“Jenny,” he said, so moved he thought his heart might break. “That’s so kind of you. But Gael has been through so much already. I can’t take him from the city where he grew up.”
“He wants this,” Jenny said simply. “He loves it here. And you see how it is with him—he makes friends at the drop of a hat.”
They both looked over to see that Gael already had at least a dozen kids dancing in the center of the room, all smiling and laughing and being silly together.
“This is a magical place to grow up,” Jenny said, smiling fondly at her boy. “I want that for him.”
“He’s going to have every bit of magic that love or money can give him,” Erik said, turning his eyes back to his son.
“I don’t think he cares about the money,” Jennysaid. “Spend that on the Heroes Center, where it will do the most good. Just give Gael all the love.”
“Maybe not quiteallthe love,” Erik said, pulling her close and pressing a kiss to her forehead.
“You’d be surprised how much room your heart has when it comes to love,” she told him, repeating Trudy’s wise words to her.
Before Erik had a chance to respond, the music stopped suddenly.
Angie and Tom hurried around the space, shooing guests to the edges of the room, as the beginning of a familiar song began to play.
“What in the world?” Jenny murmured.
“No, way,” Erik said.
But sure enough, almost every veteran from the Center had gathered in the middle of the room behind Ransom Wright and Axel Williams.
The next thing Erik knew, the two men were lip-synching along to Elton John and Kiki Dee’s “Don’t Go Breakin’ My Heart” with great gusto, as the others performed an obviously choreographed dance number behind them, much to the delight of the whole crowd.
Even Fallon and Angie, who were on the shy side, and Wolf Cassidy, who was the most serious man Erik knew, were dancing along with the others with big happy smiles on their faces.
The children were the first to start giggling at the silly grownups. When Erik saw Gael doubled overalong with a bunch of the other kids, his own smile broke into a laugh.
“Oh, wow,” Jenny murmured, starting to giggle herself. “They’re actually really good dancers.”
“Some more than others,” Erik allowed, as he watched a couple of the guys in the back go the wrong way on a turn and bump into each other.
By the time the performance was over, half the party was singing along and almost everyone was moving to the beat of the irresistible song.
As the music wrapped up, Fallon stepped up to the mic they had set up for the deejay.
“Hey, Cap,” Fallon said, looking a little stiff but determined in front of the crowd. “We hope you enjoyed our little number.”
Erik hooted and clapped loudly, which won him smiles from the vets.
“It means the world to us that you involved us in your special day. Even if it wasn’t what anyone originally planned, we’re all so glad it turned out the way it did. You’ve always had our backs. And we’ll always have yours.”
Everyone yelled out their agreement and there was much applause as Fallon headed back to the others.
“They really love you,” Jenny said softly, as the deejay went back to the mic.
“I’m glad I don’t have to leave them just yet,” Erik said. “Though maybe I will offer Sam that promotionafter all. I can still stay on as the co-chair of the Center, but then I would also have more time for other stuff.”
“Like what?” Jenny asked.
“I don’t know,” Erik said with a shrug. “Maybe volunteering with whatever activity Gael wants to do, or just spending more time with my family.”
“I like that idea a lot,” Jenny said, with a smile that sent electricity through his veins.
The deejay started a slow song, and Erik smiled.
