And, standing and looking at the love radiating between the two of them, Zander realized without a doubt what he needed to do.
It was a whole lot of crazy and perhaps the most reckless, risky thing he’d ever done. But looking at Ian, understanding how fragile life truly was, Zander knew he was doing exactly what he wanted and needed to do.
Hopefully Rachel would see it the same way, but only time would tell.
Chapter 25
Rachel
Rachel Winters could say no to just about everything and everyone—except Michael. So, when he called her in a panic at eight in the morning on Saturday begging her to rush in to teach a workshop again, she groaned, thought of a million reasons to say no, and then agreed. She dashed to the bathroom to make herself look presentable, strutted to the nearest Starbucks a few blocks away for a must-need caffeine fix, and marched into the workshop area in the theater, feeling like the scene was all too familiar when she blasted through the door with only two minutes to spare.
Wheezing and out of breath from rushing about, she flung open the door to the room.
But something was off. Something was different, and even though she could barely catch her breath, she took a few steps back in confusion, wondering if she was losing her mind.
She’d expected to dash in at the last second, apologize for running late, and head into her rehearsed lines about how she had gotten into acting. She would ask for questions and then do a demo with one major difference—there absolutely, positively, wouldn’t be a balcony scene. No way, no how. She’d learned her lesson there.
But when she walked into the room, she was shocked by the emptiness of it. There were no kids from an inner-city school like Michael had suggested. There were no teachers or students or audience of any kind to discuss theater with.
It was a room, completely empty, rows and rows of folding chairs with no one in them.
Rachel was confused. Had she misheard Michael this morning when she was still in a groggy haze? Had she mixed up the date or time? She sighed, pulling her phone out of her bag, checking to see if there were any messages.
When she pulled the phone out, though, another name lit up her phone and she was even more confused. The universe certainly had weird, weird timing.
* * *
“Hello?” she asked, too much in a frantic frenzy to think about the implications of answering his call. She was flustered and tired and still mildly out of breath, so she clicked the phone on without hesitation.
“Rachel. It’s good to hear your voice,” Zander said into the phone. “I’m so sorry I missed your calls. I had a majorly crazy week. There was a bad family emergency, and I was out of town. In the middle of it, I lost my phone. I never even saw you called. I’m sorry.”
Rachel stood, staring at the empty room, taking in the sound of his deep voice resonating through the phone. It was good to hear his voice, too, she admitted, although she was confused. And more than a little worried.
“Is everything okay?” she asked.
“No. It’s not. It’s absolutely not.”
Her heart froze and, despite everything between them, panic settled in even more intensely than when she’d heard the word emergency. “What is it?”
“Listen, Rachel. We need to talk. When you left that night, when you said it was over, I was an idiot. I was a complete moron for letting you walk away from me. I should’ve stopped you in your tracks. I should’ve pinned you up against the side of the theater, kissed you, and sworn to you I wasn’t going anywhere. Because that’s what I wanted to do. From the moment I saw you, there’s been this inexplicable thing there, Rachel. I know you felt it too. It makes no sense, and I don’t claim to understand the intricacies of it. Yet, somehow, it does make sense. It makes sense the universe would put us together, two semi-broken people with hearts filled with dreams we protect at all costs. The thing is, over the time we’ve known each other, something’s just clicked. It clicked in ways I can’t even describe. You made me a better person. You made me realize who I want to be, who I am. More than that, you made me realize a future without you isn’t something I can even begin to accept.”
Suddenly, the empty workshop didn’t matter. The words coming from Zander’s mouth were what mattered.
She didn’t realize it until this moment, but for the past two lonely weeks, she’d been waiting for this. She’d been craving this. She’d just been afraid to let the words ring with the truth.
She loved him. Pure and simple, she loved him. She didn’t want to love him. She’d tried to avoid it all up to this very minute. But the words he was speaking well, they were the words on her heart, too.
She guessed it was true, no matter how cheesy it seemed—when you know, you know.
And right now, hearing Zander’s words, a rogue tear fell from Rachel’s eye. She knew. Gosh, how she knew.
“I’m sorry. For everything. I was just scared—" she began, but Zander butted in.
“Stop. There’s no time for apologizes right now. This is the time for something else. Can you meet me on the stage, please?”
Rachel blinked, confused. “Wait, what? You’re here.”
“I’ll explain later. Just please come to the stage, okay?”
