Page 83 of Eight Days of Christmas
Isabella exhaled a pent-up sigh and pressed her gloved hands to his back, giving the two of them a push, albeit a small one.
The sled went sailing down the snowy hill in aswoosh. Isabella bit her lower lip, chanting a prayer while she hovered on the hilltop and waited for them to reach the bottom safely. When the sled came to a stop, Ava climbed out and pumped both fists into the air and shouted while the rest of the family stood at the top clapping.
Leo made the trek back up the hill with Ava on his back, dragging the sled behind him. It was sweet, him carrying Ava so she didn’t have to make the climb on such little legs. The gesture, and the look of pure joy on Leo’s face, gave her the warm fuzzies. If she could be wooed any further, he’d just done it.
When they reached the knoll, Leo set Ava down.
“Again!” Ava shouted.
“Okay, why don’t we let Uncle Leo catch his breath. You and Daddy can take a ride next,” Nina said.
“Yay!” She bounced.
Leo carried the sled, and when he reached Isabella, he handed it out to her. “Your turn.”
“Oh, I don’t think…I mean…I can wait. How about we let Ava and Finn go?”
Leo persisted for a moment longer, still holding the sled out. But when she didn’t accept, Finn swooped in and snatched it.
“We’ll go next. Isabella can have a few more minutes to psych herself up. Then it’s time for a little friendly competition.”
“How do you compete with sledding?” she asked.
Finn just laughed while he positioned himself on the sled.
Isabella turned and looked at Leo. “Or should I be afraid to ask that?”
Leo quirked a dark brow at her. “Did you forget? You’re a Whitley, everything’s a competition.”
“Right,” she answered thoughtfully.
Great. Not only did she have this sense of crippling fear that came from out of nowhere, but now she would have no choice but to get on that sled.
“Okay, Finn. You asked for a little competition?” Norah raised her brows playfully. “Count Landon and I off.” She waved Landon over and the two hopped on a second sled.
“Oh, it’s on,” Finn said. “Ava and I have this in the bag.”
When Isabella glanced in Leo’s direction, her stomach plummeted to the snow at her feet at the sight of him holding a sled and gesturing with his chin.
“You go ahead,” she insisted.
“I need you,” Leo said with a wink.
Her face heated. His words ballooned in her chest, and she let them float there for a moment.
“C’mon, Izzy. I’ve never seen you back down from a little family competition,” Finn coaxed.
He wasn’t wrong. And she couldn’t ruin her reputation now.
She sucked in a breath and pranced toward Leo and the sled. “Fine. Let’s do this.”
“Alright!” Leo climbed into the sled, positioning himself in the back, his legs spread open. “Okay, c’mon.” He held an open palm out to her and she accepted, taking her place in front of him.
She scooted her backside closer into him, and he let out a grunt in her ear. “Sorry,” she mumbled.
“Believe me, I don’t mind,” he said, low and quiet, tightening his legs around her body. “Hold the strap and don’t let go. I don’t want to go flying off this thing.”
“Got it.”
