Page 42 of Valentine's Day Proposal

“Listen,” she said, shushing me.

“I made the mistake a lot of politicians make. I focused on my career and what was good for me and neglected the things in my life that meant everything to me. I even faked a marriage to better my chances at winning an election that now I regret having even participated in, because it hurt the woman I love.”

My breath caught in my throat. He was talking to the press about me. He was confessing his sins openly on camera. Why would he do that? He was just as private of a person as I was. What would possess him to share our secret with the world? I watched as he fumbled through the details of the election, Peter’s advice, the standing in the polls and how things changed when we wed.

“I used Willow as a pawn in my game and in doing so I failed her. I placed my career in front of her personal life and even her physical health. She used to run every single morning religiously, and while on the campaign trail with me she didn’t run once.”

“Mr. Perish, where is Willow now?” a reporter asked him, and his eyes turned my direction. I didn’t know if he saw me or not before that, but when his eyes locked onto mine, I knew he saw me.

My lip quivered as the tears welled up. He was actually apologizing to me, and not just to me. The cameras would carry this later this evening on the news. The entire city, all of DC, most if not all of Maryland would see his apology.

“Oh, fuck, he’s looking at you…” Mel’s comment under her breath came with a release of her grip on my arm. She took a step away.

“What? No, come back here,” I muttered, reaching for her arm but she backed farther away. Then I noticed Charles staring at me.

“We were in love back in college.” He sighed, gazing at me like I was the only person there. “We were going to be married, but I got insecure. I thought Willow was going to leave me and instead of communicating with her, I put up a wall. I pushed her away. I even used her best friend as my rebound, which only ended up hurting her more. And I did the wrong thing.”

Charles stepped down off the curb, walking in my direction. I was frozen, unable to form a coherent thought. The reporters followed him, flashes of cameras and the throng of bodies surrounding us. He took my hand, holding it gingerly.

“It’s time I say what I’ve needed to say for eight years now.” For a minute he said nothing, only stared into my eyes. It was a long silence, but more was communicated to me in that pause of words than a billion speeches could ever say. “Willow Rain Perish, I am so sorry for hurting you. You deserve so much better than I gave you. You are such an amazing woman, strong, confident, sexy and smart. I am sorry I took that for granted. Can you ever forgive me?”

I blinked back the tears. I felt the eyes of a million people staring at me, not just the reporters, but the viewers who may watch this broadcast later on repeat. I knew Charles hadn’t planned this to pressure me into forgiving him. This was his way of saying he royally fucked up and he knew it. Go big or go home, right?

I nodded, and the cameras flashed again, capturing my sad expression. “I love you,” I mouthed, wishing they’d all go away.

Charles whispered, “I love you too.”

And then there was Mel.

“Alright, you’ve seen enough. Give these two a minute.” Mel weaseled her way into the center of the mob, pushing cameramen back until Charles and I had more space to talk. It wasn’t entirely private, but it was about as good as we were going to get with the way he set this little event up. I didn’t see Peter anywhere, but I knew he had to have had a hand in it too.

“I am not going back to DC unless you say you’ll come with me.” Charles pressed my hand to his lips, kissing it softly.

“Charles, it will never work.”

“Don’t say that, Willow. We are in love. You admitted to me last week that you love me. When you love someone, you don’t just give up.” He cupped my cheek. “Say you’ll come back with me. I need you. I don’t even want the job if you’re not in my life.”

I sighed. This all happened because of Peter. He was to blame. “You were fine before I got dragged back into your life.”

“I wasn’t fine; I was languishing. I was working long hours and burying myself in things I didn’t want to be a part of just to keep my mind off of how lonely I was.” He kissed my hand again, then traced a line on my cheekbone.

My eyes flicked over Charles’s shoulder to where Mel stood with my mother. Her car was parked in a no parking zone only a few yards beyond that. They both had stupid grins on their faces, tears in their eyes. “Look, I have plans this evening. Mel is in town, and we are going to discuss the new branch opening.”

“Then say you’ll have dinner with me on Valentine’s Day.” Charles’s hand reached into his coat. He pulled out a large manilla envelope. “I brought the annulment papers. I want to give them back.”

“Are they signed?” My heart felt a strange dissonance. An ambivalence that had me yoyoing between wanting my freedom still and being terrified that he wanted out even though he’d apologized.

“Willow. Do you really think that I would come all the way here, set up this entire thing with the press, and apologize on national television, only to dump you?”

I felt stupid when he put it that way. My shoulders dropped and I looked away from him, down at his hand still cradling mine.

“Dinner on Valentines. But I need space before then. I have a lot to think about.”

It felt odd walking away from him. Something inside me felt like we should have kissed, or at least hugged. The reporters split into two groups, one following me to Mom’s car, and the other following Charles. We dropped Mel at her car to follow us and headed home. Mom didn’t say a word. She could probably tell I needed time to process.

After everything I’d been through in the past year, my heart was weary. The apology was a good start, but we had a long way to go.

37

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