Reborn by Melody Anne
Chapter Fifteen
Eyes smiled as he looked out over the lake he was fishing for trout in. It was a rare early evening; he’d spent the entire day alone, and he was happy, which might sound strange to some as that was the norm, wasn’t it? Yes, he’d been content for most of his life, but true happiness was pretty allusive for a man who lived on adrenaline and witnessed the worst in humanity far more often than anyone should.
His pole dipped and he quickly lifted it to set the hook, but the little bugger got away and he laughed. It had been a while since he’d had any time to sit on a dock and fish. He wasn’t surprised he had difficulty reeling one in. He didn’t care though. He had a cooler full of beer next to him, and the world around him was nice and quiet.
Eyes was thinking about Courtney as he did most evenings. Their relationship couldn’t in any way be described as typical. Their first date had been a disaster, and it seemed he’d been chasing her forever. What was shocking to him was how much fun he’d had in his pursuits.
He really liked the woman. He enjoyed his time with her even when everything that could possibly go wrong did. He enjoyed the spark between them, enjoyed her witty sense of humor, and truly enjoyed how she made him feel about himself. She had a natural enthusiasm for life that he’d forgotten people could possess. He wanted to be around her a lot more — maybe forever.
As Eyes had that thought, he simply shrugged. He certainly wasn’t going to admit to the guys that he might’ve caught the marriage flu he’d been so against, but it seemed he had. He was beginning to imagine his life with a wife at his side. He was beginning to feel that life would be better with a partner than without one.
Sure, there were amazing benefits to being single. A man could go fishing in the middle of the night if he wanted to without having to think about a partner. A man could spend long weekends with the boys in Hawaii. He could go to Vegas and flirt. He could even sleep with a slew of women every other night if he chose to.
Those thoughts had all seemed appealing to Eyes not that long ago. What he’d realized in the past year though, as he’d watched his team members fall in love, was that they didn’t feel they’d lost something in giving up their bachelorhood. It was quite the opposite in fact. The men had found something in their partners they’d never thought possible. They’d found a friend, a companion, and a lover they knew and respected.
Sure, it had been fun to have a different warm body to explore several times a year, but those warm bodies hadn’t looked so good in the light of day. He hadn’t cared where they were going when they’d left his bed. He hadn’t needed to take the time to find that special place on them that made them sigh in utter contentment or scream in true pleasure. He’d wanted his companions to have a good night, but it hadn’t been his goal to make them never forget him. He’d been selfish, and that had been good enough for a very long time.
Eyes also had enjoyed not being accountable to anyone, had enjoyed doing whatever it was he wanted whenever he wanted. He’d never realized how lonely his life had been. He was well aware of that now. He wanted a partner, a friend, a lover, and a family. He didn’t want to only be a star on a wall or a cold grave in the ground that no one cared enough to visit. He didn’t want to simply exist anymore — he wanted to live and grow and be the kind of man who was loved and respected — he wanted to be like Joseph Anderson.
Eyes finished his final beer, packed up his fishing gear, and walked the half mile back to his SUV. He had an early morning date with Courtney the next day, and it took all he had to drive back to the lonely operations building instead of heading over to her house. He was sure she wouldn’t mind a visit, but he wanted to show her that their relationship meant more to him than simply sex — though that was phenomenal with her. He wanted to show her that he wanted more. He was determined to give her a date that didn’t end up in disaster with one of them face planting. He laughed as he walked inside the building that had been his home for about a year.
They’d had a great date at the movies until they’d been hit by a car. Then, they’d had no disaster on their fun center date with relatively no harm coming to either of them. But he wanted to give her more — he wanted to give her everything.
Eyes went to sleep relatively easily that night, another feat as he’d had a hard time sleeping more than a few hours at a time. Now, it seemed all he had to do was close his eyes and picture Courtney lying in his arms and he could fall asleep with a smile on his lips.
The morning sun streamed in through the high bulletproof glass of the operations center, waking Eyes from a dead sleep. He was lucky to be one of those rare people who woke up fully alert and ready for the day. On this particular morning he woke wearing the same smile he’d fallen asleep with.
It didn’t take long for Eyes to go through his morning routine as he quickly showered, dressed, slammed down some food, then packed a bag for his date with Courtney. He was whistling as he walked out the door. The guys all had weekend plans so it was just him at the center and he was more than happy to leave it behind as he jumped into his vehicle. He couldn’t wait for a morning kiss with the woman he was falling hard for. He refused to use the word love yet. When he spoke those words for the first time with a woman, he wanted her to be sure they were true.
