Chapter Eleven #2
Her parents didn’t deserve this gem. Her reluctance to give up on them showed how truly loyal and devoted she was.
Raising her head, she had tears in her eyes. “My sister helped me realise that sometimes it is okay to put myself first. I want Louis Ledger. He showed me and the world that I was worth fighting for. Now it is my turn.”
The crowd clapped.
A voice asked, “If he proposed again, would you say yes?”
“Yes.” Rosie let tears drip down her face while she nodded. “I would say yes so fast you wouldn’t believe it. But I wouldn’t blame him if he never wanted to see me again.”
“Why did it take so long for you to come back?” someone asked.
“I needed time to process. I needed time to figure out what I wanted and how to fix this. I also had to get over my hurt from my parents, and figure out what was control and what was not.”
“How will it work for you now, since you work in the same team? Will you still be working together or with different people?”
Gently wiping the tears from her eyes, Rosie took a deep breath. “That is still to be decided, and something to discuss with Louis.”
His feet were moving before he even realised. His best friends were right behind him. Spencer was almost skipping.
“Yes! We are getting the girl!” he chimed.
Louis almost grinned at that, but he needed to focus.
The conference was literally just outside of the arena, so it did not take long to find the crowd.
People spotted him and parted to make a path for him.
Many were surprised to see him, including Rosie.
Her jaw dropped and her eyes went wide. Reaching the podium, he found the wire for the microphone and unplugged it.
Just to be safe, he covered the microphone with his hand.
“What are you doing?” Rosie asked.
“I could ask you the same thing,” Louis challenged, raising an eyebrow and tilting his head.
Straightening her spine, they both ignored the camera flashes. The media were getting enough of a show without them reacting, too.
“I am trying to show that I can be vulnerable. That I can talk about what hurts, and what I have done wrong.” She swallowed. “And that I want you. Really want you. And only you.”
Louis closed his eyes and held back a groan. He loved hearing those words. It didn’t make the hurt magically go away, but at least now he understood. He could work with this.
“I understand if I am no longer what you want,” she added on. “I have hurt you. I hope one day you will forgive me.”
“You didn’t think to do this in private?” he asked, his lips quirking. “I think they’ve seen enough of our relationship drama.”
That made her laugh, and fresh tears appeared in her eyes. “I embarrassed you in public. It was only fair to apologise in public, so the world stopped blaming you.”
“No, don’t cry.” He wiped them away. “It isn’t your fault, either.”
Her hands grabbed his arms, afraid to let him go. “Louis, I am so sorry. Truly sorry. I was so scared, and angry. I just needed to be me again. I needed to find my way.
“I could blame my parents for my actions and my words, as they were a contributing factor, but I have to own this instead of hiding from the facts. I said those things to you. I did those things to you. They did not.
“It doesn’t make it better. I truly thought you were controlling me, but it was my sister that pointed out that you were trying to love me. Support me. I will be seeking help, professional help, so I can better understand the difference and work through the bad things in my life.”
“I think that is a good idea. You don’t deserve to suffer, or deal with it alone.” He pulled her into his arms, hiding his face in her hair. “I get it. Now. We can work on this together. I want to be there to help you, too.”
“You want me back?”
Louis moved her back so they could meet eye to eye. Once again, the whole world disappeared.
“Yes.” His voice was rough. “Yes. I really do. I am so empty without you. You hurt me, Rosie. You could have talked to me, but I get it. Emotions affect us all differently and you needed to process in your own way. This doesn’t mean we are back to one hundred percent, because I have my own feelings to work through, too.
We just have to learn to communicate and work together. ”
Yes, she had hurt him, but it was to protect herself from all the constant hurt she had been feeling. He was still hurt, but time would help them both. Right now, he needed to focus on the positive.
Her hand went into her pocket and fumbled while she tried to pull something out. Opening her hand, he saw two rings. One he recognised.
“That is Arthur’s . . .”
“He gave them to me, after we landed. He knew we could make it if we tried, and this was his way of reminding me of what is important. What is worth working toward.”
Staring at them, he felt utter shock. She had kept the ring . . .
“Louis will you . . .”
Placing a finger over her mouth, he was stopping her for a brief second to give her a choice to make sure this was truly how she wanted to do this.
But if she wanted to, she could still talk around him.
Control was bad. Stopping her from speaking was a form of control.
There were little things he could learn to do to work with her.
“Do you want to propose, or would you like me to do it properly this time?”
Hope lit up her face. “You.” Her response was so breathy. “I would love for you to do it.”
After she handed him the ring, he picked her up. Throwing her over his shoulder, he made his way back inside. More cameras flashed, and more questions were thrown at them.
He wasn’t interested in any of that.
“We are not doing this here,” he told her. “And if I ask, should I expect to be rejected again?”
“Ask me and find out.”
Scowling, he continued walking and increased the pace. Hank and Spencer were right behind, making sure no one followed. He really hoped there wasn’t another rejection, but judging by her smile, it would end very differently this time.
“Wait, wait! I need Louisa!” Rosie shouted.
Poor Spencer was so confused. “Did she just call you Louisa?”
A woman appeared from the crowd. One that looked a lot like Rosie, only with longer hair and was wearing jeans and a jumper.
Stepping in between Hank and Spencer, Louisa smiled. “Hi. I am so excited to be here. You must be Spencer and Hank.”
Rosie giggled. “This is my sister.”
Amusement tinged Spencer’s voice when he said, “You are going to have so much fun with a Louis and a Louisa in your life.”
Louis never really thought of that before. Anyway . . . more important things to be thinking about right now.
Back inside, he took her straight onto the ice.
Where they first met. The place he was most confident.
Around them, they could see the team watching.
But they were far away, behind the barrier.
This moment was just for the two of them, and the team were giving them space whilst also supporting them.
In the centre, he stopped and let her down. He made sure to stay close since she still couldn’t walk on the ice very well.
The team’s logo was beneath their feet, a perfect symbol of what brought them together. There she was before him, breathing hard. She was waiting and excited. Her breath was misting in the cold. Her nose was already going red.
Holding her hand, he slowly went down on one knee.
He kept his gaze on hers. “Rosemary, you deserved a proper proposal the first time. But here I am, hoping you will give me a second chance. Here we are, on the symbol that brought us together. Without this team, we probably wouldn’t have ever met.
Therefore, this team now means even more to me.
” Presenting her with the ring, he smiled. “Will you marry me?”
They had both been hurt. They both had things to work on to truly make this relationship better, but he knew what he wanted. Her.
And he wasn’t letting her go this time if he could help it.
Her frown was telling him she was thinking. Hard.
“Talk to me. What is going on in that head of yours?”
Opening up and being honest about her own wants was new to her, so he gave her time to process. “I don’t want children. I need to tell you that, in case you change your mind.”
“It doesn’t change my mind,” he assured her. “Children are not something I desperately want.”
That decision would greatly upset his mother more than anyone, but she valued his happiness and would accept it and love Rosie as much as he did.
Slowly nodding, she added, “And I don’t know what the future holds for my job or yours.”
“Sweetheart, I won’t be playing forever. A few years more at most. My retirement will most likely be from this team,” he told her. “And if you need to move, then it is something we will figure out when it happens. We will make it work. I promise.”
An injury could shorten his career. He may be replaced. He may not be wanted in a team anymore. Anything could happen.
Nodding enthusiastically, she threw herself at him and wrapped her arms around his neck. “Then yes!”
That was when he kissed her. Standing up, he wrapped his arms around her waist. Her hands went to his hair, holding him to her. Their lips met, hard and fast, desperate to be in contact with the other.
Behind the barrier, everyone cheered.