#doggernaut

“I think it’s time to go inside,” Jack said.

“Nooooo,” his daughter’s chorused.

“We didn’t make a big enough snowman yet,” Tory pouted.  “You said we could make a really big one.”

“Noman!” Laney complained.

Jack weakened a little when he saw their pleading eyes but his resolve strengthened when he saw his husband waving through the kitchen window.

“Victoire, Madeleine, what did I just say?” Jack put on his fake stern face.

“Please.” Tory grabbed Jack’s hand and dialled up the cuteness to eleven.

“Pease,” Laney echoed her sister.

Jack crouched down to their level.  “Now I would say yes, but I just saw your daddy waving from the window and you know what that means.”

“Tooties!” Cheered Laney, turning to run to the house without letting go of Jack’s hand.

Jack was content to follow in their wake, silently doing his part by shaking off their snowy jackets before hanging them and setting their boots to dry and fetching dry socks and sweaters to replace their wet ones.  Then he bundled them up in his arms and carried them into the sweet smelling kitchen.

“Lord, how you all can stand going out in that weather, I will never know,” Bitty hustled them into the warmth and to the kitchen table.  Jack looked around.  A pot steamed on the stove and one of the counters was completely dusted in icing sugar and something white was rolled out on it in a big square slab.

“It’s not that cold,” Jack chirped. “It’s barely below zero.  The snow will be gone by afternoon.”

“It’s October!” Bitty rolled his eyes.  “It shouldn’t be snowing in October!”

Jack laughed and dragged his husband into his lap for a kiss.  “But you missed our snowball fight, Bits.”

“Yeah, Daddy, you shoulda seen us! Papa was super good.  Like he’s the best at making and throwing snowballs but we couldn’t just let him win.  So Laney distracted him by kicking him in the shins and when he fell down, I shoved a bunch of snow in his coat.  We totally destroyed him!” Tory chattered on.

“Wow, sounds…violent,” Bitty said faintly.  He jumped up after a moment. “But winners or losers, y’all better get a cup of my famous hot chocolate before it scorches in the saucepan.”

“Yay!” the girls cheered.  After a beat, Jack joined them.

Bitty blushed.  He ladled some into three mugs, added a little extra cream to two of them, and with a sharp, icing sugar covered knife, he cut a few squares out of the white slab on the counter and dropped them in as a final touch before bringing them to the table.

Jack blinked down at his cup.  “You made homemade marshmallow?”

Bitty leaned down and kissed him.  “Only the best for my favourite man.”

“What about us, Daddy?” Tory interrupted their little moment, chocolate mustache already painting her upper lip.

“And for my best girls, of course,” Bitty swooped over and kissed them thoroughly while they shrieked and laughed.

Jack sighed and rubbed at his knee, trying to work some stiffness out of it.  Bitty noticed, as he always did.  He grabbed his own mug of chocolate and came and sat in his chair by Jack.

“Are you alright,” he asked softly.  “I know it can’t be easy.”

Jack closed his eyes for a second, remembering how it had felt as he looked at the television screen and saw his team take to the ice for the beginning of playoffs without him.  The Providence Falconers would be making their run for the cup again, but he wouldn’t be joining them again.