“Ah. Yes. Well, um, hi. Welcome.” He said the word lamely with a slight wave.
Oh, this was worse than awkward. Maybe I’d melt into a puddle and disappear forever. “Why are you here?” I asked. I glanced around, still waiting for Lola to pop out from behind Lennon. “Where’s Lola?”
“Out—at my sister’s place.”
My mouth dropped open. “What? No!” My voice dipped. “She’s supposed to be here…”
“She said she had to step out, asked me to come by and take the enchiladas out of the oven. Sounded like an emergency when she called a couple of hours ago.” His voice told me he now had doubts about that.
I clenched my fists. This setup wasn’t right. Or fair. I hadn’t prepared myself to see Lennon, and clearly he wasn’t ready to see me.
“Hang on.” I pulled out my phone. I noted with irritation that I’d left it in airplane mode and now switched it over. Almost immediately, text messages popped up, the pings so rapid that they made one continual chime. Six from Lola.
Okay, well, I guess I couldn’t be mad. She’d tried to warn me.
“I clearly didn’t get the messages in time.”
A petite German shepherd padded up next to Lennon, her dark fur a stark contrast to her sherry-colored eyes. She sat at his foot, her tongue lolling out of the side of her mouth, ears perked forward as she studied me.
“Oh, you’re pretty,” I breathed. My gaze sought Lennon’s. “Belladonna?”
At his nod, I dropped my gaze back to the dog. “Hi, pretty girl. Hi,” I cooed. “Aren’t you gorgeous.”
Belladonna glanced up at Lennon, who said, “Go ahead.”
The German shepherd seemed to grin even bigger as she rose and stepped forward, sniffing my outstretched hand before pushing her head against my palm and resettling herself against my leg. I laughed, charmed by her clear affection as I petted her ears. Lennon made a choking sound that caused me to look up at him—though I didn’t stop petting the dog.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “Does my petting her bother you?”
He studied me, starting at the top of my head and working down my neck to my torso. I gulped, holding my breath as his gaze progressed with leisurely thoroughness to my toes before he met my eyes once more. “No. Not at all. Belladonna has great taste in people.”
I frowned. “What?”
“She likes you. You don’t know how unusual her greeting is, but I do. She knew from the moment she saw you that you were special. Just like I did.”
I scowled as confusion muddled my thoughts. “I don’t understand. You can’t have thought I was that special. I mean, I haven’t talked to you in months.”
Lennon’s expression softened, and he no longer looked like an angry lumberjack. “You have no idea how much I’ve missed you, Vivi.”
He smiled, his beard lifted, and the skin around his eyes crinkled. He was just so…virile. Embarrassing as it was, I’d watched all of his games this season and become something of a Lennon Cruz expert. I could list his stats with the most ardent fan.
I now knew he was a multi-year veteran of the NHL, having been called up for the playoffs during his second year in the minors. His performance as the enforcer during a series against the Avalanche had sealed his position on the Wildcatters, making him a mainstay for the franchise. And I knew he was thirty-two years old.
“Uhhhh…” I shuddered, unhappy with my current inability to speak, but every part of me froze as I soaked him in.
“I’m really glad you’re here,” he offered, opening the door wider so I could step over the threshold and into the large foyer.
“Y-you are?”
“Oh, yes. I’ve been trying to figure out how best to reach out. I mean, I knew you were coming, just not when or where. I was going to call you…” He swallowed audibly.
Was he nervous?
“I’m sorry I didn’t know you’d be here,” he continued. “I would have picked you up from the airport and taken you out for dinner.”
“You never asked me to come,” I blurted, now rooted to the spot just inside the doorway. I’d stopped petting the dog, and she nuzzled my hand, giving my wrist a quick lick.
He looked chagrinned. “Would you believe me if I told you I wanted to? I thought about it every day.”
