This time, it swelled in my heart like a glitter-filled balloon.
“Sweetie, that is…” Mom sniffed. “That is justwonderful.”
“We’ll help,” Dad added instantly. “We can come look at places with you, help you clean and decorate and get business up and running.”
“Are you sure we shouldn’t move?” Mom asked.
I laughed, pressing a hand over my heart.
“What made you think of this?” Dad asked.
My chest ached. “Braden. The player I was telling you about. He… he just helped me see what I couldn’t.”
“Sounds like love,” Mom assessed.
I nodded, my eyes flooding again. “I do love him.God, I love him,” I said, rolling my lips together. “But he’s got a lot on his plate, and I just don’t know if he can choose me right now.”
“I can.”
I balked, head snapping up to find the absolute last person I expected to see.
Braden.
He was standing in the doorway of the dance studio, winded, like he’d run all the way from Baltimore. He was dressed in a Seattle Seahawks sweatsuit, a big puffy jacket over it all, his hair a wreck, his eyes red and deep with exhaustion.
He was still gorgeous.
I still wanted to run to him.
“I can choose you,” he said, taking a small step, like he didn’t want to scare me off. “I can and I am and I should have last week and I am so fucking sorry I didn’t.”
“Um… maybe we should let you go?” Mom teased.
I nodded before remembering they couldn’t hear me moving my head. My eyes were glued to Braden, my mouth parted in disbelief.
He’s here.
“I’ll call you later,” I promised.
“We love you,” Dad said.
“Love you.”
I hung up, but stayed on the floor, unsure what to do or what to say. My heart warred with my brain. I longed to reach for him, to throw myself into his arms and accept his apology already. But I was also still bruised from our last conversation, still hurt from him walking away from me, letting me go so easily.
No, not easily. That wasn’t fair. I knew it hurt him. I knew he felt like he was in an impossible situation.
But he’d still wrecked my heart.
And I didn’t want to play the part of the fool by rushing to him, only to let him break me again.
“What are you doing here?”
Braden swallowed, his hands stiff at his side like he wanted to reach for me but knew better than to try yet. “I went to your apartment. Darcy told me you were here.”
I nodded. “I thought you were in Baltimore.”
“I was. I took a late-night flight in. I would have been at your door at six in the morning but I know how much you like to sleep in.”
