Winter's Love

Lazy Sunday Afternoon

William could feel his cousin staring at him, he could also feel him smiling at him. He tried to ignore Victor, hoping his dear cousin would leave if he didn’t give him any attention.

He knew it would never work.

Victor practiced his magic a lot. He concurred the business world due to his gifts. His cousin didn’t need to put a lot of effort into it. He knew he was out of practice and could barely push the amused Victor out. His cousin was trying to get on his nerves and it was working.

Ignoring Victor was never going to work, it was a stupid plan but at least he tried to do something.

Victor reached for his steaming mug of coffee, “Decorating sugar cookies, I never thought I’d witness the day William Winter became this domestic.”

“Sarcasm.” William glanced up narrowing his eyes on Victor, “Who would have thought?”

Victor flashed him a grin, “Thomas wouldn’t have, that’s for sure.”

He froze hearing that man’s name. He knew the girls were suffering due to this man. He tried to ease the suffering and being away from all the drama sure helped them. He could feel the softness seeping back into Emma and Faith, the little girl was smiling and laughing all the time. They appeared to be happy again and he sure wasn’t going to let Thomas ruin it.

Knowing Thomas he knew it wouldn’t take much for that man to ruin everything.

“He is coming back eventually.”

He didn’t need to look up to know Victor wasn’t playing games anymore.

“I know.”

Victor sighed, “It would ruin them.”

He didn’t expect his cousin to say that. He thought Victor was all about the drama and needing it to feel something in life. Something had changed. He looked up, placing the icing back with green icing aside. Victor pushed his coffee mug towards him.

“We need to help them.”

That surprised William even more, “We?”

He was glad he didn’t take a sip of his coffee yet, it would have spilled everywhere and ruined his work. He made Christmas sugar cookies for the kids. Zach and Faith would be over any minute now, the kids were excited to hang out with Snow. As he glanced at his dog who was now staring at the door leading to the backyard he knew Snow was excited about this too.

“Snow is attached to them.”

That was something he didn’t need to be told. Snow made it very clear he was fond of the girls, especially Faith. He’d do anything to cheer the little girl up. Snow also made sure he made an effort to get to know the girls and befriend them.

“He liked them the minute they arrived. Snow is never wrong about these things.”

Victor stole a snowman from the plate filled with sugar cookies and flashed him a wide smile when William glared at him. He tried to look innocent. Yet Victor was anything but innocent. The sparkle in his eyes showed his cousin knew where his thoughts wandered off too as well.

“You worry too much, Will. Sometimes you need to let things play out.”

"A minute ago you said we need to help them, now you're saying we should let things play out?" He was getting annoyed with the playful behavior of his cousin, Which is it, Vic?"

Victor devoured the cookie without much effort and washed it down with coffee, “Have you considered that we can help them by letting things play out?”

He understood what his cousin was trying to say. They could help the girls by being there for them, but their family drama needed to play out. Only closure would help them move forward and to get the closure they needed to confront the problem.

That would be Thomas.

***

Emma watched as Faith shoved her little booties on and grabbed the white-colored hat Emma bought her. It was decorated in gold glitters. It looked cute on Faith. She could tell that her niece was excited. She wanted to head out as soon as possible. Zach who was dropped off by his mother was politely standing by the tall sliding doors, patiently waiting for Faith to finish up.

"There is no rush, sweetie," Emma said with a small smile.

She tried hard to hide her amusement.

“I want to get there as soon as possible.” Faith exclaimed.

“Snow isn’t going anywhere.” Emma reminded her niece.

Faith sighed, “I know aunt, Em, but I want to see Snow as soon as possible!.”

Emma laughed and wrapped herself up in her thick soft grey scarf. She didn’t plan on staying with them. She’d escort the kids to William’s place and then head home to focus on her writing. She was getting somewhere, she was sure it was due to the environment. Inspiration hit her hard and she needed to use it.

“Let’s go, aunt Em.” Faith cheered.

Emma followed the kids, Faith leading the way with exciting big steps. It was cute watching her talk about how amazing William and Snow were. Zach telling his own stories about William who was friends with his dad. They were getting along which was more than she could have hoped for. Faith made a friend and it made school a lot more fun for her. Faith enjoyed her time at this little town which went all out with Christmas and people like William and Zach made it all the more inviting for her.

