Me:*insert shocked face emoji*
Tina:Hey, don’t feel bad. It takes a hooker to know a hooker. Tootles! *insert heart emoji*
Me:*insert kissy face emoji*
Just as I set my phone on the chair, a knock sounds at the door separating my place and his. After breakfast, we both got ready for the day, and since the gym is closed because of the weather, he left to go get Milo. He invited me to come with, but I used the work excuse to stay behind. I really do have to work on the gym’s new site, but I also received two more inquiries via my own website. I wanted to pull as much information on their businesses as I could before offering them my package details.
One time, when I first went out on my own, I received an inquiry and sent them all my information. I found out after I started digging that the company didn’t exist. The email address was a dummy account, and my correspondences went unanswered. The next week, Arrow Media, my biggest rival in the web design business, went viral with their brand-new packages and rates. Turns out, they were the exact services I offer, just a few dollars cheaper. To a small business, a few dollars adds up, and while I saw a steady increase in inquiries, I saw a decline in the ones who actually purchased a package.
The result was a complete overhaul of my services and the costs associated with them, as well as a better system for dealing with customer inquiries.
“Hey,” I reply as I open the door, a smile instantly spreading across my face.
“Hello. So, after Milo’s nap, he reminded me he hasn’t played in the snow, and well, he’s ready to go make baby snow angels. He also told me he’d rather you go out with us, since you’re much prettier to look at than I am.”
I smirk back at the sexy man who’s wearing winter weather gear and holding a baby in a snowsuit. “He said all that, huh?”
“Word for word,” he confirms. “My dad bought him a baby sled with a little seat, and I’m thinking since the sun’s out and it’s about thirty degrees warmer than it was yesterday, today would be a great day to go for a ride on the sled. You in?”
The rest of my work is completely forgotten after that invitation. I reach forward and tap Milo’s little nose. “I wish I could, but I don’t have any snow boots yet.”
“I have some extra ones. They’ll be big, but if you double up on socks, I’m sure it’ll work.”
I squint my eyes and glance down at his feet. He’s wearing camo snow boots and thick, insulated overalls. “Umm, Colton, I don’t know if that’ll work. What size of shoe do you wear?”
“Eleven.”
A bubble of laughter spills from my lips, which makes Milo smile and start to kick. “Eleven? Colton, I wear a seven. There’s no way your shoes will fit me. I’ll probably walk right out of them.”
“No way are you getting out of this, Holls. Milo would be very disappointed if you weren’t to come outside with us.”
Rolling my eyes, I smile in defeat. “Fine, I’ll wear your too-big boots. For Milo.”
“Did you hear that, buddy? Hollis is gonna come outside and play with us.” He bounces his son in his arms as if to cheer. “I’m going to head outside now, so we don’t get too hot in all these layers. My extra boots are by the back door, and there’s a few extra pairs of insulated gloves on the washing machine. Grab whatever you need,” he says before leaning in and kissing my cheek.
I feel a blush tinge my skin where his lips grazed and have to fight from breaking out into a full-fledge crazy grin. You know, the kind that makes people look at you like you’re utterly batshit nutty? The kind that actually hurts your cheeks from smiling so hard.
“See you in a few minutes,” he says, before turning and heading out the back door.
Exhaling, I glance at the gloves he left on the washer, which is right next to a hoodie sweatshirt with Army printed in green and another pair of Carhartt overalls. I grab the warm clothes he left and slip back into my apartment. I throw on a pair of looser jeans over leggings and then slide my legs into the overalls. They’re way too big, but they’re definitely warm, so I don’t complain. Next, I throw on the hoodie over my long-sleeved T-shirt, which is really big, yet comfy, and smells just like Colton. I add a second pair of socks and stuff my feet into the too-big boots. It’s actually a bit hard to walk in them, but it’ll work until I get my own boots. I finish off my outfit with gloves, hat, scarf, and coat, and turn to take in my appearance in the mirror.
I immediately burst into laughter.
I look like a five-year-old wearing her dad’s clothes.
But I’m warm, and that’s the point.