He arrived at Courtney’s place, and it seemed she was just as eager to see him as he was her. The door to her house flung open and she stepped onto her porch with a big smile, and dressed for adventure in athletic pants that showed every muscle in her sweet legs, and a top that had Eyes drooling to see what lay beneath. Of course, he knew, but he definitely wanted a reminder. He climbed from his SUV and met her on the walkway, immediately pulling her into his arms.
“You’re early,” she said, her sparkling eyes brighter than the sun shining down on them.
“I couldn’t wait to see you,” he told her.
She threw back her head and laughed. “I felt the same. It worries me a little,” she admitted.
“I’m not worried at all,” he told her.
Their faces were close and her smile faded as wonder shone in her expression. She lifted her hand and cupped his cheek, her thumb brushing against his lips.
“You’re like a forbidden treat I’ve been told I can’t have,” she said, her fingers driving him crazy as they caressed his skin. “The more I try to tell myself not to have you, the more I crave your taste.”
Eyes agreed with her statement. He wound his fingers in her hair and took that morning kiss he’d been thinking of since the second his eyes had opened. She sighed against his lips as he tasted strawberry on her tongue. Their bodies connected, and he was ready to take her back inside her house and show her exactly how much he’d missed her. Before he scrapped their day of adventure he reluctantly pulled back.
“You’re stunning and consume all of my thoughts,” he said, his voice a husky whisper.
“You make it difficult for me to report because all I can think about is you,” she said with a chuckle.
“At least we’re both in a drugged state,” he said.
She laughed again at his words. “I’ve been in lust before, and I’ve had some serious crushes as well, but I don’t think I’ve ever felt anything even close to how I feel when I’m with you.”
Courtney’s trust in him to admit her feelings made his heart grow a few sizes bigger. He felt like the Grinch on Christmas morning, hearing the Whos sing even though they’d lost everything. Was this what it felt like to fall in love? If it was, he was ready to sign on the dotted line right now.
“I don’t have to think,” Eyes told her. “I know I’ve never felt this way.” He paused as he reluctantly pulled out of her arms and opened the passenger door for her to climb inside. “I promised you a day of adventure, and I’m determined to deliver.”
She laughed as he shut her door. He jogged to his side and climbed in. Her scent surrounded him, and he knew he’d never want another woman sitting in her place. This had to be what love was all about.
“You told me to dress for adventure. I hope we make it through without anyone getting hurt,” she said. “I’ve been klutzy my entire life which really sucks sometimes.”
“I think it’s very charming,” he said. It was crazy but he didn’t think there was anything about her he didn’t find charming.
“Let’s see if you’re still saying that in five years,” she told him with a laugh.
Eyes reached over and squeezed her hand as she launched into how her meeting had gone with the women who were all married or about to be married to his best friends in this world. As she spoke, he thought about her last sentence to him. He realized she hadn’t noticed she’d said it.
If a woman would’ve told him they’d be together five years from that moment at any other time prior to meeting Courtney, Eyes would’ve instantly panicked and found a way to break their date. With Courtney, though, the thought of being with her in five years elated him. He couldn’t imagine not being with her in the future. He might need to go ring shopping.
As he had that thought, he wondered if it was too soon. They’d barely dated. Eyes was quiet as they drove up to Poo Poo Point, which he’d picked because the name had cracked him up. It was where they needed to be for the date he had planned, but the name was an added bonus.
He went back to think about buying a ring. Was it too soon? Who made the rules on the proper time to propose? Who decided how long you had to know a person? He’d been told by the guys that when they knew, they knew, and there was no changing their minds. Did he know?
“We’re hiking?” Courtney asked as they parked in the crowded lot at the trailhead to the mountain.
“Yes, and then we’re flying,” Eyes told her as he pulled out his pack that contained his paragliding equipment.
“Flying?” she asked. She looked a bit excited and a bit terrified.
“Yep, I’ve been paragliding for years, and I’ve done a lot of tandem jumping so I promise you’re in safe hands.”
“I’ve read a lot about paragliding, but I’ve never had a desire to do it,” she said. Eyes found himself practically holding his breath as he waited to see if she’d trust him enough to do this. He wanted to soar above the ground with her. He wanted her to believe in him enough to literally put her life in his hands.
“What do you think?” he asked. If she didn’t want to fly, they’d have a nice afternoon of walking and then a yummy picnic. It wouldn’t be as great an afternoon, but anytime he was with her was amazing, so he’d take her as she was.
“I think with you I’ll be fine,” she said after a few more seconds. “I trust you, Eyes.”
Those words crumbled the last of his walls. He looked at her and there was no longer the smallest hint of doubt inside of him. He was in love. How did a person know when they were in love? It was quite simple, he realized. It was when you knew the happiness of the person you were with meant more than your own joy. It also meant that your happiness was actually better because their pleasure in life was your own.
