Bud reflected on how he'd gotten to this point.
How he ended up in Alaska of all places during the Christmas season instead of some warm sandy beach, a drink in his hand, and some pretty girl on his arm. Because right, the pretty girl he landed was a snow dog from Alaska. He agreed to meet her family because he was a moron who didn't think this through completely. Rushing into meeting his girl's family after just a short period of dating was just plain idiotic.
He should not be here at all.
But who could say no to those big blue eyes? Definitely not him.
At least the Brittlesburg Ski Resort was much nicer than Bud had expected.
At the entrance, stood a large wooden lodge. Christmas lights strung along the edges of the roof. Visitors flocked in and out of the building. To change into their gear, grab a bite to eat, or to enjoy the scenery. Through the large front windows, it looked warm and inviting. Chatter and laughter echoed through the chilly air around them.
Well done Adam, I guess you're actually a decent businessman. Not that I'd ever tell you that.
The resort itself was massive, stretching out acres and acres.
White shuttle buses carried visitors to and from the lodge. One stopped in front of the building. An intercom announcement from the bus buzzed out as the doors opened.
"Welcome to the Brittlesburg Ski Resort. Please take all your belongings with you as you exit the bus. We hope you enjoy your time down the slopes and ride with us again, here at SeaByrd Shuttles. Have a wonderful day."
People decked out in ski gear or winter wear poured out of the shuttle. Adam greeted a few of them occasionally, his immature demeanor quickly vanished as he shifted into work mode. Bud watched as the shuttle departed the lodge, driving back into town and possibly back to Glacier Hills.
How he wished he were on that bus right about now.
The group climbed the first large hill, where dozens of people were riding inner tubes down.
Jax, who had been asking his father a million questions since they got here, tugged on his hoodie. "Why didn't aunt Kimmie come? She always comes. I wanted her to ride down with me."
"I think she wanted to talk to grandpa," Ace ruffled his son's hair. "She hadn't seen him since last year, kiddo. She missed him."
"Oh, okay." He still sounded a bit disappointed, but moved on from the topic. "Can I still ride down the hill?"
"Of course." Ace smiled down at his boy.
One of the ski resort employees brought over a tube once they had reached the top. They set the tube down, and Ace picked up Jax, setting him in it. His voice was too soft to understand what he said to the boy. It probably wasn't all that important.
Bud's attention was turned away from them by Adam.
"Are you gonna marry our sister?" He asked, out of the blue. His eyes surveyed over the area, keeping things in check. Still in work mode, somewhat.
Bud hadn't given it much thought. Far too early in the relationship for that sort of talk.
"We just started dating."
He let out a snort. "I hope you do, so we can get rid of her."
Oh, that's why he's asking.
Ace called him out, as he finished helping his son into the inner tube. "Oh my god, Adam. You cry every time she goes back to the city."
"I do not!"
"Yeah, you do." Jax piped up with a big smile.
Adam pointed at the child. "Say that again and I'll make you go down the big boy slope."
"Dad." Jax looked up at Ace and let out a whine.
"He's only kidding, buddy."
I bet he isn't.
"Looking like a beautiful day, fellas." Al said, taking in a deep breath of crisp winter air. He had lingered behind the others, only now just making it to the top. His large hand rested on Bud's shoulder, increasing the hound's anxiety.
"It's cold."
"Not really."
Bud pulled his coat tighter to him. "You're all snow dogs. You have double coats. Of course, you aren't cold."
Al shrugged, removing his hand. "Not our fault that you're a pampered city boy."
"I'm not pampered."
"Keep telling yourself that." He muttered it a little too loudly.
Oh, they hate me. They really hate me. This is bad. I have to do something to change this.
"So, are we doing this or what?" Adam said, his gaze shifting between the group. The snow dog seemed to harbor no fear. Ready for anything. Either he was that brave, or just that dumb.
Bud decided it was the latter.
It took him a moment to realize what Adam had actually meant. "Doing what?"
"Throwing you down the slopes on an inner tube."
Bud quickly glanced around at the other men, realizing they were all in on this. Even little Jax had a giant grin on his face.
"Hell no! I'm not doing that, you're out of your mind!"
The corner of Adam's mouth twitched into a smile. "Kimbra does it all the time."
"So is she!"
"Say that again, Flud." Al stepped closer to the salesman. "I dare you."
Oh right, they're overprotective of their baby sister. Better watch what I say.
"Aw, c'mon guys," Bud's voice fell a little. "You can't be serious."
Aspen, who had been on his phone the entire time, spoke up. "It's initiation."
"For what?!"
"To see if you're good enough to date our sister." He tucked the phone into his back pocket, and gave Al a knowing smile.
Oh great, I'm basically in a fraternity now.
"Al, come on. You're the oldest! You can't think that Adam's idea is a good one!"
"I think it's a pretty good one."
"I'm not going down that slope. It's a fucking death trap."
Now Ace teamed up against him. "Kimbra goes on it every year. She did it when she was literally three."
