Chapter 13
Chapter Thirteen
Quinton
Mama baked her oatmeal chocolate chip cookies for me, as I’d come home from my night shift exhausted and in need of a good six or seven hours of sleep before heading to Leo’s.
“Fresh baked.” Mama placed the container on the table as I ate the meat buns she’d steamed for me. “And not too sweet.”
“You don’t have to cook for me.” I smiled. “I appreciate it—but it’s not necessary.”
She patted my back. “You work hard. I love cooking for my son.”
“You work as hard as I do.”
“Perhaps. I need to stay occupied.”
“You’re eligible to retire.”
“I’m not ready to retire.” She slid into the chair across from me. “What would I do? How would I spend my time? Baking cookies? We’d likely gain weight.”
We were both slender. I did some weight lifting to keep in good shape given how physical the job could be.
“A craft? Volunteering?”
“Quinton, we’ve had this discussion.”
“I just feel like you deserve more.”
Her dark-brown eyes held my gaze. I hadn’t realized how much silver threaded through her black hair. She was aging before my eyes. Yes, that was what happened as people got older—I just didn’t think it would happen with my own mother.
“My dear. I have everything I’ve ever wanted. You’re healthy. I hope you’re happy—”
“I am.”
“—and I want to see you with someone.” She tapped the table. “And if you’re happy, then my work is half-done.”
I rolled my eyes. “I don’t need a man—or a woman—to complete my life. I’m only twenty-six—”
“Twenty-seven soon.” Her eyes flashed amusement.
“Right. Still young enough. I’ll find the right person—when the time comes. Or not. Nothing wrong with remaining single.”
She blinked. “I miss your father every day—but I wouldn’t have given up a moment of that time if it meant living without heartbreak now.”
“Mama.” I rose and made my way over to her. Then I wrapped my arms around her. “Do you want me to stay?”
“Good Lord, my son. Of course not. Go and have fun with your friend and his children.”
I would’ve stayed—but I was happy to see she was okay with me leaving.
I shoved the last bite of my sandwich into my mouth, put my plate in the dishwasher, grabbed the container of cookies, and headed to the door to the garage.
There we had all the outerwear. I selected a down-filled coat, warm snow boots, a scarf, and gloves.
Mama reached out to put a hat on my head. “To stay warm.”
“I’ll turn on the heat in the SUV. It’s below freezing.” Not much, but I was still a wimp. “And there’s wind too.” I opened the back door. “Love you.”
“You too. I won’t wait up.” She closed the door.
I rolled my eyes. The man had two children under the age of seven, and so I didn’t see me staying late.
After securing the cookies and myself, I backed out of the garage, onto our street, and then off toward the mountains north of Mission City.
During the drive, I tried to temper my expectations.
Maybe he just needed an intermediary—although that seemed unlikely.
Maybe he just needed someone new to amuse the kids—although I doubted that.
Or maybe he needed someone to watch them while he did other things—although what those things might be, I had no idea.
My GPS informed me I’d arrived at my destination.
At least the driveway’s plowed. Still, I drove with caution down the narrow strip—gravel and ice crunching under my snow tires.
Some people didn’t bother, as Mission City rarely got snow.
As someone who had to get to work pretty much no matter what, I always had them.
We’d had a few crazy days near Christmas where making it to Abbotsford had been nearly impossible. But I’d always reported for duty.
A cute house in a clearing came into view.
I struggled to come up with the right words to describe it.
Not rustic…but not exactly modern. With dark-brown wood for the exterior, the rancher almost blended in with the environment.
Well, except for the bright-white front door.
The windows were large—to let in plenty of light.
By my calculation, the front of the house faced west and would get plenty of afternoon sun when that sun made an appearance.
After parking next to Leo’s SUV, I snagged the plastic container and headed toward the front door.
Said door opened, and two little people barreled out.
“I’m Melodie, this is Trevor. Hi. We want to go sledding, but Papa said we had to wait for you.”
“Oh well, that’s nice you waited.”
The girl, who I knew was almost seven, appeared short for her age. Not that I knew about these things. She had black, curly hair, sky-blue eyes, and an adorable nose.
The cherub next to her, almost five, if memory served, was a decent height. He had brown hair, brown eyes, and a slightly upturned nose. Unlike his sister, he wasn’t smiling.
I offered the container of cookies. “For later, okay?”
Melodie cocked her head.
“Cookies.”
“Oh.” Her eyes lit. “Yes, later. Come.” She gestured for me to follow her.
Trevor kept eyeing me as we made our way in through the front door.
