Tiff yells for the kids to run, and we head towards the back of the house again. I’m not fast enough, and as Ashton grabs my waist, we lose our footing, causing me to fall in the snow. He lands on top of me, and I’m laughing so hard, my sides hurt.
“I’ll save you, Mommy.” I see Sadie pushing on Ashton’s side. “Get off her, Daddy.”
Ashton and I stop, and all the air leaves me. He quickly looks at me with wide eyes as Reed jumps on Ashton’s back.
“I got you, Dad,” Reed laughs loudly, and Sadie is too. She doesn’t even realize what she said.
I see Tiff standing over us, and she knows what Sadie just said. “Hey kids, come on, I think you two won.” She tries to sound cheerful, but she’s not good at faking.
“Yeah, we won!” Reed and Sadie jump up and down.
“All right, hot chocolate time.” Jax grabs their hands.
I rush to get on my feet, pushing Ashton.
“Lexie.” Ashton grabs my hand, but I break free, running into the house. I don’t stop when Brooke asks me what’s wrong, the tears rolling down my face. I slam the door and rip off the hat, the jacket, and my boots.
Sadie called Ashton ‘Daddy’. Did she mean it? I don’t even think she knows she said it, but she did. Does she think Ashton’s her dad? No, that can’t be right. She knows Tony is her dad. It was a mistake. It’s a slip of the tongue, but it still hurts.
Tony should hear her call him ‘Daddy’. He needs to be here to see her growing up. He needs to be next to me. I’ve made a mistake. It’s moving too fast.
“Stop overthinking.” Tiff walks into my room without knocking, shutting the door behind her. “She’s a little girl, and she just said it.”
“I know.” I wipe the tears away. “But, I think I need to end it with Ashton. I can’t let this happen.”
“What? You can’t have a great guy be a father figure for Sadie? What do you want, then? You want some asshole? Or would you rather be alone the rest of your life?”
“Stop it, Tiff. You don’t understand.”
“You’re wrong. I understand better than you think. I lost my brother. I’m still sad, but you can’t keep using him as an excuse.”
I gasp. “I’m not. I loved him. We had plans. We had our future all planned out, and look at what’s going on now.”
“Yes, look at it. There is an amazing guy downstairs, who treats your daughter like a princess, who lights up every time you walk into the room, and what are you doing about it? Hiding, running away, and not listen to your feelings.”
“My feelings are telling me to run away,” I tell her.
She shakes her head. “That’s a lie. I see how you look at him. I hear the glee in your voice when you say his name. I saw you last night, grinning like a schoolgirl, watching him on the ice.”
I drop my head. My heart races thinking about seeing him playing last night. I did watch him. I thought about him bringing Sadie into my room. I saw how he was staring at me. I knew what he was thinking because I had the same ideas.
“Mommy.” Sadie bursts through the bedroom door. Her face has chocolate all over it. “Miss Brooke made hot chocolate with whipped cream and syrup.”
I bend down to her. “That sounds delicious.”
“It is,” Ashton says from the doorway.
“Well, I need some of that,” Tiff announces. “Come on, Sadie. Let’s see if Miss Brooke will make me some.”
“Okay.” She grabs Tiff’s hand, and they race out the door, leaving Ashton and me alone.
I stare at him, and he gives me that small sexy smile of his.
“When I was in town, I got you a gift.” He shuts the door. I see that he has his hand behind his back. When he steps right up to me, he pulls the small packet from his back. I laugh. I try to stop it, but it comes right out.
“A SpongeBob nightlight?” I take it from his hand.
“Well, maybe it’s for Sadie, but it should help you get a good night’s sleep.”