Page 77 of My Greatest Joy

“Alright, let’s go. We need to get your gear and meet the instructor at the bunny hill.”

“Bunny hill?” she asks with a brow popped.

“It’s cute. You’ll see.”

“My ass is numb,” Fallon mutters as I help her up for the fifth time in twenty minutes.

“From falling or from the cold?” I tease.

“Both.”

“You’re doing great. Just take it slow and focus on your balance.”

The ski instructor worked with Fallon for an hour, but for the first thirty minutes, he yapped away about safety on the slopes and taught her how to snap her boots into the skis. The last thirty minutes were the hands-on lesson, and I was happy when it was over. I didn’t like the way he kept touching her hips and making flirty comments. I was moments away from telling him to back off before the lesson was over, and it’s a miracle I didn’t.

Since then, I’ve been doing my best to teach her the basics. She’s gone down the tiny hill a few times but gains too much speed, panics, and then falls.

“I’m going to stand behind you and slowly guide you down this time,” I tell her, clicking out of my skis. “That way, I can catch you if needed.”

“Now that sounds like fun,” she quips.

“Don’t fall on purpose,” I warn. “You might take me out, and I’m not used to landing on my ass like you.”

“Hey!” She swats at me, and I laugh when she stumbles into me.

I grip her hips and stand behind her, holding her tight as she slowly glides down the hill.

“This is embarrassing. Six-year-olds are skiing better than me.” She looks out at the kids zipping down the beginner hill.

I lean down closer so she can hear me. “You’re doing great, my love. Just focus.”

She breathes out and slowly moves again.

Once she’s halfway down the hill, I release my grip, and she glides faster, staying in complete control.

I follow, and when she nears the bottom, I notice she’s trying to slow down before she topples through a bunch of little kids playing at the bottom.

“Fallon, turn!” I call out, chasing after her, knowing they aren’t paying attention.

She squeals, shifting her body to miss them.

I meet up with her right as she turns and catch her as she falls. But she takes me down with her.

“Argh,” I mutter as her knee gets awfully close to my groin. “You okay?” I ask when she doesn’t move.

“Can I please be done now?”

I bellow out a laugh. “Yeah, you’ve given me enough bruises, I think.”

Once she’s up, she clicks out of her skis, and I carry both pairs to the rental place.

“So overall, not too bad, right?” I ask as we wait to turn everything in.

She shoots me a glare. “Two out of ten, but we’ll see how sore I am later.”

“Practice helps.”

She points at herself. “Not a fan of the cold, remember?”

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