"I have a gift for you."
"As you should. It is not even close to our anniversary and as far from my birthday as possible."
Country grinned. "Exactly. You should be excited, by the way. It's probably the best gift I've ever given anyone."
Jenna closed her eyes and held out her hand. Country pulled the key ring from his pocket, stripped off the plastic, and dropped it into her palm. She opened her eyes and laughed. "The Maple Leafs. The team I've only ever cheered for when they were facing the Oilers. How thoughtful."
"I knew you'd love it."
Jenna beamed at him. "Did you get this in a swag bag or something?"
Country nodded and reached for her, wrapping his hands around her waist and pulling her close. "Made me realize I'd made the big leagues. Keyring, sweat towel, hand sanitizer, and 40 percent off at a local sporting goods store."
"Wow. They went all out."
Country pushed her hair away from her neck and bent to kiss her. "I'm going to go all out."
Her laugh was breathy, just the way he liked it. "My roommate's in the other room."
"Then you decide how loud you want to be."
Jenna wrapped her arms under his and around his back. "I missed you."
She still carried this around. Still looked at it every day. What the hell went wrong? Why would she keep something like this when she hadn’t wanted to keep him? His heart thumped in his chest as he closed his hand around the keys, slung her purse over his arm, then hoisted her from the seat. "Let's go, babe."
Jenna groaned as he pulled her past the door and tested to see whether she could support her own weight. He kept a tight grip on her waist as her heels hit the sidewalk. "Not the best shoes, but we'll work with what we've got."
Jenna's eyes blinked open at the sound of the truck door closing. "Gentry?"
"Yup. That's me. We're at your place." He jingled her keys, and Jenna nodded then opened her mouth and yawned so big, he could see her epiglottis.
"That was fast."
“Women say that to me all too often. I’m starting to get a complex.”
Jenna tried to rally and pull back but fell back against him. “I’m sorry, I’m just?—”
“It’s fine. I’ve got you.” She wasn’t drunk, but it was three o’clock in the morning, and if she was anything like she was in college, wine was more effective at knocking her out than Benadryl. He wasn't complaining about her lack of balance. He enjoyed her clinging to him like a baby koala, and he was still reeling from the sight of that keyring.
If she still had that, what else might she have held on to?
Jenna groaned. “I feel awful.”
Country walked her up the salted concrete to the front steps. She smelled different than she used to. More floral, like his mother's sweet peas that always wound up the back fence in summer.
Simple Christmas lights were already up along her short roofline, and a wreath with plump, red berries hung on the door. He hadn't planned on putting lights up at his house, but now he was second-guessing that decision.
"Which key is it?" he asked, his head starting to pound.
Her eyelids flickered. "The silver one with the teeth."
Country stared at the three silver keys in his hand next to her car key fob. "Gonna need a bit more information than that."
"With the H."
He nodded and let the other two slip from his hand, then put the key into the lock. "I like your keyring."
"You gave it to me."
