Page 30 of Daddy of the Mountain

"Sure." My voice wavered, betraying the lie.

"Then fall."

I crossed my arms over my chest, my back to him, and stared hard at the snow in front of me. My muscles locked up tight, every nerve screaming to stay upright. Falling wasn’t natural—not for me, not for anyone who’d spent years catching themselves.

"Anytime today, sweetheart," Silas said behind me, his voice low, steady. A challenge, but not unkind.

"Don’t rush me," I shot back, though it came out more breathless than biting.

"Not rushin’." I could hear the shrug in his tone. "But you’re burnin’ daylight."

"Maybe I like daylight," I muttered, shifting my weight from one foot to the other. My boots crunched faintly in the snow, and the sound felt too loud in the quiet space between us.

"Ally." His voice softened just enough to make my throat tighten again. “Stop thinkin’ so much."

"That easy, huh?" I closed my eyes, squeezing them tight. My heart pounded in my ears, drowning out everything else.

“I know that right now, you’re worrying about what could go wrong.”

He was right. I was thinking he might miss me. That he might trick me. That he could let me fall into the snow and get cold. Maybe he might misjudge how far behind me he was. Or he, himself could fall.

“Yeah well that’s what I do.”

How had he known this would be so damn hard for me?

“You don’t need to. Just close your eyes and enjoy it. Enjoy the worry. It means your alive, and that you’re about to do something exciting.”

"Okay," I whispered, barely audible even to myself. Then I exhaled, slow and shaky, and let gravity take over.

For one wild second, the world tilted. My stomach dropped, adrenaline surging fast and sharp. Air rushed past me—or maybe it was just in my head. Then, solid warmth wrapped around my waist, firm and unyielding.

Fuck. I felt the fear. And it wasn’t so bad.

"Gotcha," Silas murmured, his breath brushing against my ear.

I gasped, my chest heaving as he pulled me upright, steadying me like I weighed nothing. My legs wobbled beneath me, but his hands stayed on my hips, grounding me.

"See?" He stepped back just enough to give me space. "Told ya."

"Yeah, yeah," I mumbled, brushing hair out of my face. My pulse still raced, but something loosened in my chest—a knot I hadn’t realized was there.

"Again," he said, already moving into position.

"Seriously?"

"Seriously." He folded his arms, waiting.

"Fine," I huffed, rolling my shoulders. This time, I didn’t hesitate as long. Crossing my arms again, I glanced over my shoulder. "Ready?"

"Always."

I fell faster this time, less thought, more instinct. The spike of fear was there, quick and sharp, but it burned out just as fast. His arms caught me, strong and sure, pulling me back to my feet.

This time, when I felt the fear, I kinda enjoyed it.

"Better," he said simply, his hands lingering just a second longer than necessary.

"Better?" I turned to face him, arching a brow.

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