She’d seen the look of vulnerability on his face as he’d talked. As he’d apologized. As he’d talked about his parents and how they’d never said anything about loving him or wanting him back—not to run the company, but because he was their son. It hurt her heart to think of him being rejected like that. It made her want to hold him. Tell him that she loved him. Because he deserved to be loved.
And she’d seen that same vulnerability as he’d told her he loved her. He was the guy who didn’t do relationships, but yet he loved her. He’d wanted to help her.
She jumped to her feet with a burst of nervous energy and paced across the room.
She knew what fear was like too. She knew how hard it was to open yourself up to rejection. She’d experienced it as a kid, when she’d been made fun of. She remembered how afraid she’d been to open herself up to Carrie’s friendship. She remembered how boys had painfully ignored her. She remembered the burning crush she’d had on Phil Chang, her belief that they had so much in common he would want to go out with her, and his crushing rejection.
She remembered Beck telling her about his fears and how he’d conquered them. He was the bravest man she knew.
She wanted to be worthy of his love. She wanted to be as brave as he was. How could she show him that?
—
Hayden’s knees wobbled as she approached the building the next afternoon, her belly full of small winged birds, her heart pumping blood hotly through her veins. She was way early, but that was okay.
Inside she was greeted by a guy with shoulder-length blond hair, a deep tan, and an Australian accent. “G’day,” he greeted her. “How can I help you?”
“I’m here for the tandem skydive. To raise money for the Trident Foundation. Hayden Miles.”
He tapped away on a computer monitor, peering at the screen, and nodded. “Perfect. The training session will begin in about half an hour. I just need your credit card and for you to read through and sign this waiver.”
She handed her card to him.
“First time skydiving?”
“Yes.”
“Terrified?” He grinned as he passed over the credit card slip to sign.
He had no idea. “Yes.” Her fingers shook so badly her signature was nothing like it normally was.
“We take pride in all our safety procedures; you’ll be very safe. You’ll jump from about thirteen thousand feet. You’ll free-fall for a minute or so, and at about five thousand feet your tandem partner will deploy the parachute. Then you’ll have a nice five- or six-minute ride over some amazing scenery. Our drop zone is soft and grassy. And then when you’re done, you’ll get a certificate you can show off to friends and family.”
She nodded and swallowed through a tight dry throat.
“And it’s for a good cause. The Trident Foundation was started by Beck Whitcomb as a way to support Navy SEALs and their families. Your generosity will help with that.”
Her head reared up from the waiver document. “What? Beck started the Trident Foundation?”
“Yeah.” The guy nodded and smiled. “He does tons of stuff to support it.”
She sucked in a breath. Something else he hadn’t shared with her. Wow.
She flipped through the ten-page waiver document. Jesus Christ! The words all blurred together and bands started tightening around her chest. Whatever. Undoubtedly, it said she couldn’t sue them if she crashed and died. Well, if she died, she didn’t care about that.
She wasn’t going to die.
She totally could die. How crazy was this?
She scrawled another illegible signature onto the waiver form. A group of three young guys arrived, cracking jokes and laughing nervously. She wasn’t going to be the only one in that plane who was ready to pee her pants.
She wandered around, looking at the pictures on the walls as the other people signed up. As the door opened again, she turned around…and in walked Beck.
Chapter 24
Beck wanted to feel alive. He wanted that adrenaline rush that would remind him he was still living. He needed the intense distraction of focusing on inspecting equipment and following procedures to ensure safety.
He walked into Suncoast Skydiving, ready for the tandem jump they’d scheduled for today. A few other guys were participating too. He stepped inside from the bright sunshine and blinked. As his vision adjusted, he found himself staring at Hayden.
He blinked again and gave his head a shake.
What the fuck?
He prowled toward her. “Hayden? What the hell are you doing here?”
Her throat worked as she swallowed and she wrapped her arms around her waist. “I-I’m your tandem skydiving partner today.”