Page 105 of Crash and Burn

Even as far back as then, Grant had loved me.

As if thinking the words brought them into reality, Grant stepped in front of me and took my hands in his.

"I've loved you forever, Liz," he said sincerely. “For years. That’s why Missy really broke up with me.” He closed his eyes briefly. “She accused me of being in love with you. And I couldn’t deny it. She was right. I dated her because I thought it would help me move on from you. But it didn’t. It just made me feel worse.”

“And Alana?” I asked. “What were you thinking would happen by leaving me and going back to her?”

“I thought that I had to take what seemed to be a second chance,” he said desperately. “And when I asked you if I had a reason why I shouldn’t, you didn’t say anything. Liz, I was hoping that…” He swallowed hard and spoke softly. “I was hoping you would tell me you loved me. I was hoping you’d tell me to stay.”

That was right. I hadn’t wanted to beg for Grant to choose me.

“When you didn’t say anything,” he continued, ”I thought maybe I’d been wrong about us. That you didn’t feel for me what I felt for you.”

“Of course I loved you,” I said. “How could you think otherwise?”

“I was stupid.” He shook his head with a despondent sigh. “I know now I shouldn't have let my past decide my future. I'm so sorry I hurt you.”

“I don’t know if I can just forget about you being with another woman,” I said.

“I wasn’t, really, not in that way,” he said. “Alana wanted to jump right into things. But I told her we had a lot to work through. We had to start from the beginning again. I wanted to make sure I was making the right choice. And it turned out, I hadn’t.”

“And you never slept with her?” I asked, thinking back to what I’d heard Alana sob out.

“Never,” he said. “It never got to that point. She wanted to. But I couldn’t. Because what I felt for Alana was exactly that. In the past. And you?" He took our clasped hands and raised them to his lips, pressing a kiss on my knuckles. "You are my future."

My breath hitched, but Grant continued before I could say anything.

"I want to grow old with you," he said. "Have children with you. Marry you. You're the one I want to spend the rest of my life with. I love you."

The beginnings of tears stung my eyes, water clinging to my lash line. The cracks in my heart started to seal themselves. That gaping hole in my chest began to slowly fill with warmth.

"Do you really mean that?" I asked, my voice thick. "The kids thing? The marriage thing?"

He cracked a small smile.

"I don't have a ring or anything, but I can get down on one knee if you want," he said.

"You don't have to do that," I said.

Grant wrapped his arms around my waist and held me tight. I rested my cheek on his chest, so warm and broad. His heartbeat pounded loudly in his chest. He was so nervous.

“I love you, Grant,” I told him. “I don’t know how easy this will be. You really hurt me. But I’m willing to try. For you. This can be our second chance.”

He squeezed me tighter. I raised my head and stood on my tiptoes so I could stare deeply into his loving eyes.

“I want you to be my future, too."

Epilogue

The snaps of a camera shutter were audible even over the rapid-fire clacking of my sewing. The indignant yowling from Mittens threatened to take my attention away from my work.

"Are you torturing that poor cat?" I called out to Grant.

"Poor cat?" Grant chuckled. "I thought you've been saying Mittens is the devil."

"She's growing on me," I said. "Why is she making those godawful screeches?

"I'm trying to get a picture of her in a sunbeam," he said. "I don't think she appreciates my efforts to pose her."