“You're going sledding with me.” Holding the lid up, I took a few steps back. Charging forward, I leaped onto it and slid down the hill on my stomach.
An echo rolled over my shoulder from behind me. Hegan yelled, “Are you serious!?”
“Yup!” I screamed back, as the wind whipped through my hair. The uneven snow caused the lid to jostle me around, jerking my body side to side.
Slowly, sliding to a halt, I lifted myself up and turned to look back at Hegan. The hat he had on had fallen off and landed in the snow behind him. The wind spreading across his face, pulled his cheeks back tight, and the yell escaping his mouth was priceless.
He was yelping a sound of pure joy. An escape from inside that he hadn't probably felt since he was a young boy.
If he was ever lucky enough to feel some sense of being a child at all.
I wasn't sure if that was ever actually allowed by his father. From the man I had met, it probably wasn't.
Watching him bounce and shake over the snow, I stood giggling. He was letting loose and it was a welcomed sight.
Sliding to a slow stop, he laid on the trashcan lid, holding the handles firm between his fingers. “Well, I can honestly say I don't remember the last time I did this. And the lids...” Pushing himself up, he brushed the snow from his legs. “The lids are a first.”
“Well us common folk sometimes had to improvise. And these work pretty well, huh?” Arching my lip, I grinned from ear to ear. “Ready to go again? Can you handle going higher?”
“Are you challenging me, Noella?” Picking up the makeshift sled, he cupped it under his arm. “If you want to race down this hill, I'm all for it. And let me warn you, you'll get blown out of the water.” Hegan lifted his head high, standing tall. Bringing his hand up, he brushed imaginary debris off his shoulders.
With the sun shining over his back, he seemed to glow. Like a bronze statue on a pedestal, his broad shoulders appeared to span for miles, the cut angles of his face were boldly lined. He looked like a figure you'd see in the center of an old Italian street.
My insides began to fill with a fuzzy warmth, rushing through my veins it hit each nerve and exploded. He was starting to wrap around my mind, and around my heart. I couldn't shake him out, even the idea of a baby began to settle into a comforting feeling.
Having a baby, his baby... Maybe it could work. The child could grow up in a world of endless possibilities; no dead ends, no lack of money and worry of bills. The child could have everything they needed and more.
As long as Hegan was willing to be part of that.
I needed to know, needed to find out what he expected. If he thought I would have this baby and he could continue to just run around doing the same shit he did before; it would never work.
A baby deserves the best of both parents. He would need to be there for everything, and I might just be willing, if he can promise me that.
Promise me that this baby will always have its father.
That was more important than all the money in the world.
Shaking my head, I scurried up beside him. “You want to race? You do realize I'm a world champion sledder, right?” Cocking his head, he eyed me from the side. “Oh, did I forget to mention that? You don't know everything about me, Mr. Hegan Alexander. I might surprise you.” Shoving him at the hip, he stumbled and fell into the snow.
Taking off up the hill, I ran as fast as my legs could carry me through the thick white fluff. “Hey! That's not cool! No cheating!” He yelled as he yanked himself up, charging behind me.
My thighs were burning, each muscle strained to find traction and keep my pace. I could hear his feet pounding behind me, a hysterical laughter filled the air. His arm drove around my waist, dragging me down.
He had tackled me, full blown tackled me into the snow.
Trying to catch my breath, Hegan climbed up onto my waist. “Where are you going to go now? You're stuck you cheater. I thought this was a fair challenge and you knock me into the snow.” He slid his hands down to my wrists, tugging my arms up over my head.
Staring up into his eyes, a lustrous darkness had consumed his face. Sparks lit up across the shadowed pools, catching the falling sun's rays. I couldn't speak, no words formed in my head. I laid there speechless, trying to think but hearing only one thing. Kiss him.
My heart raced, throat heaving down large gulps of air. This time, it was different. He wasn't throwing lines at me, trying to wet my panties. He wasn't baring his rippled chest, or hard arms.
Hegan was looking right at me, right into my eyes; smiling a real smile. A true expression of enjoyment streamed across his face. He looked happy.
And not happy in the sense he was getting his way, or getting one step closer to having everything he wanted.