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But I don’t.
Opening the helicopter door, I hop out.
CHAPTEREIGHTEEN
Lauren
I squeeze onto the metal beam, tightening my grip as though it will stop my legs from feeling like jelly.
The safety officer, a man called Steven, checks us both respectfully.
We’re strapped together, my man with me in the front. It’s even more difficult than I imagined to act normal, with my man’s firm body pushing against me from behind.
He didn’t answer my question in the helicopter, but he didn’t freak out about the crush either.
Silas has one arm resting on the beam beside me, so his bicep brushes right up against my ear. I’m closed in on multiple sides by him, making the rumbling of the plane a little easier to bear as we stand in the rear section.
“The back will be opening up soon,” Silas says, his voice close to my ear over the sounds of the plane. “The whole world is beneath us. Freedom, Lauren, just you and me.”
His voice is just for me as Steven moves away, having completed his final checks.
My belly is a swirling mass of crazy-winged butterflies, nerves cutting me, trying to tell me I can’t do this.
“Youcando this.”
Silas’ voice is unflinching in my ear, growing somehow louder as the large entrance starts to open, like the back of the plane is splitting away.
“I’m not sure I can.” My words sound like they’re choking on something as I struggle to get my breathing under control. “I’ve never been into this stuff. Why the hell did I even agree to this?”
“Think of our children,” he says. “They’ll need you to be strong one day. You’ll have to be tough, as brave as I know you can be.”
Ourchildren.
Did he sayour….?
“We’ll make a deal,” he goes on as the back of the plane splits away, revealing the blue sky and the green fields below. “Jump with me, and I’ll tell you how I feel.”
“Window’s closing for a safe landing,” Steven yells.
“Lauren?”
“Deal,” I yell, closing my eyes tightly as Silas lets go of the beam and brings us forward.
I’m screaming so hard my throat hurts as the plane suddenly tips up, causing out there to becomedownthere.
We rush toward the ground faster than I can believe, and then I hear Silas laughing, piercing the hammering of my heartbeat in my ears.
“Wooooh!” he yells as we soar closer and closer to the ground.“Woooo!”
I start screaming with him, laughing for some reason, more scared than I’ve ever been and suddenly knowing we can do this. My man and I can do anything, soar anywhere.
“I’m opening the chute,” he yells in my ear. “Brace.”
I grip my harness as he opens the parachute. It catches the wind and holds us aloft, slowing us down to where it feels like we’re sailing through the air slowly.
Suddenly I can look around, take in the miles of fields, then the city in the distance.
“I want you forever.”
