Authors: Carol Rose
Nicole met his gaze, her lips still curved in that sweet, dazed smile.
“I’m not promising not to be a jerk,” he told her roughly. “I can’t lie and tell you that. But I can promise—with everything inside me—that I’ll make you a priority. Every day. I’ll give you my best everyday, however sorry that may be.”
“Oh, Max,” she said, smiling as her eyes filled with tears. “I love you. I’ve tried not to, but I do love you.”
“Sometimes my best is abysmally inadequate,” he warned her, his love for her making brutal honesty a necessity. “But…I am different since you invaded my life. Really different.”
She drew in a sniffling breath, her hand clenching his.
“And not just with you. It’s because of you,” Max said, “I’m different with other people. Even closer to Ruth and Cynthia. I notice the guy who sells pretzels on the corner and even talk to the doorman at my building.”
“I’ve always liked him,” Nicole said, the corners of her mouth lifting.
“His name is Fred,” Max told her, hope rising in his chest.
She smiled at him, laughing a little.
“I’ve reconnected with Pete and Ryan because of you,” he said. “Pete and I have been having lunch once a week, believe it or not. He told me to come after you. Told me I’m a fool if I don’t get you back somehow.”
Nicole sniffled and blinked misty eyes. “I always liked Pete, too.”
“I am better because of you,” Max said urgently. “Even if you don’t want to marry me. Even if you’ll never speak to me again. I’ve gained a heart because of you. I can’t ever go back to the man I was before. I love you, Nicole.”
“You’ve always had a heart,” she told him, swiping the back of her hand across her damp cheeks.
“Will you marry me?” he asked, his chest tight, his grip tight on her hand.
Taking her hand out of his, Nicole threw her arms around him, the movement sending them both sprawling back on the floor.
“I’ll marry you, Max Tucker,” she said, her cheek pressed to his chest. “But don’t ever again tell me I don’t matter to you! You can swear and make snide comments and have bad days when columnists piss you off. But never say those words again.”
“Deal,” he said thankfully, lowering his mouth to hers.