Page 39 of It's a Widow Thing

“I don’t know what there is to say. I’m sorry you had to be there for that.”

He came to a stop and took her other hand. “Sabrina, please don’t be sorry. I’m sorry that you had to go through that. Tonight was a big night for you. I could see it on your face when you met all of those people. And I’m sorry that it all got overshadowed by a conversation with someone you clearly like quite a lot.”

She pressed her lips together tightly and looked off in the distance. “It was awful. I was so excited to see Jules. And I wanted to talk about work and catch up. And then that happened.”

He pulled her into an embrace, cradling her head as she rested the side of her face against his chest. “I just want to tell you that I couldn’t be any more in awe of you if I tried. Seriously. You are so strong.”I’m falling in love with you.The thought popped into his head, did a pirouette, and then added jazz hands for dramatic effect.Not now, brain.“You are the most fierce person I have ever met. And I’ve met a lot of badasses in my day.”

She laughed quietly. “Thank you. I don’t feel like a badass. Most of the time I feel like I’m floundering.”

He stroked her hair, trying to ward off the sense that falling in love with her might not be enough. What if he wasn’t good enough for her? She was perfect. She had been tested in ways that would make most people crumble and she’d come through it with such grace and strength. Forget trying to live up to the memory of her dead husband. Could he ever live up to what she deserved? “You’re doing amazingly. Trust me. And if you ever feel like you aren’t, I just want you to tell me so that I can set you straight.”

She sank against his chest and wrapped her arms around him tighter. “I feel so lucky to have you right now, Michael. Thank you for being such a good guy.”

“I’m the lucky one, Sabrina. I’m the lucky one.” He gently rocked her from side to side, needing to impart as much tenderness as possible. “What do you want to do? Go home? Are you hungry? We barely ate anything.”

She lifted her head. “You know what I want?”

Me?“No clue.”

“Ice cream.”

“It’s like fifty degrees out here.”

“And I want ice cream.”

“Okay…”

“The waffle stand on the corner is still open and they have ice cream.”

“Then let’s go get some.” He turned them around and they headed back to where they’d started. Near the bottom of the stone stairs, the stand was indeed still conducting business. “You sure you don’t want a waffle instead? They’re hot.”

She shook her head. “Nope.”

They got into the short line, holding hands and leaning into each other. It was one of the most romantic moments of his entire life. Then again, nearly every moment with Sabrina made him feel like that. Happy. Content.

“What do you want?” he asked her when they reached the counter.

“Two scoops of chocolate in a waffle cone, please.”

“I’ll just have a regular waffle,” he added, handing over his credit card.

The young woman behind the counter went to work and served them moments later.

Sabrina took a big lick of her ice cream. “Mmm. Yum.” She wiped her lips with a napkin. “I already feel better. Thank you.”

“My pleasure.”

“Let’s go sit,” she suggested.

“Yeah. Of course.” They went back up into the park, this time over by the fountain, where there were bistro tables. He scooted his chair next to hers before sitting.

“How’d you get to be so smart?” she asked.

He took a bite of his waffle, pondering that. “Is this a trick question?”

“I mean it. Or maybe I should ask how you became so intuitive. You always seem to know the right thing to say or do, no matter the situation. How do you do that?”

He shrugged. “Studying other people?” It was the truth. He watched how other people acted in uncomfortable situations, then he did that. He still felt like he hadn’t truly lived. He still felt like he was only now getting into the game. “I really don’t know how to answer that question. I feel like I’m stumbling through life most of the time.”