Faith was happy. Her cheerful chatter also helped Sara. She could tell her sister was getting out of her slump. Hearing how happy Faith was made Sara realize her daughter was safe and warm. It was enough to make Sara wanting to change things. She didn’t push her sister to do anything. Sara made the decisions, all she did was listen and give advice when Sara asked for it.

She had hope that Sara would soon be her old self. Secretly she hoped Thomas would never come back. Sara and Faith would be better off without that man.

“You look like a woman on a mission and I doubt I want to get in your way.”

Hearing Victor's playful voice scared her. She was so deep in thought she barely noticed they reached William's cottage. That wasn't safe. She was supposed to keep an eye on Faith and Zach. Guilt washed over her face and panic was right around the corner. She jumped when she felt a push against her leg. Her eyes flickered down to the fluffy head of Snow. Her fingers trembled a little, she tried to hide it and hoped no one saw it. She brushed her fingers through Snow's thick fur. The calmness which resonated through her furry friend hit her hard. She felt all the bad thoughts she had about herself just fade away. She pulled her hand away, confused about what happened.

“Emma?”

She glanced up at William who suddenly stood before her, “William?”

He laughed, “Wow, thought we lost you there for a second.”

She gestured to her head, “Sorry, I was just completely lost for a second.”

William chuckled, "We could tell." He shared a look with Snow, giving his dog a pet, and then looked at the children who looked impatient, “Why don’t you join Victor and me for some coffee or tea.” He couldn’t hide his amusement, “I know you prefer tea.”

She rolled her eyes at him, folding her arms across her chest to keep her scarf close to her, “Very funny.”

She glanced around, she had a plan but whenever she was around William she didn’t want to stick to her plan. She wanted to live and he pulled that out of her.

The scent of something fresh hit her. Her eyes flickered to the deck which was covered in pots filled with flowers. Her eyes hit the purple-colored flowers. The scent was so fresh and lively. William was magic. Smiling she met his gaze and nodded.

“I’d love some coffee.”

He returned the smile, his eyes then flickering to Snow, “You watch over Faith and Zach, okay?” He asked, “If anything happens let me know right away.”

Snow barked at him and then trailed off to the awaiting Faith. The minute his dog reached the kids they started running around the garden. Laughter filled up the place. When she looked at the scene she felt peaceful and happy.

Thomas should stay away, he just had to.

***

William let Emma inside the house, the minute Victor laid eyes upon her he walked over to greet her with a mug filled with steaming coffee. He made it just the way she liked it. That was quite a surprise. Emma didn't seem to believe her eyes either. She grabbed the mug and quietly thanked him, she walked over to the couch and sat down.

It was funny seeing how at home she felt.

“It smells good.”

“It’s pretty damn good coffee too.” Victor smiled.

She laughed, shaking her head, “I didn’t mean the coffee. I think I smell William’s cookies.”

Victor’s eyebrows shot up, “You can tell William made his famous sugar cookies just by the smell?”

She smirked at him, “You can’t?”

William laughed, walking to the kitchen and put some water in the kettle. Maybe Emma and William weren’t fans of tea but he sure was. Sure, he could enjoy a good cup of coffee every once in a while but tea just gave him the kind of peace coffee never could.

He plated up some cookies for Emma and joined her on the couch. Victor stood by the back door, keeping an eye on the kids. His cousin showed a different side to him these past few days, he didn’t understand what he was after.

He needed to figure it out fast. He didn't want to trust Victor just yet because if his cousin betrayed him it would hit him hard and he wouldn't know how to deal with it. He doubted he could stop Victor, he didn't match up to his cousin when it came to their gifts. If anything happened to the girls he would never forgive himself.

“I hear you’re making tea.” Emma’s eyes sparkled mischievously.

“You know I’m a tea guy.”

“You are more than just a tea guy.”

Her words hit him hard, it meant more than he wanted to admit. When she noticed the silence in the room she cleared her throat and looked away, looking embarrassed about the words which spilled from her lips.

“I’m also a dog person.” He joked.

That lightened the mood between them. Victor staying quiet said a lot though. When he glanced at his cousin he could tell the man was amused by it all.

He grabbed his phone and scrolled down his playlists, finding a list filled with chill songs that were perfect for a Sunday afternoon. Soft music played in the background setting the perfect mood. He made himself some tea while Victor joined Emma in the living room. He asked about her books and she answered his questions. The scene was warm and filled with the type of calmness which made your heart flutter.

He wished things could stay like this but he knew the future held so much turmoil.