3. Jenny
JENNY
Jenny froze in place as the wave of passengers flowed past her.
That couldn’t be Erik Anderson.
Sure, she’d been thinking about him during the flight. And she knew that she’d be seeing him sooner or later during this trip. But she wasn’t expecting him to be there the second she got off the plane, and she definitely wasn’t ready to face him just yet.
But it looked like she didn’t have much choice.
The big man was standing right in front of her, looking more handsome than ever.
As his green eyes locked on hers, she noticed that a bouquet of roses dangled from one hand, like he was so mesmerized by the sight of her that he had forgotten he was even holding it.
“Erik?” she heard herself murmur.
Wild scenarios raced through her mind in the space of a heartbeat—fantasies about Erik somehow knowing she was coming and meeting her here with flowers to declare his love.
“Jenny,” he said, blinking as if he were coming back to life. “What are you doing here?”
Of course he’s not here for me. That would be silly. He’s obviously here to pick up his fiancée.
“We came out early,” she told him as brightly as she could manage. “We thought it would be fun to have the whole Pennsylvania experience before the wedding, since Gael has off from school.”
Erik’s brow furrowed as he gazed at her, and it took her a second to realize why he seemed confused.
“Oh,” she said, laughing nervously. “This is my son, Gael.”
“Hello,” Gael said politely.
“Hi,” Erik replied, his eyes moving behind them once he had greeted the boy, as if he were searching for someone else.
“Is your fiancée on this flight too?” Jenny asked, realizing that must be why he was at this gate with flowers.
“No,” Erik said, shaking his head and glancing back at her.
She frowned, more confused than ever.
“She, uh, missed her flight,” he said. “Where are you guys staying? Can I give you a ride?”
“We’ll actually be staying at the inn by the lake in Trinity Falls,” Jenny told him. “And I’m renting a car from the owner. We were just planning to take the train from here.”
“No, no,” Erik said. “Don’t do that. Did you guys check bags?”
“No,” Gael said proudly. “We packed light.”
“Good for you,” Erik said, finally smiling as his eyes met Gael’s again. “That’s a handy skill.”
“It sure is,” Jenny said, enjoying Gael’s pleased expression.
“Well, once your husband joins us, we can head out,” Erik said.
“There is no husband,” Jenny heard herself say awkwardly.
“It’s just the two of us,” Gael said right away, leaning against her shoulder. “We’re all we need.”
Tears sprang to Jenny’s eyes. She had said those exact words to him many times since the first night he came to live with her. Hearing him repeat them just when she needed it made her heart squeeze with love for her son.
“Oh,” Erik said. “That’s great. I mean… I’ve got plenty of room. Let me grab those for you.”
Jenny let him take her carry-on, but Gael wanted to carry his own.
The next thing she knew, they were heading toward the airport exit together.
It was funny, but even the way Erik slowed his long-legged stride to match theirs reminded her of what a gentleman he’d always been.
It was an amazing coincidence that they’d bumped into him here, even if it still seemed like some kind of strange dream.
“Thank you so much for doing this,” she told him as they neared the doors. “We would have taken the train, but it will be so nice just to go straight to the inn after a long day. And I’m so happy to be able to catch up with you.”
That was mostly true. She was also nervous now that he was right in front of her and she could feel her old crush on him trying to slide back into its place in her heart.
Keep it together, she reminded herself. The most important thing now is Gael.
“Ready for the cold?” Erik asked them.
“It’s cold in Boston too,” Gael told him.
“Oh, that’s good,” Erik said. “You’re definitely ready then.”
Jenny wondered for a second why Erik didn’t know where they were coming in from, if his fiancée was supposed to be on the same flight. But then she figured it could always have just been a connecting flight for either of them.
Even though she was no stranger to the cold, the brisk wind still took Jenny’s breath away as they headed out into the night. After the almost hypnotic warmth and the bright lights inside the airport, the chill of the outdoor air was refreshing.
Snow was piled high in the parking lot, forming mountains at intervals where the plows had piled it high.
“Wow,” Gael said.
“We had a big storm here,” Erik said. “They only got the roads cleared this morning. You guys got lucky with the timing of your flight.”
He led them to a black SUV and opened up the back to put their modest luggage in.
