it’s time to stop that as well. If you want a future with Dane you are going to have to start believing
you have one.” Tasha paused. “You have to decide whether or not you are going to get over your
lack of self-confidence. Your lack of faith in things you can’t control.”
Bayleigh stiffened as Tasha nailed her ultimate issue. Her inability to trust. Her insecurities. It
was simple really. Either she trusted Dane or she didn’t. Either she believed in herself or didn’t.
Bayleigh had been an insecure person most of her life. Before she was careful to avoid situations
where she didn’t have control. Unfortunately the only area where she did, were innate. Like when
she was in school. She had thrown herself into learning everything she could when it came to
school. Bayleigh had excelled greatly. Yet, her social life had remained awkward with a few dates
here and there. Then there was the short relationship she had with Daniel. A relationship so
awkward it fizzled out before it got started. Then Erwin had come along, sending her life into a
tailspin. One Dane had helped her out of when she hadn’t been paying attention.
Bayleigh straightened her shoulders. Her decision was made. She’d worked too hard and
had come too far not to believe in her friendship with him…her relationship with him. Bayleigh
smiled before looking at Tasha. “I need your help.”
Tasha’s eyebrows rose high on her forehead. “And just what do you think I have been doing
all this time?”
Bayleigh laughed. She loved her sister. She loved Dane. Now she just had to show him.
Chapter Twelve
“So you like the idea?” Isaac asked. “This is the best one in my opinion.”
Dane looked at the information in front of him trying to figure out what it was he was
looking at. Maybe if he could pay attention to what Isaac was saying. A familiar wave of sadness
washed over him but he tried to refocus his thoughts on the computer screen.
“She still hasn’t called you.”
Dane sighed at Isaac’s question. “No, she hasn’t.”
Isaac pushed back from the kitchen table. “This sounds like a conversation requiring a drink
to accompany it. What would you like?”
“A Jack, neat,” Dane responded without hesitation.
Isaac paused in mid-step. “Oh hell. This is more serious that I thought. Are you driving?”
Dane rubbed the back of his neck. “Yes.”
Isaac gave him a warning look. “In that case, you only get one so make it last.”
Dane heard Isaac release a pent up breath as he poured their drinks. When he came back to
the table he sat the drink in front of Dane. Isaac retook his seat and moved the laptop aside. “Now,
tell Dr. Isaac about your problems.”
Dane tried not to smile but he couldn’t help it. “This isn’t a joke, Isaac.”
“I know. It never has been.”
Dane exhaled heavily. “What am I supposed to do?”
When Isaac remained silent Dane looked up from the drink in his hand. “Are you going to
say anything?”
“Why? We both know what you are going to do regardless of what I say.”
Dane sat back in his chair. “Are you going to help me or not?”
“How am I supposed to help you? I have an aversion to relationships. Remember?”
Dane groaned. “I keep waiting for you to say what I want to hear. What I need to hear.”
Dane took a sip of the whisky and felt the liquid burn all the way down to his stomach. He
grimaced, remembering why he usually stuck to beer and the occasional glass of wine. Even the
bourbon he had in his home had been brought over by Isaac.
Isaac spoke in a low tone. “Sounds like you are final y growing impatient.”
Dane gave Isaac a hard look. “I haven’t given up on Bayleigh. I just didn’t think it would
take so long.”
Isaac looked at him with amusement. “It took you three years to admit to yourself that you
had a thing for Bayleigh and another two for you to admit it to her.”
Dane glared at Isaac. “You still aren’t helping right now.”
“Have you tried talking to her?”
Dane shook his head. “No. I mean I say hi to her, speak to her about work, but nothing
else.”
Isaac took a sip of his drink. “Well, you are giving her what she asked for.”
“Yes, but is it working?”
Isaac’s eyebrows rose. “Do you think it is?”
The problem was he didn’t know. Dane had been keeping his distance from Bayleigh. In a
way he’d hoped that the less he saw her, the less it would hurt. So far the plan wasn’t working. He
felt like kids who dropped his ice cream cone on a hot summer’s day, and couldn’t get another. All
he wanted was for Bayleigh to open herself up to him—open her heart.
“Well while you contemplate your thoughts I would like to say this is why I avoid love.”
“There is nothing wrong with being in love,” Dane growled. “Especially when it’s with
Bayleigh.”
“Then why is it you look so miserable right now?” Isaac questioned.
