Chapter 16
Sixteen
Most men brought flowers on a first date. Teague Hamilton brought a rope, two harnesses, and a four a.m. wake-up call.
In his defense, it had been Eden’s idea—he just made it happen.
It was two weeks since they’d been rescued off that ledge, and Teague was tired of waiting to get Eden truly to himself.
But between reports, interviews, and her traveling to Flagstaff to check on Sierra and Trey, time for a date just hadn’t happened.
He tested the next hold, fingers finding the familiar crack in limestone. Dawn was still an hour away, the canyon below them a vast shade of gray slowly picking up color. The air was crisp and clean, carrying the scent of sage.
“I can’t believe this is what you wanted for our official first date.” He glanced down at Eden, maybe ten feet below him on the route.
She still wore a black neoprene wrist brace for support, but her movements were fluid. Confident. The climber in her returning more each day.
“Official date?” She laughed, the sound echoing off stone. “Just because we nearly died on the other climbs doesn’t mean they weren’t dates.”
“True, but if Xander and Marcus were there, it wasn’t a date.” Teague pulled himself up another few feet, his ribs giving only a slight twinge. Two weeks of healing had done wonders. “Most women prefer candles. Dinner. A movie.”
“I’m not most women.”
No. She wasn’t.
“Besides, the park reopens to the public a week from tomorrow.” Eden moved smoothly up the rock, compensating for the brace with her footwork. “This is our last chance to climb here without special permission.”
“So romantic.”
“You’re the one who called me a caged climber.” Her voice held warmth and a touch of challenge. “Have to make up for lost time.”
Teague looked up at the route above them—maybe thirty feet to the top. “No complaints. I just hoped for more snuggling and less rock face.”
“We can do that too.” Eden was beside him now, both on a ledge barely wide enough for two. Their shoulders touched. “After.”
“Is that a promise?”
“It’s a strong possibility.”
“I’ll take it.”
The eastern sky was lightening—deep purple fading to indigo, then pale blue at the horizon.
In the growing light, Teague could see her face clearly.
The freckles that had darkened from their weeks in the sun.
The blonde braid already coming loose. The blue eyes reflecting the first hints of morning.
Beautiful.
She’d always been beautiful. But something was different now. Lighter. Like she’d finally set down a weight she’d carried for years.
“Ready?” She nodded toward the final pitch.
“Lead the way.”
They climbed in comfortable silence, moving with the easy rhythm they’d developed. The stone was cool under Teague’s hands, each hold tested, each placement deliberate—but natural now.
Like breathing.
He pulled himself over the final edge just as the first rays of sun broke over the canyon rim.
The sky exploded into color.
Gold and orange and pink painted the clouds. Light spilled into the canyon like liquid fire, illuminating layer after ancient layer of stone. The rocks glowed red and orange, shadows retreating into crevices, the whole vast expanse coming alive.
Eden came up beside him, breathing hard but smiling. “Perfect timing. Look at that.”
“Worth it.”
But Teague was looking at her, not the sunrise.
Definitely worth it.
They sat on smooth stone at the summit, legs dangling over the edge, watching the canyon wake up. Far below, the river turned from black to silver to green as the sun touched it. Ravens called from somewhere beneath them. A condor circled on rising thermals, its wings gilded by sunlight.
“I know you said you’d never apologize for being reckless when it came to saving me.”
“And I stand by it.”
“I know.” Eden turned to face him. “I just wanted to say thank you. Not just for saving me from Kyle. The fall. All of it.” She paused. “But also for saving me from a life of hiding.”
Teague’s chest tightened.
“I can’t control everything.” Her gaze drifted over the canyon. “Can’t prevent every bad thing from happening. But you reminded me I don’t have to.” She looked back at him. “Because I’m not alone. God’s got us. You’ve got me.” Her hand found his. “And I’ve got you.”
“Yeah.” His voice came out rougher than intended. “You do.”
His arm came around her waist, pulling her closer. She fit against his side like she’d always belonged there.
Maybe she had.
“Oh—Marcus called yesterday.” Teague kept her tucked against him. “The key opened a safety deposit box in Switzerland. His grandfather left letters, journals, and old stocks.”
“Really?” Her brows shot up. “How much are we talking?”
“Enough that he’s donating the SAR helicopter we’ve been begging for. The one with the advanced rescue hoist system.”
“Good for him.” Eden smiled. “He deserves it after everything.”
The sun was fully up now, the canyon brilliant with morning light. The air smelled like sage and stone and possibility.
“So.” Teague brushed back a whisp of her hair. “How am I doing for our official first date?”
Her brow wrinkled. “You did make me wake up at four in the morning.”
“To see this.” He motioned to the view.
“Fair point. And you brought coffee.” She pulled the thermos from the side of his pack.
“And donuts.” He opened the flap and found the bag and held it out.
She claimed one of the donuts. “So breakfast on a cliff, watching the sunrise, with the man I love. Yeah, you’re doing pretty well.”
“Just pretty well?” He pulled her close and Eden turned in his arms, face tilted up. Close enough that he could count the freckles across her nose.
She brushed his wild curls back from his face. “Well…”
Then he leaned in and kissed her.
Soft and slow and full of promise. The kind of kiss that said this is just the beginning. The kind that tasted like coffee and sugar and coming home.
When they pulled apart, both were smiling.
“Better?” Teague rested his forehead against hers.
“Getting there.” Eden’s voice was breathless. “Though I should warn you—if this is how we do our first date, I have high expectations for the second one.”
He leaned back slightly. “How high?”
Her eyes held mischief. “I was thinking we could tackle that technical route on the South Rim. The one nobody’s free climbed in twenty years.”
“You’re going to kill me.”
“Nah.” She kissed him again—quick and sure. “You’re tougher than you look.”
“I look pretty tough.”
“Keep telling yourself that.”
Teague laughed, the sound carrying across the canyon. He pulled her close against the backdrop of stone and sky and the rising sun.
Teague laced his fingers with hers. “What do you think about coming with me and my parents to hike Half Dome in a couple weeks?”
Eden leaned back. Stared at him. “Where Chip fell?”
“Five-year anniversary.”
He was quiet for a moment. “I called my mom last night. Told her about you. About us.” A pause. “She cried. The good kind, she said. She’s been waiting a long time for me to stop running.”
Eden’s throat tightened. “And your dad?”
“Asked if you could keep up with him on the switchbacks.” That crooked grin appeared. “I told him you’d probably leave us both in the dust.”
Something shifted in her expression. Understanding. The weight of what he was asking.
“I’d be honored.”
She settled into his side, and they sat together on the summit—drinking coffee from the thermos, still hot. Eating day-old donuts that tasted perfect in the morning air. Watching the canyon come alive with light.
Teague thought about how far they’d come. From that first morning when he’d taught her to trust the rock. To the moment she’d fallen and he’d caught her. To right now—sitting on top of the world with the woman he loved.
Life was still uncertain. There would be more hard climbs ahead. More moments of fear. More times when the path forward wasn’t clear.
But they’d face it together.
And the Rock—God—would hold them through all of it.
“Ready to head down?” Eden asked eventually.
Teague pressed a kiss to her temple.
“Lead on.”