Page 73 of New River Gorge(ous)
I shake my head to clear the mental image away and focus on the task at hand. Beck tips his head to the side as he studies me. I don’t know if he can see my thoughts, but when I meet his gaze, he breaks into a grin. It’s justhim, completely at ease in this moment.
His deep voice calls out, “Brooke? You good in the front?” and reminds me I didn’t give a response to Logan.
“Sure,” I say as I climb over the rocks and stand on the opposite side of the raft from Beck.
“Hop in.” Beck raises his chin to indicate the front seat on the left side of the raft.
I start to climb in, and though the water isn’t deep, long legs are not something I was genetically gifted. I maintain that Matt stole all the height genes in the womb and have made it my mission to beat him in every competitive event possible since.
I try to hook my leg over the side, but I slip in the water and fall back, landing with a splash on my back.
“Brooke?” Beck’s by my side in an instant. I’m completely fine, just a bit shocked to be on my back when, a moment ago, I was trying to mount the raft. Beck’s strong arms pull me up so I’m sitting in the river. “Are you ok?” he whispers as his worried eyes scan me for injury.
“Yeah,” I say, taking a breath before standing up. Before I stand all the way, I cup my hand under the water and bring it up fast. Water splashes on Beck’s neck, and he startles.
When he turns an incredulous gaze toward me, I smile sweetly and begin to clamber into the boat. Unfortunately, it’s now even more slippery after my fall.
Matt snickers, and Logan laughs as I slide down the side.
Suddenly, warm hands are on my waist, and I’m hoisted into the boat. It’s not dignified, but I slither over the side with the extra help from Beck.
Matt and Melanie sit in the middle, each holding their paddle, and Ben and Logan sit in the back. I adjust my swim shorts and then accept the paddle Matt passes me.
“You better not fall out in the rapids, or you’ll never get back in,” Matt teases.
I don’t say anything, just swing my paddle around so that if he wasn’t paying attention, the top part of the oar would whack his helmet. He ducks, and I roll my eyes.
“Hey, no swinging paddles!” Logan calls from the back.
“That rule can’t possibly apply to twins,” I call back.
“Fair enough, I’d whack Lynette if she was giving me a hard time too. Siblings get a pass on the paddle rule.”
Ben shakes his head at his friend as Beck pulls the boat into deeper water. In a move entirely too deft for the reserved man I’ve known, he leans one arm on the edge of the boat and then elegantly jumps in.
40
Beck
I’m not a tall man by any means, but Brooke is definitely short. When she couldn’t get into the boat, my first instinct was to laugh at the determined way she approached the physical challenge. That instinct fled and was replaced by the worry that always accompanies people I care about when she fell back into the water. I’m logical. Iknowthat the river is shallow here, and that we were by the bank. But also, the moment she went under, my heart plummeted into my stomach (which I know is not physiologically possible, but it still feels real).
When she playfully splashed me, I got a look at a woman who’s determined to have fun despite the challenges life throws at her. Having fun is something I’ve had to work hard to do since everything happened with Addie. But even before that, medical school, residency, and seeing trauma after trauma every night in the E.R. make it hard for me to let go and live a little sometimes. Anxiety masked by gruffness and irritation became my coping mechanism. Brooke’s anxiety is different. She’s got big feelings, but she’s not afraid. She leansinto things, where I leanout.
I find myself wanting to impress her, so even though I haven’t approached something like recreational white water rafting with my friends with this level of enthusiasm since I was in college, I swing myself into the boat like I’m a regular Indiana Jones.
When Logan passes me a paddle and instructs everyone to put on their life jackets, I don’t miss the bemused look he shoots my way. I shrug, rolling my shoulders like that’s a totally normal move for me to make. At one time, it was. For the past four years, it hasnotbeen.
“Beck’s back.” Ben whistles.
Brooke’s eyes search my face while I just shrug. Logan shouts out simple directions, but the truth is, he could do this section of the river on his own and be fine.
We make it over the first set of Class III rapids with no problem, but when we approach the second, I see exactly what he’s doing. Logan’s aiming to unseat as many people as possible in the boat—himself excluded, of course. We hit the whitewater, and the raft cuts into the rapids, spinning around and drenching everyone on my side of the boat.
Logan shouts instructions from the back, but I can’t hear him over the roar of the water. It’s a good thing Logan, Ben, and I have done this so many times because Matt is clutching his paddle in shock while Melanie furiously paddles like her life depends on it. No wonder we’re spinning.
We’re out of the rapids in a minute, thanks to Ben and I righting the spinning ship.
“So,” Brooke says once we’ve all taken a breath. “You used to be wild?”