“I said there is nothing wrong with being in love, not that it’s easy,” Dane muttered.
Isaac raised his drink. “You’re right my friend.”
Dane groaned and closed his eyes. He had never been one at a loss for words, but the past
three weeks had been tough on him. Seeing that he was at Isaac’s table on a Saturday night instead
of out with Bayleigh was solid proof.
Dane was confused about the entire set of circumstances before him. When Bayleigh walked
away from him it felt as if he had been shot in the heart. The showdown with Erwin only added to
it. He now knew there was more to the breakup then Bayleigh had told him. His blood heated to the
boiling point when Erwin called her frigid then insulted their friendship. Dane wanted to knock a
few teeth out of Erwin’s mouth. But Bayleigh had held him back. It was probably a good think in
hindsight. Erwin wasn’t worth an assault charge. Still, he wished Bayleigh had let him help her.
“Why does she have to be so damn stubborn?”
Isaac chuckled. “I thought it was one of the traits you liked about her.”
He scowled at Isaac. “You still aren’t helping.”
“Yes I am. You just don’t want to admit it.”
Dane frowned at the sore point. “I’m not the one who has a problem with admitting things.”
Isaac shot him a sympathetic look. “You did tell her to take her time.”
Dane sank down into his chair making a sound of frustration.
“I knew those words would come back to haunt me.”
“I hate to admit it, but you are doing the right thing by Bayleigh. You’re giving her what she
asked for so if it doesn’t turn out well, it is to no fault of your own.”
“Why won’t she let me be there for her?” Dane complained. “We can work through this
together.”
“She will when she is ready. Although I have to admit seeing you so infatuated with her is
scary.” Isaac shuddered. “Makes me wonder what I looked like when I was in love.”
Dane looked across the table at his friend. “I would have to say you handled it pretty well
because I had no idea you were even in love. Or suffering from heartbreak for that matter.”
Isaac smiled but remained silent. Dane sighed. Nothing was going the way he wanted. He
would do anything to be with Bayleigh right now. To have her sitting next to him while
he held
her…comforted her. His temples began to throb. For once his patience was wearing thin. Right now
he wanted nothing more than to drive over to Bayleigh’s apartment, sit her down and make her
listen. Then again who was to say she would answer the door. To his dismay, he had no choice but
to give her the space she asked for even if it killed him.
“So what are you going to do?”
Dane shrugged, his shoulders tense. “Continue to love her— miss her. Bayleigh and I aren’t
over. I saw it in her eyes. She loves me even if she hasn’t said it. She will come back to me—back to
our relationship.”
Isaac looked at him, his expression full of empathy. “I hope you’re right because I know
what it’s like when they don’t.”
* * * *
Bayleigh inhaled deeply, trying to calm the storm of nerves fluttering in her stomach. She
was getting ready to address Dane about their relationship—their future together. If he still wanted
her in his life after the hell she was sure she had put him through the last three weeks. Trying not to
dwell on the horrible possibility she picked up her cell phone. Dialing his number she took a deep
breath, holding tight to her courage. He answered before the end of the first ring.
“Bayleigh?”
“Hi, Dane.”
“Hi.”
“I hope your parents don’t mind me interrupting your dinner but I have something
important to say.”
“No…um…hang on a sec.”
She waited while Dane muffled the phone, saying something to his family that she couldn’t
make out. A second later she heard his chair scrape the floor then his voice came back over the line.
“I won’t be long,” she promised.
“I was hoping you would be.”
Bayleigh heard the hope in his voice and had to fight back tears. She had a lot to say and she
needed to keep herself together while she said it. “Over the past five years with you, I have
discovered the true meaning of friendship between a man and a woman. We have shared so much
with each other. In the last two months I have learned stuff about dating, sex and myself that I
didn’t know before then. I now know how attraction to the right person can open you up to some
of the most wonderful experiences once could ever have. I experienced emotions and physical
desires I didn’t know existed. I found out that anything is possible with a partner who put her needs
before his own.”
Bayleigh paused to collect herself, then continued. “I now understand that relationships can
be as fun and satisfying as a friendship. Then there is love. For some people it’s an emotion, an
intimacy, which comes easily. For others it’s a struggle to deal with, accept those feelings, when they
have been hurt in the past or when it has been given with ultimatums.”
