“Goodnight, Liam.”
I hoped she’d fall asleep easily. I’d be happy to talk to her every day like this if it helped give her more peaceful nights.
I was wide awake, though, an idea coming together in my head. Jenna’s childhood obviously sucked. I couldn’t change her past, but I could give her another chance to enjoy all the carefree fun she’d missed out on. Excitement filled me as I made a mental list of all the things I wanted to do with Jenna. All the places I wanted to take her. When I finally closed my eyes, it was to a vision of a happy, safe, smiling Jenna, and I couldn’t wait to make it our reality.
Early the next morning, I eagerly waited for Jenna to buzz me into her building, and then I hurried to her. When the elevator opened on her floor, she was waiting for me in her opendoorway, looking stunning in a pair of pink shorts, a white tank top, and pink and white sneakers. I rushed forward to help hold Thor, who was lunging to reach me.
“Hey, buddy,” I said as he jumped up, stretching to reach my face. I leaned down and obliged him.
“Thor gets a kiss before me?” Jenna teased.
“He asked first.” I gently nudged Thor down and back into her apartment, closing the door behind us so I could release him.
“Good morning, Firefly,” I said, drawing her to me for a kiss. “You look beautiful.”
“You look good, too,” she said shyly. I was wearing gray gym shorts and a fitted black T-shirt, chosen for how it showed off my muscles. I loved that she liked it.
“Want to go to McAllister Park? Or Mission Park?”
Jenna’s eyes lit up. “Can we go to McAllister?”
“Of course.”
Jenna grabbed her water and a fanny pack, and we were on our way a minute later.
“This is great!” Jenna said as we started our jog. “I thought we’d just go around the neighborhood.”
“We could still do that if you’d rather? I just thought the trails would be fun. Have you been here before?”
“I love this. The wildflowers are so pretty. I’ve walked here a couple of times with Thor, but then I started going to Atteren Park instead.”
“Where do you usually run?”
“A treadmill at the gym. It’s boring, but...”
“But what?” I prompted when she didn’t continue.
She took a deep breath and lifted her chin. “It just feels...safer in the gym.”
It was. There was no way in hell I’d want her on a trail like this by herself. Especially if she came before work, it could bedesolate so early. But I was smart enough to know saying that might upset her.
“Yeah,” I agreed carefully. “You never know what you’ll find on the trails.” That was neutral enough, right?
“Exactly. It feels a little better with Thor, but still not great. I prefer taking him to Atteren. There’s always a lot of people, and it’s a quick loop so I can go around a couple of times and never be too far from my car.”
“Is that where you want to go before Dylan’s party tomorrow?”
“Yeah. There’s a new path there I’ve been wanting to explore if that’s okay?”
Was it okay that she wanted my help to expand her comfort zone? Fuck yes. And also, fuck no, because she shouldn’t need it. “Of course,” I said with a smile, that now-familiar fury building up inside me again. She was so determined, yet so scared.
“Thor and I just walk, though; no running. He’s too busy sniffing out whatever little critters are around, like last week when he went crazy at that squirrel in the bush. I could barely get him to walk away, and he still kept turning back to growl at it.”
I laughed, but I felt that familiar tightening in my gut, and I always listened to my gut. I didn’t want my anxiety to add to hers, but what if it wasn’t just a squirrel? “Did he bark at it again the next time around?”
She dropped her gaze and said, “We left after that,” like it was a fucking admission.
Dammit, she’d had the same worry. “Hey, you did the right thing. Dogs have good instincts. It’s smart to listen to them.”