Nope, I’d been wrong. This house was rustic. With wood paneling, wood floors, wood beams for the ceiling, and every piece of furniture made of wood. Well, way to pick a theme and to stick to it.
“The house came furnished. One of the many bonuses.” Leo appeared from a hallway. “If you want, why not keep your boots on? We’ll bundle the kids up and head out right away.”
Melodie offered the tin. “Your friend brought cookies!”
“For later.” Better to reiterate that. I hadn’t checked with Leo, and if he wasn’t okay with it, hopefully the kids would just forget.
Leo accepted the tin. “Remember I said my friend’s name was Quinton? I think he’d prefer that over Mr. Li.”
I laughed. “Oh heck, yes. Mr. Li was my dad.”
“Right.” Likely, he remembered I’d said my dad passed.
“And my mom baked the cookies—I don’t want to take credit. I was fast asleep.”
“You got enough rest?” His brow furrowed.
“Oh yeah, plenty. I’m ready for some exercise!” I attempted to inject as much enthusiasm as possible.
“Well, the hill’s not huge, but I’ll appreciate the help to pull the sleds back up.” He turned to his kids. “Okay—winter clothes and helmets.”
Where I expected grumblings, none were offered. Instead, I helped Melodie with her boots—after she put on all her outerwear—while Leo ensured Trevor had everything he needed.
As quick as anything, Leo donned his coat, boots, scarf, and mitts.
“You’re going to need a hat.”
He arched an eyebrow.
“We’re all wearing them.” Not that he needed to be reminded. “There’s a bit of a wind. Wouldn’t want your hair to get ruffled.”
“And putting on a toque won’t give me hat head?” He laughed. Still, he grabbed a hat with a pompom, and we all headed out.
A few flakes fell as we rounded the corner toward the back of the house.
Leo turned to me. “Do you mind hanging out at the bottom on the hill?”
“No problem.” I figured he’d want me there to catch any off-course kids.
I jogged down the incline toward the bottom.
The gentle slope was perfect for the kids, and the ground leveled out before the forest began.
I wonder how far back his property goes?
Because of being friends with Maddox, Stanley, and Adam’s families, I knew their houses were one street over—and Gideon’s house was right there.
I couldn’t remember passing it, but I would have. Many times.
“Ready?” Leo’s voice carried down the hill.
“You bet!” I waved my hand—just in case he couldn’t hear me.
He waved back, then gave Trevor a push.
The boy squealed and screamed all the way down. Fortunately, he stopped well short of me, pulling up on the sled to slow it. He hopped off. “That was so cool!” He turned back. “Did you see, Papa? I’m the best.”
Leo waved. I couldn’t see his expression from this distance, but I wanted to believe I’d see pride. And joy.
Melodie came next. She was silent in her descent, but her rosy cheeks and huge grin when she reached me assured me she’d enjoyed herself. She gave me a wide smile. “Awesome.”
“Yep.” I snagged both sleds and began dragging them back up the hill.
“What are you doing?” Leo started to make his way down.
I’d planned to just do all the hauling, but these were heavier than I expected. “Uh, we’ll take turns?” I worried about his hands. I couldn’t spend all our time together worrying about them. Just like I needed be protective of my body, but I could still have fun.
“Oh, okay.” His green eyes flashed appreciation. He jogged down the hill as I carried the sleds the rest of the way up. “Ready?”
“I want to go first this time.” Melodie stuck out her lower lip.
“No, me.” Trevor stamped his foot.
I winced inwardly. “I don’t want to pick sides, but I think if we alternate who goes first, that feels fair.”
Melodie pumped her first.
Trevor crossed his arms and pouted.
Inwardly, I smiled. Yep, that’s what it’s like to have a sibling. I’d always wanted one. I’d had good friends, but never the intimate bond I imagined came from having someone who knew me so well. Yeah, or you might’ve fought all the time. You are pigheaded and stubborn.
Well, okay. That too.
We went for about thirty minutes. Each time Leo and I passed, we gave each other a grin. I’d never seen him so happy.
Except after that blow job—
Well, okay. That too.
In the end, we had to be the ones to call a timeout.
Leo gestured to me. “Can you take a video of us doing snow angels?” He’d filmed a couple of the runs, always ensuring the safety of the kids first. He handed me his camera.
“Sure.” I arched an eyebrow and pointed to his jeans.
He shrugged. “Dryer.”
Don’t think about him walking around in just his underwear. Don’t think about—
“If you say so.”
The kids wore snowsuits and were happy to lie in a patch of pristine snow.
