My Winter

by Nikki Young

  I sigh hard and roll over to find the chalkboard with my dad’s quote written on it. It’s hanging on the wall next to our bed. I don’t know when Adam hung it up, but seeing it makes me cry. Somehow he knows the importance of something without me ever saying it.

  I watch him when he doesn’t think I am. He makes it look effortless. The way he knows me without ever asking any questions. The frosted cookies from the bakery in the city that I love so much left on the counter when I didn’t even say I was craving them. The laundry folded and put away when I accidently fell asleep on the couch while waiting for it to dry, or the way he presses into me when we sleep. It’s like he knows my body needs him to feel safe, to be able to sleep peacefully. I was lost before him; it was as if he was here to find me.

  The front door slams. Adam comes flying into the bedroom and jumps on top of me making me laugh. He pins my body under his and kisses me aggressively.

  “Adam,” I say wiggling out from under him. “I can’t live with you if you’re gonna maul me every chance you get.”

  “What? That’s really the only benefit to having you here.”

  “Watch it, boy!” I yell, and slap his ass.

  “Coming home from work and finding you in our bed is the best welcome home. Ever.” He smiles as he tries to unbutton my pants. “The only problem is you’re still wearing clothes.” He leans down pressing his lips to my ear. “Next time, I need you naked and ready. But first I have to show you something.”

  “Hold on,” I say. “You hung my chalkboard.” I smile at him.

  “Of course I did,” he says with a big grin on his face. “You love it.”

  “How did you know that?”

  “Because I love you,” he says, like that explains everything, and in a way it does.

  He jumps off of me and grabs my hand pulling me to my feet. His smile is infectious and I can’t help the giggle that escapes my lips. He practically pulls me down the stairs and out the front door.

  I’ve never seen him so excited before.

  “Look,” he says coming to a stop on the front porch. “It’s snowing. The first snowfall of the year.”

  “Yeah, it is,” I say looking around as a few snowflakes swirl through the air. Something red catches my eye and I turn to Adam. “There’s a pair of mittens hanging from the magnolia tree,” I say slightly confused. I look at him raising an eyebrow as I wait for a response.

  “They’re for you. To celebrate the first snow,” he says.

  “Oh,” I respond as I leave the porch to retrieve the red knitted mittens from the tree. “Sometimes you’re just so damn cute,” I yell over my shoulder.

  I unclip the mittens, taking the clothespins with me; I begin to stuff both the clothespins and the mittens in my pockets when Adam yells out, “Put them on.”

  I roll my eyes and respond back with, “You’re being weird,” but comply because I just want him to be happy.

  I slip my right hand into the first mitten, waving at him and that’s when I notice they don’t match. The right is plain red, but the left has a white heart knitted in the center. As I put the left one on I feel something. My fingers grab it and when I pull it out I’m speechless.

  A ring.

  Adam is standing in front of me and my mitten covered hand moves to my mouth and I’m crying before he has even spoken a word.

  “Leah, will you marry me?”

  I nod my head, unable to speak as tears flow from my eyes and my smile begins to make my cheeks hurt. Adam laughs, wrapping me in his arms.

  Burying my face in his neck as he lifts me off the ground, I whisper, “Yes, always, yes.”

  When he sets me down I take his face in my hands, kissing him. My heart is beating rapidly and although I still worry, I don’t fear what’s to come. I love Adam with everything in me, completely, obsessively and sometimes the only thing you need to make your world right is love.

  “I love you, Adam.”

  I love you, too, Leah.”

  Acknowledgements

  Writing a second book was far harder than I imagined and I owe a lot of thank yous to everyone who helped me out.

  First, thank you to Sarah at Okay Creations (www.okaycreations.com) for my beautiful cover. It’s amazing and you are a true talent.

  To my beta readers, Tracy, Peggy, Kelly and Julie: Tracy, thank you for always encouraging me and asking about my progress regularly. It kept me writing and always made me smile. Your notes were worth a giggle or two and beyond helpful. Peggy, thank you for reading it in one day and for your insight on things I was clearly clueless about. Kelly, my girl in those hot stilettos, thanks for catching all my grammatical errors, but more than anything, thanks for those nightly Facebook messages. Every single one put a smile on my face. Knowing you were so invested in my characters made it all worth it. Julie, my first book found you unemployed and living with your parents. Turns out my second book found you with a broken foot and the use of a kick scooter to get around. As much as I feel sorry for you, I’m thrilled you had nothing better to do than read my book. Thanks for sharing in my love of the pink donut. Love you!

  Natalie, you’ve always been more than a beta reader. Thank you for encouraging me like no one else, for making me laugh like crazy and for always being willing to read my L&A even though you were working on your own L&A. I’m forever grateful for your friendship and support, even if your grammar skills are shit. Here’s to Pusheen and Mewbacca who will never be as fucking cool as you.

  Last, but never least...BJ, my amazing husband, thank you for buying me peppermint patties and Rolos, for turning the volume down on the TV so I wasn’t distracted by whatever sporting event/car show/reality TV show you were watching, for making me laugh when I ran ideas by you, for reading everything I write, despite me standing over your shoulder as you do it, for your mad formatting skills, they will remain unmatched by me out of laziness and for never telling me I was crazy, even though I know you were thinking it. But beyond all this, thanks for being an amazing father, husband and best friend. I love you.