He pulls his hat off and unzips his coat. “What?”
“I saw that we had a snow day first,” I tell him.
“I didn’t have any text from you when I left my house.SorryI took longer to fight my way through wet, heavy snow than usual. There’s probably six inches out there.”
I bite my lip, refusing to admit defeat. “You didn’t text when you saw it was a snow day.”
“Because I thought I’d surprise you in person. Knew you’d be up around now.” He shirks off the rest of his winter gear and hangs it up, then casts me a gloating smirk. “I won this one.”
I take in the redness of his nose and ears. “I can’t believe you walked through a snowstorm.”
He blinks, confusion in the set of his heavy eyebrows. “Are you mad?”
I pull him close and nest my fingers in the back of his soft sweater. “Slightly. Mom didn’t even go to work yet, so the roads must be bad.”
“I didn’t drive.”
“Walking is just as dangerous!”
“I was careful, I promise, but anyway . . .” His hands frame my upper arms and he pushes me back enough to look at me. “I told you at Thanksgiving that I’ll be a fool for you.” His dark brown eyes are scorching, demanding mine. “Did you think I’d forget?”
My breath hitches. “I didn’t think it meant you’d brave a snowstorm for me.”
He drifts closer, his cheek brushing mine as his lips ghost the shell of my ear. “You make it sound more adventurous than it was.”
“I can’t make it sound much stupider.”
He chuckles, a quick, deep rumble of a laugh, and lets his forehead touch mine. “Maybe I couldn’t resist seeing the excitement in your eyes when I told you. I didn’t realize worry would overshadow it.”
“Say it again.”
He pulls back, amusement glimmering in his gaze. “We have a snow day, Jack.”
His vinyl voice sends a ripple through me. He came over forme. “You defied nature to get to me, and now we have the entire day to do whatever we want.”
He smiles. “That’s more like it.”
I kiss him with a laugh. “Good morning, by the way,” I say against his mouth.
He holds me close for a second longer, and we head to the kitchen.
“Mom, can you tell Eli he was an idiot for walking through a snowstorm this early?” I ask as we enter. “I couldn’t.”
She stands and gives him a hug. “No can do, honey.”
I balk. “What?”
“Visibility isn’t great, from what the weather station is saying, but most places are delayed and closed because there’s a good layer of ice under the snow on the roads, before the freezing rain last night became snow. The walk here was mostly on snow, wasn’t it, Eli?”
“Yep,” he says.
“I will say it wasn’t the wisest decision you’ve ever made,” Mom tells Eli, “but you’re here, you’re safe, and you can get warm before you two go out later, like I’m sure you will.”
I grab a banana from the bowl on the counter and throw it to Eli. Well,athim, but he catches it with one hand.
“Someone’s grumpy this morning,” he says, shaking the banana at me. “Bet you’re hangry.”
“The banana tip you off?”
