He stopped in the middle of the dance floor, took one clear look at her face, and led her out of the tent and around the corner of the boathouse.
“Frank—”
He cut her off with a kiss, hard and unexpected, his hands on her face first, then pushed back into her hair. He held her still and tasted her over and over again, before finally pressing his forehead hard against hers. “I don’t know what to say either, wildflower. It’s okay. We’ll figure it out together.”
“This was just a little fling—”
“Not little. No matter what, don’t diminish what this was.”
“But I don’t know what it was,” she whispered. That was the truth. She’d held on for dear life while the universe whipped her and Frank into a lather, and now that it was done, she wasn’t quite sure what had happened to them.
Something lovely. And he was right—not little at all.
“It was an ambush,” he murmured. “We didn’t see it coming.”
“That’s for sure.”
“I want to see you again. I know what it is to only have memories, Grace. I don’t want to cling to memories when someone good and real could be in my arms instead.”
She dragged in a deep breath. “Maybe when I come out to visit Tegan…”
“Or I can come visit you. I’m retiring in a month, and I’ll have a lot of free time on my hands.”
“I’d like that.”
“Me too.” He brushed a light kiss against her forehead. “You make my heart feel whole again, Grace. That’s important. I don’t want to push too hard, but this week healed me, right here.” He took her hand and pressed it against his chest. “Thank you. Again. Always. Thank you.”
