“She would doubt your long-term sincerity, one-hundred percent. It’s too easy to get caught up in the North Pole, the inviting household, and all the warm feelings the holidays bring. The same way it’s too easy to lose your inhibitions while you’re on vacation in a tropical paradise. But put the beach and the holidays together, and you’ve got a sure-fire recipe for disaster. You’ll have to do a lot more than whisper a few pretty words to convince her otherwise. Here’s some sage advice for you, though, free of charge. If you run every time something unexpected scares you, you’ll miss out on a lot of beautiful surprises.”
“Couldn’t I say the same to you, though? If you won’t give me a chance to make up for being the dumbest man on earth, you could possibly miss out on the love of a lifetime. Maybe it won’t work out. Maybe we’ll be horrible together and decide we’re better off as friends. But what if we are meant to be a couple? What if destiny has already decided for us?” What she doesn’t realize about me yet is, I’ve never been one to give up on my goals easily, and I’m not changing that anytime soon. Especially not where she’s involved.
“Let’s get through this trip first, Rod. We’ll see how it plays out when we’re back home in our usual element. If you still feel the same while you’re not surrounded by my entire family, then we’ll talk. If not, we’ll know fate had nothing to do with this.”
I lean back, fold my arms across my chest, and consider her rebuttal for a moment. Is this a test? Did she only say it to see how hard I’ll fight for her? Or is this how she feels, and would it be inconsiderate of me to push for more?
“How about a compromise? If you don’t like my idea, no harm, no foul. I’ll respect your wishes and we’ll continue as we are now. If you agree, then we’ll give it an honest try.”
“What compromise do you have in mind?” Her deadpan expression gives nothing away about what’s going on inside that beautiful brain of hers, but I know her better than she realizes.
“We’ll use our time here together as one long date. We can start over from the very beginning, if you will give me a clean slate. Instead of starting in the middle of a relationship, we’ll take it slow and actually start from the start, so to speak.”
“This sounds suspiciously like a fairy tale. I’ve already heard one fable from you, Rod. Right before I moved out of your hotel room and into my own. You were ready to settle down and put all your efforts into building a relationship with me. We both know how well that worked out. What right do you have to ask me to trust you again?” Her face changes, and a lingering grimace replaces her normal approachable expression. The pain of my betrayal obviously still stings.
“You’re right. There’s no reason you should trust me or even want to be with me again. I gave you my word I’d respect your wishes, and that’s exactly what I’ll do. I’m sorry I even said anything and hurt you all over again. That’s the last thing I’d ever want to do.” With a quick squeeze of her hand, I turn to leave the room and give her some space away from me.
As I pull away from her, she tightens her grip on my hand and holds on. When I look down, I see the fear swimming in her eyes. Despite the warning bells clearly blaring in her mind, she dares to put her trust in me again. Against all odds, I think she still wants to believe in the dream. Is there a glimmer of hope still in her? What I know about Daisy is, she doesn’t trust others easily, especially men, and she’s a realist. She doesn’t live in a fantasy world or repeat mistakes she’s made. Even considering giving me yet another chance is out of the ordinary for her.
She just needs time to realize the truth for herself. If she didn’t feel the same about me, she wouldn’t want to trust me again.
“If I do this, it’ll be your absolute last chance with me. Ever. I can’t impress upon you how serious I am, Rod. Everyone deserves a second chance, I wholeheartedly believe that, but you’ve used your two chances with me. I’ll never speak to you again if you screw this up and hurt me like you’ve done before. Changing your mind is completely fine and your prerogative—as long as you’re upfront and honest with me about it. That’s all I’m asking. No more stupid games. We could still be friends in that case. But I won’t forgive more lies and broken promises. Don’t say it if you can’t see it through.”
She means every word of her warning, and if I mutter promises I have no intentions of keeping, I’ll lose her forever. For the first time, the ramifications of my words and deeds weigh heavily on my shoulders. Businessman Rod thrives because he never misses a deadline, never disappoints a client by giving less than his very best every time.
Personal Relationship Rod needs a lot of work.
I drop to one knee in front of her, surprised she’s halfway to agreeing to try again. “Daisy, I’ve realized what an immature asshole I’ve been, and I’ll never be that person again. If I get spooked, I promise to talk it out with you, to share why I’m freaking out so you can help talk some sense into me. Juliana has tried, but I wouldn’t hear her out. Now I know
