I stepped back and grabbed the folded newspaper on the counter, holding it in front of me. I winked at her. “Don’t want to scare anyone.”
She covered her mouth, giggling. With a smirk, I dropped another kiss on her head before walking back to the dining room. Luckily, Seth was bent over, helping Noelle with her coloring. I took my time getting another cup of coffee, giving my erection a chance to soften. I stared out the window at the piles of drifting snow. It was as if the entire world was covered in a thick, white blanket.
Seth reached across the table, grabbing a mug. “Hey, Dylan. Morning.”
“Morning.”
“Sleep well?”
“Well enough. Unlike some people, not like the dead.”
He laughed but looked bashful. “Alex told me Noelle escaped again last night. Sorry.”
I sighed. “Seth, Alex trusts you. You need to make sure you live up to that trust. You can’t keep falling asleep while you’re looking after Noelle.” I met his eyes. “You’re old enough to be more responsible.”
“I was tired.”
I sighed, rubbing a hand across my face. “And you don’t think Alex is tired? She runs this place, looks after the both of you and George, cooks, cleans, does laundry—” I paused, tired simply at the thought of everything she handled. “And God knows what else. She’s run ragged, Seth. She needs help.”
He glanced behind him at the kitchen door and exhaled. “She never says anything.”
I put my hand on his shoulder, squeezing it lightly. “She never would. She’s strong. But I’m telling you, she needs your help. Try staying awake on the nights she needs you.”
“I will. I’ll try to help more.”
“Good.” Unable to resist, I ruffled his hair. “You’re a good kid, Seth.”
His cheeks flushed, and he dropped his gaze in embarrassment. “Thanks.”
Alex came through the kitchen, carrying a tray. “Dylan, I have your breakfast.”
I sat down and, without hesitation, dug into the stack of pancakes. Noelle “hepped” me drown them in syrup, and she grinned when it dribbled down my chin. Alex sat down, sipping coffee, and Seth rambled on about snow days and no school. Noelle had lots to say on the subject of snow, and I ate my breakfast listening to them all talk. I didn’t have much to add, but I talked about how I’d never seen that much snow. That led to many stories of the blizzards they’d been through over the years.
It was a strange sensation, sitting with them like that. It felt right. Listening to their stories, with Noelle back on my knee, coloring, and twisting around to make sure I was listening to her when she spoke. Often, she would tap at my cheek to get my attention, the gesture making me smile. Seth got up and filled all our coffee cups, and brought Noelle some more juice.
Alex frowned and looked out the window. “George won’t get back for a couple of days, and I’m pretty sure you’re stuck too, Dylan.”
I wasn’t surprised. Normally, I would be impatient, hating to have my schedule disrupted, but the news didn’t bother me in the slightest. I shrugged. “Nothing to be done except weather the storm. What do you do when you’re snowed in like this—besides trying to shovel your way out of it?”
Noelle clapped her hands. “Games!”
Seth grinned. “We have power, so we eat popcorn and watch movies.”
Alex smiled. “We try to make it fun.”
Fun. I couldn’t remember the last time I had ever had fun.
I returned her smile, reaching for her hand under the table. “Can I join in?”
All three of them answered in unison. “Yes!”
That one word made my entire day.
I SAT BACK, CHUCKLING AS I watched Seth and Noelle battle it out to see who would win the highly competitive game of Snakes and Ladders that was happening. I had held my own pretty well, but they were too good for me.
Today had been one of the nicest days I could remember in a long time. After I ate my breakfast, I went upstairs to change when Alex informed me snow days meant casual. My dress shirt and pants were not going to cut it, she told me in no uncertain terms. When I confessed to not having any more casual-type clothing, she handed me a Sleepy Moose Inn T-shirt. I spent the day in my plaid sleep pants Arlene had given me as a joke for Christmas and the logo-emblazoned shirt. I wore my socks since my dress shoes looked stupid with pants. They were all dressed casually like me, and we spent hours in the lounge playing games. After lunch, I had offered my gifts hesitantly, not wanting Seth to use his worn boots when I heard him tell Alex he’d do more shoveling after we had eaten.
Noelle’s exuberant shriek when she saw her slippers left me no doubt of her love for the fuzzy foot-warmers. Seth announced his boots were “sick,” and judging from his delighted grin, I decided that was a good thing. Alex’s eyes widened and that warm, appealing smile of hers lit her face when I handed her the box of chocolates. The girls gave me hugs and kisses, and I received a double fist pound from Seth, accompanied by repeated thanks. Alex’s quiet protests, I stilled instantly with a hard kiss when the kids weren’t looking. She stopped objecting once she had eaten a chocolate, and I heard no more “you shouldn’t have” from her.