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“Violet.”
I close my eyes at the sound of my name on his lips. I’ve longed to hear it for two weeks. Slowly, I turn around to see Brady near the end of the short hallway, dressed in his Kingsmen uniform but without a helmet on.
“Are you hurt?” I ask.
He shakes his head.
“Then bye.” I spin on my heel to take off.
I can’t believe Shayna got me here under false pretenses. I suppose I should’ve wondered why Theo was asking for me and not his mother, but all I could picture was how upset he must be and I wanted to be here to console him.
“Violet, wait.”
I stop with my back turned to him.
“Can we talk since you’re here? Just give me five minutes, then if you don’t want to see me ever again, I’ll respect your wishes.”
My shoulders slump. This is why I didn’t want to see him because I knew if I did, I’d be weak. I turn back around to face Brady. “You have five minutes.”
He wastes no time stepping forward and taking my hand, pulling me down to the end of the hallway. This touch from him is more than I’ve had in weeks, and my body relishes the feel of his skin against mine.
“First, please don’t be mad at Shayna. I begged her to get you here any way she could.”
“Why? Why now? Don’t you have a game to play?” I gesture toward his uniform.
“This couldn’t wait. Shayna told me you were offered a job in Florida and that you were thinking of accepting.”
He waits for me to confirm. I cross my arms and nod.
This agitates him because he pushes a hand through his hair. “Don’t take the job. Stay here in California and be a part of my and Theo’s lives.” He takes my hands again, and I don’t pull away. “I’ve been miserable since you left. Theo talks about you all the time too and asks me why you can’t come over. I don’t have the heart to tell him that it’s because I’m a fucking coward who was too afraid to admit when I should have that I love you.”
I suck in a breath. “Brady—”
He shakes his head. “Let me finish. The day that Hannah came back, I was too afraid to tell you that I loved you and that I wanted a full-fledged relationship with you because of my own bullshit. I didn’t realize how much having my mother abandon me fucked with my head until I talked to my dad. I was just using the excuse that I wanted to protect Theo to keep you at arm’s length when really all I wanted, all I needed, was to bring you into the fold.”
He drops my hands and cups my face with both of his hands. I’m helpless to stop him. My heart races and tears form in the corners of my eyes.
“I love you, Violet Park, and I refuse to be without you. You’re the most caring, nurturing, funny, sexy, loving, smart woman I’ve ever met, and I’m not going to give you up without a fight. You can tell me no today, and I’ll still make my intentions known. You can move to Florida, and I’ll still fight for you, for us.” His gaze drifts over my face as though he’s trying to study my reaction.
“I didn’t take the job,” I mumble.
He’s the first one I’ve told. I turned it down, and when I did, I wasn’t even sure why, just that something was keeping me here and it didn’t feel right to leave.
The hope that washes over his face makes my stomach feel fuzzy.
His thumb traces a path over my cheek. “I know you’re scared to love again, but please give me a chance. I promise to heal those wounds of yours. I promise to show you how you should be treated and I won’t stop until you believe in our happily ever after.”
I am still scared. Petrified even. But my gut tells me this is right, this is where I’m supposed to be.
“I love you, Brady Banks.”
His lips are on me in a second, and I melt into his kiss. For the first time in weeks, the tension leaves my body and I’m at home in my own skin. When he pulls away, he rests his forehead against mine and whispers, “I promise I’m going to make you so happy.”
I almost faint when he lets go of my face and drops to one knee, reaching for my hand. “Violet, I might be pushing my luck here, and I know it’s crazy, but I don’t want to wait for some undetermined amount of time. You dated a guy for years and got engaged and look how that turned out. Marry me.”
I yelp.
“I don’t have a ring or anything because I wasn’t planning on doing this today, but I’ll buy you the biggest, flashiest, gaudiest ring you can find. Or a classic solitaire, which I suspect might be more your style.” He winks, and I giggle like a schoolgirl.
