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He was quiet for a few beats and his smile faded. “I wish I was your age and visiting my girlfriend, although this train wasn't here back in those days.”
“Oh?” I queried, my curiosity piqued.
“I used to work in politics. I wasn't a politician, but I worked in DC for many years. I met my wife there. She was a reporter.”
“Where is she now?” As soon as that question came out, I realized it was the wrong question.
The man’s eyes softened. “She's not with the world anymore, but I miss her every day.”
“I'm so sorry,” I said hurriedly.
His smile was wistful this time. “Thank you. I can't complain. We were married for almost sixty years. I don't know what's going on with you and your boyfriend, or if he's the man for you. Everything with romance is different these days. People meet on the computer or their phone. I don't even understand that. But if you love him and he's a good man, it's worth it.”
I mulled those words over after I got off the train. It was only then I realized I’d forgotten to plan how I was getting from here to Ian’s condo. He usually picked me up.
I pulled up a car service app when I heard, “Jane.”
Ian’s voice felt like a light tap on my heart, sending a ripple through my entire system. Spinning around, I found him approaching on the sidewalk. My hand flew to my chest when he stopped in front of me, his smile wide.
“Hey there.”
“How did you know I would be here?”
“Thea told me. Actually, she didn't know for sure, but she thought you might be here. I decided to chance it and come find you. No need to order a ride.”
My eyes stung with salty tears, and my throat felt suddenly tight. A sense of intense emotion and joy rose swiftly. His hands were in his pockets when he stepped closer, leaning down until his forehead rested against mine.
“I forgot to mention something when we talked yesterday.” His voice was low, the sound of it vibrating through me.
I swallowed. “You did?”
“I love you.”
My breath caught in my throat, and I was frozen for a moment. It wasn't exactly a shock. More as if I needed that moment to absorb the words and the meaning contained within them. When I could breathe again, I whispered, “I love you too.”
My voice was thick with tears. He lifted his head slightly, his eyes searching mine. He swiped one tear and then another away from my cheeks with his thumb. “I didn't mean to make you cry.”
I shook my head, taking a sniffling breath and dragging my sleeve inelegantly across my nose. “It's just a lot of feeling. Not bad, though.”
Then he was wrapping his arms around me and holding me tight. I tucked my head into the curve of his neck and breathed him in.
ChapterTwenty-Nine
Ian
It felt beyond good to have Jane back in my arms. It had only been weeks, but damn, I had missed her so much. I cataloged the feel of her, every little detail—her subtle scent, her softness against me, the little sound she made in her throat when my palm moved up and down her back in a soothing pass, and the raspy sound of her voice when she murmured, “I missed you.”
She leaned back to peer up at me, precisely when my phone vibrated in my pocket. It was in my shirt pocket, so she felt it.
“Should you get that?” she prompted when I ignored it through three entire vibration cycles.
“Not right now.”
“What if—?”
I cut her off, putting a finger over her lips. “I don't care if it's something about that damn case. I've done my part. Now, come on, let's go back to my place. We can get takeout for dinner on the way.”
Because of our habit of traveling on the weekends, I’d grown to love getting takeout with her. It meant it was just us.
