Page 5 of The Silver Fox Daddy

“You couldn’t have gotten on the next one?” Jared muses, his voice mocking.

“Why shouldn’t I get to sit by Archer just because you’re annoying?” I ask, my words earning me a giggle from Archer.

“I thought you were on my side?” Jared turns to his son, pretending to be shocked.

“No,” Archer says, drawing out the ‘o’ as he giggles at his father.

As we reach the top of the mountain, I jump off the lift, watching in amusement at how effortlessly Archer keeps up. At eight years old, he’s probably a better skier than I am. He surely learned a thing or two from his father.

Our parents have already skied down, leaving us at the top with Tyler, Maria, and the kids. “Step back and watch the master,” Tyler says as he shuffles to where the mountain begins to dip. He sends his body weight forward down the slopes.

He doesn’t fall to the ground, but he doesn’t do anything exciting either. Nonetheless, Maria and the kids give him cheers of encouragement. I watch as Maria and the kids ski down, with Caden and Lyla, at seven and nine, following their mom effortlessly.

“Okay, Archer, you remember how to do this, right?” Jared asks, earning an annoyed grunt from his son.

“Yes. I’m not a baby,” he pushes back, eliciting a chuckle from his dad.

“I know. There’s nothing wrong if you can’t,” he begins before leaning down conspiratorially. “Some people here still struggle with it.” Though he pretends to whisper, I know he wanted me to hear. The fact that he gestures at me with his finger only proves that.

“Oh, shove it,” I scoff as Jared laughs at my expense.

Archer doesn’t seem to understand it’s a joke as he says, “Don’t worry, Monica. I can help you.”

His kind words immediately soften my demeanor as I give Archer a smile. “How kind. I wonder where you get it from?”

With that, Jared turns around to face the start of the slope. “See you at the bottom, kiddo.”

He drops down the slope at full speed. It looks easy as he glides over the snow. Just to show off, he heads towards a small snowbank that juts out towards the side of the trail, jumping off it and doing a spin that has him landing facing backwards. He goes down the rest of the slope facing us. My traitorous, stupid heart skips a beat as I watch him. But I quickly push the tingly feeling aside.

"Jared is quite the skier," my dad comments, catching me off guard.

I turn to see that Jared's parents and my own have already joined us at the top of the slope.

"Go Archer!" Maureen cheers, as Archer gets ready to take off.

Like Lyla and Caden, he skis with the confidence of a seasoned pro, easily making his way down the hill to meet his dad at the bottom.

"Go for it, Mon!" my mom cheers as I prepare to ski down the slope. I don't consider myself an expert skier, but the exhilarating feeling of rushing down the slope makes me happy.

As I finally reach the bottom, Jared teases me, "Took you long enough." I roll my eyes and try to avoid standing in line with him and Archer for the ski lift.

After a few more turns down the hill, Jared and Tyler suggest moving to a larger slope. Maria and our parents opt to stay behind with the kids, but Jared can't resist taunting me.

"I'd ask you to join us, Monica, but I'm not sure you're up for it."

Initially, I hesitate. But then I remember that I'm not a kid anymore, and I'm not afraid of keeping up with them.

As we ride up the lift, I start to regret my decision. The slope ahead of us is steeper than any I've skied before, and I'm nervous. I realize I only agreed to this to prove Jared wrong.

When we reach the top, Jared and Tyler waste no time launching themselves down the hill.

My brother shouts with a smile, "See you down there, Monica!"

And Jared adds, "Yeah, Mon, see you down there." His smirk makes me want to wipe it off his face.

Feeling the pressure to prove myself, I psych myself up and take a deep breath before pushing off the snow and zooming downhill.

CHAPTER4

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