Total pages in book: 42
Estimated words: 39538 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 198(@200wpm)___ 158(@250wpm)___ 132(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 39538 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 198(@200wpm)___ 158(@250wpm)___ 132(@300wpm)
Laughter filling her ears made her turn to see children running around the corner behind a house ahead. They were picking up handfuls of snow, forming them into snowballs before launching them at each other. Megan only let herself smile at the cute scene for a moment, knowing her daughter would have been right there with them if she were still on this earth.
Looking back through the windows, she was about to head inside when she realized the line for the food had dissipated some, but a small voice from behind her caused her to freeze in place.
“Hi!”
Megan looked back to find a little girl bundled up from head to toe in a lavender snowsuit that resembled Ralphie’s brother from the Christmas Story. Like the mom from the movie, her mother must’ve gone overboard bundling her up. She wanted to laugh, but the small, pink-cheeked face and nose instinctively told her who she was before she gave her name.
“I’m Aisha!”
She was afraid she might frighten the little girl, so it took her a few moments to blink back tears before she could keep her voice from cracking. “I’m Megan.” Quickly, she wiped her eye that couldn’t hold in all the water before it spilled onto her cheek. She finally got herself under control, unable to keep from laughing at the cuteness overload. At first, she thought only a mother could dress their child like that, but now she knew the real culprit. “You look so cute in your purple snowsuit. Let me guess … your daddy dressed you today?”
“Mmhmm!” Aisha waddled closer to her, trying her best to get up on the bench beside her. “And now I can’t play.”
It was like watching a baby penguin fight for its life to get on the bench as Aisha still had yet to manage to do so.
Tears now escaped her eyes, but it wasn’t out of sadness; it was out of sheer joy from laughing so hard. She only hesitated a moment before picking the little girl up. The last time she had done so, Aisha was a newborn. Now, five years later, Megan’s life was completely different. She’d been so fearful of how she would react around children, Aisha was like fresh air blowing the fear away.
“Will you pleaseee take it off for me so I can play and throw a snowball back at John?” Aisha cried. “I promise not to tell Daddy.”
Megan might be a different person who held the trust of the town again and, most importantly, Viper’s. But she wasn’t stupid.
“How about we build a snowman instead?”