Page 79 of Wild Hearts

"She has."

"Let me throw these inside, and I'll get my stuff," Xander said.

We headed for the lift and took it to the easiest slope. Xander insisted on riding with Dakota. I liked knowing that she could hang out with any one of my cousins and they'd be there for her too.

"She doing okay?" Eli asked me.

"She will be."

"We're happy to be there for you guys. Whatever you need."

"You know, I was second-guessing my decision to move here with Dakota. I was wondering if it might be better to be in Virginia where everything is familiar for her."

"What does Dakota want?"

"I haven't asked. I'm a little afraid she's going to say Virginia when I want to stay here. I like my job. I want to be around family, especially after being away for so long."

"You can make a decision that's in everyone's best interest. This is where your life is. She has a large family that cares for her. It's not a bad decision. It's not wrong. But I don't know what she would say about that. She's old enough to have an opinion."

We descended and glided off the lift toward everyone else.

Dakota looked over the edge. "Are you sure I'm ready for this?"

"You're a Wilde. You were born ready for this," Xander said as he pushed off showing her how it's done. "Go back and forth like this. Keep low. Bend your knees."

Oliver and Eli went next, and then Xander came back to where she stood. "You can do this. You control how fast you go when you do it like this. The lower you get, the more control you have. You ready to try it?"

Dakota nodded.

I stayed out of it because Xander was better with people, and I was a mess right now. Xander had a lighter energy which would be good for her in this moment.

Dakota pushed off, going slow, her face etched in concentration.

Xander glided next to her, throwing out words of encouragement and direction.

This was exactly what we needed, to get out of the house and be with people who loved us. I waited until they were abouthalfway down. Then I slowly followed them, keeping one eye on Dakota's progress. When she got to the bottom, Oliver and Eli high-fived her. Dakota turned and grinned at me. "Did you see me?"

"You did great." I let out the breath I'd been holding. She was so brave. So beautiful. But she was too old to appreciate me saying those things in front of the guys. Or at least, I assumed so. I was still navigating what a thirteen-year-old was okay with.

"You want to go again?" Xander asked.

Dakota nodded, and we headed back up the mountain. After a few greens, Xander talked her into a blue. I wasn't worried about her safety. She was doing great, and Xander wouldn't suggest it if he didn't think she could do it.

When she went down on her own with confidence, tears stung the back of my eyes. I'd missed a lot of things, but I'd gotten to be here for this. Parenting was such a rollercoaster. One minute I was stressed out of my mind, and the next I couldn't be prouder of her.

We got hot chocolate and hung around one of the bonfires for a few minutes. Dakota had school the next morning, so I didn't want to be up too late, but it was important for her to bond with her family.

I was a part of the family, and it took Dakota coming into my life to make me see that.

18

ADDISON

Walker sent me several pictures of Dakota skiing, and then one of her with her cousins. It was all of them in front of the bonfire, Dakota in the middle of the guys, and someone was holding it out to take a selfie. Everyone looked happy.

It was a great idea to remind Dakota of everything she'd gained and not just what she'd lost. She'd lost a mother but gained an entire family who loved and supported her.

Dakota was going to be okay.

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