Page 94 of The Grumpy Billionaire
I gathered up the memory cards containing the raw video Sheldon had shot and put them into a tote bag with my notes. Slinging it over my shoulder, I left the edit bay, planning to go by my desk and grab my purse and coat before meeting Reid in the reception area.
But when I walked out into the newsroom, Reid was there. And so was Sheldon, with his camera, along with Rob and my co-workers who weren’t out on live shots or on the set doing the newscast.
They were all looking at me. Smiling.
I froze in place, a terrible sense of dread coming over me. The room was so quiet. The only sound was the newscast’s live audio coming from a monitor on a nearby desk.
“Reid? What’s going on? Did you decide to do the interview tonight, then?”
I glanced over at Sheldon, who was pointing the camera at me as Reid approached and dropped to one knee in front of me.
“Shel?” My voice was higher pitched now, bordering on hysteria. “Why’s your camera on? What’s—”
Time slowed to a crawl, the sights and sounds around me moving in slow-mo like video in our frame-by-frame digital editing program. My gaze left Sheldon’s grinning face and dropped to Reid’s, which was now at about my waist level.
As if in a dream, I watched him reach for my hand and take it between his. Every nerve ending in my hand registered his touch though I was unable to squeeze his fingers back or move even a muscle.
“Mara…”
Reid swallowed, his smile shaking a little along with his voice.
“I know I said I was a private person, but I couldn’t let you put this story together without giving you thewholestory. Last week, before I saw you again, I thought I knew who I was—a guy whose company meant everything to him, someone who couldn’t be distracted by something as silly as love, because I knew that didn’t exist. The truth is I wasn’t really alive. All the money, the property, the toys, they meant nothing. I was on life-support, existing day to day, because when you left, you took my whole life with you. You were supposed tobemy life—my partner. You were plans A, B, C… the whole alphabet. I’d never pictured life without you, so when I tried, it was like looking down a blank, empty hallway. I have loved you every day since I was a ninth grader with a squeaky voice and a face full of pimples. Even when you weren’t around and I wasn’t able to see you or hear your voice, I still loved you. I don’t want to live another day of my life without you, because without you, I’m not really living.”
Reid paused, maybe waiting for a response, maybe taking a breath. I couldn’t say anything.
Perhaps I was in shock—I’d never felt it before so I didn’t know—but all I could do was look at him. At that beautiful, tear-streaked face I’d loved for what seemed like my entire life.
And I knew what my answerhadto be to the question he was undoubtedly about to ask.Please don’t, Reid. Don’t ask it.
He rose to his feet and picked up my other hand. “I know you’re scared. But you don’t have anything left to prove. You’ve already proved it—you don’t need me or anyone.”
Swallowing hard, he gave me a tremulous smile. “ButIneedyou. And I’m hoping you’llwantme enough to take a chance on me, to believe that there is at least one person in the world you can count on. Count on me, Mara. You used to. You could again. All you have to do is decide to. I’m asking you to count on me… and to marry me.”
And then he stopped talking. And looked at me. Waiting.
No one moved, no one said a word. The sound of my breathing was magnified to my ears as if I were underwater and using scuba gear.
Every part of my heart screamed for me to say, “yes.” I loved this man standing before me with hope shining in his eyes. This man who’d just put his own heart, his dignity, his very private reputation out there in the world’s most beautiful proposal.
But the little voice in my brain was still there, still chanting its evil mantra, “It can’t last. Nothing ever does. And you love him too much to be with him.”
When I finally spoke, none of those twisted thoughts came out. Instead there were only two words…
“I can’t.”
THIRTY-FOUR
Promo
Mara
There may have been gasps from the onlookers around us.
There may have been loud boos and hisses and death threats. Explosions. I didn’t know.
All I knew was I’d never seen anything like the look of crushing pain on Reid’s face. He’d expected me to say, “yes” and jump into his arms, like any sane woman would do.
He’d expected the Happily Ever After and the sweeping end-of-movie musical theme.
