He stepped closer, blinking hard to make sure he wasn’t seeing things.
“Jenny?”he murmured.
She looked up, and when her dark eyes met his, Erik felt a curious tingle spread through his chest.
3
JENNY
Jenny froze in place as the wave of passengers flowed past her.
That couldn’t be Erik Anderson.
Sure, she’d been thinking about him during the flight. And she knew that she’d be seeing him sooner or later during this trip. But she wasn’t expecting him to be there the second she got off the plane, and she definitely wasn’t ready to face him just yet.
But it looked like she didn’t have much choice. The big man was standing right in front of her, looking more handsome than ever. As his green eyes locked on hers, she noticed that a bouquet of roses dangled from one hand, like he was so mesmerized by the sight of her that he had forgotten he was even holding it.
“Erik?” she heard herself murmur.
Wild scenarios raced through her mind in the space of a heartbeat—fantasies about Erik somehow knowing she was coming and meeting her here with flowers to declare his love.
“Jenny,” he said, blinking as if he were coming back to life. “What are you doing here?”
Of course he’s not here for me. That would be silly. He’s obviously here to pick up his fiancée.
“We came out early,” she told him as brightly as she could manage. “We thought it would be fun to have the whole Pennsylvania experience before the wedding, since Gael has off from school.”
Erik’s brow furrowed as he gazed at her, and it took her a second to realize why he seemed confused.
“Oh,” she said, laughing nervously. “This is my son, Gael.”
“Hello,” Gael said politely.
“Hi,” Erik replied, his eyes moving behind them once he had greeted the boy, as if he were searching for someone else.
“Is your fiancéeon this flight too?” Jenny asked, realizing that must be why he was at this gate with flowers.
“No,” Erik said, shaking his head and glancing back at her.
She frowned, more confused than ever.
“She, uh, missed her flight,” he said. “Where are you guys staying? Can I give you a ride?”
“We’ll actually be staying at the inn by the lake in Trinity Falls,” Jenny told him. “And I’m renting a car from the owner. We were just planning to take the train from here.”
“No, no,” Erik said. “Don’t do that. Did you guys check bags?”
“No,” Gael said proudly. “We packed light.”
“Good for you,” Erik said, finally smiling as his eyes met Gael’s again. “That’s a handy skill.”
“It sure is,” Jenny said, enjoying Gael’s pleased expression.
“Well, once your husband joins us, we can head out,” Erik said.
“There is no husband,” Jenny heard herself say awkwardly.
“It’s just the two of us,” Gael said right away, leaning against her shoulder. “We’re all we need.”
