Page 34 of Pucking the Single Dad
"Do you? Hate me?"
"No." She laughed, watery and defeated. "I hate how much I don't hate you."
I moved closer, navigating fallen beams and debris. "We're a mess."
"Two disasters trying to make a whole."
I reached out, caught a snowflake melting on her cheekbone. She leaned into my palm—just barely, just enough.
"All I know is Finn smiles more with you around. I know the house feels alive again instead of like a medical facility. Iknow I look for you first thing every morning and your laugh is the best part of my day. I know I'm scared of losing you already, and we're not even... whatever we are."
"What are we?"
A snowball exploded against the empty window frame. Finn's gleeful battle cry echoed through the ruins.
"Dad! Miss Serena! Uncle Theo's cheating!"
"How does one cheat at a snowball fight?" Serena asked.
"It's Theo. He'll find a way."
We walked back through the wreckage, not touching but somehow occupying the same space differently. The air between us had shifted—still charged but less hostile, like a storm deciding whether to break or pass.
Theo had constructed a snow fortress that belonged in a military tactics manual, complete with ammunition stockpiles and strategic turrets. He stood atop it like a conquering general, pelting Finn with surgical precision while Finn laughed so hard he couldn't breathe.
"Did you two kiss and make up?" Theo called. "Or just argue more articulately?"
"Option three," I said, scooping up snow. "We're taking you down."
"Finn, they're uniting against me! This is what blind attraction does—it creates dangerous alliances!"
"Theo!" Serena and I yelled, but we were both laughing.
What followed was beautiful chaos—Finn shrieking with glee, Serena's sneak attacks, Theo's dramatic death scenes. At some point, she crashed into me, both of us shielding Finn fromTheo's barrage. My arms went around them both instinctively, her back pressed against my chest, Finn cocooned between us.
"Fort family wins!" Finn declared, throwing his arms up in victory.
Fort family. Like we were something real instead of broken people playing house in a snowstorm.
Serena went still against me. I felt her breath catch, felt the moment land on all of us—fragile and perfect and absolutely terrifying.
"Yeah," I said quietly, my voice rough. "Fort family wins."
Chapter 13: Serena
The snowstorm had continued its assault on Wrightwood during theAvalanchefamily charity event, turning the Wrightwood Conference Center windows into sheets of white static. Inside, the ballroom blazed with warmth and light, team families mingling over drinks and silent auction items. I'd borrowed a dress from the back of my closet—one of the few nice things that had survived both Marcus's criticism and the cabin disaster.
Brad wore his suit like armor, all sharp lines and dangerous shoulders, moving through the crowd with the kind of confidence that came from knowing every eye tracked him. His hand found my lower back periodically—steering me through conversations, marking territory, or maybe just habit. I couldn't tell anymore.
Then she appeared.
Dr. Patricia Reeves moved through the room like she owned it, all long legs and perfect posture in a dress that looked painted on. Her blonde hair caught the light as she laughed at something the head coach said, medical degree and natural beauty wrapped in one intimidating package.
“You remember Patricia, right? She’s our team doctor,” Brad said, noticing my gaze. “Best in the league.”
"She's beautiful," I said, trying for neutral.
"I guess." He seemed genuinely oblivious. "She's more importantly brilliant. Saved Derek's career last season with an experimental treatment."
