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After we bundled up, we rode the elevator down to the lobby. While the car descended, I pulled out my phone, opened the white and red app, and tapped the appropriate button, then tucked the device away again.
We’d made it four steps out the front door when she teetered forward and threw her arms out.
I grasped her wrist to keep her from going down and steadied her.
“Your giant shoes are even harder to manage in the snow.”
Pressing my lips together, I took her in. Just standing still, she was wobbling again. And her only other option was dangling off her tiny pointer finger. “Give me those.” I pointed to the heels and the dress she had thrown over one arm.
She cocked her head but did as I asked without argument.
I zipped the shoes and the dress into the front of my coat, then spun around and bent at the knees. “Hop on.”
“What?”
I glanced over my shoulder and held my arms out at my sides. “You can’t walk in those boots, and we’ll freeze if we stand here all day. We’ve already been through this. Puff needs you, and I have a plane to catch.”
She rolled her big blue eyes, but she held her arms out for balance and shuffled closer. Once she was directly behind me, she grasped my shoulders and launched herself up as best as she could in all her oversized attire. I gripped her under her thighs to help, and she wrapped her legs around my hips.
“Am I too heavy?”
She asked the question every woman in the world uttered when a man lifted her off the ground. More women needed to realize men knew how much we could carry, and if there was any doubt, then we wouldn’t pick a girl up. Holding Avery in my arms was a privilege, and it was not one that I’d take for granted. I would never drop this woman. Hell, if it were up to me, I would never let her go at all.
“Don’t be silly, Blondie.”
I trudged down the street through the icy mix. Some sidewalks hadbeen cleared, but most were still piled with snow. The air was crisp in that just-snowed way, but I loved how it muffled the noise. The city was blanketed in a cool hush that made me want to stay out here forever.
“I love how pretty everything looks,” she mused, the white fog of her breath floating around my face. “Especially this early, when most people haven’t come out yet.”
Even I couldn’t deny the beauty of a snowy morning.
She waved to a few people as we walked. “You know, I could get used to this kind of chariot service.”
Chuckling, I hefted her higher and shook my head. But the truth was, I’d happily carry her anywhere she wanted to go. “That mean you’re gonna miss me when I’m gone?”
She was quiet for a minute, and when she finally spoke, her voice was hushed, her usually cheerful tone muted. “More than you know.”
Those words burrowed into my skin, dropped into my gut, and tugged hard. I wanted to spin her around my body and pull her tight against my chest. Tell her I felt the same way. That one phrase gave me hope that when I got back from Florida, things would change between us.
As we rounded the corner to her building, a guy in a puffy jacket and beanie jogged to my side and held out a take-out bag and a white cup.
“Chris D?” he asked.
I made eye contact with him and lifted my chin, then to Avery, I said, “Grab that for me, would ya?”
“What’s this?”
“Your breakfast.” Turning my attention back to the guy, I added. “Thanks, man.”
“Wait…” He pointed at me. “Are you Dragon Damiano?”
During the offseason, this happened less. Especially when I was wearing a winter hat and a giant coat. But I’d never take for granted my ability to play a game I loved. And regardless of my talent, the fans were what made it possible. So I always had at least one rose-gold Sharpie in my pocket, and even in moments like this, when I didn’tlove being stopped on the street, I would give them a few minutes of my time.
“Yeah.”
His eyes lit up, and he lifted a fist to blow into. “No freaking way.”
Avery slid off me, already knowing what was coming. And I had to give her credit. The girl hadn’t once complained.
