Page 129 of Skate the Line

They laugh, and I somehow find myself outside with both of them, holding my coat for Sunny to take.

“Daddy!” Ellie, with her bright-pink cheeks, rushes toward me.

Sunny and I have the same thought.

She’s going to slip.

I reach forward, but Sunny is there before me, sweeping Ellie up into her arms and landing with a loud thud on the hard deck.

“Oof.”

A noise leaves her chest, and I stare down at their tangled mess. Ellie is lying on top of her with wide eyes.

“Whoa,” she says.

I pull Ellie off Sunny quickly and place her on steady feet.

Instead of holding my hand out for Sunny to take so I can haul her to her feet too, I slip my arm underneath her and place it on the small of her back, slowly pulling her upright.

“You good, Superwoman?” I ask, keeping her steady.

She inhales shakily and bounces her pretty eyes back and forth between mine. She nods gingerly.

I drop my gaze to her mouth mistakenly, giving away all my intrusive thoughts.

Fucking hell.

Her slow swallow is loud enough for the entire neighborhood to hear, and I know it’s not meant to be sensual or a tease, but my body doesn’t agree.

We’re frozen.

I’m bent at the knee with the coat I snagged for her resting over my leg, with my arm around her waist. Her bare hands are buried in the snow, likely red from the bitter cold.

Ellie, unaware of the moment we’re sharing, is busy making snowballs.

Are we having a moment?

My mouth runs dry when I see more snowflakes land in her hair.

She’s so damn beautiful.

I’ve never felt a sense of warmth while beneath falling snowflakes, but leave it to her warm, honey-colored eyes to do just that.

“Here.” I break our eye contact and drape my jacket over her shoulders.

I catch sight of the tiny smile against her mouth, and for a second, I think it’s because she likes that I brought her a coat, but then, something cold smacks me upside the head, and I realize that she and my daughter just silently plotted together with me no more than a foot away.

Ellie’s childish giggle pulls me to turn. I slowly inch my head in her direction.

Her eyes grow into saucers, and I raise an eyebrow.

Sunny scurries away from me, while wearing my jacket, and leaps forward to grab onto Ellie’s hand.

“Hide!” she shouts.

Ellie laughs the entire time Sunny drags her away.

I smile and rise to my feet. “You two think you can take me in a snowball fight?”

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