The ride up in the small prop plane was an event in itself. Penny was used to large aircraft where she could barely tell they were in the air. The floor of the plane vibrated with the drone of the engine and every air pocket they flew through made the plane rock and bump. Once they were above twelve thousand feet in altitude, the first students took their jumps. All the other students in their class had jumped before and one even had his individual license like Matt.
“For safety reasons, I can’t jump right after you and Carter, but it won’t be much of a delay. Are you ready for this?” Matt had been holding her hand since the plane took off. Penny gave him a bright smile, hoping to reassure him.
“Okay, let’s go.” Carter led them to the door. They were the only ones left besides Matt and another dive instructor. All the things they’d learned in the safety portion of class ran through Penny’s mind on a loop. Once they exited the plane they’d fall at about 125 miles per hour.
“Are you ready?” Matt shouted.
Penny was too terrified to do anything other than nod. She was strapped to her tandem instructor so tightly that she had just enough leeway to look over her shoulder. She couldn’t see Carter’s eyes through his dark glasses, but when he nodded at her, she experienced a rush of excitement. The adrenaline in her system was so strong she was shaking.
She had a sudden, insane urge to ask Matt to call the whole thing off. To have them turn the plane around and put them back on the ground. Where it was safe.
Then she straightened her spine. She could do this. No more playing it safe. This was the chance to do something she’d always wanted to do, and she wasn’t going to run away from it.
She was ready to fly.
“I’m ready. Let’s do it,” Penny shouted back.
The instructor nudged her toward the door, and they balanced there for a moment. The sky stretched out below them forever, an endless expanse of blue and white. Penny let out a small squeak. It was incredibly windy and cold. So much colder than the weather on the ground. The air slapped at them mercilessly until the instructor pushed off.
Penny opened her mouth to scream, but any sound she made was swallowed in the rush of air. She instinctively closed her eyes but then a second later she forced them open. It was disorienting to feel herself in motion without being able to see where she was going. Plus, she didn’t want to miss a thing.
It was a curious feeling, to fall and fall and fall. It was curious and wonderful and terrifying all at the same time. She’d expected it to be frightening, but it wasn’t. Not really. It felt like she was gliding.
I’ve never seen anything so beautiful, she thought as they flew over the wide green landscape. Everything looked so small from this high and the only things that mattered were the wind in her face and the incredible sense of weightlessness.
There was a slight jerk when the parachute deployed.
She glanced up at Carter. They’d learned beforehand that the force of air in free fall was so great that they wouldn’t be able to communicate by talking. He gave her a hand motion that meant “legs up.” It would be less than a minute before they hit the ground, and she had to be prepared to land properly. She gave him a thumbs-up so he’d know she was okay.
Understatement of the year. She was more than okay. She was in love with a man who made her feel everything she’d thought didn’t exist. Tears welled in her eyes, blurring her vision. There were no words to describe how it felt that Matt had arranged this for her. He was always there for her, always looking for ways to help her and make her life better.
“I love you.”
She whispered the words as they glided toward the ground. It was cowardly to admit it to the wind when there was no way Matt could hear her, but she needed to let it out somehow. He’d come into her life again by chance and was quickly becoming one of the best parts of it.
She smiled the whole way down to the ground.
* * * * *
WHEN MATT PICKED up the phone to call his sister, it was with a sense of anticipation he hadn’t felt in a long time.
“Say congratulations.”
“Congratulations?” His sister was obviously not paying close attention. Normally she would have caught on by now that something was up. He’d told Mara to expect him home today. He hadn’t wanted to let her know that he might not be coming back in case Penny hadn’t given him a chance. He’d be depressed enough on his own. The last thing he needed was all his friends finding out that he’d been rejected.
“Aren’t you going to ask what for?”
“What for? Are you okay? You’re acting really weird.” Mara must have finally sensed something was up because she suddenly said, “Hey, aren’t you supposed to be coming home today?”
“My home is no longer in New Haven. I’ve decided to move up to Northern Virginia so I can be close to Penny.”
“Are you serious?”
Matt pulled the phone back from his ear at Mara’s high-pitched squeal. But he was laughing when he said, “I take it you approve, then? You don’t think I’m moving too fast?”
He’d meant to call her yesterday after he and Penny had come home from skydiving. But they’d been so hopped up on adrenaline they’d ended up making wild, sweaty love all afternoon. They’d passed out, exhausted, after a few hours.
Mara sobered. “No, I don’t think you’re moving too fast at all. Life is short and you should do what you want. Matt…” She stopped and he could have sworn he heard her sniffling. “I am truly thrilled for you. You’ve been living a half-life since you got back and it’s not fair. I was worried that I was never going to see my brother again. The real you hasn’t been around in a long time, but I saw him when you were here.”