"Do it." Adam taunted, jabbing Bud in the shoulder with a finger.
Then Al. "Yeah, do it. Coward."
"Awe, the little city boy is scared." Aspen chuckled. "We might as well take him back to the cabin. I guess he can't handle Alaska after all."
Bud felt his jaw clench. "I'm not scared."
Adam kept jabbing his shoulder. "Are too."
"I am not."
"Then go down the slope on the tube."
"I would rather not."
The ski resort owner stood up straight, gesturing over the hill. "I'll throw you down there myself if you'd like."
"Aw, hell no!" This was starting to get on Bud's nerves. "No one is throwing me!"
"We can ride together, and you can sit on my lap."
"You're sick."
"Do I look sick?" Adam turned to the oldest brother. "I don't feel sick."
Al hesitated, actually taking a look at his younger brother. "Well, you are the runt of the family."
"Mom had told you a million times to not call me that!"
"What are you going to do? Tell on me?"
"Yeah, I'm going to! And she's gonna look down on you in disappointment."
"She already does that with you."
"No, she looks down and goes 'aw I'm so proud of Adam, he's so handsome and successful unlike his smelly brothers who I should have abandoned'." Adam said, in a higher pitch voice to portray his deceased mother.
Al slapped him in the back of the head.
"Ow! You know, I'm getting real tired of everyone hittin' me all the time!"
"Mom asked me to, sorry." He said, watching as an employee finally pushed Jax down the slope in the inner tube.
Jax screamed with glee at the top of his lungs. The Wulfe brothers all smiled with a warm fondness as the young boy reached the bottom. Another employee caught him at the bottom, and helped him out of the tube. The proud faces of the brothers made Bud envy their relationship with one another. They were all close. Very close. He had that once, with his little brother Colin.
Bud should have had more moments like this with him. It wasn't fair, to be stripped apart from someone so dear to you. In that second, he grew bitter. Wondering why the universe was so hell-bent on making him miserable.
Lucky for him, the thought didn't linger too long.
"See? Even Jax did it!" Adam whipped his head around at Bud, pointing in the direction of where Jax had slid down.
"Fine!" The businessman gave in to their demands. "I'll go down your stupid slope in your stupid inner tube."
"Yay!" Adam eagerly clapped, "Vivienne! Grab an inner tube from the rack!" He called out to one of his employees below.
Minutes later, a pretty otter came up the hill with the tube. She handed it over to Adam and went back down. The brothers chatted about sports and what not as Adam readied the tube. He looked over it, adjusting it with careful consideration.
Bud winced as he looked down the large slope. The very large slope.
He didn't see a point to this. It was dumb. Really, really dumb. Even dumber than the time he thought he could sell kitchen appliances. Or the time he thought he could make it as a used car salesman. Or when he thought he could pull off a mustache.
Oh, your entire life is a failure.
He wanted to back out. Make up an excuse on why he couldn't go down. Say he felt unwell. Blame it on something he ate. Pretend he had a business call to make. Anything to get out of going down that hill. But they were all looking at him, with the same eager faces that they had when Jax was about to go down.
No choice but to commit now.
Adam patted the tube. "Sit, I'm ready for you."
Bud grimaced as he walked over and sat down in it. "Can you not say it like that?"
"Stop being fussy." Now Adam's hands were adjusting Bud. Picking up his hands and setting them on the tube handles.
It made Bud huff at him. "Will you quit that?"
"Quit what?" The Samoyed stopped.
"Touchin' me."
"I do this with everyone! It's my job."
"First you want me to sit in your lap, and now you're touchin' me."
Al snorted from behind them. "Bro, I think he's trying to steal you from Kimbra."
"I'm not," Adam shot Al a glare. "He's not even my type."
Bud let out another huff. More irritated. "I'm offended."
"Oh, now you're mad that I'm not attracted to you?" Adam stood up and moved behind the salesman.
A nod. "Yes."
Without a word, or even a warning, Adam shoved Bud with his foot, down the hill.
Oh, you son of a bitch.
Bud didn't know what to do. The tube hadn't come with a manual. Adam said nothing either (some ski resort owner he turned out to be). All Bud knew to do was to hold on for dear life as the tube zoomed down the large hill. The winter air hit his face, causing a cold, burning sensation to his cheeks and nose.
He wanted to be anywhere but here.
Near the bottom, the tube hit a bump and flipped; landing Bud into a pile of snow.
Great, I'm dead. Fan-fucking-tastic.
A voice spoke over him after a minute or so. "Aw, man, are you okay?"
A pained grunt. "I'm never doing that again." His eyes fluttered open, the bright light causing him to squint.
Adam stood over the salesman with a look of genuine concern on his face. He was backlit by the daylight, his body casting a shadow over Bud. The other brothers hurried down the slope, meeting them.
I'm starting to wish I was actually dead.
"Yo man, that was sick!" Adam exclaimed as he shook snow off himself. "We should see how he does on the bigger slope!"
Ace grimaced at the thought. "Adam, I don't think Kimmie would appreciate it if we killed her boyfriend."
