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“Now Bonnie is showing you up,” he chuckled, and warmth tingled down my spine. “Come on, you can do it.”
“Keep your knees bent,” Ava instructed matter-of-factly, “and your toes pointed in, okay?”
“Okay.” I smiled down at her, let go of Luke’s arm, and pushed off. For a second, I was certain I was about to end up face down in the snow once more, but as I moved off, my balance stayed up. I straightened my arms, helicoptering them slightly, but through a stroke of luck, I made it to the bottom in one piece.
“Yes!” I yelled, and excitement burst through my chest. I did it! A moment later, Ava crashed into the back of my knees, and we both tumbled into the snow with a screech of laughter and a clatter of skies.
The rest of the morning passed swiftly, with Bonnie and I becoming more confident on the slope and Ava sticking by my side like glue to guide me each time. Kane also grew in confidence and even turned a full three-sixty on one of his descents which earned himuber-cool points,according to Ava. Any worries in my mind fled in the cold wind, and nothing else mattered, only the snow and the cold and the laughter from kids and fathers alike.
Each time I reached the bottom of the slope and turned to see Jax, Luke, and Theo with their children, my heart clenched painfully. It was so heartwarming to see, and there wasn’t a single sad face. Only face-splitting smiles and red, rosy cheeks. Their family dynamic was so much more than individual fathers and their kids. Together they were a huge family I was being granted a chance to help, and such thought only added to the flutter of guilt I had in my gut each time I looked at Theo.
The longer we went without getting a chance to talk, the more I worried I had overstepped.
“Alright!” Jax called eventually. “Grandma is up at the lift, so you know what that means.”
“Lunchtime!” all the children yelled, and they made a beeline for the gondola as fast as they could through the snow with skis attached.
“Wait!” I called with a laugh. “Detach your skis first!”
Ava obeyed immediately, then Kane and Bonnie followed. Then Ava ran up to me and shoved her small, gloved hand into mine.
“Are you having lunch with us?” she asked, wiping at her cherry-red nose. Before I could answer, Jax appeared.
“Not yet,” Jax said. “Summer’s going to come down the hill with me.”
“You can’t be serious,” I laughed as we headed up to the gondola. “I could barely do the kiddie hill.”
“You picked it up fast,” Jax said. “Trust me, you’ll take to it like a pro. Unless you’re too chicken…”
“Oh, really?” I laughed. “Are you challenging me?”
“Well, you already lost at Twister, so maybeloseris just in your blood,” Jax grinned, and I couldn’t hold in my snort.
“Okay, fine, I’ll try your slope but when I break my leg, I expect triple injury pay.”
“Oh, you’re on,” Jax chuckled.
At the gondola, Luke made a beeline for Tabitha, who stood in the doors wrapped up in a hundred scarfs and a thick coat.
“Hey, Ma.”
“Fun morning?” she asked. Ava released my hand and threw herself across to Tabitha.
“Granny!”
“Hey little ones. Who’s hungry?”
“Me!” cheered a small chorus.
“Granny, Summer helped me on the hill,” Ava began, and she immediately launched into a long story giving every detail of our ski escapades as they climbed into the gondola. For the first time, Tabitha gave me a light smile as the doors closed and I smiled back; then I was faced by Theo, Luke, and Jax who all grinned exactly like their children.
“Ready?” Jax asked slyly.
“As I’ll ever be.”
The slope wasn’t as steep as I expected, but it was definitely more daunting than the children’s slope. Flanked by the three guys, my heart began to pound like a drum as I stared. There was no way I was ready for this, and yet at the same time, I wanted to show that I had learned and prove to Jax that I could face his challenges with ease.
“Alright, remember,” Theo said. “Knees bent, toes inwards, and you’ll be fine.”
