Liam

 

I stood there staring, blinking, then staring again.

My own private superpipe.

And my God, it was a sight to behold.

I knew just by looking at it the pipe was approximately eighteen feet tall, and an experienced boarder could get up to a fifteen-foot jump on it. The walls were so perfect, the snow packed to such perfection, I would wager half my bank account that I would be able to get up to twenty-eight MPH on this thing.

It was so fucking impressive I was speechless. My limbs literally quivered with the urge to grab a board and break it in.

I could practically taste the satisfaction, the adrenaline, and even the spray of the snow as I cut through it.

I mean, I literally had a hard-on right now. My dick was fucking rock hard.

“Jesus,” I prayed, staring up at it. It was lined with massive floodlights so I could totally practice at night. There were American flags waving along its perimeter, and the silence that reverberated around this acreage would echo with the sound of a board cutting into snow.

There was even a small cabin off to the side, probably for storing gear and getting out of the elements. You know, if anyone wanted out of the snow.

I didn’t understand those types of people.

The sound of a snowmobile coming up behind me made me turn. A few moments later, one of the men who ran the slopes for the resort climbed off and grinned at me. “Ain’t she a fuckin’ beauty?”

“You in on this, Glasko?” I asked, still freaking in shock.

Jon Glasko worked with my father my entire life. He was pretty much an expert at keeping our slopes running and packed with snow.

“You’re damn right.”

I held out my hand, and we shook. “This is a damn fine sight,” I said, looking back at the pipe.

“Ren didn’t skimp on this at all. It’s top of the line. Some serious time and money went into this thing. It’s fit for an Olympian.” He paused. “Well, it’s fit for you.”

“How?” I asked, still staring.

“Time and money, my friend. Time and money.”

I glanced around at Mom, who was standing close by, taking in the sight. “When did he have time to do all this?”

“Right after your accident. You were still in the hospital.”

“I thought he was undergoing cancer treatments.”

“He was. He was doing this, too. I’ve never seen a man more determined to get something done—and done right, I might add. He insisted this had to be ready when you were.”

“Or maybe he wanted to get it done before the cancer got him,” I murmured, glancing back to the structure.

“That, too.” Mom agreed, sober.

All those months Mom and Dad had not been around so much when I was in the hospital. All those months I spent being angry about it.

This was what they were doing. Dad was battling cancer, but he still made time for this.

For me.

For something that would live on after him.

I threw out a hand, waving my fingers in the air. Bellamy stepped out, slipping her gloved fingers against mine. “Can you believe this?” I asked her.

“Sure makes the sweater I was going to get you for Christmas look lame,” she quipped.

I laughed.

“This baby takes nine million gallons of H2O to pack it with snow,” Glasko said, proud.

I was proud, too. What a goddamn masterpiece.

“He trucked in a Zaugg machine to make sure it was done with absolute precision.”

I whistled.

“What’s a Zaugg machine?” Bellamy asked.

“It uses lasers to sculpt the pipe into the perfect shape,” I replied.

“This is how sure he was,” Mom said, coming to stand beside me and Bells. “He was so sure that you would return to boarding that he had this entire thing constructed, here at home, for you to use privately and to your heart’s content.”

“I could train here,” I murmured. “I could practice and still check in on the resort. Still be here with my family.” I glanced down at Bellamy.

“It’s all right here.” She nodded. “Yours for the taking.”

No. It was mine for the earning.

I could prove I did in fact own this mountain. That snow was in my veins. I could leave my legacy on my own terms and step into a new one all on BearPaw territory.

Oh my God, I was tempted. Passion and fire burned in me brighter than it had in a lot of years. A renewed sense of energy and adrenaline coursed through, and the craving to win pounded in my chest.

The letter my father wrote sat in my pocket, the gift he built spread out before me.

“My knee might not hold up.” I hedged.

“You won’t know unless you try,” Bellamy answered.

I stared at the pipe, still amazed my father believed in me just this much. Enough to bring my dream to me.

All the reasons I’d been denying myself sort of up and vanished. All the reasons I should do it suddenly reappeared.

“Do it, Liam.” Bells urged. “Do it for yourself.”

I dug into my pocket and pulled out my cell and hit a few buttons. The call went through, and seconds later Tom Joiner answered.

“Liam? You want to meet for dinner after all?”

“Forget about food, Joiner,” I said into the line. “I’ve got something a hell of a lot better.”

Bellamy made an excited sound and hugged me hard.

I couldn’t help the wide smile that split my face.

Fuck yeah, I was doing this.