Page 91 of Rooster

With sleds in hand, we started for the top of the hill, each step accompanied by the crunch of snow beneath our boots. Once we reached the edge, Ronin turned to Nathan with a twinkle in his eye. "Ready for a wild ride?"

“Heck yeah!”

The children's cheers echoed through the valley as they launched themselves down the hill, and I couldn’t help but cheer right along with them. They flew down that hill with big smiles on their faces, and when they reached the bottom, they jumped up and yelled, “That was awesome.”

Ronin chuckled as he said, “I think they like it.”

“They most certainly do!”

My heart swelled as I watched my sweet children hike back up the hill with big smiles on their faces. A memory was being made, and Ronin had given it to them. I stepped over to him and slipped my arm around his as I whispered, “Thank you for this. They are having such a great time.”

“No need to thank me, babe.” He leaned down and kissed me on the forehead. “I’m enjoying it as much as they are.”

“I know.” I looked up at him, and I was overcome with emotion as I told him, “And that’s why I love you.”

“I finally did it.” He smiled proudly. “I wore you down.”

“Yes, you did.”

“Well, I got news for you. You wore me down, too.” He slipped his arms around my waist, pulling me close. “I love you, Maggie. I love everything about you, including your kids.”

He pressed his lips against mine, and I was putty in his hands. His tongue drifted over my bottom lip, and with a slight whimper, I opened my mouth, giving him access to delve deeper. Unconscious of my own movement, I leaned towards him, and in a matter of seconds, we were both lost in the moment. It was like the world around us had just disappeared, and it was just him and me.

Until Nathan yelled, “Ewe, gross.”

“Sorry, man.” Ronin stepped back with a chuckle. “I just couldn’t help myself.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Nathan positioned his sled at the edge of the hill. “Just be good to her, and we’re good.”

“Planning on it.”

Nathan nodded, then jumped on his sled and flew down the hill. He and Samantha went several more times, and then Ronin and I joined in. Our laughter echoed through the night air as we both hurtled down the snowy hill. Ronin was laughing like a kid on Christmas morning as he watched me fall off my sled for the second time.

We went down several more times, and it wasn’t long before a chill began to settle in. I’d tried to bundle up, but it was colder than I’d expected it to be, and the cold was seeping through my layers. I could tell by their rosy cheeks that the kids were cold as well. I hated to put an end to our great time, but I didn’t want us to get sick, especially with the holidays coming.

“Okay, guys. I think it’s time to go,” I announced. “I’m about to turn into an ice cube over here.”

“Oh, man,” the kids complained.

“Your mom is right.” Ronin, noticing me shivering, nodded in agreement. “It’s pretty frigid, and it looks like the next round of snow is about to come in.”

The kids looked like they lost their best friend as they gathered their things and carried them back to the truck. Amused by their pouting, Ronin glanced over to me and said, “I don’t know about you, but I could go for some hot chocolate.”

“Yeah, hot cocoa sounds good.” I turned back to look at the kids. “How about you guys? You want some, too?”

“With marshmallows?” Samantha asked.

“Absolutely.”

As soon as we got back home, I made us all some hot cocoa and turned on the fire. I wrapped myself in a cozy blanket and curled up next to Ronin as we watched TV. I couldn’t imagine a better ending to a perfect night. I’d feared that this day would never come, but I was happy—truly, utterly happy.

Rooster

“What’s Grim doing here?”

“Came for Beckett,” Torch answered. “Seems Preacher is ready for him to come home.”

“Not so sure Beckett will agree.”

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