Page 55 of Choosing Us

“I probably would, too,” she leans in closer and lowers her voice, “but it’s okay, I’m packing and will protect us both.”

I tug her hand toward me, wrapping my arm around her and pulling her into my side. “Don’t worry, Harlow. I’ll keep us on the well-lit path and choose the lowest-risk option.”

“Be still my heart, a safety conscious man? You sure know how to woo the ladies.”

“What can I say? I’m risk-averse and like a good backup plan.”

The small smile on Harlow’s face assures me that my admission wasn’t too nerdy.

“So, no grand adventures for you? Are you sure you’re Liam’s brother?”

I laugh at that. “I like a grand adventure, but my definition of adventure includes things like four-star hotels, working plumbing, and not sleeping with bugs outside.”

“I don’t think I’d want bugs inside either.” She nudges my side with her elbow.

“I would hope the four-star hotel would dissuade those. I like to travel. I just also like comfort and safety. Why, what does a grand adventure look like to you?”

She glances down at the ground before lifting her eyes to meet my gaze. “I have a little bucket list.”

“Oh, yeah? What’s on it?”

She looks up at me, and her eyes search my face. “I … I want to see the Northern Lights, actually. Not like a little sliver in the sky either. I want to be surrounded by them.”

“Like in Iceland, Norway, or Finland?”

“Exactly. Or even parts of Alaska. It doesn’t have to be international, but I just want to stand under the glow and be totally present in that moment.” As we walk under another streetlight illuminating the walking path, a faint blush creeps up her cheeks. “My goals were always different from my family’s, so it made them feel … silly, I suppose.”

“There’s nothing silly about that dream, or any dream. In fact, I’d argue that any person who dismisses a dream of yours isn’t really worthy of hearing it in the first place.”

“You didn’t dismiss it.”

I slowly shake my head as I pull us to the side of the walking path. “No, I did not. I think it’s amazing that you want to see something that’s outside of the control and influence of man.” I wrap my arms around her and pull her against my body. I can smell her vanilla shampoo and notes of her floral perfume, not overpowering anything but just a delicate scent that fits her so incredibly well.

Every little detail I discover only confirms that I am falling for this woman. She is so much more than the impressive job title, or academic accolades, and she genuinely cares to a remarkable depth.

Of course, she would want to see the Northern lights, but I don’t think it’s so she can take a pretty photo and brag about it.

“It’s not just about the pretty colors, right? I’m guessing it’s the perspective, too.”

She nods as she slides her hands up my chest. “And the reminder that even on the darkest night beautiful things can still happen.”

I should say something profound, but her confession is like a punch to the gut. The reality of what she faces on a regular basis in her job, and yet she seeks out beauty in the dark.

“You’re incredible, Harlow.” The words are so basic when what I’m feeling for her is beyond anything basic or simple. But before I try to articulate the feelings I don’t have the words for yet, she leans up on her tiptoes and kisses me.

As soon as our lips meet, any chill from the evening evaporates as everything clicks and feels right in a way I’ve never experienced before in a relationship.

I don’t know how to explain what’s happening between us—but I know I want more.

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

Me

Hi. I hope your flight went well. Let me know when you land.

I’m a simp for her, and I don’t even care.

Harlow and I have spent every night together since New Year’s, but we knew this trip would force us apart. In an ideal world, Harlow would be here, at the private resort for Savannah and Theo’s wedding. We didn’t know until we arrived that Theo’s younger brother, Sullivan—Van, as his family calls him—rented out the entire resort, so it’s a bit funny that there are more staff than guests around.