* * * *
Emma finally closed her sandpaper-dry mouth once she’d exhausted the long scream that pumped wildly from her throat. The chilly wind buffeted around them, and she felt strangely buoyant and not like she was falling at all.
Gus helped her position her arms and pointed at the videographer who had jumped out a few seconds after Duke. She waved and smiled for the camera and gave it a big thumbs-up. She needed to remember to send a copy of the video to her mom, dad, and little sister.
Her heart burst with weightless joy as Duke entered her field of vision on the right and Gus steered her so she could see Gage and his tandem-jump partner nearing them on her left. Gage grinned at her, and for several seconds both of their jump partners allowed the three of them to hold hands in formation.
The little triangle they created symbolized their decision to chase their bucket list dreams together. In her heart this moment was also a celebration of the deeper feelings that were growing between the three of them. She held on as long as she could, unwilling to part from them until it was necessary. It was the most exhilarating experience of her life so far, and she was beyond euphoric that she was sharing it with these two wonderful men.
She could tell prior to the jump that Gage was almost as nervous as she was. She had beckoned him closer and had said, “Goody! We get to pop our skydive cherries together.” The warmth in his eyes as he laughed with her had eased her own tension.
This moment wasn’t about doing something that scared her spitless. It was about chasing dreams so she could look back someday and say she’d taken every chance she’d been given. It was a huge thing but nothing when compared to the fact that she experienced it with these men who had already given her an amazing experience with them.
Duke’s dark hair flapped in the wind around him, and he smiled at her and squeezed her hand. Gus gave the hand signal for them to let go so they could put some distance between each other before deploying their chutes. Gage gave her a big, wide smile, and Duke blew her an air kiss as they let go at the same time.
She blew them both kisses and then squealed in glee as Gus pulled the lever and the big purple-and-blue canopy billowed out into the air above them, hastily putting the brakes on their descent. Gravity caught up with her and tugged her to Earth as she looked around and watched Duke’s and Gage’s green-and-yellow parachutes open up above them.
“You did great, Doc,” Gus said over the wind as he steered them in the direction of the landing zone. She smiled when she saw the sun sparkle on the waters of Ivie Lake in the distance.
“Thanks. I hope I didn’t shatter your eardrum with my screaming.”
Gus chuckled as he maneuvered them and caught wind currents that swept them over neat geometrical fence rows and plowed fields. “Nah, Doc, you were nothing compared to some of the others I’ve jumped with over the years. Look.” He pointed to the shadows cast on the ground by their three parachutes as they circled the landing zone. The shadows danced and swirled around each other.
Emma followed Gus’s instructions as they made the approach to land. Once her feet touched solid ground, she was grateful but bounced with anticipation as both Duke and Gage landed nearby. Gus chuckled as he released her harness from his. As soon as she was free, she pecked Gus on the cheek, thanked him, then sprinted to Duke and Gage, not caring what any observers thought of their reunion . Emma couldn’t wait to be alone with her men.
* * * *
Gage’s heart was still hammering in his chest, but it wasn’t with anxiety this time. He was only half paying attention to the instructor he’d jumped in tandem with as he unhooked their harnesses and congratulated him on his first jump.
His attention was caught up with watching Emma as she ran to them. Her little brown ponytails bobbed up and down, and the look of pure, unadulterated joy on her face was heart stopping. Her arms were out as she ran, and he knew if she’d had wings she would’ve been flying to them. Duke was nearest to her on the landing field, so he made his way in that direction.
He caught up with Duke just as she flung herself at both of them at the same time, wrapping an arm around each of them as they caught her.
“Oh, my gosh! I can’t believe we did it! We did it!”
Her eyes were sparkling green gems, and her cheeks were rosy as she chortled with glee. Duke’s green parachute billowed around them, forgotten for the moment.
“You did it, angel,” Gage said as he kissed her temple. She was so excited she practically vibrated in their arms.
“We did it!” Looking at Duke she added, “And I didn’t pee!”
Duke broke out in laughter and hugged Emma tight and replied, “Of course you didn’t pee, Em. You did great. I wish you could’ve seen your face when you jumped. I’ve gone skydiving a bunch of times but this was the best one, by far.” Looking at Gage, he murmured, “She was worried she’d get so scared she’d pee.”