Page 20

Chapter Nineteen

STELLA

“All right, you two, come in before you both turn into popsicles!” I shout from the deck of the cabin.

Due to delays at the airport and with the rental car company, we got in later than we anticipated. Harper babbled the entire drive up along the mountain to the cabin, unknowingly easing some of the tension that grew as the sun went down and the snow picked up. I trust Greyson, but being in a car in unpredictable weather on the side of a mountain brought up some very unpleasant memories.

Thankfully, I had thought ahead and placed our grocery order for pick-up, so we didn’t need to make as long of a stop on top of those delays. By the time we made it, Harper barely stayed awake through dinner. She tried so hard to stay up, excited to check out the cabin, but ultimately gave in and fell asleep the moment her head hit the pillow. Greyson and I weren’t far behind her.

Then, this morning, I discovered where Harper gets her ability to remain unaffected by travel from. She came barreling in just as the sun was rising and Grey managed to roll out of bed like nothing was wrong. Meanwhile, it took me almost thirty minutes to convince myself to get up and pee.

After we finished breakfast, Grey pulled out a surprise for Harper. She squealed so loud, I swore she could have caused a small avalanche when she opened it. Inside the box was the prettiest set of pink, sparkly ice skates I’ve ever seen. Grey had been keeping track of the weather, and since this season has been unusually cold, the lake has been frozen solid. We all bundled up in winter gear and spent the morning outside.

Harper didn’t even make it to the ice before she got distracted wanting to build a snowman family. Once that was done, Greyson got her skates tied up and they’ve been on the ice ever since, barely taking a break for lunch and dinner. I don’t have the same tolerance for the cold that those two have, so I’ve taken a lot of breaks inside. Grey told me multiple times to stay in and read a book by the fire, that he had her and would holler if they needed me. But every time I sat down, the urge to watch them from the glass doors was almost overwhelming.

I’ve taken so many pictures and videos of the two of them, both up close from the dock and from the house. The storage on my phone is going to need to be upgraded again by the end of this trip. Harper is a natural. She was wobbly at first, refusing to let go of Greyson as he pulled her around the ice. But after the first hour out there, she started gaining confidence. She kept wanting to go further out onto the lake, but Greyson made sure to keep her close as a precaution.

When they went back out after dinner, she was taunting Grey to race her. She still doesn’t quite grasp what it means that he’s a professional hockey player and could leave her in the dust in just a few strides. Yet he played along with her, going at her pace and letting her win a few times.

“I’m making hot cocoa!” I call out again and that’s finally enough to steal Harper’s attention from skating. Harper whirls in my direction so fast that she loses her balance, but luckily, Greyson catches her before she can fall on her butt.

He scoops her up, cradling her in his arms and going full speed. Harper’s giggles echo across the lake, whooping with joy as he brings her in.

Once they’ve shed all their winter gear, Harper shoves the sweaty waves that have escaped her braid from her face and turns to me.

“Where’s the cocoa, Mama?”

“The cocoa is only going to come out once everyone is clean.” I pinch my nose and dramatically wave my hand in front of it. “Quick bath, then cocoa by the fire.”

I glance over at Greyson standing right beside her, eyeing his sweat-slicked hair. They look so eerily similar that it’s almost funny. I resist the urge to grab my phone and take another picture of them.

He grins, his cheeks still rosy from being outside all day. “I’ll pop in the shower quick and meet you girls back out here.”

As he’s passing by me, he pauses. The mischievous shine in his eyes should have been warning enough, but I don’t process it fast enough. Greyson grabs me and pulls me into his sweat-soaked chest.

“Quick, Harper! Hug Mama,” he tells her, and she barrels into my legs without questioning it. I squirm, careful to not actually shove Harper away.

“Get your sweaty arms away from me!” I laugh and push at Greyson, but he only holds me closer.

“We just wanna hug you, Mama.” Harper feigns innocence and talks between giggles.

“You’re gonna get your sweat all over me. Bathtubs, now!”

Greyson chuckles, lowering his head so he can whisper in my ear, “I can think of better ways to get you sweaty.”

He leaves a teasing kiss just below my ear before sauntering toward our bedroom. I’m left blushing as I wrangle Harper toward the bathroom down the hall.

She yaps nonstop about her day on the ice with Greyson, asking if she can do it again tomorrow and how he does it in Florida when there’s no snow.

Her mind is going to be blown when she sees an indoor ice rink for the first time.

Thirty minutes later, everyone is clean, in their pajamas, and waiting for me to finish topping the hot cocoa with whipped cream. Grey grabs both our mugs, leaving me to carry Harper’s not as steamy hot cocoa.

Once we’re all sitting on the little blanket and pillow pile in front of the fire, I meet Greyson’s gaze over Harper’s head. He gives me a soft smile and nods, answering my silent question.

“Harper, there’s something we want to talk about,” I start, tapping my finger against the side of my mug as I watch her every reaction.

“You know how some of your friends have mommies and daddies?”

Harper nods. “Yup. And some have two mamas. Kenzie has two dads,” she states, running her finger through the whipped cream and licking it off.

“That’s right.” I praise her, reaching to wipe a stray drop of cream from her chin.

“Zoey doesn’t have a mama or a daddy. She has Miss Eva.” My heart constricts at her understanding that everyone is raised differently, but her next sentence nearly breaks me. “And I have a mama but no dad.”

Grey closes his eyes, sucking in a slow breath. Swallowing thickly, I set my mug down on the floor in front of the fireplace.

“Well, that’s what we gotta talk about, sweetie. You do have a daddy.”

Her eyebrows scrunch together in confusion. She quickly turns to look at Grey before twisting back to me.

“I do?” she asks, her tone filled with as much doubt as a four-year-old could muster. I smile at her, hoping to ease some of her worries.

“Yeah, you do.” I duck my head down so I’m closer to her level and point to Greyson. “He’s your dad.”

Harper blinks at me, her face turning skeptical as she whips around to look up at a panic-stricken Grey.

“Was he not my dad because we didn’t live in Flowda?” she asks me, mispronouncing the state, but at least she knows where we moved to.

I shake my head, take her half drunk cup from her, and pull her onto my lap.

“No, honey. He’s always been your daddy. He just…didn’t know about you.”

She then asks the most asked question by any toddler. “Why?”

“When Mommy came to tell me,” Greyson speaks for the first time, his voice thick with emotion as he stares at Harper with nothing but adoration, “someone stopped her. But what’s important is that I know now.”

Harper tilts back, eyes wide as she stares up at me and whispers, “He’s my daddy?”

I nod and watch as a smile breaks out across her face. She launches herself from my arms and directly at Grey. He barely gets his own cup set on the ground as he catches her.

There’s no stopping the tears that fall down my cheeks at the sight of them together.

Harper pulls back suddenly, placing both hands on Grey’s cheeks and forcing him to look at her. “I’m happy.”

She pats his cheek before turning to grab her cup again and sits so she’s leaning up against his side. As she starts babbling about what she wants to do tomorrow, Greyson catches my attention.

His eyes are equally misty as mine as he quietly echoes Harper’s sentiment. “I’m happy.”