Chapter 9 #2
“I’m sorry,” he said, his voice low and raw.
“I know that’s not enough, but it’s where I have to start.
I was a complete idiot. A coward, like you said.
” He ran a hand through his hair, the gesture ragged.
“Your last text hit me like a knife in my gut, and you were right to send it. That’s why I’m here.
I’m done with texts. I had to see you, to tell you in person that I’ve missed you every single second since I walked out of that room. ”
I tried to find my anger, the sharp edge I’d been saving for this moment, but his words were like water on a flame, extinguishing it. All that was left was the raw, aching hurt. “You came all this way to tell me that?”
He smiled, lopsided, full of regret and hope in equal measure. Real. “I came here because I love you. I don’t care if we were only together a few days. I realized I’d rather get it wrong a hundred times with you than pretend to get it right with anyone else.”
All the oxygen left the room. Somewhere in back, Doris let out a sound that was definitely a sniff and maybe not a sob.
Did he just tell me he loves me?
My words tumbled out, like the last Jenga piece giving way. “I missed you. Every day, I missed you, and it was awful, and I hated myself for it, but—” My throat closed up, and I had to stop before I started ugly-crying in front of the freezer. I whipped my head back and forth. “You really hurt me.”
He took a step closer and braced his hands on the counter. “Then let me fix it. Let me earn your forgiveness. By being here now. I will do whatever it takes.”
I lifted my chin, a wall of self-preservation rising. “Dean, I can’t. How do I know you won’t take off again?”
“Because I’ve realized bolting out of that hotel room was the worst mistake I’ve ever made. And I won’t let it happen again. You were right. I panicked because I realized I was falling for you, and I couldn’t handle it. But that’s over now.”
He pulled his phone from his pocket and slid it across the counter. It was open to a local real estate website, a listing for a storefront for sale on Main Street. I’d walked by it several times and admired the location.
“I’ve been looking at these listings ever since I left.
Bookmarking every new one that came up. I’ve been picturing my own financial planning shingle hanging on Main Street, right under one of those ornate lampposts with the flower baskets I used to think were so stupid. But they’re not. I was stupid.”
My lungs were about to burst, and I slowly exhaled a month of misery. A fresh breath of hope took its place.
“I spent the last three years building a life I thought I wanted,” he continued, his eyes laser-focused on mine.
“The high-rise, the title, the six-figure salary… it was all a reaction to being hurt. It was a shield. But in those few days with you, I felt more real than I ever have in my life. And it scared me so badly that I panicked. I ran.”
I could read the truth of his words in his eyes, in the exhausted lines around his mouth. New warmth filled my chest. I nodded at him as I wrapped my arms around myself, holding on. “Go on.”
“I’m still scared, but not about getting close.” His voice dropped, becoming more intense. “I’m scared of living a life without you in it. I don’t want Atlanta. I want this right here. I want the flower baskets, the gossip, and the ice cream. I want you.”
He reached across the counter and entwined his fingers with mine. “Please forgive me. Let me try. I will show up for you every single day. Forever, if you’ll let me.”
Every instinct I had honed screamed at me to protect myself, to remember the emptiness of that hotel room.
But what I saw in his eyes wasn't just regret.
It was resolve. He hadn't returned with pretty words—he had returned with a plan.
He had quit his job, found a new place to build a life, and taken a risk that was a thousand times bigger than the one I took signing a loan document.
I squeezed his hand back. “You are a persuasive man. A little infuriating too.”
A flicker of a smile touched his lips. “I know. I’m working on it.”
“Your timing is terrible.”
“Also working on it.”
I looked at him, at the genuine, desperate hope in his eyes, and the last of my defenses crumbled. A smile raised my lips that was only a little shaky. “You really quit your job?”
He nodded, his expression dead serious. “Two-week notice. It was the best feeling of my life. I can be here permanently within a few weeks.”
I couldn't help it. I started laughing, a messy, weird sound of disbelief and relief. Because that’s what happened when the man who broke your heart showed up and proved he was willing to shatter his entire world just for a chance to help you build yours.
The counter between us felt less like a workspace and more like a barrier.
I didn’t think, just moved. I planted my hands on the cool granite, hoisted myself up, and swung over, landing in front of him with a slightly unsteady thud.
His eyes widened, and a rough, incredulous laugh broke from his chest, full of shock and something that looked a lot like hope.
“Brynn—” he started, but I didn’t let him finish.
I launched myself into his arms, wrapping my legs around his waist and my arms around his neck, and kissed him.
I kissed him with all the hurt, hope, and lonely weeks I had just endured.
It was a hard, wet, desperate kiss, and he met it with a ferocity that matched my own.
His hands gripped my butt, holding me tightly as if he were afraid I might disappear.
When we finally broke apart, both of us were breathless and smiling like fools.
“So does this mean I get a second chance?”
“Yeah, you big jerk.” I wiped my nose and tried to scowl, but I was smiling too hard. “Because I love you too. Should we celebrate with ice cream?”
As he set me back on my feet, his grin broadened. “How about I take my girlfriend out on an official date? I hear there’s a great resort brewpub on the western edge of the island that makes the best beer in the Lower Keys. Sounds like a great place for a new start.”
“It is. I can vouch for that.”
And he kissed me again. Doris was openly sniffling from the back room, not even pretending not to watch. Our lips melded to each other’s, and it was even sweeter than ice cream.
I’d spent most of my life waiting for something to happen. For someone to choose me, for the world to make sense, for happiness to finally stick. But maybe happiness wasn’t about waiting at all.
Maybe it was about choosing to be brave, even when it scared you.
Especially when it scared you.