Page 74 of Frequency of Attraction

A smile lifted Quinn’s lips and her hand found her heart. His skipped two beats. Did that mean…fuck, he really needed to talk to her. He didn’t want to do this life alone anymore. He wanted Quinn by his side, even when they were states and cities and worlds apart. Especially then. He wanted what they had in Boston, with Mila, to be real. He stared at her a moment longer, then followed Harvey through the hatch, past the tight cabin, and into Stratos’ cockpit. Cameras had been mounted there for posterity and social media, if everything went well.

He secured himself to the seat and hooked into the life safety and communication systems. Muscle memory kicked in. Soon they were fully powered and moving down the runway under the sprawling wings of Mothership. Vadim knew that Mission Control could hear his unsteady breaths. The systems read normal as Mothership’s engines roared, lifting them off the ground. He and Harv readied for release. For flight. For space.

Impossibly soon, Control chirped in his ear. “Ready for release.”

Mothership’s commanders repeated, “Release,” echoed by Vadim.

They were falling.

“Fire.”

“Fire.” Vadim engaged their rocket boosters and they were off—free from Mothership, who’d turn back to base—and shooting into the sky. Hands shaking both from adrenaline and the vibration of the plane, Vadim oriented them straight up and blasted faster than the speed of sound many times over. He called out height and speed milestones and answered reading calls from Control. With the earth at his back, Vadim saw nothing but lightening blue sky. Once his adrenaline started settling, he was able to enjoy the dreamy way Stratos handled. Now, past the hardest parts, he experienced only elation.

Within ten minutes, the sky moved from blue to black. Blacker than black. He couldn’t think of a word dark enough. Vadim, after years of dreaming and training and sweating and studying, arrived in space. The inky emptiness wrapped around them like a blanket. He perceived the change in gravity instantly. He felt loose, even in the harness. The good-luck keychain from his grandson that Harv had clipped to his uniform began to float. The seasoned astronaut executed a complete rotation so Vadim could get the full effect. He laughed out loud.

“Report on conditions.”

Vadim shook his head at the sight in front of him. He couldn’t name the clench of emotion in his belly. The feeling dug deeper than joy, glowed brighter than stars. Even technically, how could what he saw be described? “Blackest sky I’ve ever seen.” He checked their altitude. “And we’re at apogee, base.” The end of their road, the highest point for which their mission was designed. Low-earth orbit, tugged along by the gravity of their planet.

Thomas’ voice crackled in his ear. “Vadim?”

“Thomas?”

“Welcome to space.” He heard cheering in the background. Grinning, he glanced over at Harv. He could hear his copilot chuckling in his headset.

“Copy. Thank you.”

Harv adjusted their position in orbit. “Take a good look, kid.”

The glowing blue atmosphere of Earth was the most gorgeous curve he’d ever seen. Wrinkles and grooves like on a globe filled the entire window, varying shades of brown until the vibrant blue of the Pacific burst into their sightline. Puffy white clouds dotted the world below them. Off-world. A new designation for him. His ultimate goal realized. Vadim was glad someone had had the foresight to clean the damn windows. From endless onyx to sprawling Earth, he didn’t want to miss a thing.

“Nothing like it, huh?”

“Nothing,” Vadim agreed. Everything in his life seemed to shrink at once: problems, worries, distance. Everything but love. Love amplified. As Vadim’s eyes devoured the sphere that held every life, every wish, every heartbreak, every loss, every love story that had ever been, he couldn’t help dwelling on his own. Truly, with the universe at his back, he had nothing to lose. It was time to ask Quinn on a fucking date.

“Time’s up, kid.”

He snapped out of his reverie. “Do we have to go?”

“Yes, you have to.” That from base. “First of many trips, Blue Baron. But we can’t afford the fuel to keep you up there.”

Sighing, Vadim engaged the plane’s reentry configuration, a more stable and aerodynamic shape for entering the atmosphere. “Until next time,” he said to the darkness of space.

“Take us home.”

The trip had been too short. It didn’t take long to travel sixty-two miles to the edge of space at Mach Three. Their mission had simply been to see if they could.

The view continued to carve its way into his psyche. Each gasp that signified a life here was a precious gift, a glorious accident, an opportunity to understand the inherent magic of existing. He would never forget that. Grateful tears kept threatening to fall, but he had work to do.

Reentry into the earth’s atmosphere went flawlessly. They had zero issues to report. He’d never been so appreciative of Tate, Thomas, and the entire OrbitAll team. Someone needed to buy them all a damn drink.

At fifty thousand feet above base, he dropped back into the spaceplane’s normal configuration. A few minutes later, right before landing, he made the final call. “Mission complete.”

They taxied in, right up to the hangar, as close as they could get with the crowds. He and Harv climbed out of Stratos’ belly to claps and yells. Vadim’s cheeks hurt from smiling.

He didn’t move toward Thomas. He didn’t try to find Tate in the mass of people. He didn’t look for Dasha. He didn’t consider postflight checks. No, there was only one thing Vadim needed to do, one person he wanted to see, and her hazel eyes held his with gravity unlike any he’d ever felt.

He ripped off his gloves as he neared Quinn. He dropped his gear at her feet and swept her into his arms without a word. She squeaked as she scrambled for leverage around his neck and waist.

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