Chapter 18
“The final payment went through?” Jane asked, too numb to care about the bottom line and money. But she wasn’t the only one affected by her decisions and she needed to remember that.
Not only had she left Sarah hanging, she’d broken Henry’s heart. She’d seen it in his eyes before he’d turned his back on her.
He broke your heart too.
Shattered it was more accurate. It felt like her chest was full of glass fragments and every time she breathed, they dug deeper into her soul.
“Sarah made a point to email us, on her wedding day, to say that you did your job like a pro and it isn’t your fault that her brother is an idiot,” Roxy said. “She even tipped us an additional twenty percent. In pounds. Not dollars.”
“That’s nice of her.” Even to herself, Jane sounded hollow.
“Snap out of it.” Roxy snapped her fingers in front of the phone’s camera. “We got paid. We aren’t getting sued. And now we can expand. This is a win-win, Pearce.”
“How did the press even find me? My photo isn’t on our website.”
“My best guess is that once they had your photo, they did a search and found your social media accounts, then connected you to Bride Buddies. That’s what I’d do.”
And here Jane thought she’d been so careful. Instead she’d made a mockery out of everything. Her business, her reputation, and her relationship.
“He hates me.”
“If it makes you feel better, Sarah also said that her brother looked pretty wrecked. Like someone had run him down and then backed over him with a race car. Kind of like how you sound.” Roxy softened her words. “Want to talk about it?”
Her friend was just trying to make her feel better, but it only made her feel worse. “Not really?”
“You sure? Because you know I hate talking shit out, but I’m giving you a freebie here. But it expires in three—two?—”
“He said he couldn’t love a liar! He called me a liar, Rox, and then tried to make me feel ashamed of what I do for a living.”
Roxy sighed as if feeling trapped in the drama she’d been hoping to escape. If it couldn’t be solved by a knife fight, a vibrator, or four-letter words, then Roxy didn’t want any part of it.
“First off, don’t ever let a man make you feel less than. I learned that from my mom. Second, he said he couldn’t love a liar, so does that mean he loved you before he knew the truth?”
“Yes,” she whispered, her voice cracking.
“That explains the miserable look on your face.”
“He just walked out on me,” she said, and the tears were back. “Actually, that’s not true. He paused before he left.”
“What does that even mean? He paused? Like to fart?”
“No! Like to offer me support. Give me a chance to say goodbye. Like when my dad died and held my hand until the medics got there. Hank held on as long as he could before he couldn’t hold on anymore.”
Even though she’d hurt him deeply, he’d still been there for her. Just like he took care of his family and his friends, he’d pushed past the betrayal to take care of her in the only way he knew how.
“That must have been awkward. Him just standing there. What did you say?”
“It wasn’t awkward, it was sweet. And I just said sorry.”
“What did he say back?”
“That he was sorry too.” It was a goodbye that gave her no closure at all. Because if he was sorry too, did that leave room for a reconciliation? Or was he sorry that he’d opened his heart to her at all? It was a what-if that she’d carry with her for the rest of her life. Because she knew one thing for sure. No matter what Henry wanted, she’d lied to his family and he’d never forgive her for that.
“So he stopped to be there for you and you said sorry?”
Jane wiped the tears from her cheeks. “What?”
“You said it was a sweet gesture; maybe he was waiting for you to make one back.”
“Oh my god!” Jane’s heart leapt as the repercussions of what she’d done settled. How could she have been so blind to it all? “I let him walk.”
“So you said.”
“No, I mean I let him walk and I didn’t fight for him. I told him he was worth fighting for and then I just let him walk out of my life with a stupid sorry.” Just like his dad. What had she done? “I can’t come home. I have to go find him and tell him that I’m not done fighting. That I’ll never stop fighting.”
“A little stalkerish, but whatever works for you.”
“I have to go.” Jane stood and grabbed her carry-on. “I’ll see you next week.”
“What happened to four days?”
“I need at least a week of groveling to make this better.”
Jane disconnected and raced toward the ticketing booth. She went to the first counter that was open and, without standing in line, she cut in front. Shouts and angry remarks sounded from behind her, but she tuned them out.
“I need to change this return ticket to next week.”
The agent didn’t even look up. “Line starts back there.”
“I understand that, but this is an emergency,” Jane pleaded. “Like a major emergency.”
“I have to call my manager to handle an emergency.” The woman picked up the phone to dial and Jane reached over the counter and hit the hang-up button.
“I know I must look crazy.”
“My next call was going to be to security.”
“Please don’t and just hear me out,” she begged, and her voice broke.
“You might want to listen to the lady. She gets pretty mouthy when cornered.”
Jane froze at the sound of the most beautiful thing she’d ever heard.
Henry.
Hand on her heart, she slowly turned around, waiting to see if it was a figment of her imagination. Instead, she found him standing behind her in a full tux, with the bow tie hanging loose, jacket missing, cufflinks still attached. Then there were those beautiful brown eyes that were filled with so much warmth that a bead of hope fired in her belly.
“What are you doing here?” she asked.
“The band started playing a slow song and I realized that the only person I wanted in my arms was gone.”
“You told me to leave,” she whispered.
“I think it was because I wanted you to stay,” he admitted, and the bead doubled in size. “And that scared me. I figured it was easier to walk than be walked out on.”
“I watched you walk away because I was too afraid to fight for you. I was scared that you’d change your mind, and your love would suddenly disappear.” Just like her dad’s had. “But I’m not scared anymore.”
He cupped her hips. “No?” She shook her head. “Neither am I. In fact, I’ve never felt so confident in my life.”
That fire became a blaze. “In what?”
“In us.”
“After everything you, still want there to be an us?” she asked quietly, and that’s when she realized that the airport had gone silent. Every eye and camera were pointed their way, capturing this moment for the world to see.
She looked back at the man she loved more than anything, confusion and uncertainty furrowed his brow. “Don’t you?”
“Yes, I just thought I’d have to grovel a little more.”
He laughed and her heart sang. “If anyone is groveling, it’s me. I let my pride and ego get in the way.”
“So I didn’t hurt you?”
“Not where it matters.” He took her hand and placed her palm over his heart. “In here, I’m okay. Better than okay. In fact, I’m bloody fantastic. Because I met this amazing woman who taught me what love should be like and I never want that feeling to go away.”
“You still love me?”
“How could I ever stop?”
“I love you too, Hank. And you’re worth the fight.”
“What fight, Jane? I’m yours. One hundred percent yours.”
Henry pulled her into his arms and his mouth came down on hers in a kiss so tender and sweet, Jane knew that her time of role-playing had come to an end. She’d let down her shield and shown this amazing man her truth and he’d accepted her for who she was. And for the first time in forever she remembered what it felt like to be loved and cherished. And it was a feeling she was going to hold on to with all of her heart.