Billionaire Unexpected~Jax -J. S. Scott Page 0,48

funky glasses. I was an ugly child, and I definitely didn’t turn into a beautiful swan as an adult, either.” She picked up a lock of hair and held it up. “Same crazy red hair, same unremarkable appearance, same freckles, except they’ve faded out quite a bit. Hudson looks at me like I’m the most desirable woman on the planet. On the surface, we just don’t fit, but for some reason, we do click perfectly. So please don’t tell me that Jax can’t possibly be attracted to a gorgeous blonde like you.”

“He’s never even shot me a vague sexual innuendo,” I told her.

“Maybe not. But Jax looks at you just like Hudson looks at me. The attraction is there. He’s either hesitant because you already turned him down, or because he doesn’t think you’re ready for anything except friendship. Are you ready for something else?”

“I don’t know,” I said with a moan. “I told him that I was attracted to him when he asked me out two years ago, and he said he felt the same way, but things change.”

“Does he know you still want to get him naked?” she asked.

“I never mentioned it,” I said.

“Maybe you should,” Taylor suggested. “If you’re not ready for anything more, just take it day by day.”

“You know I’m a cautious planner,” I reminded Taylor.

“There’s no harm in doing something different,” she mused.

“You’re right,” I admitted. “I find myself leaning more toward living in the moment because we sure as hell know that tomorrow isn’t a guarantee.”

“I totally get that,” Taylor agreed. “I don’t think you can go through a near-death experience, and not have it change the way you look at your life. It’s not like you have to let it change your entire personality, but maybe it opens up more possibilities.”

I knew what she meant.

Maybe like…blowing a bunch of money on an expensive restaurant just to see if it was as good as its reviews?

Or like…occasionally doing something frivolous for an entire day just because it’s fun or relaxing.

Or like…riding in a three-million-dollar vehicle, and openly laughing and enjoying the power of a car that could plaster my body against the seat when it accelerated.

Better yet, asking Jax if I could drive it just for that once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Really, it was just a matter of embracing life, and starting to get all the joy I could from it.

“You’re right,” I told Taylor. “There’s no reason I have to be quite so anal.”

“You’re responsible, not anal, and there’s nothing wrong with that, but you could slack off every once in a while,” she teased.

I raised a brow. “I’ve been slacking for months now. It’s driving me insane.”

“I really hope that you come back to Montgomery when you’re ready. Everybody misses you. You’re an incredible team leader. It’s not the same there without you,” Taylor informed me.

“I might,” I said with a shrug. “It is my dream job. I just need to make sure I have my head on straight.”

“Take all the time you need,” Taylor insisted. “You’ve worked your ass off your entire life, Harlow. Now that you’re starting to feel better, use the time off to recharge and take care of yourself.”

“God, I’ve already been on the payroll without working for a long time,” I said with a groan.

“Hudson said it’s just a leave of absence.”

“I actually resigned, but Hudson and Jax seem to have ignored that resignation. So I am technically on leave. I’m actually glad they did that. I wasn’t in my right mind when I quit,” I said, owning up to my mistake.

“I think they knew that,” Taylor said quietly. “That’s why they ignored that resignation. They kept me on the payroll, too. Let them do this for you. It’s nothing compared to the settlement they offered.”

“I’ll talk to Jax about it.”

Taylor didn’t have a chance to reply because her fiancé came walking out the patio door. “Are you ladies talking about us?” Hudson boomed.

Jax came out right behind him.

Taylor snorted. “Do you really think I have nothing else to talk about except you, Hudson Montgomery?”

He winked at his fiancée. “No. Just wishful thinking. Are we interrupting? I thought you might be ready to head home.”

Taylor rose, and Hudson immediately wrapped an arm around her. The move was so natural that it looked like he didn’t even have to think about doing it.

I loved watching them together. It was like the two of them could never be close enough.

“You ready to take off?” Jax asked as he automatically took my