“I can hold those for you?” Jenny offered, gesturing to the flowers he still had.
“Oh sure,” he said, looking again like he’d forgotten all about them. “Thanks.”
He handed them over and Jenny got a funny feeling from it. He wasn’t giving her flowers in the way she might have wished at one time, but just taking them from him gave her a little shiver for some reason.
She watched as Erik stowed their bags and then opened up the back seat for Gael and made sure he had his seatbelt on before heading to the passenger door and opening it for her.
A true gentleman, like always, she couldn’t help thinking.
He offered her his hand, but she scrambled in without it, suddenly feeling self-conscious, like he might read her thoughts on her face if she touched him. But she still got a whiff of his spicy aftershave as he closed the door for her.
It triggered memories of the times he’d hugged her back in college—once when she thought she had bombed an exam, and another time when he was graduating and heading off to serve in the military.
Fool that she was, Jenny had treasured both memories, always remembering how safe she felt in Erik’s arms.
He got into the SUV while she was trying to shake herself out of it. When the engine came to life, the radio filled the space with the upbeat sound of Bing Crosby singing “Jingle Bells.”
She looked back at Gael, who was grinning at her. She winked at him and turned around again, feeling content that he wasn’t disappointed to miss a train ride.
Erik pulled out of his spot, tapping his phone at the gate to pay for the parking before exiting onto the highway.
“Are you really okay to take us all the way to Trinity Falls?” Jenny asked, suddenly thinking about his situation. “Is your fiancée coming on a later flight tonight? Will you just have to come right back out here?”
Her question was met with silence, and only Bing Crosby’s voice to fill it.
“She… missed her flight on purpose,” Erik said after a moment.
“Oh,” Jenny said uncertainly.
“She called and broke up with me,” Erik added. “Just before I spotted you.”
“I’m so sorry,” Jenny said, horrified.
“She was right to do it,” Erik sighed, his green eyes on the road in front of them. “I think we liked the idea of being a couple more than we actually liked each other. Truth be told, I’m pretty sure we never even got to know each other well enough to be getting married.”
“Wow,” Jenny said, taking it in.
“Look, I’m really sorry you came all the way out here for a wedding that isn’t happening,” Erik said, glancing over at her. “Let me make it up to you. I can show you guys the town and everything.”
“That’s very nice of you,” Jenny said. “But please don’t worry about us. I’ll bet you have enough going on.”
Erik sighed again and shook his head.
“It must be hard to think about telling people,” she said softly. “But I’m sure your friends will understand.”
“It’s not just my friends,” Erik said darkly.
“I run a veterans center now. And the troops were really looking forward to the wedding. They were going to be helping out with the ceremony and the reception. I think… actually, I know that for some of them it’s been a really meaningful event, something to look forward to.
The holidays can be a tough time when you’re on your own. ”
Jenny nodded. She could attest to that herself, and she hadn’t just come home from military service.
“That’s really sad,” Gael piped up from the back seat.
Jenny glanced back at him, a little surprised that he was paying attention when she was sure he was really sleepy, but not a bit surprised by his compassionate reaction.
“Yeah,” Erik said, glancing in the rearview mirror to nod to the boy. “We’ve all got each other, so they’ll be okay. But I’m still not looking forward to telling them.”
They settled into silence. As “Last Christmas” began to play on the radio, Jenny couldn’t help studying Erik’s face in the dim glow of the oncoming headlights. His jaw was set, like he was so determined not to let this break him or hurt his people that he couldn’t relax a single muscle.
He’d said that his fiancée was right to break things off. And now Jenny could see why. He was more emotional talking about the other veterans than he was talking about his ex.
What kind of person married someone they didn’t love?
But that was a judgmental thought, and she was immediately ashamed of herself for thinking it. Who was she to judge his relationship when she hadn’t gone on a single date since losing Jason?
Besides, she had agreed to bring a child into her home even though she had never met him. There hadn’t been a shadow of doubt in her heart that Gael would become the most important person in her life, and that had turned out to be one-hundred-percent true.
She glanced in the back seat and smiled at Gael, who was still fully awake, a thoughtful expression on his face.
Jenny watched the landscape speed by and tried to focus her thoughts. They would be arriving at the inn earlier than planned, maybe they would be in time for the dinner Trudy told them that she served each night.