He switched his hand grips and footing until he rested on the rocks closest to her. "Tell me what's wrong."
"When I told you earlier that I’m not too good with heights, I should have been more honest. I’m terrified. This is scarier than I thought it would be." She swallowed hard, not wanting to disappoint him or herself. "My arms and legs are shaking. I really don't know if I can keep going, or even move at all."
He pressed his right jaw against the wall so she could see most of his face. Sober eyes filled with understanding latched onto her gaze. "Even if you stop here, you did great for your first climb. You're more than halfway up the wall and this isn't even the easiest route. If you want to go back down now, it's fine."
"I hate failing."
"Hey, this isn't failing. Let's go down. Take a break, give your muscles a chance to rest, and if you want, try it again." He turned his head and shouted down to Elias and then smiled at her. "Just let go of the holds. Elias will do all the work of lowering you."
The thought of letting go sent an icy roll of fear through her stomach. But she couldn’t stay on the wall forever. Holding her breath, she lifted her fingers off the holds one by one.
"Good job. You're doing great," Slade crooned beside her. "And you're fine. I promise. You can hold onto the rope if you want. Now, just push off the wall, or lift your feet from the holds."
Keeping her gaze locked on his, she complied while her heartbeat thundered in her ears.
For a moment, she was suspended in the air. Then, the wall started to move. The holds slowly rose higher and higher. Her stomach dropped like she was on a carnival ride, but Elias lowered her steady and smooth. She reached the ground before Slade and let Elias unhook her from the rope.
Slade joined her a minute later, hopping to the ground with athletic grace. He slipped his arm around her shoulder and kissed her temple. "You really did a good job. Do you want to try again or should we call it a day?"
The gym had grown more crowded. She watched kids climb the wall like it was the easiest thing in the world. She'd bet the kids involved with the Wishes Foundation wouldn't wimp out. All around her, people were having fun. No one was cowering in fear. Annoyance at herself, at her weakness, burned hot. Leaving with a failed attempt wasn't an option. "I want to do it again."
Grinning, he rubbed her shoulder. "All right. Just pick a route."
"Maybe I should try the easiest one."
He led her to another wall. "Follow the white tags sticking out of the rocks. It's pretty much a straight shot up and all the holds will be the same size."
She stopped him before he could turn to find Elias. "Could you belay me this time?"
He brushed his fingers over her cheek. "Absolutely."
They went through the rope hook up and all the safety checks and then Slade bent and kissed her. "You've got this. I won't let you fall."
Savanna versus the mountain. She moved into position. The holds were larger and closer together, reminding her almost of a ladder. Her stomach still dropped when she glanced down for a foothold, but Slade on the ground, watching her, holding the rope and removing the slack as soon as she moved, restored her resolve to keep going.
The top grew closer and closer, until she'd finally grasped the last hold.
"You did it!" Slade's cheer made the accomplishment even sweeter. His grin matched her own as she surveyed the gym from her bird's eye view. "You ready to come down?"
"Please." Excitement didn't fully mask her unease at being up so high. She breathed easier as he lowered her to the ground.
He unhooked their harnesses from the rope and then hugged her. "I'm so proud of you."
"Yeah but it was only the beginner route."
"So what? You are a beginner."
A group of kids came over, calling Slade's name, asking to take photos with him, and for him to sign their ball caps or T-shirts. He smiled and posed and shook hands and received hugs. When the crowd dwindled, he reached for her, his fingers closing around hers in a secure clutch.
"Ready to get out of here?"
Leaving the gym on a high note worked for her. Three more people stopped him in the parking lot. He chatted with them and took a photo, then wrapped his arm around her and bid them goodbye.
She studied his profile as he maneuvered the sleek car out of the parking lot. "That happens to you a lot, doesn't it?"
"More so now, thanks to my performance the past few seasons and the endorsement deals I have. I love meeting the fans but yeah, privacy goes out the window. I don't mind as much as some of the guys, but it can be hard to relax if you're worrying about whether someone is snapping a photo of you every second. The team doesn't want any negative publicity, and there's a code of conduct we're supposed to follow. We're judged on things both on and off the field."
"That's hard."
"It can be, but I don't worry too much. Worrying is a waste of time." He shot her a grin. "How about dinner at my place?"
"Can you cook or is that going to be another adventure?"
Laughing, he switched lanes and sped onto the freeway. "I can do basic things but tonight we're ordering from the restaurant on the first floor of the building."
He drove fast, telling her about the time that he and Liam had gone rock climbing at El Capitan in Yosemite
