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Either way, it worked perfectly for him since he wasn’t looking for an emotional connection. He was all for committing to someone he trusted, liked (most of the time), and was attracted to, as long as they understood he wouldn’t be talking about his feelings and all that.
Thus far, women hadn’t seem interested in that.
So Claire’s idea was a perfect solution. Because despite his disinterest in a serious relationship, he still preferred not to be alone. He enjoyed the company of others. Thrived in it, actually. And while he was all for getting Noah and Mia together back then, he’d thought she was serious about their part, too.
With everything she’d been through with her dad, he understood why she didn’t consider him marriage material. He really did. Ever since she mentioned it, he’d wondered if things would be different if he’d chosen another career path. But after seeing how the firemen worked tirelessly trying to save Nathan the night of their accident, and stabilized Graham and Noah until the ambulance arrived, he’d never wanted to do anything else.
Plus, his job wasn’t the only dangerous thing he did.
Case in point: on the agenda today? Rock climbing with Noah, Chris, and Tyler in Eldorado Canyon.
Graham would climb anywhere—indoors, outside—and on any surface—sandstone, granite, ice. He’d climb with anyone—trad climbers, sport climbers, a first-timer, or a world champion. Give him a rope and a harness and he’d be there.
He’d camp, hike, and mountain bike anywhere, too.
In the winter he enjoyed skiing, though it was the adventure he was least experienced with.
Point being, he spent his free time pushing his body in a multitude of dangerous pursuits, and he didn’t see that ending anytime soon. He didn’t have to think about anything except strategy and how his body moved, and the associated risks never held him back. Especially not when it came to climbing—his favorite—the higher and more difficult the better.
Today wouldn’t be one of those since they were taking Tyler, but still. There was always risk. So Claire had a point, and he didn’t see that changing until he was too old to get out of bed.
Graham picked up Noah on his way, and Tyler had planned to meet Chris at the store and ride with him to the canyon.
“Hey, man,” Graham greeted through the open window.
Noah tossed his gear in the back before settling into the passenger seat. “Morning.”
They rode the first half hour in comfortable silence. Noah, who was quiet at baseline, was even less inclined to converse early in the morning.
When they skirted the outer limits of Boulder, Noah took a long drink of coffee and turned to Graham.
“We’re taking a beginner out today, you said?”
“Yeah. His name’s Tyler. Chris met him at the store and learned he was new to town, so he brought him out mountain biking with us last week. Tyler said he likes to climb, too, but doesn’t have a lot of experience.”
“That’s cool. We haven’t taken it easy in a while. Might be kind of nice.”
“I told Chris we’d meet them at the usual spot. He said he’d pick the climbing routes. I’m assuming we’ll stick with single pitches with a top rope today.”
“Fine by me.”
As they neared the park, Graham felt the telltale hum of excitement spread through his marrow. The day was almost perfect—sunny and warm, even if it was a touch windy. A few wispy clouds dotted the blue sky, and hopefully they’d get lucky and the rain he’d seen forecast in the afternoon would head south.
When they met up with Chris and Tyler, Graham introduced Noah to the new guy. The coffee must have finally kicked in because Noah engaged Tyler in friendly chatter as they walked to whatever face Chris had picked out to start the day.
“Graham said you just moved here?”
“Yeah, about a month ago.”
“What do you think so far?”
“Love it. I’ve always wanted to live close to the mountains. My girlfriend’s still back in Arkansas, though, so that part sucks. She’s looking for jobs up here, so hopefully we won’t be doing the long-distance thing for long.”
“I don’t know how people do that,” Graham put in. He had enough trouble keeping things going with women who lived in the same city as him, let alone several states away.
“It’s not easy,” Tyler admitted. “It helps knowing it’s temporary.”
“And for the right person, it’s worth it,” Noah added.
