NORA
The balloon was already half-inflated when Theo and I arrived at the launch site, the massive envelope stretching across the grass like it was just waiting to wake up.
The sun was barely peeking over the horizon, casting everything in that soft, golden light that made the world feel quieter than usual.
It was kind of perfect.
“This is my first time seeing one of these up close,” I said as we approached. The early morning air was cool and crisp, and I was suddenly very grateful Theo had let me borrow one of his jackets.
“Same,” Theo said, his gaze taking in the sheer size of it.
“Have either of you ever been up in a hot air balloon before?” the man running the ride asked as he walked us through a quick explanation of how everything worked.
We both shook our heads.
He grinned. “Well, this should be fun then.”
Theo shifted slightly beside me. “Do we need to worry about motion sickness at all?”
“Not usually.” The guy shook his head. “It’s a really smooth ride. Most people are surprised by how gentle it feels.”
That was reassuring.
I think.
A few minutes later, we were climbing into the basket.
I ended up on the right side, Theo just to my left, close enough that every nerve ending in my body was intensely aware of him and all the places that were almost touching him.
The pilot reached up and pulled the burner.
A loud whoosh filled the air as a burst of flame shot upward.
The balloon gave a slight tug.
And then—
We lifted.
“Whoa,” I said, my balance shifting just enough to make me grab the edge of the basket.
“You ready for this?” Theo glanced over at me, his eyes bright with a mix of excitement and amusement.
“I hope so,” I said with a small laugh as the ground kept drifting farther away.
Ten feet.
Twenty.
Thirty.
My heart started beating faster as the houses and trees below shrank into something that looked almost unreal.
This is fine, I told myself. Totally fine.
People did this all the time.
Plus, I hadn’t heard of hot air balloons crashing on a regular basis, so statistically speaking, we were probably safe.
Hopefully.
I tightened my grip on the edge of the basket.
And then the world tilted just slightly and my vision blurred.
Oh.
Oh no.
A wave of vertigo hit me out of nowhere, my stomach dropping as I suddenly became very aware of how high up we actually were.
Okay, maybe I was a little afraid of heights.
That was new.
“Hey,” Theo said quietly beside me. “Are you okay?”
He must have noticed that I was trying not to hyperventilate.
“I want to believe this is safe…” I said, letting out a breath that sounded shakier than I would’ve liked. “But I don’t know about this.”
He stepped closer, his hand covering mine where I was gripping the edge of the basket.
Warm and steady.
Solid in a way that made me feel safe.
“It’s okay,” he said.
So, trying to draw in a decent breath, I nodded and tried to relax, even though my heart was racing for completely different reasons now.
Then, before I could overthink it, he shifted again. Moved just slightly behind me. And then his arm slid around my waist, pulling me gently back against him while his other hand stayed braced on the basket.
“Is this okay?” he asked.
And for a second, I forgot how to breathe. Because suddenly, I was very aware of the solid warmth of him behind me.
The way I fit against him with my back pressing firmly against his chest.
“Yes,” I said, my voice coming out softer than I meant it to.
“Good,” he murmured, his breath just barely brushing my ear.
And just that small shift in air sent a shiver down my spine.
We stayed like that as the balloon carried us higher, the countryside stretching out in every direction.
Fields. Trees. Winding roads that looked impossibly small from up here.
Theo leaned in, bending slightly so his cheek rested lightly against mine as he pointed out across the land. “I’m pretty sure that area over there is part of the Hastings’s property.”
I followed his gaze, leaning even closer into him. “Wow,” I said, my whole body all too aware of how close we were. “That’s a lot of land.”
“Yeah.” He huffed a quiet laugh. “I heard they used to own even more but sold it.”
Which made sense. I was pretty sure their ancestors had helped found the town.
My attention shifted as something else caught my eye.
“Are those the waterfalls that Eden Falls is named after?” I asked, pointing to the cascading waterfalls just to our left.
“Yeah,” he said. “That’s them.”
“They’re so pretty from up here.”
“They are.”
I glanced up at him slightly. “Have you been there?”
