Author: Jaci Burton

“I hurt him. I know that. I have to fix it.”

Liz squeezed her hand. “Then go do that and win back your man. I need him in top shape for the playoffs.”

Liz dropped her off and she hurried to get ready, nervous as hell about what was going to happen.

When Ty pulled up in front of the condo, she ran outside.

He got out of the car, but she already had her keys in her hand.

He frowned. “What’s up?”

“We need to take a drive.”

“Why?”

“Because I need to show you something.”

“Jenna, I don’t have time for this.”

What he meant was he didn’t want to go. She had to convince him. This was make it or break it for her. “Make time. Please. It won’t take long.”

He shrugged. “Fine.”

He got into her car and she drove off. The silence was unnerving, but she knew idle conversation would be useless, so she used the time to prepare what she was going to say to him when they got there. She played it over and over in her head and by the time she pulled in front of the building, she thought she had it ready.

“What the fuck is this?”

What she couldn’t plan for was Ty’s response.

She got out of the car and keyed in the code she’d gotten from the real estate manager she’d called yesterday. Just as Ty had done, she’d asked for privacy to look over the building, telling him she was Ty’s business partner and she wanted another look at the place. Okay, she lied, but it worked. She went inside, assuming he’d be curious enough to follow. If he wasn’t, if he stayed in the car, her plan to make this all up to him would be ruined.

And she didn’t have a Plan B. She probably should have come up with a Plan B.

She walked into the space and stood in the center, smiling as plans began to formulate. She’d made notes, started to set up floor plans, but none of it would make sense without Ty.

“Why did you bring me here?”

She turned to face him, her heart pounding so hard all she could hear was her own blood rushing in her ears. She took a deep breath to calm herself down, and prepared to face the music.

She took a step toward him, and stopped. “You were right. I like this place. It’s an ideal location, the square footage is perfect, and the price is in the range I can afford. You have a good eye for real estate. I like your vision of what the club could look like.”

He didn’t answer. He wasn’t going to make this easy for her. She didn’t deserve for it to be easy. Not after the terrible things she’d said to him, how she’d thrown his surprise back in his face.

“I’d like to put the stage over on this side, though. With the windows on the other side, it’ll let more light in the summer, and open up these walls to put a patio outside.”

Still no reply. His hands were jammed so far into his coat pockets she was surprised he hadn’t torn a hole in them.

“But I don’t want to do this alone.” She shuddered in her next breath, squeezing back the tears that threatened to fall. “I always thought I was tough and independent, that I could do everything alone. Turns out I’m not as tough as I’d like to think I am, and since I met you, being alone sucks.”

She waited, her legs shaking so hard she was afraid she was going to crumple to the ground.

“You don’t have to do it alone,” he finally said. “You didn’t have to do it alone. You were never alone and haven’t been since we met. Not once.”

The tears slipped out and ran down her cheeks. She nodded, taking another step toward him. “I know. I know that now. But I was afraid.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“I sang in front of my parents and my brothers.”

He took a step toward her, a single step that made hope sing inside her.

“How did that go?”

“They loved my voice. I told them I wanted to open another Riley’s—a music club—and that I didn’t want to manage the sports bar anymore.”

“What did they say?”

“They said I should have told them about my dreams years ago. You were right. All I had to do was muster up a little courage.”

“There’s nothing you can’t do if you have a little faith in yourself.”

“I’m scared, Ty. You were right. I’m afraid to fail.”

He stopped in front of her. “It’s okay to be afraid to fail. Everyone is, and if they say they aren’t they’re full of shit. But just because you’re afraid doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try.”

She laid her hands on his chest, and the reassuring beat of his heart gave her the courage she needed. “I never wanted a hockey player, but by God I fell in love with one, and I’m not about to let him go no matter how afraid I am of love.”

He used his thumb to swipe at the tears on her cheek. “I’m afraid too, babe, and not much of anything scares me. Well, one thing does scare me.”

She sniffled. “Yeah? What’s that?”

“The thought of living without you.”

She sobbed and fell into his arms. He pulled her against him and held her, kissed her hair and rubbed her back as she cried.

“I love you, Jenna.”

That only made her cry harder. “I love you, too. I’m so sorry.” She pulled back so he could see her face. “I’m sorry for everything I said. I want you to push me when I need it. I want you by my side, and no, I don’t ever want to do this alone. I need you in my life, every step of the way. Without you I would never have gotten this far, would have never had the courage to go to that club and sing. I owe every step I’ve taken to you because you pushed me past the fear. God, I love you for that. And I hope you’ll forgive me.”

He kissed the tears on her cheeks, then brushed his lips across hers. “That’s what love is all about, babe. Forgiveness. I watched my parents make a lot of mistakes in their marriage, and I’m bound and determined to never make the same mistakes in mine.”

