She and Kim spent the next hour silently loading up the merchandise and moving it upstairs. It was physically demanding and monotonous, but at least it gave Triana something to focus on, instead of all the crap that had happened last night. She’d spent the whole time trying to figure out what had gone wrong between her and Remy and had nothing to show for it. When she’d gotten out of bed that morning, she’d decided she was done wasting her energy trying to figure him out.
Triana had just come downstairs for another load of books when she caught sight of a wet, bedraggled figure standing at the door, tapping softly on the glass. For one insane moment, she thought it was Remy, but the guy wasn’t anywhere near as tall or as big. Her first instinct was to tell whoever it was they were closed, but then she recognized the face under all that dripping hair and realized the morning had just taken a strange twist.
“Kim, you have a visitor!” she yelled up the steps. “I think you might want to come see who it is.”
Her friend came bouncing down the steps a few seconds later, a questioning looking on her face. “Who the heck comes to visit on a day like today?”
Kim stopped cold when she reached the bottom step and saw who was at the door. A dozen different emotions flitted across her face, including hope, anger, and disappointment. Pushing her blond hair back, Kim squared her shoulders and walked over to the door. Instead of unlocking and opening it, she stood there staring at her ex-boyfriend through the glass.
“What are you doing here, Shawn?”
The man Triana had met dozens of times remained solemn as the rain continued to drip off of him. “I was worried about you, with the storm coming and all. I wanted to make sure you’re okay.”
Kim didn’t say anything for a long time, but finally she nodded. “I’m fine. Thanks for asking.”
Shawn wiped water off his face. “Can we talk?”
Kim slowly crossed her arms and tilted her head to the side a little. “Sure. Go ahead and talk. I’m not stopping you.”
Shawn lifted a brow, which was rather impressive considering he was about to drown under all the water cascading off the side of the building. “Could I maybe talk to you inside…out of the rain?”
Kim sighed, then turned and looked at Triana. “Could I have a second? This won’t take long.”
Triana nodded, already starting to back up the stairs. “Sure. Mom and I will be getting stuff packed away up here. Take all the time you need.”
As she headed up the steps, she ran into her mother coming down.
“Shawn showed up,” she said, stopping her. “Kim needs a little time alone with him. I figured we could do some stuff upstairs while they talk.”
Her mom frowned. “We could, but then we wouldn’t be able to hear what they’re saying.”
Triana gaped as her mother quietly slipped down another step before taking a seat. “Mom, you are absolutely horrible.”
Her mother didn’t answer. Instead, she motioned with her hand for Triana to join her. Against her better judgment, Triana sat down beside her.
Downstairs, Kim had let Shawn into the shop and he was currently apologizing, saying he’d been stupid to walk out on her.
“I don’t really have an excuse beyond the obvious fact that I was scared about taking the next step with you,” he admitted. “I got comfortable with the way things were and couldn’t understand why anything had to change. Instead of listening to you, I lashed out, then bailed.”
“Yeah, you did,” Kim agreed. “So what are you doing here now?”
Triana heard a heavy sigh and a rustle of movement. Even though she couldn’t see downstairs, she imagined Shawn standing there raking his wet, black hair back from his face in frustration.
“I went on a three-day bender after we broke up,” Shawn confessed. “I figured since we were over, I was free to do anything I wanted, but I discovered pretty fast I wasn’t nearly as free as I thought I’d be. I’ve spent the last three weeks thinking about you almost every minute of the day, realizing that I don’t want to be free. I want to be with you.”
There was silence downstairs, and Triana leaned forward a little to hear Kim’s reply.
“What are you trying to say, Shawn?” Kim finally asked. “That you want us to go back to the way things used to be? That you want a do-over?”
“No, I’m not saying that.”
Triana’s shoulders slumped. She’d thought from everything Shawn said that he’d come to his senses, but she guessed he was still a jerk. What the heck had he come here for?
Shawn sighed. “I’m not saying that because I don’t want that. I know we can’t ever go back to what we used to be, but being apart has given me a lot of time to think. Every happy memory I have from the past three years includes you, Kim. I’m pissed that it took us being apart—and a frigging hurricane in the Gulf—for me to figure that out, but I finally get it. I’m in love with you and I know that the only way I’ll ever be happy again is if we’re together. So, even though I know I don’t have any right to ask this of you, I’m asking anyway. Will you give me another chance, not just to be your boyfriend, but to be your husband?”
There was another rustling noise followed by the distinct sound of a jewelry box opening. Triana turned and looked at her mother, who stared back. As one, they scooted down the steps on their butts until they could lean forward enough to see into the shop. The scene they found was exactly what Triana had imagined. Shawn was down on one knee in a puddle of water, a black jewelry box in his outstretched hands, a beautiful ring nestled in the box’s velvet-lined interior. Kim stood in front of him, one hand over her mouth, shock and awe on her face.
The two of them stayed like that for so long Triana thought she might have to run down there and kick them.
