The Snuggle is Real (Christmas Falls: Season 2)

Chapter 24

CHAPTER 24

Ford

“Hey, Ford!” Charlie flew across the room and jumped into my arms.

I caught her with a grunt. “How much did Dottie feed you? You’re heavy.”

“I am not! I’m light as a feather!”

“She’s had waffles for breakfast,” Dottie said, gaze slipping past me to where Mason stood uncertainly in the doorway. “Mason, dear, good to see you again. I trust you both had a good evening.”

Mason’s face hid nothing. He turned an adorable shade of pink and ducked his head. “Yeah, thanks.”

“Thanks for keeping Charlie girl. Did you two have fun with your Christmas movie marathon?”

“Yep. I like Elf the best.”

“That’s a good one,” I agreed.

Charlie peeked over my shoulder. “Hi, Mason. Are we going to work at your house again today?”

“Maybe later. I’m kind of in the mood to build a snowman…”

Charlie lit up and wiggled in my arms. “I want to go, Ford! Can we?”

I laughed and set her down. “That’s the plan. Maybe if you ask Dottie real nice, she’ll have a spare hat and scarf for Frosty. Maybe a carrot for a nose?”

“I just might,” Dottie said, shuffling toward the kitchen.

“You could come with us,” Mason called.

“And freeze my tits off?” Dottie grumbled. “No, thanks.”

I laughed. “She’s not a fan of the weather.”

“It is cold out there today,” Mason said.

I tugged him into my arms and snuck a kiss while the girls were in the other room. “I’ll keep you warm.”

“Just looking at you makes me warm in all kinds of places,” he said, his eyes full of flirty promise.

We’d had sex three times in less than twelve hours—because of course I hadn’t been able to keep my hands off him in the shower—but damned if I didn’t want to throw the man down and have at him again. I hadn’t felt this needy since high school.

“You can show me later,” I murmured.

Mason stepped back just before Dottie and Charlie returned with a shopping bag containing a stocking cap, scarf, mittens, buttons, and a banana.

“No carrots,” Dottie said. “We made do the best we could.”

I smirked. “Well, it’ll make our guy stand out, that’s for sure.”

We left Dottie to her warm house and piled into the pickup, with Charlie taking a seat in the back, where her booster seat was. Mason placed the supplies between us, and the barrier nagged at me as I navigated the downtown streets and found a place to park. I wanted him close, wanted to touch him at all times.

But we hadn’t yet discussed what to tell Charlie. I didn’t know how she’d feel about me being with someone other than her mother, even though she was used to us being apart. And with her only staying here for a short time, I didn’t want her to worry she’d be pushed aside. Charlie would always come first.

LuAnne hadn’t called back yet to confirm when she’d be out of rehab, and Christmas was only days away. I didn’t know what to hope for. That Charlie would have her mom for Christmas, at the risk of LuAnne taking her away sooner? Or that Lu would let us have the holidays, at least, before she swooped in?

“You okay?” Mason asked, gaze on my hands.

I’d clenched the steering wheel so tightly my knuckles turned white. I exhaled and relaxed my grip as I swung into an open spot in front of Dancing Sugar Plums, a candy store across from the park.

“I’m good.” I smiled at him. “Glad to be here with both of you.”

His eyes were warm as he answered, “Me too.”

“Me three!” Charlie called.

The festival was nearly over—and the largest events had wrapped up—though there were a handful of people at the park. Mostly families with kids, taking advantage of the snowfall to build their snowmen for the festival contest.

There were already a few lumpy shapes taking form. Charlie hopped out of the truck and I held out my right hand for her to take. She clasped it in her mittened grip, then reached for Mason with her other hand.

He took hold with a bemused expression as Charlie linked us for the walk across the street.

Every three steps she jumped, forcing us to take her weight as she swung.

“Being your friend is a workout,” Mason said.

Charlie giggled. “Soon, you’ll be strong like Ford.”

“I don’t know if I could ever be that strong,” Mason said, giving me an appreciative once-over.

“You’re strong enough to hold me,” Charlie said, jumping and swinging from our hands.

“Oof. Just barely.”

We made it to the park and released her.

“I’ll find a good spot,” she said, racing ahead through the snow.

