Laughing, I do as I’m told. She stalks over, snatches it back, and resumes stirring.
“So, when do I get this mystery present?” I ask, smiling at the fact she clearly had inside knowledge before I even called her and got me a gift.
Adorable.
When she looks up at me with that delicious dimple that should be illegal and says, “Soon,” I know it doesn’t matter what it is. Hell, it could be a jar of dirt, and I’d still treasure it forever.
“Movie?”she asks after I slide the cake into the oven.
“Always.”
She hands me the remote and settles down into the sofa next to me with a packet of Jelly Tots, a particular candy she always seems to have on her.
When I make my selection, she chuckles.
“The Mighty Ducksis a classic movie,” I say in defense.
“It is. I was just wondering if I should get my jersey.”
“You have aDucksjersey?”
“Sure do. Dean Portman—what a guy,” she says, swooning.
“You were into one of the Bash Brothers? Huh, interesting,” I tease.
Though he’s a fictional character on a made-up team, I can’t help but get jealous at the thought of her wearing another guy’s name and number. I make a mental note to get her my jersey ASAP.
“Mr. Silver told me that when Bella was ten, she watchedThe Mighty Ducksfor the first time and fell in love with Charlie Conway. She had posters of him everywhere and swore she’d marry him. Unfortunately, her dreams died when he told her there was a fifteen year age gap between them.”
I throw my head back and laugh.
“I think from the time I moved in till my first Christmas with the Silvers, we watched it over a hundred times. I found Conway and Portman jerseys online. From that moment on, any time we sat down to watch, we’d wear them.” She pauses, her gaze lingering in her lap as she remembers before she turns back to the screen, as if the past is briefly holding her in place.
“Thank you,” I say quietly.
“For what?”
“I like it when you give me pieces of you, Erin. It means you trust me, and I like knowing that very much, Bookworm.”
“Sharing with you is peaceful,” she says.
Her words settle inside me, lingering longer than I expect. Maybe it’s the vulnerability in what she shared or the way herwhiskey eyes seem to pull me in. Either way, I tell her, “I went to see Jack today.”
She nods at me and just waits.
“I told him how much I miss him. How I wish he was here with me and could meet the most amazing girl.”
Erin reaches out for my hand.
“Can I tell you about him?”
“I’d love that.”
“He was the life of the party. Jack never let anyone down. He was always where he said he’d be and helped everyone. He wanted to be a dad and have an army of kids. He didn’t care if they were into sports, art, or math. Just wanted them to know they were loved. That’s who he was.”
There’s a long pause. Erin doesn’t say anything, but her hand tightens around mine, her silence louder than words.
“It sounds like he knew what he wanted. Was the team as close to him as you were?” Erin asks.
