Page 62 of Simply Irresistible

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“It’s okay,” she said.

I turned to head back towards the elevator but paused.

That voice.

I knew that voice.

I turned around and looked at the woman I’d bumped into.

It was her.

Melanie.

“You came.” I looked into her eyes, shaking my head.

She shrugged. “I’m not entirely sure why I’m here.”

My heart dropped to my gut.

Then I remembered my next move.

“Wait,” I told her, holding up my hand.

She gave me an odd look--as did a few other people--as I dug around my pocket for my cell phone. Where the hell was it?

“Ah-ha,” I said, pulling it out of my jacket pocket. I tapped the screen a few times, pulling up the music app and pressing play.

Then I held my cell phone above my head.

Melanie

My eyes widened as the first few notes of Peter Gabriel’s “In Your Eyes” played through Tyler’s cell phone.

My cheeks heated from the attention we were drawing--as did his--but he didn’t falter.

I smiled shyly, shaking my head at the scene before me. He was so ridiculous. Leave it to Tyler to top one romantic gesture with another.

He lowered his cell phone and cut off the music, taking a tentative step towards me. “I’m sorry for everything.”

“I know,” I said, nodding my head. “I know you are.”

I could see it in his eyes. That scared little boy was in there somewhere, but he looked a little bit stronger than the last time I’d seen him.

He pulled me into his chest, and I pressed my cheek against his heart, winding my arms around his body.

“You make me want to be a better man,” he said, and I laughed.

“That’s enough of the pop culture references, Ty,” I said, pulling back and looking up at him. “Let’s just be me and you, okay?”

“There’s no two people I’d rather be.”

I smiled and he held me close again, resting his chin on the top of my head.

“Things went sideways at work,” he started telling me, and I shook my head to stop him. There would be time for explanations later, but I didn’t want to hear them now. Not in this moment.

“Whatever spooked you, it doesn’t matter. What matters is how you handled it.”

“I handled it really poorly.”

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