He almost told her right then and there that he loved her but he somehow managed to keep it in. Not because he wanted to hide it, but because he wanted to make her soar first.
They walked the steep trail to the top of Poo Poo Point, Courtney easily keeping pace with him through the forested switchbacks that were dotted with stone steps.
“This is stunning,” she told him as they rounded another corner.
“I’ve been here a few times since moving to Seattle,” he said. They had to squeeze to the side as a couple moved down the trail.
“I’ve never been, but I’m sure I’ll come back,” she said.
“Unless we’re somewhere else,” he told her. He knew he wouldn’t stay in Seattle once this job was done. He’d come back and visit as he had many friends there now, but Eyes needed adventure and he needed to travel. He didn’t want to make Seattle his home base. Courtney shocked him with her next words.
“Where will we be?” she asked.
Was she in the same place as him? Had she given up fighting whatever was happening between the two of them? Were they going to talk about it, or simply move onto the next phase in their relationship?
“I can see us paragliding all over the world. There’s some stunning places in Africa I wouldn’t mind trying,” he said as they got closer to their launching point. The trail was only about a mile and a half on the south side of the mountain.
“I’ve been to many places in the world reporting fascinating stories, but I haven’t been to Africa yet. I think we definitely need to go there,” she said just as they broke into the clearing where several paragliders waited for their turn to leap off of the mountain.
It was a beautiful sunny morning, and they had a clear view of Mount Rainier, a breathtaking mountain to behold.
“Then I’ll take you there,” Eyes told her as he began getting their paraglider ready. A person jumped with a woman strapped to his front, and her laughter flew back at Eyes and Courtney.
“Wow, I’ve never seen jumpers so close,” Courtney said as she watched the man and woman soar through the air. “It’s fascinating to watch . . . and a bit scary,” she admitted. “How high are we?”
“Don’t look straight down at first. It’s about eighteen hundred feet up, which sounds scary, but I’ve learned a lot about this and I’ve never had an injury,” he assured her. “At least not in this activity.” In reality Jon’s body had been injured a lot with bullets and broken bones, but flying through the air was freeing, and he’d perfected landings so he didn’t cause his body any further pain.
“I’m not scared of heights,” she assured him. “It’s just a bit scary to launch yourself off of a perfectly safe mountain.” She laughed as she watched another person run off the edge of the cliff. A gust of warm air lifted them higher up and the man laughed as he gave a thumbs up to the people watching him.
“I’d say eighty percent of the people I’ve spoken to love to paraglide. The other twenty percent were terrified the entire time and said they’d never do it again. If you have a serious fear of heights I’d say it’s probably not the most fun activity for you.”
“It’s a good thing I don’t have a ton of fears,” Courtney said. “Maybe though, that’s because I’m a fear junkie. You have to be a bit crazy to go in for the best stories.”
“I agree with you there. I worry sometimes that you put yourself at too much risk for some of yours stories,” he told her.
She laughed at his words. “Are you the kettle or the pot?” she finally asked. He laughed with her.
“I know. I know. I’m a total hypocrite. I guess that means I care about you,” he said. He was giving her a preview of his feelings.
She smiled big. “I guess I won’t complain if you care enough to worry.”
Damn! How had he been so lucky as to find this woman? She was his equal in so many ways. She was adventurous — and funny — and brave — and kind. She was exactly the sort of woman he hadn’t even known he’d been searching for.
“What’s the farthest you’ve flown on this?” she asked as he laid out his Shute.
“The longest flight has been from here actually,” he told her. “Of all of the places in the world I’ve glided, I did a six-hour flight from here.”
“Holy moly,” she said. “We’re not doing that today, are we? I don’t think I could go that long without peeing my pants, which would be a bit embarrassing.”
Eyes laughed hard at her words. “I don’t think a woman’s ever said that to me before, but I like it,” he told her as he wiped the corners of his eyes. Damn, this woman made him smile a lot. “No, we’re not going that long today. I want to give you a taste. If you love it, we’ll go a bit farther each time. My six-hour flight landed me over a hundred miles away. It was glorious.”
“I think I’ll want to do that sometime after I haven’t drunk a bunch of coffee,” she said.
“That sounds like a deal. Now, come here and get strapped up. We’re almost ready,” he told her.
She didn’t seem nearly as nervous, now that she’d had time to watch others successfully launch. He got her straps hooked up, and then they were on the launch site and ready to go.
“Just run with me when I say go, and within the blink of an eye we’re going to be soaring,” he said.
