Page 45 of Home Safe

Danae and Sam position sleds on either side of us, and after counting to three, we simultaneously push forward. The gleeful giggles erupting from Jason as we sail down the hill implant in my mind’s catalog of “favorite sounds.”

We trudge up and fly down the hill countless times over the next thirty minutes. Jason alternates between sledding solo and tandem with each of us until we decide it’s time to build a snowman. Jason and Sam form an opinionated alliance on what the snowman should look like, giving me all the grunt work to do.

I don’t mind it one bit. Mostly because Danae volunteers to help me push the giant snowballs around until they’ve reached the right size to match Jason’s vision. Which gives me a perfect excuse to bump her shoulder, tease her until she throws snow in my face, and shamelessly flirt with her in general.

Danae’s a beautiful woman. It’s a fact that my mind acknowledged the moment I laid eyes on her that first day at Camp Wizard. But seeing her in this setting—auburn locks peeking out beneath her hat, cheeks reddened with cold and exertion, eyes sparkling as she laughs and plays with Jason—she’s breathtaking.

“I think my boogers are frozen,” Jason announces shortly after he declares our snowman complete. “Can I have more hot chocolate?”

We all stifle laughs as Danae responds, “Of course, you can. It would be a good idea for us to warm up for a while.”

After leaving all of our wet gear in the mudroom, Sam makes another cup of hot chocolate for Jason while I pull out a couple decks of cards. “Has Jason filled you in on the rules of Trash yet?” I ask Danae.

“Oh, did he ever. We played multiple games yesterday, and he won every single time. Kid’s the luckiest card-drawer ever,” she respondsloudly, winking over at Jason. He covers his mouth with a hand as he giggles.

Sure enough, Jason wipes the floor with the rest of us when we play. I reach over and tickle him. “Are you hiding extra kings and jokers in your sleeves there, Fireball?”

“I’m just good at drawing cards,” he says between gasping laughs. “I don’t want to play Trash anymore, though. Do you have any lunch?”

“I bet we can find a little food somewhere,” I say. “You up for trying some real baseball-player food?”

Jason’s eyes light up, and he nods seriously. “I sure am.”

“Okay, good, because you've gotta eat the right kinds of food to give you energy if you’re gonna play ball,” I tell him. I look at Danae and jerk my head toward the kitchen, hoping she’ll follow me.

“I’ll help!” she says, jumping up from her seat.

Once in the kitchen, I lower my voice. “I confess I forgot to stock up on any kid food. My chef left chicken and quinoa soup for today—what are the odds of Jason eating that?”

“Better after that inspiring speech you gave,” she teases as she pokes me in the side.

My shortstop reflexes come in handy as I snag her hand before she can pull it away. I tug lightly to pull her a step closer. I love the way her eyes widen in response as she looks up at me. “I’m glad you agreed to come over today,” I murmur, slowly interlacing my fingers with hers.

Danae’s exhale is shaky before she replies, “Me too. Thanks for inviting us over. It’s been so nice being able to just . . . be with you.” She returns my smile and adds, “Plus, this was way more fun for Jason than fighting for space at the townhouse to build his first snowman.”

Her statement sobers us, and I gently squeeze her hand. “He’s a special kid. I’m grateful for the chance to get to knowbothof you better.”

After lunch (which Jason heartily eats after some initial skepticism), Sam announces that she and Jason are going to play Mario Kart in the TV room downstairs and that Danae and I are not invited to join.

“Looks like we’re on our own,” I tell Danae. Her cheeks flush, and she bites the bottom left corner of her perfect heart lips. My mindfloods with questions about what those lips would feel like against mine.

“Guess you’re stuck with me,” she says.

I take a step closer to her, drawn by the spell her lips are casting. “I won’t waste time pretending to be mad about that,” I reply, voice low. Glancing down at her hand, I see her finger furiously picking at her thumbnail. I gently take hold of her hand, stilling her fingers.

Leading her over to the large, U-shaped couch, I pause to turn on the gas fireplace. We sit down a respectable distance apart but with bodies angled toward each other.

As Danae pulls her feet up to pretzel her legs, I hand her a throw blanket. After running a hand through my hair, I lean my arm across the back of the couch and look into her eyes. “Can I be honest?”

“Yes, please,” she immediately responds, voice breathy.

Taking a deep breath, I launch into the speech I mulled over last night. “I feel a little caught between a rock and a hard place, and I’m not sure how to proceed. On the one hand, I don’t want to come on too strong and scare you away. I know your life is . . . a lot right now. And I don’t want you to be pressured by me moving too fast. I want to give you whatever time and space you need to figure things out.”

Her fingers are back to working overtime on that nail polish, and I can’t help but smile. I reach over to wrap my fingers around hers as I continue. “On the other hand, I am very, very interested in continuing a relationship with you. There’s a certain sense of urgency to spend the maximum amount of time with you before the craziness of baseball season begins. Because I want to build as much of a foundation to our relationship before that time comes, to give us the best chance of making it.”

Danae chews on her lip as she watches me, and it takes all of my willpower not to get distracted. Now is not the time to get lost in a daydream of kissing her senseless. I give her hand a small squeeze, more to focus my own attention than anything. “So, how would you like me to proceed?”

Chapter twenty

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