“A few times,” he said. “I need to take Charlotte, though.”
A small smile pulled at my lips. “I bet she’d love that.”
“She really would.”
“But are there ducks for her to feed?” I asked, tilting my head.
“I’m not sure.” He chuckled, his eyes crinkling at the corners, warmth flickering in them. “But there should be.”
And I loved that we both knew the little details about his little girl. That I had that in common with him now.
For a moment, we just stood there.
Floating.
His arm still around my waist.
My back still pressed against his chest.
The world stretched out below us, quiet and beautiful.
And unlike when we’d taken off, I wasn’t thinking about how high up we were. I was just thinking about how safe I felt. Safe and happy in Theo’s arms.
We stayed like that until a sudden shift in the air jolted the basket.
I sucked in a breath as the balloon dipped just enough to make my stomach drop.
“Whoa,” I said, my hand tightening instinctively on Theo’s arm where it was wrapped around my stomach.
“It’s okay,” the pilot called out easily. “Just a little change in the current.”
“I’ve got you,” Theo said quietly, his arm wrapping around my waist securely, his grip steady as the balloon swayed again. Not as strong this time, but enough that I turned my head slightly, my focus drifting away from the horizon.
Straight into the man standing behind me.
And I was suddenly even more aware of the warmth of him behind me. The solid line of his chest at my back. The steady rise and fall of his breathing.
Theo was holding me. Holding me like he cared about me. Holding me in the way a man would hold his girlfriend.
His hand smoothed along my stomach, drifting slowly up along my ribs. And it felt incredible. Sending waves of pleasure circling through my core.
Did he like standing like this as much as I did?
Was he feeling as in tune with every little movement—every little breath—like I was?
I tilted my head back, trying to catch a peek at his face to see if I could tell what he might be thinking. But when I looked up, instead of finding him looking out over the horizon, his gaze was intent on me.
Like he’d been watching me when I hadn’t realized it.
And when our eyes locked, everything around us went quiet. The world narrowing down to just the two of us.
When his gaze dipped down to my lips, my breath suddenly caught in my chest because I couldn’t help but wonder if he was thinking about leaning in.
Thinking about kissing me.
The burner roared overhead, the sudden rush of sound snapping our attention upward.
We both blinked, like we were coming back to ourselves at the same time.
Because… right.
We weren’t alone.
The pilot was still very much there. Just a foot or two behind us.
Theo cleared his throat and his arm dropped from my waist, stepping back just enough to put space between us again—like he was only just realizing what we’d been doing.
I turned back toward the edge of the basket, my grip tightening slightly as I tried to steady myself.
Had we almost kissed?
Was that what it had been?
Because it had certainly seemed like it.
My heart picked up again at the thought, a warm rush spreading through me that had nothing to do with the height.
I swallowed, forcing myself to look out over the horizon like everything was completely normal. Like my brain wasn’t replaying that moment over and over again to make sure I was interpreting it right.
“All right,” the pilot called after a while. “We’re going to start heading down.”
“Okay,” I said, another swell of nerves filling me.
“Landing instructions are simple,” he continued. “Face away from the direction we’re moving and bend your knees slightly. Just in case we get a little bump.”
“Hopefully, it’s just a little bump,” I muttered under my breath.
Theo huffed a quiet laugh beside me.
We followed the pilot’s directions, turning and bracing ourselves as the ground slowly rose up to meet us.
There was a small bump when we landed.
Thankfully, nothing dramatic, just enough to make me wobble slightly before catching myself. And then we were back on the ground.
“That was fun,” I said, turning toward Theo.
“Yeah,” he said, a small smile tugging at his mouth. “It was.”
And for a second, neither of us moved.
“All right, you can step out one at a time,” the pilot said, motioning toward the side of the basket.
We climbed out carefully, thanking the pilot as our feet hit solid ground again.
Before we said goodbye to the pilot, Theo pulled out his wallet and handed him what looked like a generous tip, earning an appreciative nod in return. Then we made our way back toward the parking area where Theo had parked his Volvo earlier.