Chapter 10 - The Warmth of Winter
Winter descended softly upon the Cold Spring estate, blanketing the rolling Hudson Valley lawns in pristine, untouched white snow.
Inside the grand mansion, the roaring stone fireplace in the east wing cast a warm, golden glow across the polished hardwood floors. The sterile emptiness that had once defined Ethan Cole’s billionaire existence was nothing more than a distant memory.
In the newly renovated kitchen, Maria—wearing a simple silver wedding band on her finger—was pulling a tray of hot chocolate chip cookies from the oven, laughing as Elena tried to teach Lily how to shape dough into stars.
Ethan walked into the kitchen, wearing a comfortable sweater, carrying a stack of final documents for the foundation. He didn’t go to his study. Instead, he walked straight to the heart of the home, setting the papers on the counter, and wrapping his arms around Maria’s waist from behind, resting his chin gently on her shoulder.
“You’re home early,” Maria murmured happily, leaning back against his chest.
“My meetings finished early,” Ethan smiled, pressing a soft kiss to her temple. “Turns out when you surround yourself with competent people who actually care about what they do, you don’t need to spend twelve hours a day in a boardroom.”
“Hard to believe it’s only been six months since a little girl in a yellow sundress decided to climb onto your chest,” Maria whispered, looking out the frost-covered window toward the old oak tree where snow clung to its mighty branches.
“Best thing that ever happened to me,” Ethan said softly.
Just then, tiny footsteps thundered across the kitchen floor, and Lily skidded to a halt in front of them, holding up a lopsided star-shaped piece of dough covered in flour.
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“Efan! Look! A star for the tree!” Lily beamed.
Ethan knelt down, scooping Lily up into his arms alongside Maria, completing the circle of warmth in a house that was finally, truly alive. Outside, the winter wind howled against the glass, but inside, the fire burned bright, and for Ethan Cole, winter had never felt so warm.
