Lily glanced over at the grandfather clock just as it chimed three times. Braden rushed into the room. “It’s snowing! Look!” He bent forward. “It’s still in my hair.”

Mack pointed toward the window. “Well, would you look at that? Maybe we’ll have enough to make a snowman tomorrow after school.”

Braden threw up a hand to high-five with Mack, and then with his mother. “We’ve never got to build a snowman before. Where’s Holly? I got to tell her.”

Mack stood up and stretched. “It’s time to go get her. Want to go with me?”

“I think I’ll stay in where it’s warm.” Lily got to her feet.

“I’ll go with you,” Braden said. “Bet I can beat you to the truck.”

“You just want to go outside and catch snowflakes on your tongue,” Mack chuckled.

“Yep, I do, but you and Mama are old, so y’all can’t run as fast as me, and besides, you got to get your coat and boots on.” Braden was off like a flash of lightning.

The front door slammed, and then Lily and Mack watched him through the window as he ran around with his head thrown back and his mouth open to catch snowflakes on his tongue.

Mack took a couple of steps to the side. “I’ll bring you a pretty snowflake when we get back.”

“It’ll melt before you can get here.” She sank down on the sofa and wondered what it would be like to spend some time in bed with him.

“Like that’s going to happen anytime soon with two kids in the house,” she whispered to herself.

They were gone all afternoon, the pesky voice in her head replied.

“Today was too soon, anyway.” She popped up off the sofa and went up to her bedroom. She had about half an hour before Mack would be back with the kids, so she got out the journal and reread the first several pages.

She left the book on the bed and went to the window. The skies were completely gray, and the snow was coming down harder than it had been when Braden came into the house. Mack pulled up into his normal parking spot in front of the house, and the kids jumped out. Small blades of grass peeked out from under the smooth white cover, but in only a few minutes, it had been stomped through. Or else Braden and Holly had rolled up snowballs to throw at each other.

She heard the front door hinges squeak as the door opened, so she made her way downstairs. She met Mack taking off his coat in the foyer.

“Did you bring me a snowflake?” she teased.

He held out a perfectly round snowball. “I brought you a million because you deserve more than one.”

She took the snowball from him. “It’s beautiful. Thank you. I’m going to put it in the freezer and keep it.”

“For real?”

“For absolute real,” she said. “This could be the most romantic present anyone’s ever given me.”