20. Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty

Cole

The brisk air slaps me in the face. Thankfully, the sun is warm, making it the perfect weather for shoveling—if you need to shovel, that is.

This storm brought with it the lightness factor, which means it's taken me much less time to accomplish the driveway than I thought. I'm almost finished with it.

"Cole, is there a shovel for me?" Noelle yells from the porch, the door closing behind her.

"It's leaning on the front of the house by the steps," I point to the front of the house where the shovel is. " I'm almost done with the driveway. If you want to start over by the cars, I'll be there in a little bit."

I turn back to the snow in front of me and work my way down the rest of the driveway to the street. The city plow doesn't come this way because it's a private drive, but the neighbor at the top of the hill has a plow and usually clears the drive for everyone.

Mel will contact them before starting their drive up to the cabin to ensure the street is cleared when they arrive. I'll wait until I hear the plow before heading back down to clear their driveway entrance.

From here, I can see Noelle in an oversized puffy coat and a white beanie, her blonde hair in a braid down her back. She's working around the far side of Belle. I move over to my truck and clear the snow around it. The Ford has a pretty big ground clearance, and I quickly make my way around it.

Belle, on the other hand, is almost invisible other than the red on her roof. I see snow flying around her like a blizzard of its own.

When I get to the front of the Ford, a batch of snow hits me on top of my head, and falls to the ground. I feel a patch of cold between my coat and my neck. I reach up, scoop out a handful of snow, and throw it onto the ground.

From the corner of my eye, I see the green of Noelle's shovel moving in my direction. At the last moment, I move to the right, dodging the pound of snow. The lovely woman in front of me is wearing a bright smile that makes the stars jealous, and beams is my way.

I flick my gaze to her wide eyes, and she throws her hand over her mouth.

I squint my eyes and notice her slowly take a step back. I drop the shovel I'm holding just as she starts off on a full out sprint with her shovel still in her hand.

I snake my arm around her and pull her flush against me. "You're not getting off that easy, Ladybug."

She lets out a squeal and drops the shovel as I carry her over my shoulder to the mound of snow that I just shoveled next to the house.

"Cole!" She's trying to be stern, but her giggles betray her. "Don't you dare throw me in that snow."

I switch her from my shoulder to my arms and look at her with a glare in my eye, working to keep my lips pressed together to keep the smile wanting to escape.

"It's okay for you to throw shovels full of snow at me, but I can't return the favor and drop you in that pile of snow?" I lift an eyebrow.

"That shovel thing was an accident. I didn't know you were right there," she smiles innocently, but the glint in her eyes tells me she isn't telling the whole truth. I pin her with a stare. "Okay, the first time was an accident."

"The first time?" I narrow my eyes, and she lifts a shoulder. I press my lips together even harder.

"Yes, a mistake. Truly!" She raises her hand as if she's about to swear. "But after your initial reaction, I couldn't stop myself from throwing the second shovel full."

"I knew it!" I run with her towards the snow pile.

"Cole," she screams, squealing with her arms tight around my neck. I try to drop her, but she clings to me like a baby koala. Every time I get one appendage off, another finds its way around my body. Finally, I give up and fall onto the pile with her.

I have her pinned under my body weight, squealing, moving in every direction while she looks for a weak spot to free herself. I grab a handful of snow and hold it over her face. She freezes.

"You wouldn't?!" She looks up at me with eyes sparkling, almost daring me.

I would, and she knows it.

"Nah," I lean in to kiss her, only to move my lips at the last minute and gently rub the handful of snow I have in her face. I pull back and give her a full grin.

"Proud of yourself?" She asks, wiping the snow out of her face.

"Very!" I rub my nose against hers and wipe the remaining snow away. I lean in for a real kiss when cold slush hits my cheek, and a squeak reaches my ear. "Oh, that was clever, Bug. Very clever."

I turn my head over her face and shake the snow onto her. Her squeals of laughter send ripples of joy through me. I place a hand on her face and stare into her shining hazel eyes.

For a moment, regret runs through me, and my stomach churns.

I regret all the time I've spent away from her having moments like these. I miss out on her telling me how her day was after spending time with her frisky seniors. Missing out on every Christmas since the one we spent with her grandmother together.

"Cole?" Her eyebrows are drawn together, and she pins me with a worried stare, breaking through my reverie. "Are you okay?"

Her gloved palm is resting on my cheek, and my heart tugs. How do I tell her that I'm sad for all the time we've spent apart without completely freaking her out. I just got her back; I can't lose her now .

I turn my face into her hand, kiss it, and then turn back to her with what I hope is a smile that reaches my eyes. "Of course I'm okay."

"Are you sure? You looked…" She pauses as if uncertain how to phrase what she's thinking.

"I'm okay," I whisper before pressing my lips to hers. "Promise."

The questioning look is still there, but I can't do anything about it now. I'll figure out how to say what I want when the time is right.

"Let's finish shoveling out Belle and get the cookies started. I don't want Mike to get in trouble."

I push myself up and pull Noelle with me. I walk over to our shovels and pick them both up. When I hand hers over, I see the corner of her lip turned down.

My stomach swirls again and nausea overcomes me.

Part of me knows I'm acting silly; I should just tell her what I was thinking. It's not that big of a revelation.

I've missed her, that's all.

I've missed the years I thought we would spend together that the hand of cards dealt us. Maybe she feels the same as I do. But I'm suddenly terrified, so I don't say anything.

Great, Cole. Just great.