He turned, racket in hand, his tall frame tense, breathing hard, and looking to see where he heard his name.
Gianna ran to him without hesitation, not caring about the flying tennis balls or her heavy stomach. With her chest heaving, she threw her arms around him.
"Oh, Jack," she whispered breathlessly, pressing her cheek to his damp chest. "How I've longed to see you."
But his arms didn't move; he stayed rigid in the hug.
"I missed you," Gianna broke the hug and smiled up at him, searching his eyes with glee, hoping he would be as happy to see her as she was. But Jackson's face was unreadable; he clenched and unclenched his chin with a flat smile at her.
"I missed you so much, where… How have you been? It's been a long while," she rambled on happily.
The wind picked u