I recorded the family making snow angels, all with wide grins on their faces.
“We should make a snowman. And a snow woman!” Melodie leapt up.
“I was thinking we might go inside.” Leo’s jeans were soaked. The call would be his, of course, but if I had to play the reasonable adult, I totally could. Plus, the snow was getting heavier. I eyed Leo. “Or we can stay out while you get changed.”
He shook his head. “No, I think going in makes sense.”
“But, Papa.” Trevor stomped his foot. For such a little guy, he sure could communicate his displeasure.
“Hot chocolate and a cookie while I prepare dinner.” He met my gaze. “You’re staying?”
My heart lurched. He’d suggested, but we hadn’t firmed up plans. “If you’d like.”
“Oh yes.” Melodie turned her megawatt smile on me. “I want to show you my doll collection.”
“And my monster trucks.” Trevor was not going to be left out.
“Not that we believe in gender stereotypes.” Leo rolled his eyes. “But Santa brought what they asked for. Right?”
“Because we were good girls and boys.” Again, Melodie with her radiant smile.
“Okay. I’m soaked. Why don’t we go in?”
I snagged the sleds. “Where do these go?”
“In the garage. Thanks.”
“No worries. I’ll be right behind you.” I went to the side door of the garage.
“I have to unlock it.” Leo pulled out keys from his pocket. Within just a moment, he had the door unlocked. “You can lock it again from the inside and then come into the house through the other door.”
“Sounds perfect.” I met his gaze—willing him to see my affection and gratitude. I had a couple of hours before I needed to head to the hospital, and I couldn’t think of a better way to spend them than with these three.
“Yeah. Do you mind if I have a super-quick shower? I’m getting cold.”
I gestured toward the house. “We’ll be looking at dolls and monster trucks.” The hems of my jeans were damp, but nothing to be concerned about.
While Leo and the kids headed inside, I secured the sleds, then followed them.
Melodie’s curly hair stood in every direction—static cling because of the hat.
Trevor’s was flat against his head.
Leo was nowhere to be found.
I bent to untie my laces. “Okay, hot chocolate? Can you point me in the direction of what I need?”
“Papa makes them in the microwave.” Melodie gestured to the kitchen.
I trailed after her and, with great precision, followed her directions to make four mugs of hot chocolate.
Don’t think about Leo in the shower. Because that’ll lead to all kinds of awkward situations.
Just as we sat at the dining room table to consume the drinks, Leo joined us. He’d changed into a hunter-green wool sweater with a huge snowflake on the front. The color accented his eyes. He’d added gray track pants and thick black-wool socks.
“You look cozy.”
He grinned. “Yes, thank you.” He fluffed his hair. “Washed it this morning, so I didn’t need to again.” He sat, and I passed him a mug. He offered a grateful smile. “I thought you were going to be looking at toys.”
“Priorities.” I’d made small ones for the kids, since we’d all be eating dinner soon. “One cookie now or after dinner?”
“Oh please, Papa.” Melodie put her hands together in the universal symbol of begging.
“Yeah. Please.” Trevor gazed back and forth between the adults—clearly trying to figure out who had more power in this weird dynamic.
“One.”
The word had barely left Leo’s mouth before both kids scampered into the kitchen to retrieve the tin.
Leo wagged his finger at me.
I shrugged.
“Chicken fingers, carrots, and fries okay?”
I gazed.
“No, I don’t eat the fries. I only eat ones I can steal off other people’s plates.”
“You can steal off mine.”
“Here are the cookies.” Melodie put the container on the table before her father. She and Trevor scampered back into their seats.
With deliberateness, Leo opened the container and sniffed. A wide grin spread across his face. “Okay, that smell alone is worth the price of admission.”
“Papa.” Trevor speaking. Slightly irritated.
Leo and I exchanged a grin as he offered the container to each of his children. Finally, he held it out for me.
I snagged one. “Mama’s cookies are the best. Just…the best.”
“Does your mother speak Cantonese or Mandarin? Or neither? Or both.” Leo winced. “That’s a really personal question.”
“She grew up speaking Mandarin and learned Cantonese when she came to Canada so she could interpret both at the hospital.”
“How do you say thank you? In either language.”
I told him.
He repeated it.
Then he had both the kids say it.
With varying degrees of success.
We laughed.
He held my gaze.
I whispered, “Thank you.”
He smiled back.
Three hours later, as I was on my way to the hospital, I acknowledged that, aside from not being able to kiss Leo, today had been as wonderful as any of my epic parties.
Maybe even better.