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"Time to play in the snow!"

Everyone jumped up at once as Dominic shouted those words, and Haven just sat there when they ran fro the to Dr DeMarco for direction, but he said nothing, his expression giving her no hint

"If you want to," Celia said, "but you’ll need to bundle up"

"Yes,for her Haven put on so her coat She wore so roup headed for the back door, and Do white stuff flying everywhere He forhed as he threw soot out of control quickly Haven ducked as Dia ran, snowballs barely h, and one slammed her in the chest

Dia wandered off to snap pictures as Haven crouched down, running her hand through a pile of snow She could feel the coldness through her gloves, the air chilly against her flushed face She watched it drift through her fingers, captivated by the way it crunched when she made a fist

The burden on her heart lessened Just for a while, she allowed her guilt to ease

Caro for a walk, tesoro?"

She nodded and trudged through the snow behind hiloved hand as they walked out toward the creek He paused a foot away fro embedded in his features She stared at hiaze, because he sed him "You know I do"

They stood under the trees, hand in hand, as two squirrels ran by Haven watched as they chased each other through the snow before scaling the tree beside the what they were doing, but Carmine was too slow He looked up in time for one of the squirrels to hit a pile of snow and send it flying into his face

"Son of a bitch!" he said, pulling his hand frohed as she watched hi funny?"

She bit her lip to hold in the laughter The ot herself under control, the squirrel ca onto Carlint in Carain She turned to run as he started toward her, recognizing the expression froot a few steps away before her foot caught on so She fell into the snow face-first, a rush of cold instantly overtaking her body

"See?" Carh at me"

She rolled over to look at him and tossed a handful of snow at his chest "And that’s what happens when you laugh ather to her feet "You’re covered now"

She shrugged "It’s just water"

"Just water? You can get frostbitten, or sick, or even pneus could happen You ht lose a toe"

"Carmine, I was born prematurely in the horse stables, and I survived I’ve had the daylights beaten out of ainst my throat, and I survived It’s frozen waterI’ll survive"

"So you’re saying you’re a survivor again?"

"Yes," she said "And I just got my thesaurus, so I haven’t had time to find other words for it"

"Carry on," he said "Keep living Remain alive"

"Aren’t they definitions?"

"Synonym, definitionsa at hiain "I don’t think that’s the word you want"

He ignored her "You knoas premature too A feeeks early My mom alanted a bunch of kids, but they stopped after me I never understood why"

His voice istful Haven closed the distance between them and wrapped her arms around his neck "Maybe they realized they created perfection with you and didn’t need any more"

"I’m far froood parts"

"You have flaws, but that’s part of what makes you wonderful You are perfect--perfect for me" She reached up on her tiptoes and kissed hiainst his lips "Besides, flaws, no flaws, perfect, not perfectthey’re probably just technicalities, too"

The sound of Carhter warmed her frozen skin

24

Vincent stood in the fa in the snow He couldn’t recall the last time he saw both of his boys happy at the saest in a perpetual state of turmoil, his soul broken and heart torn Vincent bla more to ease his worries

His child, so o

Celia stood beside Vincent "Carht Sonata?"

"No" Vincent could hear the s"