Sarah squealed.“You want to marry Katie?”
“Yes, I do.”
He knew it hadn’t been a lot of time, but he was not the kind of guy to second-guess himself.He trusted his gut.He trusted want he wanted, which was why he was able to build up a successful company.
“I love her,” he said, finally revealing the truth.“I loved her when we were five years old.I loved her when we were ten through to eighteen, and I love her now.”
“Hawk?”
“And I’ve never told anyone,” Hawk said.
“Never?”
“Until you, right now, and a whole bunch of cars.”He sighed.“So, yeah, I love her more than anything in the world, and she was with Adam.”
“That’s one of the reasons you left?”
“I didn’t know they were getting married, but I also knew I didn’t have a chance with her.”He sighed and gripped the back of his neck.“I’m a loser, I know this.”
“You’re not a loser.Stop that,” she said.
He stopped at a minivan and saw Katie inside, but he also saw a couple of kids in the back.
Hawk turned toward his sister.“I’m not a loser?I couldn’t even speak to her in high school.You know what I did, I shoved her books to the ground.Yeah, I was that asshole that pushed her, or shoved her, and was a total dick, and it was all because I didn’t know how to go up to her and say, ‘Hey, I like you, and one day I hope you like me, so how about we go out sometime?’”He shook his head.“Fuck me, I am an asshole.”
Sarah sighed.“Unfortunately, I can’t correct you on that.You were an asshole.A giant one.”She gave his shoulder a little thump.“But you’re not still an asshole.You’ve got a chance now, and you don’t struggle to talk to her now, do you?”
“No.”
“So, not all is lost.You and Katie have a chance, you’ve just got to be willing to give it a shot.Are you willing?”
“Yeah, I am.”He wanted to more than anything.
“Then don’t let the mistakes of the past cloud your judgement, be the guy that goes after what he wants.”
He nodded his head.“But what about everything else?”
“What?”Sarah asked.
“I had a heart attack, Katie.I’m living with my parents.I can’t ...go back to work.I oversee everything in emails, or in a conversation with my guy,” Hawk said.
“So?”Sarah asked.“The doctor didn’t say you’ve got to stop living.He told you to make changes, and working twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, was going to take its toll.They said you can make this work.Make it work, Hawk.”
****
Katie smiled as Hawkstepped into the shop.
“Did you find a car?”she asked, moving up toward him.
At first, she didn’t know if she should embrace him or not.
“Nah, I wasn’t able to find anything.I think I’m going to have to wait for my dad to get home so we can work on the truck together.”
“You can’t work on it by yourself?”she asked.
“I could, but my dad loves that thing, and if I ruin it, he might decide to disown me.”
She burst out laughing.
