Page 53 of The Promise Of Rain

She laughed, letting down her guard for just a second.

I wished I could have captured that moment, Jenny laughing under the bright, sunny, winter-blue sky.

I side-eyed her as we made our way to the lift.“Do you like your coat?”

She chewed the inside of her bottom lip for a moment then nodded slowly.

“It’s not too long?”I pressed.

She shook her head vehemently.“Not at all.It’s perfect.”

I inhaled, my chest filling with brisk winter air.Enough talk.Talking led to fighting, and I needed to hear her laugh again.

I’d give my right arm for another hug.

Reaching for her hand, I tugged her in front of me before placing my hand at her back.“Let’s go.”

The first time we went down, her tube stopped half a fucking mile before mine.

I trekked back up the hill to meet her before taking the lift together, shaking my head at the smirk on her face.“You’re enjoying this a little too much,” I grumbled.

She chuckled and glanced away.“I don’t hate it.”

“Little sadist,” I griped, earning another smile.“Let’s go again.”

The next three times went much the same way.On our fourth run, I tossed her tube down without her.

She gasped, my name slipping from her lips easily.“Deacon!What are you doing?”

I sat down on my tube and pulled her down with me.“If I’m going down, you’re going down with me.”

“That’s cheating!”She declared.“It’s not my fault you’re a tank.”

Her words turned into a scream as we flew down the hill, picking up speed as we went.

She threw her head back and laughed, her arms flying out to the sides as I held her body tight to mine.

My chest squeezed tight; her joy, my pain.I wanted more of this, so much more of this with her.

At the bottom she bounced up, cheeks red from the wind, eyes sparkling from her wide smile.A real one.“Again!”

I laughed.“One more time and then we get something to eat.”

“Hot chocolate first,” she negotiated.“I need to warm up.”

“Deal.”

Forty-five minutes later, we were walking down the sunny main street in search of food.After an initial jolt of surprise when I tugged off her mitten, she laced her fingers through mine and allowed me to tuck both of our hands into my coat pocket.

Feeling like the luckiest man on the planet, I didn’t release her until we reached the door of Susie Q’s diner.Guiding her inside with my hand at the small of her back, I was exactly where I’d always wanted to be.

We sat across from each other at a tiny table with mismatched chairs beside a window topped with a cheery, albeit faded, curtain.

She smiled as she dug into her meatloaf and mashed potatoes like she hadn’t tasted food in a year.

“Worked up an appetite?”I teased.

“Shut up,” she answered.“It’s a good thing you bought the next size up.I’m going to need it by the time I’m done here.”