Page 106 of Almost Ours
I sank into the armchair with my drink in my hand, watching the chaos unfold around me. Ryan glanced up briefly, his eyes catching mine, and for a second, it was just us in the room.The corner of his mouth quirked up in that way that always did something to my heart.
Nina plopped down beside Shane, offering him a pointed look before turning her attention to the boys.
The room was alive with energy–voices overlapping, toys clattering, laughter echoing through the walls. It was noisy. Messy. Absolutely perfect.
The boy'slaughter echoed across the yard as they bounded outside, the chill of the winter air doing nothing to dampen their energy. Their boots crunched against the packed snow, and their breath curled in the crisp afternoon air like wisps of smoke.
Connor dragged his shiny new snowboard across the yard, his cheeks pink with excitement. “Ryan, can you help me?” he called, already climbing the tiny hill in the yard.
Ryan grinned as he followed him. “Of course, buddy.”
I watched as he crouched down, adjusting the straps on Connor’s boots and gave him a quick lesson on balancing. His voice was steady, patient, the way it always was when he was coaching.
“Okay, ready? Bend your knees a little and lean forward–no, not that much,” Ryan guided patiently, jogging beside Connor as he took his first wobbly ride down the hill.
Connor made it about halfway before toppling over into the snow with an exaggerated groan. But instead of frustration, he burst into laughter.
“You okay?” Ryan asked, reaching down to help him up.
Connor nodded, shaking snow from his sleeves. “That was awesome! Let’s do it again!”
Meanwhile, Shane and Liam had started constructing an elaborate snow fort, piles of snow growing higher by the second.
“Ours is going to be the biggest snow fort ever,” Liam declared, his hands working quickly as he packed another block of snow into place.
Connor abandoned his snowboard and ran over to inspect their progress. “Ryan, we need to build a fort too!” he shouted, pointing to the other side of the yard.
Ryan chuckled, brushing snow off his gloves. “You got it. But we’re going to need a plan if we’re going to win this.”
I stood off to the side with Nina, watching as Ryan and Connor huddled together like they were plotting an invasion.
“Should we join before things get too out of hand?” Nina asked, raising an eyebrow.
I laughed, shaking my head. “We probably should.”
It wasn’t long before snowballs were flying through the air in a chaotic free-for-all of laughter and shouts. Connor and Ryan worked as a team, ambushing Liam and Shane from behind their carefully crafted fort. Nina and I switched sides more than once, throwing snowballs indiscriminately before inevitably getting hit ourselves.
At one point, Shane landed a perfect shot right to my shoulder. “Oh, you’re dead,” I threatened, scooping up a handful of snow.
He smirked, backing up with his hands raised. “Now, now, Harp–let’s talk about this–”
I launched the snowball before he could finish, nailing him square in the chest. His eyes widened in mock betrayal before he dramatically collapsed backward into the snow.
“Man down!” Ryan called, laughing as he deked another flying snowball.
My yard was alive with laughter, the kind that made my stomach hurt in the best way.
The snowball fight ended in a tangled mess of limbs and snow-covered jackets, our breaths coming in short, exhilarated puffs. I flopped onto the ground, the cold seeping through my coat, but I didn’t care. Connor collapsed beside me, his giggles ringing in my ears, his cheeks flushed pink from the cold and excitement.
For a moment, we just lay there, staring up at the pale blue sky, our laughter slowly fading into comfortable silence. Then, Connor turned his head toward me, his green eyes bright and unguarded.
“Is this what it feels like to have a family, Mom?”
The question hit me like a snowball to the chest–sharp, unexpected, knocking the air right out of me. My throat tightened, and I froze, the weight of his words settling deep in my bones. Across the yard, I caught Ryan’s gaze. He was standing a few feet away, his expression unreadable, though there was something steady and warm in his eyes that kept me from unraveling completely.
I swallowed hard and forced my voice to stay even as I reached out, brushing a gloved hand over Connor’s tousled hair. “Yeah, baby,” I whispered. “It is.”
Connor grinned wide, his face bursting into pure, unfiltered joy. He threw his arms around my neck in a quick, fierce hug before springing up and darting off to join Liam by the snow fort, already shouting about their next battle plan.
