Page 27 of Counted
“Sorry,” she said, letting him go and dropping her gaze. “I always feel flustered and jittery when I’m moving through big crowds of people. It’s silly, but I’m always afraid I’m going to get pushed around or carried away by the crowd and not be able to stop it. But I know you aren’t feeling good, and you’re not used to being around so many people, so I shouldn’t be hanging on to you and making it worse.”
He’d stopped walking when she started her explanation. Her face was rueful, slightly embarrassed, but also dryly amused. As if she was laughing at herself.
But she was telling him the truth—being vulnerable in that authentic way she had that never failed to surprise and touch him. And ridiculously, he was pleased and kind of proud that he was the one she wanted to cling to.
“I don’t mind if you want to hang on to me. And I’m feeling a lot better because you bullied me into taking that pill.”
A little giggle spilled out of her. “I didn’t bully you.”
His mouth twitched. “We’ll have to agree to disagree on that issue.”
He bent his arm and moved it into an easier position for her to hold on to, and then they started walking again.
She hadn’t been lying about feeling adrift in a crowd and needing something to latch on to. The bigger the crowd, the tighter she gripped his arm.
She didn’t relax until they’d gotten their seats on the train.
It took less than two and a half hours for them to reach Paris and stop at their station.
The train was full, and the station was crowded. People poured out in a wave, all moving in the same direction.
Eve reached for his arm again as they exited. Jude was used to her holding on to him now and didn’t mind at all. He pulled out his phone. He needed to call for the hired car so it would be waiting for them when they got outside.
He kept walking as he spoke. The call lasted less than a minute.
By the time he disconnected, Eve was gone.
She’d been holding on to him—he was sure of it—but he’d gotten distracted, and now he couldn’t remember what happened.
He stopped walking and looked around, but he couldn’t catch a glimpse of her small figure and golden hair.
What the hell?
Everyone around him was still moving, and he was getting brushed past and jostled more than was comfortable. He was a lot bigger than Eve. If he was getting pushed around in thiscrowd, he could only imagine how his small, delicate wife must have felt.
His heart rate accelerated. Nerves and frustration rose in his throat as he scanned the swarms of people around him, all of them in a hurry to get out of there.
Where the hell had she gotten to?
Why the fuck hadn’t he been paying better attention to her?
That call could have waited until they were in a better situation.
He was a crap husband.
She’d trusted him to help anchor her, and he’d let her get carried away by the crowd, exactly as she’d feared.
With a throaty sound of frustration, he started to walk, moving in the wrong direction through the crowd and having to force his way through. He kept scanning the masses of strangers until he finally saw a flicker of long blond hair. All the way across the station against the wall.
He pushed his way toward it, deeply relieved when he got close enough to see that it was indeed her. Something unclenched inside him at the sight of her pretty face.
She was trapped between a wall and a large group of young men. They looked like athletes, so they were probably some sort of sports team. They were loud and exuberant, and most of them appeared completely oblivious of Eve, who was urgently trying to get through them. But a couple of them had turned toward her and were trying to talk to her in an aggressively flirtatious manner and were actively blocking her way.
Jude saw the moment she recognized him approaching. The tension on her face broke with deep relief. She gave him a rueful smile and gestured helplessly at the group of oblivious guys and the two obnoxious smirkers. She said something, evidently trying to get away, but they either didn’t hear or didn’t understand or didn’t care that she was speaking to them.
“Hey,” Jude said loudly enough to break through their talk as he took the last few strides to reach them. “You’re blocking my wife. Make room for her to get through.”
A few of the guys turned in surprise at his authoritative tone, but they obediently adjusted their positions. The flirtatious smirkers backed off resignedly, making a path for Eve.