Page 128 of Falling for the Grumpy Bad Boy

“And if she’ll have me,” Rhett said, turning back to me, “a new partner in crime.”

My breath caught in my throat.

“I owe you an apology for being abrasive and mean and overreactive,” he continued, his dark eyes never leaving mine. “For letting my past dictate how I handled our present. For being too scared and too stubborn to fight for something good.”

The room had gone completely silent. I could hear my own heartbeat. I could feel the weight of hundreds of people watching us, but all I could focus on was Rhett’s face.

“I take full accountability for that,” he said. “But I need you to know that I’m a better man because of you. This past month has been the best of my life—not because of the food, or the new places, or the events, or even this incredible cause we’ve been supporting.”

He stepped closer to me. My palms were sweaty and my knees were shaking.

“It was the best month of my life because of you,” he said, his voice dropping to almost a whisper that the microphone still picked up. “The easiest choice I ever made in my life was kissing you. And I hate that I let my own inner monster ruin it for both of us. I hate that someone captured a single moment and made it ugly. That was our moment. I don’t regret it. And despite what the media says, it was beautiful. It was ours.”

I was stunned, completely frozen in place. This was not what I had expected when Dad called him up on stage. This was not the Rhett I knew. My Rhett was guarded and controlled. He kept his emotions locked away behind professional walls. Except for the couple of times he had dropped them for brief moments.

“Clem,” he said, and the use of my nickname rather than my full name felt intimate, personal. “I know I messed up. I know I hurt you. But if you’ll give me another chance, I promise to spend every day proving that what we have is worth fighting for.”

The room was so quiet I could have heard a pin drop. Everyone was waiting for my response, but I felt like I couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think, couldn’t process what was happening. My dad was standing a few feet away, watching it all play out. I glanced his way but I didn’t see judgment.

He was smiling.

Then I looked into Rhett’s eyes and saw something I had never seen before—complete vulnerability. No walls, no defenses, just raw honesty and hope and fear all mixed together.

Slowly, a smile spread across my face. “You’re an idiot,” I said, and even though I’d spoken quietly, the microphone picked it up and sent a ripple of laughter through the crowd.

“Yeah,” Rhett said, grinning back at me. “I’ve been getting that a lot lately.”

He stepped down from the stage and walked toward me, the crowd parting to let him through. When he reached me, he cupped my face in his hands, careful of the gauze on his injured palm. He looked at me like I was the most precious thing in the world.

“So what do you say?” he asked. “Partners?”

Instead of answering with words, I stood up on my tiptoes and kissed him. The crowd erupted in cheers. He dipped me backward, his mouth moving against mine like he was trying to pour all of his apologies and promises into that single kiss.

When he finally pulled me upright, I was breathless and dizzy and completely, ridiculously happy.

“Partners,” I said against his lips.

The crowd was on their feet now, applauding and whistling. I could see my father beaming from the stage. But all I cared about was the man holding me, the one who’d just laid his heart bare in front of strangers because he thought I was worth the risk.

He kissed me again, softer this time. I felt like my heart might actually burst from happiness.

When we finally broke apart, Rhett kept his arms around me as he turned to address the crowd one more time.

“Thank you all for witnessing that,” he said with a grin. “And thank you for supporting this incredible cause. Now, who’s ready for dessert?”