Page 59

59

Two weeks later.

The Dunstable Downs stretched out before Finn, rolling green hills beneath a sky streaked with scattered clouds. The last two weeks with Rose in London had been a revelation.

Mornings where he woke tangled in sheets, Rose’s head resting on his chest as dawn crept across her bedroom floor. Evenings of slow dinners and half-finished glasses of wine, her laughter untying something long-knotted inside him—until they inevitably surrendered to the pull of skin against skin.

Every shared moment had been its own kind of happiness. It didn’t erase the past, but it made living with it easier.

And today was something more. Something he had waited patiently for. The perfect sky.

He led her across the grass toward the sleek white glider waiting on the airfield. His gait was smoother today, the physical therapist's punishing session yesterday having loosened a stubborn knot of scar tissue. The healing was slow but certain—just like everything else worth having in his life.

Watching her face, he felt a flutter in his chest he hadn't experienced since his first solo flight. Anticipation .

“This is beautiful.” Rose walked the length of the sailplane, trailing her fingertips along its smooth surface, admiring the graceful aerodynamics of the wings. Her face was lit with curiosity. “Where’s the engine?”

“There isn’t one. This is a glider, not a powered plane. Another aircraft takes us up, then we unhook and ride the air currents.”

She looked at him, her eyes widening. “There’s no engine? We just glide?”

“It’s a lot of fun,” he said, reaching for her hand. “You up for it?”

“I survived mad nano-robots in the desert. I can survive this.” Her fingers tightened around his, betraying her nerves despite her brave words.

As the tow pilot completed his pre-flight checks, Finn helped Rose into the sailplane. His hands were steady as he secured her seatbelt, though his heart raced with an unfamiliar nervousness.

“Do you do this for all the ladies?” she teased, her voice light, but her eyes searching his face.

“I’ve never taken a woman up before.”

“Really?” Her voice was breathy as she looked at him, her chest rising and falling too fast.

“Really.” He adjusted her headset, then pressed a kiss to her lips, lingering for a heartbeat longer than necessary. “There’s never been anyone I wanted to take up.”

Never been anyone who mattered enough to share this part of himself with.

He climbed into the front seat and lowered the bubble cockpit. The tow plane pilot’s voice crackled in his headset as the engine rumbled to life.

The tow rope tightened, jerking them into motion. Finn checked the controls. “Rose, you okay back there?”

“Um, I think so.” The roar of the tow plane dwarfed her voice, but there was trust in it.

His stomach dipped as the glider lifted, the aircraft ahead pulling them higher and higher until the clouds fell away beneath them and they broke through into the sunlight. The world opened up, a patchwork of fields and forests stretching to the horizon.

The tow pilot’s voice came over the comms. “Ready for disengagement.”

They’d reached 3,000 feet. Below them, the earth was a living map.

“Confirmed. Releasing.” Finn pulled the red knob. The tow rope snaked away, and they were suddenly gloriously alone. The tow plane climbed in a tight left turn, while Finn banked right, feeling the craft settle into the sky.

He eased the glider north, seeking the invisible rivers of air he knew were there, trusting his instincts honed through years of flight. Bumps beneath his feet told him he was on the right track.

“Finn!” Rose’s voice shot up several octaves behind him.

“You okay?”

A hiccupy laugh. “I am. God, Finn, it’s so beautiful up here.”

Grinning, he angled the craft south, guiding them into the golden light of the horizon. He read the sky the way other people read maps, searching for thermals and ridge lift—those invisible highways of wind rising from the hills.

The glider tilted. Rose screamed—but there was joy in it, too.

She was loving this.

The knowledge sent a rush of pleasure through him.

He’d spent so many hours alone in the sky, free but separate. Now, with Rose beside him, the experience transformed into something richer. He wasn’t alone anymore, and it didn’t feel like a loss of freedom—he had gained something infinitely more precious.

The tow plane was long gone, its noise replaced by the raw rush of wind, nature’s energy propelling them forward. For this brief interlude, they weren’t just flying—they were part of the sky.

“You really belong here.” Wonder threaded through her voice.

I do. And now so do you.

He carved left, then right, weaving through narrow thermals, the glider responding to his touch like an extension of himself. Behind him, Rose’s delighted laughter rang out with every turn, as if they were dancing between earth and sky.

Her joy was infectious. After years of using the sky as an escape, he was finally using it to embrace life instead of flee from it.

They soared for nearly an hour, chasing thermals and riding the invisible highways of the sky. The sun shifted position, casting longer shadows across the landscape below. Finn could have stayed up there forever, suspended between earth and heaven with Rose, but the gradual descent of the sun reminded him of the world waiting below.

All too soon, he guided them into a final loop, lining up with the short runway. With careful precision, he brought the glider down, rolling to a smooth stop, one wing tipping gently to the ground as they came to rest.

He unlatched the canopy and turned to face Rose. Exhilaration flushed her cheeks. Her eyes shimmered with unfiltered joy.

“You okay?” He reached for her, his fingers skimming her face.

“Fantastic.” She let him unclip her harness and help her out. She stood on wobbly legs, breathless from the flight, her hair messy from the wind, eyes shining. He’d never seen anyone so vibrant, so alive.

Something clicked into place and he knew, right then, with absolute certainty—he was going to spend the rest of his life making her happy, taking care of her.

After all these years of searching the skies for answers, he had found his peace.

“What are you thinking?” she asked, studying him.

“That I was flying long before I met you.” He pulled her close. “But I never truly soared until now.”

She traced the line of his jaw, as if he were the miracle instead of her. “Show me again.”

And there, with the solid earth beneath their feet and the endless blue above, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her.