“Actually, I’ve been in over my head for a while now. I was just too blind to see it. I thought I had the world all figured out, that I was in complete control. Great job. Beautiful women. The right zip code,” he finished, ticking them off on his fingers wistfully. “I was flying high and nothing was going to drag me down. Nothing, it turns out, except my ego.”
Olivia’s heart began to race. Surely not. Was he really? Could he be?
“I was a superficial prick. I got burned once, and because of that I shut everyone out, never letting anyone get too close. And when I finally met a woman who made it past my defenses, I wasn’t honest with her, and I wasn’t honest with myself. I didn’t listen to what she wanted, and as a result I did everything wrong. And I mean everything.”
Once again, laughter rippled through the crowd. Olivia’s hand flew to her mouth. She couldn’t believe her ears. Cole was actually confessing to a crowd full of strangers. This was either the most romantic or the most desperate thing she’d ever seen. The jury was still out.
“Oh my God, Liv,” Chloe blurted out as a second spotlight dropped from the ceiling and landed on Olivia, setting her cheeks on fire. “He’s talking about you!”
“Shh!” she shushed her friend, not wanting to miss a word. This moment was going to be seared into her brain for all time.
Cole searched the crowd, his eyes locking on Olivia, drilling her with a passion beyond anything she’d ever experienced. Her stomach twisted in knots. How the hell did he do that?
“I didn’t know the first thing about being in a relationship. I thought I could control the world around me, and in my hubris, I lost sight of what was really important,” he explained, speaking directly to her now, the rest of the crowd forgotten as he delivered his heartfelt apology. The one she’d been doing her damndest to avoid. The one that had the potential to be lethal to her resolve. “While I wanted nothing more than to be your partner—your equal—my actions sent a different message. I know now that being in a relationship isn’t about having control, it’s about giving it up. I was stupid and thoughtless and I broke your trust, Olivia. The trust of an incredible, intelligent, driven woman—the only woman I’ve ever loved.”
She gripped the edge of her seat, her knuckles going white. It was all happening so fast. She couldn’t process. Ten minutes ago she’d been trying to figure out how to wrangle Chloe a pair of gold undies and now this?
“Love?” she whispered, knowing full well he couldn’t hear her, despite the eerie silence that had fallen over the crowd.
Cole jumped down from the runway, landing gracefully as though stage hopping were an everyday occurrence for him. He laid his microphone on the edge of the runway, next to the stiletto-clad foot of a teary-eyed model, and spun to face her. He grasped her hands, wrapping them in his warmth, and pulled her to her feet.
Olivia stood on wobbly knees, praying her legs would hold up. The last thing she needed was a face plant in front of an audience this large. Not exactly how she imaged her Vixen debut. Of course, she hadn’t quite imagined this scenario either, so she was in uncharted waters all around. Still, Cole loved her! And he’d just waxed poetical about her brains! Unable to stop the grin that spread across her face, she basked in the admission, letting the knowledge warm her from the inside out.
“I love you, Olivia. I was so scared to admit it, even to myself, that I drove you away. I don’t deserve a second chance,” he said, squeezing her hands and sending warm fuzzies straight to her heart, melting the frost she’d allowed to accumulate. “But if you give it to me, I’ll prove you made the right choice.”
Cole dropped to one knee, his eyes taking on a glassy sheen. Olivia was tearing up herself. Her pulse thundered in her ears as she fought a losing battle. She was drowning in quicksilver and sinking fast. It was inevitable, she supposed. The man she loved was on his knees begging for forgiveness. And she wanted to forgive him. She truly did. But, could she trust him? She couldn’t bear to be disappointed again. She couldn’t go through that hurt even one more time. She was maxed out on bending; she’d surely break next time.
“Cole, I—”
“Say yes!” someone yelled from deep within the crowd.
“Liv?” Chloe prompted. “I don’t want to rush you here, but if you don’t say yes soon, one of these other ladies is going to snatch that man right up.”
Olivia looked deep into Cole’s gray eyes, searching his soul for the future she so desperately wanted. Beyond the unshed tears she saw compassion, respect, and most importantly, love. Neither of them was perfect, but maybe together they could be. Cole had put himself out there, laying his soul bare in front of hundreds of strangers, finally admitting that he was wrong to interfere with her career, and declaring that he was in love with her. Her brains, as well as her body. Her. So what was she waiting for? Happily ever after was staring her in the eye. She just had to be brave enough to open her heart and take a chance.