?Chapter 3000:


    With Hadley in his arms, Eric shifted toward the open door.


    One by one, the others leaped. As each body disappeared into the sky, Hadley’s nerves caught up to her.


    She shut her eyes and focused on breathing in and out.


    “Ready!” the instructor called. “Mr. Scott, Miss Pearson—you’re up!”


    “Okay.”


    Her eyes stayed closed. “Ah… Eric!”


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    “I’m here!” he yelled back, holding her close as they jumped. “We’re flying!”


    Hadley screamed, wind crashing against her face and pouring into her mouth.


    “Stop shouting!”


    Eric quickly covered her lips.


    Too much cold air would upset her stomachter.


    She nodded rapidly.


    “Open your eyes,” he said into her ear. “Look down. It’s beautiful.”


    “No!” Her head shook. Eyes stayed shut. She couldn’t.


    “I’ve got you.” His voice softened. “Don’t you trust me?”


    “Okay then.” Bit by bit, she opened her eyes.


    “There. Down there. Look.”


    Down there?


    She blinked, trying to make out the figures below. Those were the instructors who jumped first.


    Their parachutes still packed as they fell.


    Something wasn’t right.


    “They’re… forming something?”


    “You think so?” Eric asked.


    “Yes. It looks like…” She narrowed her eyes, trying to make sense of the shapes below.


    “Eric…”


    That was his name.


    Once she saw it, the rest came together easily.


    “Hadley!” Her whole body lit up. “That’s my name! It’s both our names!”


    “Yes.” A smile tugged at his lips.


    He had been worried she might not recognize it.


    “Ready.”


    Eric pulled sharply across his chest. The force of the parachute jolted through her body as the canopy deployed above them.


    Below, the others released theirs as well—each one catching the wind as their formation shifted.


    “They’ve changed shape!” she gasped.


    This time, Eric didn’t have to say a word. Hadley saw it for herself.


    Words were printed across the open parachutes drifting beneath them.


    She read them slowly, her voice trembling. “Let’s build a world of our own, Hadley—and grow old together.”


    In that instant, she shut her eyes tight. Tears formed, but before they could fall, the wind swept them into the sky.


    This wasn’t just skydiving. It was a full-blown confession.


    “Do you like it?” Eric’s lips brushed against her ear as he spoke.


    “Yes!” Her voice caught. She could only nod, again and again. “Yes, yes! This is so amazing!”


    He smiled, holding her close. “If you think that was amazing, look down. There’s more.”


    More?


    She nced below.


    They were still descending, but what waited underneath wasn’tnd. It was the sea.


    She blinked again. They weren’t over solid ground. They were floating above the sea.


    A little thrown off, she asked, “Are wending in the water?”


    “No.” He tightened his grip and pointed. “There. That’s our yacht. We’rending on the deck.”


    Only then did she remember.


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