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Against my better judgment, I nodded, meeting his dark eyes.
“I’d really started to believe that every relationship boiled down to what two people could get from each other. And because of that, I always tried to be the one in control, the one who provided so that my partners would always need me more than I needed them. I was able to get by for a lot of years without getting too invested in any of the women I dated. But you changed everything. You came along, and you didn’t want anything from me…except maybe for me to go away.” He laughed a bit under his breath. “You didn’t want my money or my contacts. You wanted to make something of yourself all on your own, and I never told you how much I respect you for that.”
“That’s nice, Trent, but?—”
“Wait, please. Let me say this…” His voice trembled like he’d been holding onto the words for too long. “You didn’t need me—but I needed you. I was crazy about you.Amcrazy about you. Everyone could see it. I didn’t even realize how deep it went until my mother was standing in front of me, telling me that you were using me. It hit me like a Mack truck. I needed you, desperately, and that put all the power in your hands, since you didn’t need me at all. So I threw up my walls to protect myself, saying whatever I could to push you away. I know that in doing that, I hurt you. And I am so,sosorry for that.”
His voice, his words, washed over me, trying to settle between my ribs, close to my heart. This was all I had wanted from him. Not just an apology butunderstandingof why he’d said the things he did.
“I was wrong,” Trent said, drifting closer, staring into my eyes. It almost made me smile. How many times in his life had this grump of a man admitted that out loud? “I wish I could go back and erase the things I said to you, but I can’t. The only thing I can do is move forward and try to make it right.”
“By lining up work for me?” I said, an edge to my words.
He shook his head. “By letting go of the idea that you need anything from me—and hoping, instead, that you might just want me…forme.”
My breath caught in my throat.
“Ifyou could still want me,” he amended.
I looked up at him, my jaw trembling. “Of course I still want you…you big Coffeezilla idiot! I never stopped wanting you.”
“Good,” he said breathily. “Good. That makes this next part a lot less awkward.” He dropped down to one knee in front of me, pulling out a small jewelry box from his pocket.
Okay, what the hell was happening? “Trent?—”
He popped the box open, revealing a gorgeous ring. I didn’t know a damn thing about diamonds, but I knew this one was breathtaking. “I’m asking you to take a leap of faith,” Trent said. “Totrustme. To trust that I will be here for you. That I will be something stable and dependable in your life. That I’ll be…” A cheeky smile tugged at his lips. “I’m trying to think of some witty wood-related metaphor.”
I chuckled, my thoughts caught up in disbelief and some sort of internal screaming. “The floorboards beneath my feet?”
“That’ll work.” He reached for my hand. I gave it to him, feeling a wave of longing as his hand eclipsed mine. “I’m asking you to commit to the idea that we could actually be happy together. BecauseIwant to make that commitment. I want to take the leap and tie the two of us together forever. I want something real and lasting with you that you know you can rely on—that you never have to doubt.”
I sniffed, trying to hold it together.
“I know my track record isn’t great, but I promise to be someone you can count on. I can learn to trust the future as long as I know that my future has you in it.”
When my thoughts caught up, I had a moment of clarity. We’d only known each other a few months, had hooked up and broken up, and now he was down on one knee? We hadn’t even had make-up sex yet. “Isn’t this all moving awfully fast?”
“It is,” he agreed. “And we can be engaged for as long as you want. I won’t rush you down the aisle. But what I want to give you is my commitment. If you take me back, I need you to know that I’m all in. Permanently. You’re never going to be left hanging, worrying about a safety net, ever again.”
My jaw trembled, and a few tears slipped down my cheek. “It’s a beautiful ring.”
Trent grinned at me, and that was beautiful too. “It was Nana Dee’s. She gave it to me years ago and said that she hoped I’d use it when I found the love of my life.”
“Oh, Trent,” I said softly.
“She said she hoped it would bring me as much happiness as she found in her marriage. I put it away because I never thought I’dfind anyone who fit the bill—but then I found you. You’re it for me, Natasha. Period. End of the story. So if any part of you wants to share a complicated, messy, amazing life with me, I’ll wait as long as it takes for the rest of you to feel ready.”
“Go on then,” I said, hardly holding back tears. “Ask me properly.”
“Really?”
I nodded. “Really.”
The corner of Trent’s mouth curled up a bit higher. “I love you, Natasha Dryer. More than anything. Will you marry me?”
Trent was already on his feet, sweeping me into his arms as I cried, “Yes!”
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