I reached for Mason’s hand when she was gone. He gave me a surprised smile. “Please don’t make me try to swing you with one arm.”

I laughed. “I could always try swinging you.” I gave him a playful tug, and he stumbled right into my arms.

“Whoa!” He clung to my shoulders, chest thudding against me as my hands slipped to his hips.

“Does this remind you of anything?” I asked.

He cocked his head. “I mean, sex, but we were in a bed and had a lot less clothes on…”

I laughed. “It’s a bit cold for outdoor sex, but ask me again in the summer. I wasn’t talking about that, though.”

Recognition dawned in his eyes. “Oh, you mean when Pepper tripped me up at the tree farm? Damn, I felt so clumsy.”

“Is that all you felt?”

He looked surprised. “Uh, well no. I mean, I thought you were hot from the start. Even when you were sort of annoyed I was offering you charity at the treelighting.”

“When you were busy drooling over Heath Kelly?” I said sourly.

He snorted. “Trust me, that was just fanboy stuff. You’re the one who caught my attention.”

I puffed up a little. “Good.”

“Wait. Why did you ask about that moment at the tree farm? Did you feel something?”

“I enjoyed it,” I admitted. “You, close to me. Didn’t know exactly why, but I liked you in my arms.”

Mason bit his lip. “Damn, I want to kiss you right now.”

I tugged his lip free, sweeping my thumb over it. I was just about to say hell with it and sneak a kiss when Charlie called out from close by.

“Guys, come on! This spot is perfect!”

We jolted apart, and Mason blurted, “I tripped. Ford caught me.”

“He’s good at that,” Charlie said matter-of-factly. “Do you think Pepper is sad he didn’t get to come with us?”

I smoothed a hand over her hair. “Pepper would probably massacre all these snowmen. We can go visit him later.”

“Okay.” She looked at the snow with a frown of concentration. “So, what now?”

Mason crouched, rolling a snowball between gloved hands. “Now we roll a ball.”

“But that’s tiny,” Charlie said.

“We just keep rolling and adding snow until it gets big enough.” He scooped up more snow, slapped it against his small snowball and patted it together. Then he rolled it through more snow on the ground. “See?”

Charlie joined him, squatting to help roll the snowball.

I just watched for a minute, heat radiating through me despite the cold. My chest grew tight, and my eyes burned with the sudden urge to cry.

Not with sadness, though I was acutely aware of how much I’d lost these past few years while I’d hidden from my pain.

No, this was pure joy.

Mason glanced up, a smile on those pretty lips that I loved to kiss more than I’d ever dreamed. “If you’re just going to stand there, at least take off your coat so everyone can enjoy that ugly Christmas sweater of yours.”

“I helped make it,” Charlie exclaimed.

“Really?” Mason turned to her. “Good job.”

“Yeah, it’s Peppermint Bark! Could you tell?”

He glanced up at me, eyes twinkling. “You know, I wondered about that. Now, Ford really needs to take off his coat so everyone can see your handiwork.”

“Yeah!” Charlie cried.

I shook my head, giving him a mock glare, but the teasing was just what I needed to wrangle my emotions. I didn’t want to scare Mason away by crying my love all over him.

This was new, but I already knew it was special.

Not just me and him, but me, him, and Charlie.

I unbuttoned my coat, spreading it wide, and spun in a circle. “Yeah, I’m wearing an ugly Christmas sweater, and I’m proud of it!” I called out.

There was a sprinkling of laughter from the other families nearby.

“Good job, Dad!” someone called.

I turned back to see Charlie grinning up at me. “Yeah,” she said. “Good job, Dad.”

Oh, fuck. I blinked hard as the waterworks tried to surface. I crouched down to hide my face and started rolling snow with them.

“Thanks, kid,” I rasped. “Now, let’s build the best dang snowman in the park.”

“Yes!” she exclaimed.

Mason rubbed my back, seeming to sense something was up with me. I flashed him a quick smile to reassure him I was fine. I was more than fine.

I’d seen a glimpse of my future, and I had new clarity.

When LuAnne came for Charlie, we’d have a talk. I might not be Charlie’s bio father, but I was her Dad , and I had to make sure my little girl was happy and safe.

She and Mason were my family now, and I wanted to keep them both close.