Christmas Wishes and Mistletoe Kisses(63)

Abbey handed them the small plate of olives and a carrot, their surfaces now dusted with light snow. Max pressed them into the face of the snowman and then Nick set him back down.

“Look at our snowman!” Max said. They all took a step back to admire it. It was perfect. “I’m so glad you came out to play, Nick!” Max said running around the snowman. “Let’s play something else!” He bent down and picked up some snow, rounding it in his mittened hands. “Now, you’re in trouble,” he said, his little voice teasing him. “I hope you can run fast.” Max held up a snowball, aimed at Nick.

Nick’s face was swimming with curiosity as he watched Max prepare to throw the snowball. Had Nick ever had a snowball fight? Had he been allowed to run around, chasing his friends outside? There was a smack! and Nick’s dark coat had an explosion of snow on the arm of it. Max ran away, giggling and gathering more snow.

Abbey worried for Nick, not wanting to put him in an uncomfortable position, but when she looked up at him, he was smiling. He bent down and picked up a handful of snow. When he did, Max went screaming across the yard in anticipation.

“You can’t get me!” Max yelled.

Nick, with the lightly packed ball of snow in hand, began jogging toward Max, making Max burst into a fit of giggles. Nick cocked his arm back and released the snow as Max dodged it, falling down and scrambling to get back up, laughing in loud bursts. Max had hidden a ball of snow when he’d fallen and he got Nick right in the chest, surprising them both.

Abbey watched them as they threw snow at each other, bobbing and weaving around trees, Nick laughing loudly, his face lit with the thrill of it, and she couldn’t take her eyes off him. Then, suddenly, he stopped. “You know what?” he called out. Max walked from behind a tree to hear. “We’re leaving your mother out. I’ll bet she wants to play.” Nick turned toward her, his fist full of snow.

“You wouldn’t,” she said, cutting her eyes at him playfully.

His lips were set in a devious grin as he pulled his arm back.

“Run, Mama!” Max said, but Abbey didn’t run.

Instead, she picked up a pile of snow and began to pack it gently in her hands, her eyes on Nick. “You don’t think I’m going down without a fight, do you?” she said, now armed with her own snowball. Nick grinned at her, sending her stomach into a whirl of exhilaration.

“Are we at a stalemate?”

She raised an eyebrow. “You may be. I’m in attack mode.” She pulled back and released her snowball, sending it right into his gut. It exploded in a fan of snow on his coat. Before he could react, she’d already filled her hands with another snowball.

Max stepped up beside Nick, more snow in his hands.

“You can’t have backup,” she teased, winking at Max.

“Two against one!” Max said through his giggles, and he took off after her, Nick following behind.

Abbey tore off through the property, darting behind as many trees as she could while Nick gained on her, his lengthy stride much bigger than hers. She turned around and beamed a snowball at him, hitting him in the upper arm. He stopped, looked down at it for just a second and then took off after her again. She bent down to scoop up more snow and when she stood up, she gasped as Nick had his arms around her.

“He got you!” Max called, and Nick released her.

She turned around, not making a fuss about his embrace, her game face still on. “No he didn’t,” she said with a grin. “He still has yet to hit me with a snowball.” She offered him a challenging glance. He was too close to her to throw anything at her without hurting, and he couldn’t bend down to get more snow. She had him.

But then, with a quick look to Max, he took a step closer and, before she knew it, he had his gloved hands on her face, but they weren’t warm. They were freezing because they were full of snow! He smeared it all over her face as she tried to wriggle free.

“I’m going to get more snow!” Max said as he ran off.

“That was dirty!” she laughed, using the back of her arm to wipe the remaining snow off her cheeks. It had given her goose bumps all the way down her arms.

Nick smiled at her as he tried to help her get the snow off her face. This time, he’d pulled his hand out of his glove and it was warm against her skin. Gently, he trailed his fingers down her face to remove the melting snow. She didn’t feel cold anymore.

“Look at me!” Max said, breaking them from the moment.

Abbey turned toward the spot where Max was playing. He was on his back, making snow angels.

“I see you!” she called out. “That’s a great snow angel!”