Page 70 of Erik's Redemption
She met his gaze and rose from her stool at the counter, a huge-ass smile on her face as she crossed the distance toward him.
“What the hell are you doing here?” he asked, the corners of his lips lifting.
“After your text about your dad, I came to town to check on you, of course. I was just stopping for coffee before I went to your place to surprise you. Looks like you’ve surprisedme. You gonna give me a hug or what?”
CHAPTER 24
“He sounded exactly like the Count fromSesame Street, and he was fucking annoying.” Rachel leaned over the table as if to press her point.
Hannah’s lips twitched.
“Hedidsound like the Count,” Erik said with a grin, the warmth of his side pressing into her.
“And our drill instructor,” Rachel continued, “made him get in front of us every fucking day and count every person before we could leave. There were hundreds of us.”
The twitch of Hannah’s lips turned into a smile. Henry and Owen hadn’t stayed for long, but from what she’d seen, they seemed to really like Rachel. And Hannah understood why. She was easy to like, friendly, talkative, and beautiful, but not in an obvious way. She wasn’t wearing makeup, her long brown hair was pulled up, and she wore simple jeans and a sweater. She had a natural beauty. Dimples that came alive when she grinned and eyes that warmed when she spoke.
Hannah had never been a jealous person, but there was an intimacy to Erik and Rachel’s friendship she couldn’t help but envy. A bond between them. Erik hadn’t stopped smiling sincethey’d found Rachel inside the shop, those frown lines that had been carved into his brow gone for the first time in weeks.
You could feel the history between them… So yeah, she felt a bit jealous.
She tapped her phone screen to see if Brigid had replied to the text Hannah had sent twenty minutes ago, asking if they could hang out tonight. She hadn’t.
She had a black eye. A black freaking eye. How? Because no way did she believe that falling box story. And if that didn’t happen…why wouldn’t Brigid tell her the truth?
“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry, Hannah,” Rachel said, her words pulling Hannah out of her thoughts. “You must be finding this so boring.”
“No, not at all. I love hearing stories of what you guys went through. If I look like I’m not enjoying it, it’s just because I’m tired.”
Erik slid an arm around her waist. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah. I should probably be getting back to work though.”
He nodded. “I’ll walk you.”
She shook her head. “You should stay. Catch up more.”
His eyes narrowed. “I’m walking you back to your office.”
She opened her mouth to object, but Rachel got in first.
“Erik and I will have plenty of time to catch up. We can go now.”
He pressed a kiss to Hannah’s temple. “I’m just going to pay.”
As Erik moved to the counter, she and Rachel rose to their feet. “I’m sorry I just sprang this visit on you,” the woman said.
“You don’t have to apologize. I’m glad he has you. He’s told me so much about you.”
She cringed. “Good things, I hope.”
“The best. He said you basically saved him eight years ago, when he lost so many loved ones.”
The smile slipped, and lines etched into Rachel’s brow. “That was the worst. I can’t even think about that time without my heart breaking for him all over again.” She glanced across the room at Erik. “But he would have been okay without me. He’s strong, in so many ways. Sometimes he just needs a reminder.”
“Heisstrong.” The strongest man she’d ever met.
Rachel looked back at Hannah, the crease in her brow smoothing out and the corners of her lips tugging up again. “You make him happy.”
