Part 41 (1/2)
When Ty pulled up in front of the condo, she ran outside.
He got out of the car, but she already had her keys in her hand.
He frowned. ”What's up?”
”We need to take a drive.”
”Why?”
”Because I need to show you something.”
”Jenna, I don't have time for this.”
What he meant was he didn't want to go. She had to convince him. This was make it or break it for her. ”Make time. Please. It won't take long.”
He shrugged. ”Fine.”
He got into her car and she drove off. The silence was unnerving, but she knew idle conversation would be useless, so she used the time to prepare what she was going to say to him when they got there. She played it over and over in her head and by the time she pulled in front of the building, she thought she had it ready.
”What the f.u.c.k is this?”
What she couldn't plan for was Ty's response.
She got out of the car and keyed in the code she'd gotten from the real estate manager she'd called yesterday. Just as Ty had done, she'd asked for privacy to look over the building, telling him she was Ty's business partner and she wanted another look at the place. Okay, she lied, but it worked. She went inside, a.s.suming he'd be curious enough to follow. If he wasn't, if he stayed in the car, her plan to make this all up to him would be ruined.
And she didn't have a Plan B. She probably should have come up with a Plan B.
She walked into the s.p.a.ce and stood in the center, smiling as plans began to formulate. She'd made notes, started to set up floor plans, but none of it would make sense without Ty.
”Why did you bring me here?”
She turned to face him, her heart pounding so hard all she could hear was her own blood rus.h.i.+ng in her ears. She took a deep breath to calm herself down, and prepared to face the music.
She took a step toward him, and stopped. ”You were right. I like this place. It's an ideal location, the square footage is perfect, and the price is in the range I can afford. You have a good eye for real estate. I like your vision of what the club could look like.”
He didn't answer. He wasn't going to make this easy for her. She didn't deserve for it to be easy. Not after the terrible things she'd said to him, how she'd thrown his surprise back in his face.
”I'd like to put the stage over on this side, though. With the windows on the other side, it'll let more light in the summer, and open up these walls to put a patio outside.”
Still no reply. His hands were jammed so far into his coat pockets she was surprised he hadn't torn a hole in them.
”But I don't want to do this alone.” She shuddered in her next breath, squeezing back the tears that threatened to fall. ”I always thought I was tough and independent, that I could do everything alone. Turns out I'm not as tough as I'd like to think I am, and since I met you, being alone sucks.”
She waited, her legs shaking so hard she was afraid she was going to crumple to the ground.
”You don't have to do it alone,” he finally said. ”You didn't have to do it alone. You were never alone and haven't been since we met. Not once.”
The tears slipped out and ran down her cheeks. She nodded, taking another step toward him. ”I know. I know that now. But I was afraid.”
”Yeah, I know.”
”I sang in front of my parents and my brothers.”
He took a step toward her, a single step that made hope sing inside her.
”How did that go?”
”They loved my voice. I told them I wanted to open another Riley's-a music club-and that I didn't want to manage the sports bar anymore.”
”What did they say?”
”They said I should have told them about my dreams years ago. You were right. All I had to do was muster up a little courage.”
”There's nothing you can't do if you have a little faith in yourself.”
”I'm scared, Ty. You were right. I'm afraid to fail.”
He stopped in front of her. ”It's okay to be afraid to fail. Everyone is, and if they say they aren't they're full of s.h.i.+t. But just because you're afraid doesn't mean you shouldn't try.”
She laid her hands on his chest, and the rea.s.suring beat of his heart gave her the courage she needed. ”I never wanted a hockey player, but by G.o.d I fell in love with one, and I'm not about to let him go no matter how afraid I am of love.”
He used his thumb to swipe at the tears on her cheek. ”I'm afraid too, babe, and not much of anything scares me. Well, one thing does scare me.”
She sniffled. ”Yeah? What's that?”
”The thought of living without you.”
She sobbed and fell into his arms. He pulled her against him and held her, kissed her hair and rubbed her back as she cried.
”I love you, Jenna.”
That only made her cry harder. ”I love you, too. I'm so sorry.” She pulled back so he could see her face. ”I'm sorry for everything I said. I want you to push me when I need it. I want you by my side, and no, I don't ever want to do this alone. I need you in my life, every step of the way. Without you I would never have gotten this far, would have never had the courage to go to that club and sing. I owe every step I've taken to you because you pushed me past the fear. G.o.d, I love you for that. And I hope you'll forgive me.”
He kissed the tears on her cheeks, then brushed his lips across hers. ”That's what love is all about, babe. Forgiveness. I watched my parents make a lot of mistakes in their marriage, and I'm bound and determined to never make the same mistakes in mine.”
Her eyes widened. ”What?”
”When I brought you here that first night, my intention was to show you the s.p.a.ce, and if you liked it I was going to tell you I had put money down on it. I was going to buy it.”
”What?” she asked again.
”I want to marry you, Jenna. And marriage means a partners.h.i.+p. A partners.h.i.+p means we take the good and the bad. I'm going to push you to be the best singer you can be, to chase your dreams. And you're going to push me to be the best hockey player I can be. Sometimes we're going to fight, but we're never going to give up on each other.”
She put her fingers to her lips. ”You're proposing to me.”
”Yeah. I didn't buy you a ring, because in a partners.h.i.+p you should have what you want and I'm not presumptuous like that. We'll pick one out together.”
Because he knew her. He really knew her.
”Just a wedding band would be nice. One of those pretty, slim ones with the diamonds.”