“Why did you bring me here?”
She turned to face him, her heart pounding so hard all she could hear was her own blood rushing 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 shit. But just because you’re afraid doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try.”
She laid her hands on his chest, and the reassuring beat of his heart gave her the courage she needed. “I never wanted a hockey player, but by God 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. God, 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 space, 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 partnership. A partnership 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 partnership 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.”