"We'll find her a new one." The younger brother shrugged nonchalantly.
Glad to know I'm easily replaceable to you people.
"I don't think she'd like that."
She wouldn't.
Adam tapped his chin, thinking. "She might appreciate it if we found her a sturdier one. Maybe Andrew from the coffee shop?"
Who the hell is Andrew?
"I like that one over there!" Jax shouted as loud as he could, pointing at a tall fox who was just trying to ski with his wife. It startled them, and they looked at the child, confused.
"Jax, shush." Ace gave the couple an apologetic smile and ushered his son to the ski lodge. "There's nothing wrong with Mr. Flud."
"But he's weird! I don't see why aunt Kimmie even likes him!"
That makes two of us, kid.
"Jax! We don't say these things out loud." His voice faded as they walked into the lodge.
Bud dropped his head back into the snow and groaned.
This hadn't gone well at all.
Bud stepped into the cabin with all of his usual grumpiness. Right after the brothers. They hadn't said much on the way back from the resort. What was there to say? Way to go Bud, you didn't die? Nice landing? Not even Adam made any wise cracks.
The hound shut the door behind him and shrugged off his coat, which was wet from melting snow.
"You're back early," Kimbra poked her head out of the kitchen. "Did something happen?"
"Your brothers launched me off a slope in an inner tube." Bud's voice carried through the house. Bitterness spit into every word.
She and Loren walked out from the kitchen, concerned. She should've expected this. She and Bud met in the middle of the room, her hands patting his arms and then his face. To check to see if he was hurt.
"Are you okay?"
"He's fine." A grumble came from Adam's mouth. The brothers stood to the side as they prepared for their younger sibling to shout at them.
"I wasn't asking you." Kimbra shot her brother a glare before looking back at Bud with a much softer expression. "Are you okay?" She caressed his cheek with a hand.
He leaned into her touch. "I'm okay."
Kimbra, with her hand still on Bud's face, gave the men a stern look. "I told you all not to be rough with him."
"We weren't rough," Adam let out a nervous snort, rubbing the back of his head with a hand. "Idunnowhatyou'retalkingabout." He mumbled in one run on word. His cheeks turned slightly pink in embarrassment.
To their credit, they looked ashamed. Or they were faking to get her off their backs.
Kimbra pulled on Bud's arm. "Come on, I'll take you back to the guest room, so you can shower and change into something dry."
He said nothing besides mumbling 'okay' as he let her lead him to the stairs.
"I'm really sorry about that." Bud remarked quietly as they walked upstairs. It wasn't clear to him why he felt the need to apologize.
Kimbra placed a hand on his chest and he froze. "Don't apologize. You did nothing wrong."
"I could have tried harder."
"No, they're the problem. They know better. It wouldn't hurt for them to tone it down a bit." She walked down the hall and opened the door into the guest room.
Bud followed in, shutting the door behind him. He stood there as Kimbra stepped into the bathroom, laid out towels, and walked back into the bedroom.
"Hey Bud?" It came out of her mouth quietly.
"Hm?"
"Thank you for putting up with them" She cupped his cheek with a hand. "I know it's hard, but I appreciate you trying. For me."
He didn't say anything in return. Didn't know what to say.
Kimbra asked once he said nothing. "Was it really that bad?"
To her surprise, he laughed. "They literally shoved me in an inner tube down this massive slope. An inner tube! I was speeding down the mountain, Kimbra! I was terrified!"
"Then why are you laughing?"
"Because your brothers are insane!" He gestured with his whole arm at the door. "I'm stuck in this frozen wasteland until after New Year's. With them."
Kimbra's shoulders fell, her eyes moving to look at the floor. "I'm sorry I just… I didn't think they'd be like that. If you want to go back to St. Canard tonight, I wouldn't blame you. It's a lot to handle and I pressured you into it too soon. I'm sorry."
"Kimbra, no." He took her hands in his. "I don't want to be anywhere else but here with you."
Liar.
He continued. "I'm not handling your family well, but… I am trying. I know how much they mean to you. I'll stay."
"Thank you for that," her eyes met his.
"I love you, of course." Bud pressed a kiss to her forehead. "I'd do anything for you."
She drew his face down to hers and kissed him. "My piniqaqa. I'll see you at dinner. Thank you."
"I don't know what that means."
"Means love." She kissed him once more before leaving the room, shutting the door behind her.
Bud loved her so very much. He was trying, actively trying to do better for her. Actually listen to her and make this work. Sometimes he felt like it was pointless, in fear that she'd realize she truly was out of his league. She'd leave for something or someone better.
Stop that. You are enough. Why are you like this?
He wanted to shift the blame to his parents. Namely his father, Harrison Flud. Nothing he did was ever good enough for that wretched man.
Don't make this trip even worse by thinking about him. Forget him. He sure isn't thinking about you. None of them are.
Bud inwardly sighed, catching a glimpse of himself in the mirror.
Underneath the egotistical personality was a man who hated every aspect of himself.