And that vision was so vivid, so real, that I had to take a step back. The dreams of a kid who’d never had a family jumping way ahead of where we were now. There was so much uncertainty and there always would be. That restlessness never went away. I was always waiting for the other shoe to drop.
It started coming down even harder, sleet mixed with snow.
Shielding her eyes with water-splattered glasses, she looked over at me. “We should probably go in, huh?”
“We can stay out here as long as you want.”
“You don’t even have gloves.” She stared at my bare hands in my pockets. “Come on, let’s go in.” Holding out her mitten-covered hand, she pulled me in close against her body, cradling my hand in hers.
Inside, she took off her hat and shook out her hair, stomping her boots by the door.
I toed off my sneakers and hung up my coat beside hers.
She blew into her hands and took mine, cupping them and blowing her warm breath on them.
“I may have gotten a little carried away out there. Whenever the first snow hit, my dad would take me outside and we’d run around and play for hours and make a snowman, even if it was only three inches tall. So I always love the first snow. It reminds me of him and being a kid, back when everything was easy.”
She looked up at me, still trying to warm my hands.
Things had never been easy for me as a kid. Now I was bigger and stronger, and I didn’t have anyone telling me I’d be shuttled off from one place to another. I couldn’t steal the joy of this moment and her connection to her dad from her.
“I’ve always loved the snow too.” I tucked some of her hair behind her ear. “You ready for some breakfast?”
She nuzzled her cold cheeks against my newly-warmed hands. “I’m ready to ogle.” With a smack to my ass, she pulled me into the kitchen.
My cooking skills weren’t on par with Jules’s, but I tried my best.
“These eggs are phenomenal.” She scooped up another hearty forkful and I wasn’t sure if she was humoring me or not. “And I love the pancake shapes. Is this a mouse?”
It was supposed to be a heart. “Yeah, it’s a mouse.”
“The best mouse pancake I’ve ever had. The bacon is also delicious.”
“It’s hard to go wrong with bacon. Although, you haven’t seen Marisa cook.”
“I’ve heard the stories. How did she make you all sick from pasta with canned sauce?”
My stomach clenched at the memory. “I don’t know and none of us want to find out. I don’t know how she’s survived this long. She’s built up an immunity or something. A bionic stomach that could withstand even nuclear testing.”
“Poor LJ.”
Our lazy morning watching the snow and drinking hot chocolate with mini marshmallows was ended with a text—from Alexis.
“What’s wrong?” Jules raised her head, looking over at my phone.
“It’s Alexis. She went out last night with a friend and now she’s trapped in the snow and needs me to come get her. I’ve got to go.” I braced for Jules to be annoyed at the intrusion on our time—a common thing that had come up in past relationships when Alexis needed me.
“Why don’t I come with you? I’ve got some extra warm clothes we could bring her.”
“You’d do that?”
She stared at me with a puzzled look on her face. “Of course I would. She’s your sister. Let me help.”
Driving over to Alexis didn’t feel half as bad as it normally did, with Jules manning the radio in the seat beside me. I ran my hand up and down her thigh even though the heat was cranked up. We slid on the ice a couple times, but the spare tire I still had on the car managed to get us to her.
I sent her a text and she came running out in a pair of heels and skirt barely covering her ass.
“That’s a pretty dress.”
“Not in a blizzard.” She’d have frostbite on her kneecaps by the time she got to the car.
I got out and opened the back door.
“Berk, you’re here.” She hugged me. “Why are you opening the back?”
“Because Jules is sitting in the front.”
Alexis smile dropped and she peered inside. “You brought her?”
“She offered to come along, and she’s got some weather appropriate clothes for you.”
With a grim look, she slid into the backseat of the car and I closed the door.
We were back on the road and the wipers could barely keep up with the snowfall, which had turned from winter wonderland to a white out snowman massacre in the hour-long car ride here.
The spot my car had been parked in earlier was already snowed in. Throwing on the hazards, I got out to get a shovel.
“You two go inside, I’ll park and meet you in a few.” At least most people weren’t stupid enough to go out, so the spot was still there, just a bit more snow-covered than when I’d left.
“I can get a shovel and help.” Jules leaned over the center console.
“Get Alexis inside and I’ll handle the heavy lifting.” I winked at her and closed the door.
The two of them got out, Alexis wearing the extra coat Jules had brought with her hands hidden in the sleeves, looking like she was twelve again.
They disappeared and Jules came back out a few minutes later.
My sweat froze on my exposed skin and my coat felt heavier by the minute as the snow kept falling.
“What are you doing out here?”
“I was going to run home and get some provisions. Hot chocolate. Some stuff from the freezer. I figured it would make the snow day more fun.”
I let go of the shovel with one hand and wrapped my arm around her, tugging her close against me. “That’s a killer idea. Save a mug for me.” Our lips were icy hot and steam rose between us.
“Of course.” Her words were breathless, just the way I liked.
With her arms out like she was on a balance beam, Jules skidded across the street. Her front door opened and closed behind her. Three-quarters of a cleared parking space later, she came back out with her arms loaded up with containers stacked on top of containers.
Sweating my ass off and freezing at the same time, I barely cleared the space in time to help her up the steps.
“That was fast.” Her winter-chapped reddened cheeks glowed. This was what she loved to do. Feed other people and make them comfortable and happy. She sure as hell made me happy.
Inside the house, you’d have thought she’d shown up with water to a group wandering through the desert.
“Jules, you’re the best.”
“If I’m ever snowed in anywhere, I want to be snowed in with you.”
“These are so good, I hope we never have to leave this house.”
They laid it on thick, trying to keep the chocolate, vanilla, and sugar goodies coming.
“Alexis, go upstairs.” I’d noticed her sulking in the corner, having removed Jules’ warm jacket. “There’s some sweatpants and a thermal up there. You know where they are.”
Her frown deepened. I shrugged. “Fine, freeze your ass off if you’d like, but don’t expect me to bring you any chicken noodle soup when you’ve got the flu.”
“I’d hate to take that dress off, too, if I were you. It’s really pretty,” Jules chimed in.