“Okay,” she told him, her voice breathy, a touch of fear, and a whole lot of excitement ringing through loud and clear.
“Go!” Courtney didn’t hesitate at his command.
They ran together and the sail and the wind did its job and within seconds they were launching off of the mountain, Courtney gasping as they sailed into the air, the trees and ground below them. Her laughter was music to his ears as he searched for pockets that would lift them, giving her a few fun thrills before he took them down to the ground.
It was several minutes before Courtney spoke; he knew to give her time to take it all in before he said anything. He wanted her to love this as much as he did. He wanted her to go with him a thousand times.
“Have you ever hit any trees?” she asked as their feet dangled a couple of hundred feet above the tree line.
“No, I haven’t crashed into any trees,” he told her. “However, if I had to crash I’d rather it happened in the trees where only my equipment would be damaged instead of my body.” She sucked in a breath. “Don’t worry, I wouldn’t take you where I feared there was a possibility of that happening. That’s beginning pilots who don’t study the weather and don’t know enough. Yes, accidents can happen as they do all of the time in life, but those of us who have been through the most extreme circumstances know that luck is made not granted.”
They flew out a bit farther before he began their descent. He was never ready for the flight to end, and with her in his arms he was even more reluctant for this ride to be over, but all good things eventually had to come to an end. Courtney laughed as a dozen birds circled them, then moved on.
“This entire experience is surreal. I don’t know how else to describe it,” she told him.
“I agree. There are times I feel like a feather being blown on a breeze, and other times I feel like an eagle soaring high in the sky. No matter how many times I do it, I can’t get enough of it. Man wasn’t gifted with wings, so we made our own.”
“I used to have dreams of flying, but I grew up and realized they were just fantasies. I guess you’ve made one of my fantasies a reality,” she said.
“I want to make all of your dreams a reality,” he told her, meaning it. He took in a deep breath. “I love you, Courtney. I know it’s quick, and I know it might not sound sincere, but I feel as if I’m going to burst if I don’t get the words out.” He did feel relief at having said those three little words he’d never said to a non-relative before.
She turned so her profile was clear to him. There was a beaming smile on her lips.
“It is too soon, but I love you too,” she admitted. He leaned forward and brushed her cheek with his lips, glad he’d said it while they were soaring above the earth. He wasn’t sure how love happened, he just knew Cupid had struck him hard.
“I’ve always been told if I want something I need to earn it,” Eyes said. “I haven’t earned you yet, but I will each and every day you don’t give up on me.”
She laughed. “Why don’t we earn each other,” she suggested.
“I think that’s a damn fine idea,” he said.
As much as Eyes loved soaring above the earth, he’d never wanted to land so badly. If he didn’t pull Courtney into his arms and hold her tight while pressing his lips to hers, he just might shatter. He loved this woman and he wanted to shout it to the world.
They were getting closer and closer to the landing pad where a lot of people stood around as they waited for their own parties to land. “It’s so odd to see cars, people, dogs, and life that we’re normally side by side with down below us. I can imagine how God must feel looking down at his creations,” Courtney said.
Eyes laughed again. “I’m sure He shakes his head in disappointment a lot,” he told her.
“I disagree. I think He’s very proud of the struggles we face and how we manage to pick ourselves up again,” she told him.
“That’s only one of the reasons I love you,” Eyes told her. “You’re the most positive person I’ve ever met. You truly are the beacon that draws people to safety in the middle of a storm.”
“That might be the best compliment I’ve ever received,” she told him.
“Being up here makes any problems I might think I have simply float away,” she said. “This is purity at its finest.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” Eyes told her.
“Thank you, Jon. Thank you for being you, and for helping me to be the best person I can be,” she told him. He took one arm and squeezed it around her. He wanted her turned around, wanted to wrap his arms around her and pull her tight. She rarely used his real name, and he loved the sound of it coming from her lips.
“It’s me who should be thanking you for helping me fly,” he said. He meant that in so many more ways than actually flying in the clear blue sky.
“I think we help each other,” she said. “Maybe that’s what people have meant every time they’ve ever said their other half. I’ve always scoffed at that. I’m not laughing anymore because I’m starting to believe in yin and yang, starting to believe we truly do have another half of ourselves out there that we’ve been searching for without understanding something was ever missing.”
Jon “Eyes” Eisenhart knew he was going to spend the rest of his life with this woman. He could wait, because he knew they had forever. Their feet touched the ground, and then he was pulling her into his arms. He’d get to do that for the rest of time and through all of eternity — he was sure of it.
He was more sure of that than anything in his entire life. He’d found the one woman in this world he refused to live without, and he couldn’t be happier at his fall to the ground.