Shuffling my heavy feet, I make my way to the laundry room and out the back door. It’s not nearly as cold as it was last night, with the sun warming the air and slowly melting the snow. A bubble of laughter catches my attention, and I’m suddenly smiling beneath the scarf wrapped around my jaw as I watch Colton pull his son on a little red sled. It has a seat in the middle with a buckle, and with the help of blankets for positioning, he’s reclined in the seat to keep from falling over. His nose is red, but the smile on his face says everything as he reaches for the fluffy white stuff just out of his reach.
I make my way to them, Colton’s eyes dancing with humor. “You look…”
“Like I’m wearing clothes three sizes too big?”
“Amazing,” he answers with a grin as he reaches over and adjusts my hat, pulling it down on my forehead. I’m ready to throw my hands around his neck and plaster my marshmallow man body against his when Milo lets out a screech. “Okay, buddy.” He looks at me and reaches for my hand. “Care to take a walk around the backyard with me?”
And we do.
I walk beside Colton as he pulls Milo on the sled. I fumble with my phone, but I manage to pull it from my pocket and snap a few pictures of Colton and Milo. I’ll have to send them to him later. We walk slowly around the large yard, making new tracks with each pass, but when we reach thirty minutes, Milo is at his max with sitting. He lets out a squeal of annoyance and tries to slip from the seat. “All right, buddy. Let’s try something new.”
Colton unclips the belt and helps Milo sit in the snow. The little guy instantly reaches for it, shrieks of laughter filling the air as he whacks his hands down into the fluffy snow repeatedly. I plop down in the white stuff beside him, fall back and stretch out, moving my arms and legs to make a snow angel. I’ve never made one before, and I feel like a kid on Christmas morning. I wave my arms and legs, just like I’ve seen done on television or the internet.
When I open my eyes, I realize I’m smiling so wide, my face hurts. Okay, it could hurt from the frigid air, but I’d like to think it has something to do with how happy and free I feel lying in the snow, making my very first snow angel.
My eyes connect with Colton’s, and it takes a few seconds before I realize what he has in his hand. He’s holding his cell phone, angling it down and tapping on the screen. But it’s not at Milo that it’s pointed. No, it’s at me. Something passes between us. Understanding, maybe. Acceptance. Joy. Probably a good mixture of it all.
When I turn my head, I burst into laughter. Milo is lying beside me in the snow, kicking his little legs like he’s running a race. “Milo, are you making a snow angel too?” I ask, crouching carefully next to him and moving his legs and hands until we’ve made a small baby snow angel.
“Buddy, look here,” Colton says as he snaps a few more pictures of us making the angel.
I stand Milo up in the snow and laugh at his eager little shrieks of delight. Glancing up at Colton, I see him still snapping photos. With my right hand, I hold Milo upright, but with my left, I reach for the phone. “Give it to me. I’ll take some of you two.”
His entire face lights up as he hands me the phone and gets down on the ground with his son. For the next several minutes, I take photo after photo of father and son frolicking in the snow. Colton demonstrates the building of the perfect snowball, to which Milo tries to eat. They build a few more and toss them off into the yard. When I slip Colton’s
phone into my pocket, and the boys stand up, there’s a gleam in their eyes that gives me pause. Well, to be honest, I’m pretty sure the look in Milo’s blue eyes is because he’s trying to grab the snowball, but the one in his father’s eyes…?
That has trouble written all over it.
Carefully, I take a retreating step backward, followed by another, but Colton advances. I have about a half-second warning before the snowball hits me square in the chest. “What the…”
“It slipped!” he insists, though the sparkle in his eyes betrays him.
“Slipped? Seriously?” I ask, bending down and gathering up a wet ball of snow in my hand.
“I’m holding a baby,” Colton notes, moving Milo and using him as a human baby shield.
“I see that,” I reply, patting my snowball to keep it from falling apart.
“You wouldn’t,” he adds, dancing to the left.
I shrug. “Not while you’re holding Milo.”
Slowly, he crouches down and sets his son back against the backrest of the sled and straps him in securely. Then, he stands up and locks eyes with mine as a seductive smile spreads across his gorgeous face. Suddenly, he moves, throwing his arms around my waist and putting his shoulder into my chest. It’s not hard, but it catches me off guard, especially when he hoists me up in the air, throwing me over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
I wail his name, which sounds odd considering I’m giggling too.
