Chapter 10 - The Warmth of Home
The backyard was a pristine, untrodden sheet of white under the December sun.
Arthur and Sophie spent two hours rolling giant snowballs, stacking them high, and shaping a lopsided, magnificent snowman that wore an old woolen scarf of Arthur’s and a carrot for a nose. Barnaby the puppy bounded through the deep drifts like a furry torpedo, kicking up white powder and barking at his own frozen paws.
By noon, the cold air had bitten their cheeks red, and their gloves were soaked through with melting ice.
“Okay, arctic explorers,” Arthur announced, scooping Sophie up into his arms as she shrieked with laughter. “ Expedition over. Time to retreat to base camp before we turn into icicles.”
Inside the warm kitchen, the radiator hissed softly, pumping comforting heat into the room.
Arthur filled two mugs with hot cocoa, loaded them with an absurd, mountain-like peak of miniature marshmallows—following Sophie’s strict culinary instructions—and set them down at the kitchen island.
Sophie sat on her barstool, wrapped in a thick fleece blanket, her hands wrapped around the warm ceramic mug, sipping the rich chocolate with a look of absolute, profound contentment on her face.
Arthur stood beside her, sipping his own cocoa, watching the steam rise lazily toward the ceiling.
There was no stainless-steel bowl on the floor. No shadow in the pantry. No cold, manipulative presence hovering at the edge of their lives.
Just the warmth of the radiator, the sweet smell of cocoa, and the bright, unbreakable laughter of a little girl whose world had finally been made safe again.
Sophie set her mug down, wiped a chocolate mustache off her upper lip with the back of her sleeve, and looked up at him with those big, clear hazel eyes.
“Daddy?”
“Yeah, sweetie?”
“I think this is the best day ever.”
May you like
Arthur smiled, pulling her close against his side, feeling the steady, strong rhythm of her heartbeat against his own.
“I think you’re right, Sophie,” Arthur said softly, looking out the window at the snow-covered yard where their snowman stood tall and proud against the winter sky. “I think you’re right.”
