Gifted To His Dad: Chapter 9

Cole raises the chairlift bar over our heads, and I swallow hard as I hop off the seat. Growing up in Florida, there weren’t any opportunities to go skiing. So my only experience is going a few times on the smaller ski hill in Colorado near the college. The boys have assured me we’ll be going down a green hill and I can do it.

Hesitantly, I follow them to the top of the hill, my heart racing in my chest, making it hard to breathe.

Cole removes his gloves and checks my helmet strap. “You okay?”

I meet his clear green eyes, and I know if I said I wasn’t, he’d find a way to get me down this hill without me having to ski another foot.

Humiliation at the thought of being driven down on a snowmobile has me telling him, “I’m good…just a little nervous.”

He squeezes my arms. “We’ll both be here with you the entire time. You’re safe.”

Safe…yeah, sure. Says the guy who’s spent his entire life on the slopes, but still, his words give me a semblance of comfort.

“You ready, Baby Girl?” Griffin calls up from where he’s perched sideways a dozen feet below us.

My chest tightens at the distance.

“Remember what we showed you. Point the tips of your skis together and your weight on your heels to slow you down,” Cole reassures me. “I’ll be right with you.”

He moves so that he’s in front of me, facing up the hill directly at me, and holds out his hands. “Come to me.”

He’s only a few feet ahead, alleviating some of the fear. I position my skis like they said and slowly make my way toward him. He’s able to maintain his balance as he slides down the hill backward, never leaving too much space between us. We’re a quarter of the way before I realize it, and my breathing has evened out.

Griffin comes up beside me. “You feeling better? What do you think about him giving you a little more room?”

I glance back to Cole, who’s waiting patiently for my answer, making it known he’ll do whatever I want. Both men have made it abundantly clear that my comfort is their top priority.

I breathe out. “Okay.”

Cole nods and slowly puts distance between us until there’s a fifteen-foot gap. Fear crawls up my spine.

“You’ve got this. You already have control of your speed. Now we’re just working on your confidence.”

Realization that even though Cole’s been in front of me this entire time, I’ve been the one slowing myself gives me a little boost. It’s been me the entire time. They’re just here to support.

“I’ve got this.” I look down at my feet, which both Griffin and Cole warned me not to do, and lose the pizza shape of my skis.

I press hard on my heels, but I can’t slow down. I’m approaching Cole faster and faster, but he doesn’t move, like he’s unafraid of me crashing into him.

Squeezing my eyes tight, I prepare myself for the fall, but Cole catches me easily.

He presses his helmet to mine. “See, I told you I have you.”

My breaths come out hard, but none of it matters. I’ve never felt so safe in my life.

Griffin’s firm hands wrap around me from behind. “How about you ski down the rest of the way with me? Just keep your skis between mine, and I’ll take care of the rest.”

Even in the cold winter air, my skin heats in his arms. I crane my head back to see him. “Together?”

“Yeah, just trust me and relax.”

Trust him. Cole’s giving me a warm smile, and Griffin’s arms tighten, holding me close.

“I trust you.”

Griffin makes a satisfied sound in the back of his throat, sending tingles down my neck, and shifts so that we’re moving down the hill much faster than I had been.

Fear trails through me at first, but he puts me at ease. Each of his movements is controlled and trained, like his skis are a part of him. All I have to do is lean back.

The wind whips around me as we descend, and a bubbling sensation fills my chest until my smile turns into a laugh.

I’m having so much fun I’m almost disappointed when we reach the bottom.

I spin around to them. Both men wear matching smiles.

“Again?”