She stopped speaking to let her words sink in for a few moments. His steady breathing told
her he was still with her. Remaining silent. Listening to what she had to say. “The first time we slept
together, I freaked. Needless to say, I had never been in that situation before. So, I didn’t know what
to do or how to respond. Then you admitted your feelings for me and I panicked more. Then you
suggested we become an item. I agreed, but by then I had a whirlwind of emotions racing through
me. Feelings I tried to avoid, didn’t want to deal with. I soon realized things would never be the way
they should be, if I didn’t deal with my reservations. So I asked you for time and you gave it to me.
Which brings me to the reason I called you.”
Bayleigh took a deep shaky breath, pushing her insecurities, uncertainties and doubts aside.
Her next words would be the most important. She needed him to comprehend them, too
understand what she was trying to say. “You have always given me some of the best advice when I
needed it. What should I do when old fears get in the way of a great, new relationship?”
Bayleigh paused when her voiced threatened to break. Clearing her throat, she continued on.
“I know I’m not the only woman in the world with past hurts from a bad relationship but mine run
deep, Dane, deeper than I ever admitted to you out of fear and shame. Without noticing, I closed
off my heart, feelings, trust and faith. In the process I ended up hurting the one person who gave
me everything he had and never asked anything of me in return.”
Her voice did tremble now. She reached for her car door handle and stepped out of the car.
“How do you make it up to someone you love when you have screwed up in a major way? How do
you prove to him that you want a second chance to make the relationship work? How do you
convince him you are finally willing to meet him halfway? Most importantly, how do you prove to
him that he isn’t only your best friend, boyfriend and lover, but your best everything?”
Dane remained silent for so long she paused in mid-step wondering if Tasha had been right.
If she had taken too long and his patience had actually run out. When he spoke she almost collapsed
in relief.
“It’s simple, Bayleigh. Just be honest and tell him.”
Her pulse began to race and the ache in her heart began to grow. As it always was with
Dane, she could hear the tenderness, understanding, and affection for her in his voice. Bayleigh
knew right then, he still wanted her despite her stupid obsession with avoidance. He still cared for
her. She exhaled shakily. “You’ve always had the best advice.”
“It’s the truth. You have taken a big step tonight, Bayleigh, but there is something I still need
to hear.” Dane paused. “Tell me what’s in your heart.”
Bayleigh stopped walking and squeezed her eyes shut. This was a life changing decision. It
was a moment she wanted to share with no one else. For the first time in a long time she trusted
someone with her heart. She responded to him openly. “I hate that I pushed you away. I regret
hurting you. I’m sorry I doubted you.”
“Do you want me back in your life?” he asked.
Bayleigh smiled. “I realize now, I never wanted you out of it.”
“Do you believe in us?” he asked, his voice husky with emotion.
Oh yes.
“I believe in your support, your encouragement, and the way you know me better than I
know myself at times. I believe you are willing to be patient with me if I get scared and remind me
that fear is normal. I also believe you will continue to be there for me like you always have been.
Yes, Dane, I believe in us.”
“Am I the kind of man you could love?”
Tears gathered in her eyes as she raised her hand to ring the doorbell in front of her. “Yes,
Dane, I love you. I now know I always have and I plan to show you.”
“When?” he rasped.
The front door swung open and Bayleigh smiled at Iris, through her tears. Bayleigh walked
in the direction Dane’s mother pointed her in. She stopped a few steps later.
“Starting now,” she whispered, while disconnecting the call.
Dane turned to face her, a mixture of shock and astonishment coloring his expression.
Disbelief settled onto his face as he slipped his own phone into his pocket. He stepped toward her
closing the distance between them. Bayleigh sighed when he pulled her into his arms before
lowering his mouth to hers.
His kiss was long, slow and deep. Dane pre
ssed his aroused body against hers and she
welcomed the familiar feel. She slumped against him lost in the spark of his kiss, the warmness of
his touch. He was hers and if she had anything to with it he always would be. Someone behind them
cleared their throat and she heard a giggle or two. Dane finally let her up for air and she saw his
family was behind them. However his eyes never left hers.
“Your family is watching,” she whispered.
Dane grinned. “I know and you might want to get used to it. You know how nosey they
are,” he murmured.
She laughed and he brought his hands up to frame her face. “I love you, Bayleigh.”
Looking deep into his eyes she smiled. “And I love you, Dane .”
“Good, because I plan to hold you to that for a lifetime.”
Dane lifted her up into his arms, sealing his words with a long, lingering kiss—a promise of
the adventures to come.
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