Total pages in book: 25
Estimated words: 23556 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 118(@200wpm)___ 94(@250wpm)___ 79(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 23556 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 118(@200wpm)___ 94(@250wpm)___ 79(@300wpm)
I grin. I’ve been putting on skates for a long time, but my dad tying up my skates is nine times better than me. “Nope.”
He laughs as he bends down in front of me. “I figured you didn’t.” He makes fast work of my skates and then pats my calves. “All done.”
“Thanks, Dad.”
I don’t move, though, as he sits beside me. He exhales, and I smile as I take him in. It’s weird to look at him and know he’s a granddad. To my baby.
“You gonna tell me what’s going on?” he asks as he reaches for his skates that are conveniently on the top. Mine were at the bottom. “I see it all over your face, Pose. So, just tell me.”
I swallow hard. “I miscarried Sunday.”
His shoulders fall, and I know he’s taken back to the tubal pregnancy I almost died from. “Are you okay?”
“I guess. It didn’t have a heartbeat when we went in for imaging.”
“Fuck, baby. I’m sorry.”
I lean into my hero and close my eyes. “This is the second one this year.”
I feel him tense up, and then he wraps his arms around me, kissing my temple. “Pose, I’m sorry. Have you told Mom?”
I shake my head. “No. The first one was at like eight weeks, so I didn’t want anyone feeling bad for me. And it’s the same for this one. It just sucks.”
“It does, and it’s bullshit.”
“Agreed,” I say, and he hugs me tight.
“I won’t say anything.”
I laugh. “Dad, I fully expect Mom to crawl into my bed tonight after you tell her.”
He grins against my temple. “No, I won’t. Though, she’ll want to comfort you when she finds out.”
“Boon is already being so supportive and loving. It’s overwhelming ’cause I feel like I’m failing him.”
Dad gives me a look. “Posey, that boy is lucky I let him marry you.”
I grin. “Dad, stop.”
“You’re an absolute gem, Posey. No one is good enough for you,” he says, kissing me once more. “But Boon is growing on me. I like him okay.”
I grin, hugging him tightly. “I love him.”
“Yeah. I was at the wedding.”
Our gazes meet, and my heart swells. I love my dad. “You know you’re the best dad, right?”
He winks. “’Cause you’re the best daughter.” He kisses me again then lets me go to start tying his skates. When he looks back up at me with a sheepish grin, I have to laugh. “Don’t tell Shelli I said that.”
We share a laugh and then head to where hockey sticks are stabbed into the snow. We each grab one and then take turns shooting into the old goal Dad brought from home. After I take a shot, I notice my brothers trudging through the snow, and I groan.
“Ew, Dad, make the boys go away,” I whine like I used to when I was younger.
They laugh as Dad looks back at me. “There is enough ice for all of us.”
“I swear you’ve been saying that since they were born,” I accuse, and he laughs. With his eyes bright, his nose red, and a grin on his face, he skates over to me, wrapping his arms around me. He hugs me close and then whispers in my ear.
“And you’ll say it to your babies. I know you will.” He squeezes me. “No matter how they come, Posey. Whether you carry them or you adopt them, no matter what, we’ll love them as we love you. You are so strong, so incredible, and so beautiful. I am so proud you’re mine.”
When he pulls back and our eyes meet, I can feel my eyes clouding. God gave me the ultimate gift by making him my dad. I don’t know what my future holds, but one thing is for sure, I am loved and supported. Under my dad’s loving gaze, my heart isn’t aching as bad anymore. How could it be when I am loved by the three best men in the world?
Zac, Boon, and my daddy.
My year-round Christmas gifts.
Every Inch
Owen
I haul ass to the puck, and even though Evan hasn’t been on the ice much, he gives me a run for it. Evan has always been swifter than me. I have the brawn, as my mom says, and Evan has the speed. I’m sure my teammates would say that’s why they miss him. But for me, I miss my other half. Evan somehow beats me, but I may have let him win for the pure fact that I’m almost coming out of my skin with excitement that he’s on the ice with me.
It’s been a long time since we’ve done this, and while I gave my mom shit for putting all of us in a house together with other families for Christmas, I know if she hadn’t, I wouldn’t have this moment with my family. A game on a frozen pond with huge mountains surrounding us and nothing but pure competition on the ice.