Page 99 of Rise After Fall

He hugs me tightly as I begin to cry into his chest.

“Hey, sis.”

“What are you doing here?” I ask without looking up.

“A birdie told me you could use your big brother, so I cleared my calendar and hopped on the first plane to Tennessee.”

“Do you know everything?” I ask, still hiding my face.

“I know enough, but I’m hoping you’ll tell me the rest.”

I nod.

“Hey, let me see those baby blues,” he says.

My head tilts up, and I bring my eyes to his.

“Everything is going to be okay now. We’ve got your back,” he says.

And I believe him.

“Now, I know you might be the hotshot on the ski slopes, but I’m the master of a tubing hill, so let’s race,” he declares.

I release him and run back for my tube, but I stop just short of making it to the bottom of the conveyor.

Turning back around, I march over to Morris, who is pulling on his snow gloves, and I put my mouth on his in full view for all to see. He wraps an arm around my waist and pulls me into him and kisses me breathlessly.

A symphony of hoots and whistles fills the night air.

When his lips release mine, I smile up at him.

“Gotta go kick some ass,” I tell him.

He smacks my behind. “Go get ’em.”

I join the others, and we spend the rest of the evening racing, laughing, singing, and drinking all the cocoa our bellies can hold when Weston forces us off the hill so he can take little Kaela, safely nestled in his arms, down several runs.

Her chunky arms wave in the air as she squeals with glee.

“God, I love him more every single day,” Anna says as she watches him with her daughter.

She looks at me. “It’s amazing, isn’t it?”

“What’s that?” I ask.

“How bright the light can be when God takes you by the hand and leads you out of the darkness.”

I let her words wash over me. She lays her hand on my shoulder, and as her eyes hold mine, understanding blooms.

I nod my agreement.

“Refill?” Isley asks.

“No more for me,” I say as Anna sticks her Styrofoam cup up to the window.

“Looks like Kaela is a fan of tubing,” Isley says.

“Yep. I’m so glad Langford included the tubing option. I know Weston wants her to be a skier, but this is more my speed,” Anna says.