Her eyes widened. “What?”

“When I brought you here that first night, my intention was to show you the space, and if you liked it I was going to tell you I had put money down on it. I was going to buy it.”

“What?” she asked again.

“I want to marry you, Jenna. And marriage means a partnership. A partnership means we take the good and the bad. I’m going to push you to be the best singer you can be, to chase your dreams. And you’re going to push me to be the best hockey player I can be. Sometimes we’re going to fight, but we’re never going to give up on each other.”

She put her fingers to her lips. “You’re proposing to me.”

“Yeah. I didn’t buy you a ring, because in a partnership you should have what you want and I’m not presumptuous like that. We’ll pick one out together.”

Because he knew her. He really knew her.

“Just a wedding band would be nice. One of those pretty, slim ones with the diamonds.”

“Whatever you want. But does that mean you say yes?”

She nodded, unable to stop the flow of tears. “Yes. Oh, hell yes. I love you. Of course I’ll marry you. But are you sure you want to put up with me?”

He laughed. “’Til death do us part. And believe me when I tell you this, Jenna. When I walked out on you before, I was hurt and angry and needed some space, but I never had any intention of letting you go. I’m not my parents and I don’t give up that easily. I’m in this forever.”

She nodded. “So am I. I’ll fight for you—for us—no matter what. We Rileys never give up.”

Tyler had no idea love could feel like this—this overwhelming urge to protect, to want someone so badly they could hurt you. But he also knew he never had any intention of walking away from Jenna. If she hadn’t come to him, he would have gone to her in a few days and told her he wasn’t giving up on her.

He’d never give up on her.

Now all he wanted to do was show her how much he loved her.

“Do you have some tissues in that purse?” he asked as he held her while she finished crying.

She dug them out, blew her nose, and laughed. “I don’t make the prettiest picture of a woman you wanted to propose to, do I? My nose is red and runny and my eyes probably look like something out of a horror movie.”

He looked at her face. She was beautiful. “You’re right. I should reconsider.”

She punched his arm. “Smart-ass. You’re going to be waking up to bedhead and this face for the rest of your life.”

“This was not in the disclosure agreement.”

“And you are not funny.”

“Yes, I am.” He drew her against him and kissed her. “That’s one of the reasons you love me.”

She threaded her arms around inside his coat and snuggled against him. “You’re right. You make me laugh.”

“Is that all I do for you?”

“No. You do a lot of things for me.”

He looked around at the space, already envisioning the future, what this place would look like when it was fixed up. “You know, now that you’ve decided this is the place for you, we should officially christen it.”

She tilted her head back to look at him. “In what way?”

“You know what way.” He shrugged his coat off and laid it on top of the bar. “I’ve always wanted to have you on top of the bar.”

“One of these days we’re going to have to do it in the bed.”

He turned to her and held out his hand. “What fun would that be?”

She followed him to the bar. “You’re right. We’ll do it in the bed when we’re old and our bones are creaky.”

He laughed. “I doubt that.”

“What? That we’ll ever be old and creaky?”

He pulled her coat off and slid his hands down her arms. “No, that we’ll be doing it in the bed then, either.”

When he kissed her, she sighed against his lips.

Yeah, he knew the feeling.

It was fucking perfect again, because she was back in his arms again. He moved his hands over her body, roaming all over as if he hadn’t felt her against him in years rather than days.

He’d missed her. Being without her left a void in his life, an emptiness he never wanted to feel again.

Torn between wanting to linger and wanting to be inside her, he pressed his lips to her neck and inhaled her scent, then dragged his tongue across her throat, loving her shuddering response. She clutched his shoulders and fell against him, limp as he pulled down her loose sweater and pressed kisses to her collarbone and the swell of her breasts.

He scooped her up in his arms and sat her on top of the old bar.

“When we get this place fixed up,” he said as he pulled off her shoes and socks, “I’m going to put you on the shiny new bar and make love to you again. And on the stage, too.”

She smiled down at him, brushed his hair away from his eyes. He undid the clasp on her jeans and pulled them off her hips, drew them down her legs, then swept his hands up, loving the silkiness of her skin. His hands were scarred and rough, so different from her buttery soft body. But she didn’t seem to mind his hands, especially when he palmed her sex through her panties.

She gasped and arched against him, clutching his coat in her fingers when he rubbed her pussy back and forth, using the barrier of the silk to tease her. She was wet, her musky sweet scent making his dick throb.

He pulled her legs to the edge of the bar and pressed his nose against her panties, drowning in her fragrance. He drew her panties aside and licked her, and she moaned, leaning her palms down on the bar for support as she thrust her pussy against his face.

One of the things he loved most about Jenna was her pure joy in lovemaking. She had no inhibitions, and she loved to come. And he loved giving her an orgasm, loved seeing her face when she let go.