“Any final words you’d like to share, Holls?” he asks, dramatically spinning me around.
“Don’t you dare,” I start, but the rest of the sentence is lost when I start to fall. No, not fall, per se, because I’m still in Colton’s arms, but we do fall. Together. His body taking the brunt of the weight as we land and roll.
When we stop moving, he’s lying directly on top of me, my head cradled in his gloved hands as our bodies align so perfectly from head to toe. I shiver, but not from the cold snow pressed against my back. I shiver from the desire laced in his eyes, and the warmth of his breath tickling my dry lips.
“That wasn’t very nice,” I whisper, gripping the back of his coat.
“You were going to throw a snowball at me.”
“Allegedly.”
Colton smiles and presses his lips to my own, the heat of his skin against mine a welcome jolt to my senses. He sweeps his tongue inside my mouth, tasting and savoring our connection. A jolt of lightning strikes through my veins as his thumb grazes across the apple of my cheek, his teeth nipping at my full bottom lip.
Milo starts to cry. We both look over as the baby rubs his eyes, a sign he’s done with the great outdoors. With a chaste kiss to my lips, Colton rolls over and gets up, unbuckling the belt and taking his son in his arms. Together, the three of us make our way to the house.
“I have an idea,” Colton says as he shuts the door behind us. “I’m going to get this guy a bottle and down for a nap. When you get warm and dry, come back over here, and I’ll make dinner.”
“Dinner, huh?” I ask, taking off my wet gloves and throwing them on the dryer.
“Steak and baked potatoes,” he confirms as he starts to strip Milo’s winter snowsuit and layers.
“Sounds delicious. Can I bring anything?”
He shrugs out of his own coat while juggling a baby who’s getting more upset by the second. “Just yourself,” he replies, kicking off his boots. He seems to forgo the removal of his overalls, choosing to take care of his son first. “I’m going to get him some food,” he says just before he places a kiss on my lips and turns to leave the laundry room.
I stay behind, laying out our wet clothes so they can dry. When that’s done, I slip quietly into my apartment and shut the door. In the kitchen, I warm some milk in the microwave and pour a packet of powdered hot cocoa into a mug. When the drink is ready, I take my favorite unicorn mug and head to my chair. Heat spreads through me as I sip the chocolaty treat and catch the familiar scent of Colton’s detergent still clinging to his sweatshirt. Like a lunatic, I bring the shirt to my nose and inhale deeply.
I may have to keep this.
Smiling, I reach for my laptop and fire it up. I have a few more hours of work on my current job, with a few new ones waiting in the wings. Plus, I need to meet with Gabby soon to finalize the All Fit Gym website for publication. I’m excited for it to go live.
My email has five new messages since I last checked, two of which are junk phishing messages. One is from my website host for my annual renewal and another a notification from my bank about a payment to hit my account. That makes me happy. I’ll be able to pick up a few more things for my apartment soon, including a small two-seater table for the kitchenette.
Smiling, I click on the fifth email, a contact from my website, and find myself unable to pull oxygen into my lungs. Tears burn my eyes as I stare at the words marring my screen.
Contact: [email protected]
Message: I’m getting closer, Hollis. Soon. I’ll see you soon.
I’m not sure what’s more unsettling: the fact he’s still sending me messages after I disappeared a few months ago or that he’s actually getting close.
Chapter 11
Colton
I’m jolted awake from my son's cries through the monitor. I scramble out of bed, and turn off the monitor, so it doesn’t wake Hollis, and rush down the hall. Milo doesn’t cry. My heart is pounding in my chest as I make my way to his room.
