Page 42 of Catching the Mistletoe

He gestured to the harnesses. “You’ll be hooked up directly in front of Mack, securely attached at these points.” He indicated the sturdy straps and metal loops. “Your bodies will be close, and in base jumping, there’s not a lot of room for error. So, listen closely. For body positioning, press yourself tightly against Mack. The jump is rapid, so there’s hardly any room for adjustments once you’re in the air. Got it?”

Arabella nodded, her eyes razor-focused. “Legs?”

“Keep them bent and tucked. When Mack jumps, you follow. Try to move in sync; it makes for a smoother ride.”

“And hands?”

“Hold on to these straps,” Rick pointed at the harness. “Don’t go reaching for anything else, especially not the parachute toggles.”

Arabella’s eyes narrowed, still processing. “Ripcord?”

Rick chuckled. “No ripcord. Mack will handle the chute. It’ll deploy quickly, so brace yourself for that.”

She pressed on. “What about the landing?”

“Lift your legs and let Mack guide the landing. It’s quick, but with Mack’s experience, you’ll touch down as smoothly as possible.”

She shifted her gaze to me, and I felt the electric charge between us amplify. “Alright, let’s do this.”

Rick handed us the harnesses, his fingers deftly checking each buckle and strap after we’d put them on. “All secure?”

“Good to go,” I confirmed.

“Same,” Arabella chimed in, her voice surprisingly steady.

I swung my leg over the bridge’s railing first, feeling the harness tug reassuringly against my body as I lowered myself onto the wooden platform jutting out beneath. The Snake River seemed to roar louder now, as if aware of the stunt we were about to pull.

Turning back, I reached out for Arabella. With her hands on my shoulders and mine at her waist, I lifted her over, resisting the urge to hold her closer as I put her on her feet.

“Alright,” I said, shifting my focus to the harnesses that were going to connect us. “Let’s get these secure.”

I worked quickly but meticulously, adjusting the straps and double-checking every buckle. I could feel the heat radiating from her body, inches from mine, as I tightened the last fastener. For a fleeting second, I was hyper-aware of her proximity—the curve of her waist under my arm, the faint scent of her shampoo mingling with the crisp air. My heart wasn’t just pounding from the upcoming jump; it was also her, right here, connected to me.

“There we go,” I finally said, locking the last carabiner into place. “All set.”

We shuffled closer to the edge of the platform, the expansive view of the Snake River Canyon laid out before us. “Ready?” I asked, my voice tinged with both excitement and caution.

“Yeah.” Her face was a mix of exhilaration and apprehension.

I reached for the pilot chute that would send us soaring into the sky, but just as my fingers touched it, my mind threw up a sudden, jarring image—of something going wrong, of us plummeting uncontrollably. It wasn’t the fear of dying that gripped me; it was the fear of Arabella getting hurt. Fuck, the weight of her life was literally attached to mine right now.

I hesitated, my hand freezing. The seconds stretched out, each tick of the clock an echoing reminder of the gravity of what we were about to do. Then Arabella shuffled her feet, swearing under her breath as her breathing turned shallow. My nerves were feeding hers and that wasn’t fair. “Little dove?”

She turned her head to look up at me, an unreadable expression in her eyes.

“You trust me?”

“Yes,” she answered without a second’s hesitation, the odd look in her eyes clearing instantly.

That single word, so sure and unhesitant, grounded me right back into the moment.

“Okay then. On the count of three,” I said, finding my voice steadier than I’d expected. My heart pounded in my chest, but it felt like every beat was in sync with hers.

“One,” I began, feeling the tension build in my legs, the anticipation coiling up like a spring.

“Two,” I continued, tightening my grip on the harness that bound us together.

And just before I could get to “three,” Arabella looked straight into the camera and yelled, “Sorry, Mom!”

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