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Lifting her chin up with his finger, Justin searched her face with a wrinkled brow. “Can I cash in a quarter?”
“There’s something you should know.” She took a steadying breath. He deserved to know the truth about her. “I was engaged once. We were supposed to get married this weekend.”
His hand dropped from her chin, and she missed his touch immediately. Instead of backing away from her, as she expected, he grabbed her hand and squeezed it tight. “I’m sorry. What happened?”
Tears came to her eyes and she pressed her lips together tight. “He was a Marine. Need I say more?”
“I’m so sorry.”
He threw an arm around her shoulders, pulling her tight against his side. She stiffened, uncertain if she should let him hold her. Would he think she was looking to forget about her loss in his arms? Was she trying to do exactly that?
God, she didn’t even know.
The normal, cautious Lexi wouldn’t even think of allowing a man she’d met only minutes ago console her over the death of her fiancé. And she let him, this beautiful stranger with the amazing accent, strong arms and melodic voice. Tonight she didn’t want to be normal. “Yeah. I still miss him. Every day.”
He hugged her closer and cradled the back of her head in his hand. “How long ago did he die?”
“A little over a year now.” She would allow herself to enjoy his soft touch for a few seconds before she separated herself from his hold. Just a few seconds more … “It’s still hard.”
“I get that.” He squeezed her closer, resting his head on hers. “Want to talk about it?”
“Yes. No.” She sighed. Something about him made it so tempting to open up and pour all of her sorrows out. “Sometimes when I wake up, I forget for a second that he’s dead. Then, I roll over and see the empty bed … and I remember. And then I can’t forget, no matter how hard I try.”
Compassion shone from his eyes, and he kissed the top of her head. “I can’t even imagine a loss like that. I’m sorry.”
He’d lost his parents. He probably knew all too well how it felt. “I keep waiting for it to get easier.” She blinked back tears. “It has to get easier at some point, doesn’t it?”
“I hope so.” He ran his fingers over the line of her cheek, his touch feather light. “I really do. But until then, feel free to cry on my shoulder. I’m here.”
And he meant that, too. She could hear the sincerity in his voice. “I have tons of family and friends trying to force me to talk on a daily basis, whom I avoid, but here I am. Talking to you, a guy I barely know.”
“Perhaps that’s why you can talk to me.”
He had a point. “Maybe.”
“I guess that’s just another funny trick fate played on us. You needed to talk,” he dropped his hand. “And I’m good at listening.” He cleared his throat. “Look, I’m sorry for kissing you like I did earlier. I-I had no idea about any of this.”
“Don’t apologize for that.” She looked up at him. “Tonight is the first night in over a year that I’ve actually had fun.”
He smiled. “Good. Because I’m not actually sorry. It was a hell of a kiss, and I know you agree with me.”
“Oh my God,” she said through her laughter. “Your ego is astounding.”
“Comes with the job.”
She gave him a hug but then moved out of his arms. They’d been too close for too long. “Thanks for being so understanding. This day’s been a long time coming.”
He nodded. “I’ll do my best to make it as tolerable as possible.”
“Okay, enough about me. Earlier you mentioned you needed a distraction.” She pointed at him, desperate to change the topic from herself. “Time for you to spill your guts. What’s bothering you?”
He clenched his jaw and traced an invisible path on the bench, his graceful fingers moving smoothly. For a second, she thought he wouldn’t answer. “Honestly? Opening night jitters. Nothing huge.”
Aw, stage crew gets nervous, too? How cute. “I’m sure you’ll do great. Equipment is the same in London as it is here, right? Lights, echoes, and all that.”
He threw his head back and laughed. “I wish it was that simple.”
“Imagine how much more nervous you would be if you were in the show.”
