Tasha walked around her desk, “They’re beautiful. Thank you.” She took them and turned her back to him as she sat them down on her desk. She needed just another minute to get her nerves under control so she took extra care in smelling and admiring the flowers.
“They’re not even close to how beautiful you are.”
Tasha closed her eyes. She spoke softly, “Tim…what are you doing here?”
Tim wiped his brow, “I was hoping maybe…you’d let me take you to dinner.”
She turned around, “I’m not so sure that’s a good idea.”
“Tasha, I know that I messed things up pretty badly. But, I need you to know that I never intended for things to turn out the way they did. What I felt for you was real then…and it’s real now.”
“But you knew, Tim. You knew about Eric and Sabrina before we were together? How do I know that…you weren’t just trying to hurt her?”
Tim was dying to touch her. He saw the pain in her eyes and couldn’t believe he was the one who put it there.
“I swear to you that isn’t what happened. That weekend wasn’t about anything but you and me.” He walked over to her and grabbed her hand. Then, he put it over his heart. “You feel that? That’s how I feel every time I’m in a room with you.”
Tasha slowly pulled her hands back from his. “Even if that’s true, we’ve made so many mistakes. How can we go back? We can’t. Some things are just meant to be left alone.”
Tim felt as if she were slipping away from him. He had to do something, “Let’s just start over.”
“How? Even if I wanted to…it would be impossible. So much has happened.”
“Excuse me Ms., I couldn’t help but notice you have the most beautiful eyes I’ve ever seen. I’m Tim Horne.”
He reached his hand out to hers as if for a handshake. Tasha stared at it for a long time wondering if it could be that easy.
Tim held his breath hoping and waiting for her to take his hand.
She whispered, “Tim, this is silly.”
“Just humor me please.”
After an agonizing few moments of wondering if she would, she finally took his hand in hers. The all familiar zing went through her whole body just from his touch. “Tasha Stevens.”
“I was hoping you’d let me take you out on a date. Maybe dinner and a movie. Or, if you’d like to do something else, I’m willing to do whatever you’d like.”
Tasha tried to release his hand but he held on tight, “I’m sorry. I can’t.”
“Why not?”
“I don’t date married men.”
“Well, it’s a good thing then that…I’m divorced.”
Tasha quickly looked up into his eyes, “What?”
“I’m divorced. It’s taken these last months to get everything settled. I promised myself that when I came for you it would be in a way that was honorable.”
More tears. She hated herself for crying so easily when she thought of Sabrina or Tim. They started to fall uncontrollably.
“Baby please don’t cry.” Tim pulled her into his arms. “Tasha, I’ve missed you so much and I would do anything and everything for you. I just need to know that I’m not too late.”
“I hate this. I hate that I can’t stop loving you. Nothing I’ve tried has worked.”
“So, you still love me?”
“Yes.”
There was no point in him waiting. Tim stepped back from her before bending down on one knee. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a tiny ring box.
Tasha’s eyes grew large with surprise. He couldn’t be doing what it looked like.
Tim opened the box to reveal a beautiful emerald cut yellow diamond. It had to be at least four to five carats.
“Tasha Stevens, I was going to wait until after we had our official first date. I wanted to court you properly but, six months has felt like forever. I can’t wait another minute. I love you with everything that I am. You’ve taught me what a pure love really is. You’ve changed my whole world and made me a better man. I want you to be by my side through all of my successes and failures. I want you to be the mother of my children, and I want you to be the woman I grow old with. If you’ll have me, would you do me the honor of becoming my wife? Will you marry me?”
When Tasha started her day, she never in a million years thought it would end with him flying from Chicago to Dallas, getting down on one knee and proposing.
In a whisper she answered, “Yes.” Then Tasha screamed at the top of her lungs, “Yes, I will marry you!”
Tim slipped the ring on her finger before standing up and crushing her to him in a love and passion-filled kiss. It was a while before they came up for air.
They were breathing heavy, “Tasha, we should leave. We should leave right now because being this close to you; I’m about two seconds away from ripping off all of your clothes.”
Tasha smiled sexily then turned around and closed the blinds. “How about I’ll help you take them off?”
After closing the blinds, Tim pulled Tasha into another embrace before looking seriously into her yes, “I love you and I’m going to spend the rest of my life showing you.”
Epilogue
Maddy and DJ came running around the corner into the kitchen of their Palo Alto vacation home. Maddy’s eyes were sparkling, “Mommy can we go outside? Uncle Craig said he would take us out. Please please please?”
Craig came into the kitchen just as Maddy finished asking permission. “Hey, I was just going to ask you if I could take the kiddos out
