need me close?”
“Do you realize we haven’t kissed?”
The corner of my mouth lifts. “Yes, I’mvery awarewe haven’t kissed.”
“So what are you going to do about it?” Her voice has a challenge, a dare I’d love to take her up on, but in my mind, we’re still taking things slow.
I playfully scrunch my nose. “I’m probably not going to do anything about it.”
“Nash, why won’t you kiss me?”
I lean in, lowering my voice to a whisper. “Because if I kiss you, I won’t be able to stop.”
“Please tell me at some point you’ll change your mind.”
“At some point, I’ll change my mind.”
“Then I’ll wait.”
“You know, while you wait for our big kiss on the lips, I could remind you of other things you liked,” I say as I drag my body off hers.
“Like what?”
“I believe you also loved it when I kissed your neck.”
Sadie smiles mischievously. “Hmm, I don’t remember that. You’ll have to show me.”
I sling my arm around her shoulder. “Deal.”
SADIE
“Hi, Mom!”I answer my cell phone.
“Hi, sweetie. I’m glad we caught you. What are you doing right now? It’s late there, isn’t it?”
“I’m on my chalet balcony.” My eyes drift to Nash. He wags his brows up and down, giving me the feeling he can hear my mom through the phone.
“Just sitting there in the cold?”
