Page 119 of The Keeper and I

She tucked a flyaway curl behind her ear. “I suppose that’s good.”

He brought her hand to his lips and kissed the back of it. “It’s very good.”

She smiled wider. But it didn’t reach her eyes.

“Anything else, angel?” he asked.

She shook her head. “No. I’m fine.”

He didn’t quite believe her, but he didn’t get the opportunity to press her further. She glanced at the back seat and shot him a questioning look at the large, rectangular object covered with a blanket resting across the bench.

“What’ve you got back there?” she wondered.

“Wedding present for Billie and Ethan,” he told her.

She lifted a skeptical brow. “They didn’t want any gifts. They asked for donations to the Larry Lowe Foundation.”

“I wanted to give them something extra. Especially since they were so helpful to us.”

She studied it again, and her face lit up with recognition as it dawned on her. “Did you paint them something?”

“Aye. The wedding portrait from the forties. Thought they might like it in color.”

Her jaw dropped. “Jordan, that’s lovely!”

He shrugged. “Least I could do.”

“You’re sharing your art at last.” She leaned over the console to kiss his cheek. “I’m so proud of you.”

His cheeks heated at her praise. She rarely came into his studio, so he wasn’t surprised she didn’t notice it. It did take him off guard that she was so thrilled he was finally showing a piece to someone other than her or Ava. He never thought he was talented enough for it to be worth sharing. And besides, the subject matter was usually Laci, which meant it appealed mostly to him.

The sun shone on the English countryside, growing brighter the closer they got to Aldbourne.

The ceremony in St. Michael’s Church was beautiful, traditional, and short. Ethan stood near the altar as his grandmother gave his shoulders an encouraging squeeze. A string quartet played as Billie, in a stunning white dress that made her look like a princess, came down the aisle on her father’s arm. With giddy smiles, she and Ethan pledged their lives to one another. Jordan put his arm around Laci, and she rested her head against him. He swore he heard her sniffle.

When the officiant pronounced them husband and wife, Ethan took Billie into his arms and dipped her as they kissed to seal the deal. Jordan pressed his lips to the top of Laci’s head.

The newlyweds went to take photos with the bridal party and family, so Jordan and Laci followed the other guests to the reception at a pub called the Blue Boar. It was across a grassy plaza from the church, so no one had too far to go. Laci held on to Jordan’s arm, and she gave it a small squeeze a few times, but she didn’t come close to losing her balance. He frowned. Something had to be bothering her.

He got their drinks, whiskey for him and a cosmo for her, and they toasted the happy couple before returning outside and taking seats at a picnic table by the entrance. A swing band played a jazzy number from a bandstand across the courtyard and couples took to the floor. Jordan spotted Artem and Larysa, beaming at each other.

Laci’s eyes were on them as well, and she sighed, then she put her hands in her lap definitively as if making some firm decision. Her eyes slid to his.

“I need to tell you something,” she said.

“Fire away.”

“I lied earlier. In the car. When I said there wasn’t anything else on my mind.”

“Shocker,” he said, disguising his sarcasm behind a sip of whiskey.

She picked up on it and swatted his arm, but the upturned corners of her mouth betrayed her amusement. “It’s about the job in America.”

Jordan set down his glass. After everything that happened, Laci told him she was firm in her decision to stay in England. He thought it was a bad idea, but he promised to support her decision, so that’s what he had done. Yet he couldn’t ignore the way his stomach dropped at the thought of her changing her mind and actually leaving.

“What about it?” he finally managed to say.

“When I told BB I was turning it down, she was really upset,” she began. “I told her I was disappointed too, but I wanted to focus on us right now because I value our relationship, and I don’t want to jeopardize it.”

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