starting to do it now. “But we are starting the off-season for tourists, so it’s not as bad as it is in the summer.”
Her expression was still pensive as she said, “God, I really want to do it, but I haven’t really been out in crowds yet.”
“I have an extra bicycle. We could bike our way around to most places. I think your knee will hold up fine if we take it slow.” It was pathetic how badly I wanted her to give it a try.
Harlow was ready to take these steps, and it would be a much smoother road if she didn’t do it alone. To be honest, I didn’t want her to attempt a milestone like this by herself. If she faltered, I wanted to be there to give her the support she needed.
“You mean I’d be spared from riding in one of your rocket ship vehicles,” she joked weakly, still sounding somewhat apprehensive.
“You know you’re actually starting to enjoy riding in my cars,” I answered. “You’re getting addicted to feeling the power of zero to sixty in under three seconds.”
“Maybe it’s not so bad,” she admitted. “But I still think they’re completely inefficient.”
I chuckled, knowing that was the strongest capitulation I was going to get right now. “So what do you say? Are you ready to be a bum with me tomorrow? You know if you’re not comfortable, we can nix the whole thing and come back here, right?”
“I don’t want to ruin your whole day off if that happens,” she said uncertainly.
“You won’t. There’s nobody I’d rather hang out with, no matter what we’re doing, so you might as well say yes.” Okay, I was pushing, but I knew she wanted this, and she definitely needed it.
She nodded slowly and got to her feet. “Okay, I’ll give it my best shot. I think I’ll be fine as long as you’re with me. It would be amazing to be able to get outside for the whole day, and the island is beautiful. Thank you for offering to spend the day with me.”
I knew that her agreement to venture downtown and around the island was a silent statement about how much she trusted me.
As I got my ass out of my chair to go see what I could do to help with dinner, I swore I’d do whatever it took to make sure Harlow always knew she’d be safe with me.
Harlow
“Hey, Harlow, are you still okay?” Jax asked as his concerned eyes roamed over my face.
He reached across the table in the Mexican restaurant, took my hand in his, and gently squeezed.
I automatically stroked my thumb over the back of his hand as I said, “I’m good. I guess I zoned out for a minute. I was doing one of Dr. Romero’s mini meditation techniques.”
God, I was getting addicted to the way this man never hesitated to reach out to me whenever he thought I might be panicked.
Sometimes, it felt like Jax and I were constantly connected in some weird way that I didn’t even completely understand.
Not that I’d totally figured out the complicated and occasionally infuriating man, but I was starting to pick up on some of his subtle body language. More than likely, he was doing the same with me.
“Are you nervous?” he asked pensively. “The minute you start feeling uncomfortable, we’re out of here.”
I sent him a don’t-you-dare-get-out-of-that-chair look. “Are you kidding? I just ordered fresh swordfish tacos, a lobster quesadilla, and a gigantic strawberry margarita. You’d have to drag me out of here to get me to leave before I devour that food.”
I couldn’t say that I hadn’t had a few brief hesitations during the day, but I’d never been truly afraid. The town was busy, especially near the famous Hotel del Coronado, but it wasn’t as crazy crowded as it was in the summer months or during the holidays.
“I’m never going to be the guy who drags you away from your food,” Jax teased. “I was just checking in.”
Yeah, Jax did that a lot. Checking in. Not that I was complaining. The gesture was far more comforting than it was annoying. Maybe that was why I’d been able to enjoy myself so much today. The guy worried enough for both of us.
“I had fun today,” I assured him. “It’s the best day I’ve had in a long time.”
“I’m not so sure doing the entire bike path around the island was such a great idea,” Jax rumbled. “How’s the knee holding up? It was