Erik
“This is nice,” she said softly, lifting her dark eyes to meet his.
“I’m glad you like it,” he told her.
“Did the text say I wanted a fancy dinner?” she asked, looking a little mortified.
“No,” he said, chuckling. “Don’t worry, it was very nice.”
“I snuck a peek at my phone on the way here,” Jenny said. “But I guess he deleted what he sent to you.”
“Here,” Erik said, pulling his phone from his pocket and handing it to her.
He couldn’t see the screen, but he could picture it perfectly in his mind.
I thought about it and I’m in. Pick me up for dinner tonight at 7. Phone will be off until then for quality time with Gael. :)
He had to hand it to the kid, that text was smooth, simple, and right to the point, so it wouldn’t need a follow up. He’d even used capitalization and punctuation like an adult might do.
Though if Erik had stopped and thought about it, he would have realized the tone was a little light.
“Wow,” Jenny said, handing back the phone. “I hate to say it, but I’m impressed.”
“He’s pretty amazing,” Erik agreed.
“I guess it’s my job to make sure he only uses his powers for good,” Jenny said, shaking her head.
“Was this good?” Erik asked.
“I think so,” she said, her smile so shy that it tugged at his heart.
“I’m so glad you’re here,” he heard himself tell her. “Not just at dinner, but here in town, both of you.”
“It’s been really amazing,” she told him. “Gael is really enjoying himself, and we’re both learning a lot about the area.”
“What kind of quality time did you have today?” Erik asked.
“We went to Amish country,” she told him.
He listened as she catalogued everything they had done and seen. And he laughed out loud when she told him about Gael’s reactions to the Esh family’s goats.
“Sam said you guys brought us treats, but she didn’t mention where they came from,” he told her. “And they were long gone by the time I got back to the Center.”
“How did you spend your day?” Jenny asked.
“Wedding prep,” Erik said. “Just handling a few last details. Speaking of which, I hope it’s okay that I set up a dress fitting for you tomorrow.”
“Oh wow,” Jenny said worriedly. “I never even thought about that.”
“Lydia didn’t get to try it on either. She asked me to order a dress online and have it delivered here so it would be waiting for her,” Erik said.
“Ana is ready to make rush alterations. I’ll text you the details.
The shop is right here in town and Gael is welcome to hang out at the Center if he doesn’t want to go with you. ”
“Thank you,” she said. “Should I be helping more with the wedding stuff?”
“No, no,” Erik told her. “You and Gael are here for a vacation. I’ve got everything else handled.”
“Lydia didn’t know how lucky she was,” Jenny said, then her cheeks blushed pink.
Erik tried not to smile, but it felt good to see even a flash of how Jenny really felt.
“I know you said things were complicated,” he offered.
But the waitress came at just that moment with his steak and her grilled chicken. He figured that by the time they were on their own again, she would take the opportunity to change the subject.
“I guess I did say we could talk about it over dinner,” she said when the waitress had gone, surprising him.
“We don’t have to if you don’t want to,” he told her. “I don’t want to pressure you.”
She toyed with the condensation on her water glass for a moment and he hoped he hadn’t already made her feel cornered.
“When I lost Jason,” she said softly, her eyes still on her glass. “I thought that was the end of the line for me, as far as… romance.”
Erik nodded. She had loved him, and her heart was broken from the loss. That was natural.
“And then Gael came to me last year,” she went on, raising her eyes to Erik’s. “And his loss was so much more terrible, but he bears it with so much grace.”
“He does,” Erik agreed softly.
“He put my whole world into perspective,” she went on. “He made me see that I should be grateful to have had Jason at all, instead of feeling sorry for myself that he was gone.”
“He’s a remarkable child,” Erik agreed. “I can see that after just a few days of getting to know him.”
“Everything about my life got one-hundred percent better when Gael came into it,” Jenny said firmly.
“It’s wonderful to be a parent, of course, to have a child to love and care for.
But that’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Gael.
He’s taught me so much about compassion, resilience, and joy.
And I… well, all I really have to offer him in return is stability. ”
Stability was hardly the only thing Jenny had to offer.
Even Erik could see that. Jenny understood Gael, built her days around what made him happy, honored his grandmother in their lives, and made sure he knew she had his back, always.
She even kept her sense of humor in the face of the boy’s impulsive instincts, letting herself be carried along on adventures that Erik knew she would never have chosen for herself.
The two of them were made for each other.
But that didn’t mean she shouldn’t worry about stability.
As he listened to her talk more about Gael’s life and needs, the truth of the situation sank deeper into Erik’s heart.
I can’t do anything halfway with these two, he thought to himself. And I can’t go slowly. Gael needs stability and Jenny does too.
And didn’t they deserve it? After all, they were the kind of people who would step up and help him throw a wedding just to cheer up a group of veterans during the holidays. They were the kind of people you hung onto and didn’t let go.
And they deserved a sweeping love story worthy of one of Gael’s TV shows.
I’m going to do this right, he told himself. I’m going to give them everything.
It didn’t occur to him until he was paying the check that he seemed to have abandoned the idea of holding back.
They drove back to the inn with the radio playing softly as they reminisced about college and friends from years gone by. To Erik, it felt like the warmth of the ocean in summer, lapping at the sand.
When they reached the inn at last, he opened her door for her and took her hand to help her down.
The bolt of lightning that went through his veins at the feeling of her touch left him determined not to let one more night go by without telling her exactly what was on his mind.
When they reached the porch, she moved for the door, but he held her hand tight, keeping her in place.
“Jenny,” he said roughly.
Her expression softened and her eyes moved to his lips. So she felt it too, then. The pull between them like the moon moving the tides.
He reached out to touch her cheek. It was softer than he’d dreamed, and sweeter when she leaned into his touch.
Movement at the window drew his eye and he let out a chuckle.
“What is it?” Jenny asked softly.
“We have an audience,” he said, nodding at Gael’s little face pressed to the dining room window.
“No goodnight kiss for you then,” she said, the tiniest giggle escaping her lips.
And even though he’d wanted to kiss her more than he wanted his next breath, he liked this even better. Jenny had been so serious these last few days. He loved seeing her giggling, loved that sparkle in her eyes.
“Can I see you tomorrow?” he asked her.
“Yes,” she said, squeezing his hand before letting go. “Text me about the wedding dress fitting. I’ll make sure I’m the one who texts back.”
“I will,” he told her. “Good night, Jenny.”
“Good night,” she said over her shoulder as she headed inside.
He walked back to his SUV, wishing that he was heading into the warm glow of the inn with Jenny and Gael, instead of going back to his empty apartment.
But he was going to do something about that…