nose. “I wish I could, but I don’t have any snow boots yet.”
“I have some extra ones. They’ll be big, but if you double up on socks, I’m sure it’ll work.”
I squint my eyes and glance down at his feet. He’s wearing camo snow boots and thick, insulated overalls. “Umm, Colton, I don’t know if that’ll work. What size of shoe do you wear?”
“Eleven.”
A bubble of laughter spills from my lips, which makes Milo smile and start to kick. “Eleven? Colton, I wear a seven. There’s no way your shoes will fit me. I’ll probably walk right out of them.”
“No way are you getting out of this, Holls. Milo would be very disappointed if you weren’t to come outside with us.”
Rolling my eyes, I smile in defeat. “Fine, I’ll wear your too-big boots. For Milo.”
“Did you hear that, buddy? Hollis is gonna come outside and play with us.” He bounces his son in his arms as if to cheer. “I’m going to head outside now, so we don’t get too hot in all these layers. My extra boots are by the back door, and there’s a few extra pairs of insulated gloves on the washing machine. Grab whatever you need,” he says before leaning in and kissing my cheek.
I feel a blush tinge my skin where his lips grazed and have to fight from breaking out into a full-fledge crazy grin. You know, the kind that makes people look at you like you’re utterly batshit nutty? The kind that actually hurts your cheeks from smiling so hard.
“See you in a few minutes,” he says, before turning and heading out the back door.
Exhaling, I glance at the gloves he left on the washer, which is right next to a hoodie sweatshirt with Army printed in green and another pair of Carhartt overalls. I grab the warm clothes he left and slip back into my apartment. I throw on a pair of looser jeans over leggings and then slide my legs into the overalls. They’re way too big, but they’re definitely warm, so I don’t complain. Next, I throw on the hoodie over my long-sleeved T-shirt, which is really big, yet comfy, and smells just like Colton. I add a second pair of socks and stuff my feet into the too-big boots. It’s actually a bit hard to walk in them, but it’ll work until I get my own boots. I finish off my outfit with gloves, hat, scarf, and coat, and turn to take in my appearance in the mirror.
I immediately burst into laughter.
I look like a five-year-old wearing her dad’s clothes.
But I’m warm, and that’s the point.
Shuffling my heavy feet, I make my way to the laundry room and out the back door. It’s not nearly as cold as it was last night, with the sun warming the air and slowly melting the snow. A bubble of laughter catches my attention, and I’m suddenly smiling beneath the scarf wrapped around my jaw as I watch Colton pull his son on a little red sled. It has a seat in the middle with a buckle, and with the help of blankets for positioning, he’s reclined in the seat to keep from falling over. His nose is red, but the smile on his face says everything as he reaches for the fluffy white stuff just out of his reach.
I make my way to them, Colton’s eyes dancing with humor. “You look…”
“Like I’m wearing clothes three sizes too big?”
“Amazing,” he answers with a grin as he reaches over and adjusts my hat, pulling it down on my forehead. I’m ready to throw my hands around his neck and plaster my marshmallow man body against his when Milo lets out a screech. “Okay, buddy.” He looks at me and reaches for my hand. “Care to take a walk around the backyard with me?”
And we do.
I walk beside Colton as he pulls Milo on the sled. I fumble with my phone, but I manage to pull it from my pocket and snap a few pictures of Colton and Milo. I’ll have to send them to him later. We walk slowly around the large yard, making new tracks with each pass, but when we reach thirty minutes, Milo is at his max with sitting. He lets out a squeal of annoyance and tries to slip from the seat. “All right, buddy. Let’s try something new.”
Colton unclips the belt and helps Milo sit in the snow. The little guy instantly reaches for it, shrieks of laughter filling