looking down at me with lifted eyebrows.
My mind races as I think of all the things in Chicago I want to share with him, and I have no idea where to start. Then I think of the one thing I’ve never done.
I give him a playful punch to the shoulder. “One of these days, you’re going to have to plan a full date, just not the beginning.”
His hand squeezes my waist. “Brie, I was kidding.” He twists his wrist to look at his watch. “I have it all planned, but we have about an hour to kill before dinner. So, if there is something you want to do, now’s the time.”
I tap my index finger on my chin, knowing that, as soon as I say it, I can’t take it back.
Rafe peers down at me curiously. “What is it, Brie?”
Releasing a heavy sigh, I flick my eyes across the way towards Navy Pier. “Living in Chicago all of these years, I’ve done just about every touristy thing you can thing. Except ride the Navy Pier Ferris wheel.”
“You haven’t?” His eyes widen with surprise.
I shake my head and grimace at the massive structure off in the distance. “I’m terrified of heights,” I admit.
“But you did fine on the plane,” he says, cocking his head and studying me.
“That’s different. I don’t know why. It just is. The thought of getting on that ride and having it spin round and round, rising and descending over the lake, scares the crap out of me.”
“Then we won’t do it.”
Okay, it’s now or never. I muster up enough confidence and set my shoulders. “I want to. I want to ride the Ferris wheel with you. To conquer that fear. It might be silly, but it’s just something I want to do.”
He rubs a hand over his stubbled jaw. “Are you sure?”
“Just promise to hold my hand and, no matter how hard I squeeze, you won’t let go.”
I shriek when he spins us around and presses me up against the side of a building. The brick bites into my lower back as his head bows, his eyes finding mine. They’re intense, paralyzing, and I hold my breath.
“I’ll never let go.”
Before I can respond, he pushes back and hauls me by my waist as he makes his way to the edge of the sidewalk, hailing a taxi. All I can think is that I pray he never does let me go.
I’m not sure I’d survive the devastation.
“I don’t know about this,” I whisper, clutching Rafe’s arm with both hands. Not only are the heights terrifying enough, but the wind is whipping my hair and I swear the gondola is moving even though the ride hasn’t even started. Closing my eyes, I curse my momentary courage for allowing me to suggest this lunacy.
Rafe reassuringly squeezes my knee as he kisses the top of my head. “It’ll be fine. I promise.”
I tilt my head to look up at him. “You can’t promise that. What if there’s mechanical failure? Or, somewhere, a screw comes unleashed and the wheel starts rolling towards the lake?”
“Okay, Brie, that’s some Final Destination stuff, and I can assure you that’s not going to happen. Mechanical failure, maybe, but that just means we’ll be stuck until it’s fixed. Think of how romantic it could be. What we could do. It’d give a whole new meaning to the phrase, ‘don’t come knockin’ if you see it rockin’.”
He lets out a barking laugh as I pinch his arm.
“Not funny!” I exclaim. “Not only would that be exhibitionism, but with my luck, I’d rock us right out of here.”
“True. You are pretty feisty when I get you naked.”
I groan and hold him tighter as the ride jerks and starts moving slowly. Then I shut my eyes, not wanting to watch. “Talk to me. Talk to me before I start freaking out.”
His free hand traces my lower lip, which is trembling out of fear. “Open them,” he coaxes, and somehow the soothing tone of his voice has me obeying. When they open, my eyes don’t leave his. I can’t see how high we are. I just can’t.
“My mom’s going to love you,” he says, taking me aback. Of all the things to talk about, that wasn’t what I expected.
My cheeks flush. “Do you think so?”
“I wouldn’t say it if I didn’t. I haven’t brought a woman home to my parents since high school. And since those relationships never had a chance of lasting, I’m not sure they count.”
“Tell me about them.