“Hey, bud,” I coo, lifting him from his crib. I immediately notice he’s burning up. His cries begin to quiet as I rock him in my arms, running my hands up and down his back. “Daddy’s got you. You feeling bad?” I ask him. Not that I expect him to answer, that’s just what we do. I talk, and he listens. It’s our thing. “I wish I knew what was wrong,” I say, rocking from side to side. “Let’s go get you some Tylenol.” Grabbing his blanket and binky from his bed, I carry him to the kitchen. I’m struggling with getting the Tylenol and the dropper filled with one hand, so I carry him into the living room and lay him on the couch sitting in front of him to keep him from rolling off. As soon as I lay him down, he begins to cry. Not just any cry. No, this one is loud, a piercing wail. It’s a mix between I’m pissed off and Daddy it hurts.
“I’m sorry, buddy. Daddy has to get your medicine.” I try to keep my voice soothing, even though I’m nervous as hell. I hate it when he cries, and it puts me on edge. “It’s okay,” I tell him, but I don’t even think he can hear me over his cries. I fumble with the Tylenol bottle, and I’m finally able to get the lid off. My hands are shaking. What if there is something really wrong with him?
“Colt?”
I look up to find Hollis standing in the kitchen. Her hair is a mess, she’s wearing my T-shirt from yesterday, and her eyes are sleepy but soft. Somehow through my son’s tears, I was still able to hear her. I don’t have time to figure out what that means. “I’m so sorry,” I tell her, continuing to work to get the dropper full of medicine. Milo’s little arms and legs are flailing, and he hits my arm, and I drop the bottle, spilling it all over my lap.
“Hey.” Her soothing voice is next to me. Before I know what’s happening, she reaches around me and lifts Milo into her arms. He shudders a breath, and his cries quiet. “I’ve got you, handsome. What’s going on, huh? Are you not feeling well?” She continues to talk to him in a calm, soothing voice, and his cries stop completely. Shuddered breaths and whimpers are all that you hear.
“Thank you. I’m sorry we woke you.” I stand and grab the bottle and rush to the kitchen to clean up the mess and start over.
“It’s not a problem. What’s going on with him?”
“I’m not sure. He woke me up screaming, and he’s burning up. I’m trying to give him some medicine, but as you can see, that’s not working out too well.”
“Let’s go change your diaper while Daddy gets you some medicine.” She breezes past me and down the hall to his room. I wait for Milo’s cries, but they never come. Instead, all I hear is the low hum of Ho
llis’s voice as she talks to him.
Bracing my hands on the counter, I let out a slow breath. This single-dad thing is hard. I’m so thankful she’s here right now. I grab a towel from the counter and wipe off my lap, but it’s no use, the sticky medicine has already soaked into the material of my boxer briefs. Tossing the towel back on the counter, I fill the dropper to the correct amount and go in search of my girl and my son.
“That’s better,” Hollis says softly, lifting Milo into her arms. He’s no longer crying, as he stares up at her. “I’m sorry, buddy. I wish I could make it better for you,” she tells him, and he shudders a deep breath.
“Looks like you already have,” I say, stepping into his room.
“There’s Daddy.” She smiles down at Milo. “Nah, he’s still feeling bad. You can see it in his eyes, then there’s the fever.”
Her words strike me in my gut. This woman, so new to our lives, yet she knows my son. She pays attention to know he looks ill in his eyes. She cares enough to pay attention. I’m falling hard and fast for her. Seeing her like this, comforting Milo, getting up with us in the middle of the night. That’s sexier to me than anything else she could have done, any seduction she could have offered. A year ago, I would have told you that you were crazy if you said that’s how I would feel someday. Today, however, that’s just not the case. She’s never looked more beautiful to me than she does right now. In my clothes, hair a mess from our lovemaking before bed, holding my son.
“Do you mind holding him while I give him this? He’s not really a fan.” I hold up the dropper of medicine.
“Sure.” She shifts him from her shoulder to cradle him in her arms. “Okay, buddy. Daddy has some medicine that’s going to make you feel better. I need you to work with us, okay?” Her voice is soft and soothing and has a calming effect on my baby boy.
Moving in close, I place my hand under his chin and stick the dropper in his mouth. He tries to spit it out, but the gentle hold of my fingers under his chin helps him to swallow. Pulling out the dropper, he lets out a cry, but it’s short-lived as Hollis once again cuddles him to her chest. She rubs his back and sways side to side, and his cries stop.
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