AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Because I love you. And because I’ve been an ass. At least that’s what everyone keeps telling me.”
“Huh? Who?”
“Oh let’s see. There’s Nick for one, and Ina, of course Jack and Meghan, and most importantly our daughter.” Eric grazed his knuckles across Jenna’s cheek and brushed strands of hair from her eyes. He gazed into them, as if he never wanted to look away.
Sunshine streamed through a window and a buttery glow was soft against cream-colored cabinets. A curtain gently fluttered and a breeze brought the scent of roses inside.
“I hope I haven’t come to my senses too late.”
“Meghan set me up to make you jealous. My date was a fake.”
“I know. I don’t care. Even a fake date made me crazy. I can’t stand the thought of you being with someone else.”
Jenna’s eyes started to well up and she dabbed at them. “There’s neverbeenanyone else for me, not in all these years. It’s always been you.”
“Then don’t ever leave me again, not ever. I’m no good without you. Everything I have is meaningless without you in my life. I knew the moment I first saw you that we belonged together. That you were mine.”
Collapsing into his arms, Jenna clutched at his shoulders, clinging to him, and wondering how she had managed to live for nine years without that strength beneath her fingertips. “Then don’t ever let me go.”
“I won’t.”
She stiffened, suddenly seized by a sour agitation that roiled in her stomach. “Never mind. Let me go!”
“What?”
“Let me go!” Jenna pushed away, gagging her words as she ran to the sink to throw up.
Eric stepped over to her and stroked her back. “You overdo it last night?”
Jenna shook her head.
“Shit, I hope my declaration of love didn’t do that to you,” Eric said.
“No.” She was half laughing, half groaning. Gulping water to rinse her mouth, she spit a very unladylike mouthful into the sink and patted her lips with a tea towel. “This wasn’t how I pictured telling you.”
“Telling me?” Eric suffered a short blip of confusion before he spotted the box of saltines and bottle of pre-natal vitamins sitting on her center island. A pendant light shone down on them as if they were an extraordinary showcase prize. They were he quickly realized. They were.
His heartbeat quickened and his skin flushed. Never in his life had he felt such joy. He pulled Jenna into his arms. She wrapped her own around his neck and clung to him as a feeling of bliss filled her. They didn’t speak, but stayed locked in each other’s embrace for a very, very long time.
Chapter Forty-One
A farm in North Carolina, One year later:
Jenna stood at the kitchen’s center island wrapping something in aluminum foil. The room was airy with banks of gray Shaker cabinets, retro appliances, and hand-hewn ceiling beams. An open sitting area was warmed by a reclaimed brick hearth.
Nick lumbered over. “He did a nice job in here.”
“It’s great having a husband who knows how to use his hands.”
“I’m sure it is.” Nick winked, and Jenna flushed scarlet.
She went back to the chore of clearing away the remains of a very large breakfast. The meal was the last in a weekend of festivities to mark the baptism of Ethan Samuel Laine. It was an intimate gathering of friends and family in perfect keeping with the low-key lifestyle of Eric and Jenna Laine.
“You threw a nice shindig.”
Jenna waved her hand in the air and fluttered her eyelashes. “Thanks. It wasn’t the grandsoireemy predecessor might have thrown, but it was fun.”
The screen door opened, and without looking up Jenna ordered, “Take those dirty boots off before setting one foot in here.”