Rachel blinked again, still wondering if she was swirling in an alternate reality or if she was just plain delusional today. Because she swore Zander just said to come to the stage—how was he here? Was this whole thing some elaborate setup?
And if it was, what was Rachel walking into?
She took a deep breath, hanging up the phone. She stood for a long moment taking in the scene of the empty room, trying to contain her wild and frenzied thoughts.
Finally, she inhaled, exhaled, and walked slowly out the door, making a turn toward the stage.
Once she was out there, she saw him.
He stood at the top of the balcony, red roses in his hands. He faced her, smiling, the button-up shirt and jacket the same ones he wore the first day they met.
She walked toward him until she stood below the balcony. She smiled up at him, shaking her head.
“Do you really think this is a good idea?” she asked, grinning.
He carefully made his way down the steps, one at a time, pretending to fall once or twice on his way down, making her roll her eyes. When he got to the bottom, though, his face got serious.
He stood a breath away from her, roses in his hands.
“Rachel, before I met you I didn’t believe in love at first sight or love at all. I’d been bruised by love, and I’d sworn I would never let it get its claws into me again. I was done with love. I didn’t need it. And then you came whirling through that door in that room over there, and my whole life changed. I didn’t understand it at the time, but I just think you were my person. You were it for me. And I was done for. But in case I missed it, you threw yourself from the balcony to make sure I had your attention.” He winked, and Rachel shook her head.
“That’s hardly how it happened,” she corrected.
“I know. I know. It was an accident. But when you fell from this balcony, it set us on a course of events that led us on a whirlwind journey I never expected. I didn’t expect to fall for you, Rachel. I didn’t expect to fall for you so hard and so fast. But these past couple of weeks, I’ve come to realize what I couldn’t when I was here with you. It took time and distance to understand just how much you mean to me and that this isn’t some temporary thing. You’ve got my heart, completely and fully. And the thing is, I wouldn’t want to entrust it to anyone else. I love you.”
She studied him, his eyes calming her. “I love you, too, Zander.”
She took a step forward, ready to kiss him. He stopped her in her tracks, taking a breath. “Gosh, I want to kiss you right now. I do. But let me finish, okay?”
“There’s more flattery? Go on. Do tell.” She grinned.
“Look, these past couple of weeks have been really difficult. I’ve learned a lot about myself, about life, and about what matt
ers. It’s not because of the ordeals I’ve been through these past couple of weeks that I’m doing this. It’s because I love you. It’s because I know when you find someone who completes you, who makes you want to be better, who makes life as vibrant as you’ve made mine, you have to hang on with all you’ve got. I know this thing between us is scary, Rachel. I know that. It’s got so intense so quickly, and neither of us really was looking for it. But I also know it’s real. I know it’s the real deal, and I know we can make it work. I promise you, Rachel, that I won’t hurt you like others did in the past. I won’t make you decide between me and your passion. I won’t hold you back. I promise to be your cheerleader, your supporter, your partner in everything, and most of all, the protector of your heart. I love you with all that I am. I love you with all I hope to be someday. I just plain love you, and I want that love to be official.”
He handed her the roses now, and she realized her hands were shaking. It was all happening so fast, yet she didn’t find herself panicking like she thought she would. She was, instead, calm and collected, at peace with what was happening as if she’d known all along this was where it would end.
So even when Zander got down on one knee, pulling a box from his back pocket, she stayed steadfast and calm. She stared into the eyes of the man who had reopened her heart and life to the thought of love, to the truth in promises, and to the feelings of forever. She smiled at the man who had become so much to her as he uttered words she’d never thought she wanted to hear.
“Rachel Winters, I know this might be fast, and I know you might be afraid. But I love you. You are the one I’ve been looking for, even when I didn’t think I was looking. I promise to be everything I can for you and everything you need. Will you marry me?”
Tears fell now, and she couldn’t stop them. She took a deep breath, staring into the blue eyes she’d come to know in this short amount of time.
A few months ago, if you had told her she’d be promising her heart to someone, she’d have laughed. She’d have said no way, no how. She’d have sworn up and down that love and especially marriage weren’t things that Rachel Winters needed.
But staring at Zander, the man who wasn’t afraid to be vulnerable, she knew there was a safety in him. She knew even if there wasn’t, her heart wasn’t hers to give away anymore.
It had become his the moment he locked gazes with her.
And now, she couldn’t stop smiling at the prospect she didn’t have to fight it or deny it any longer.
“I love you. It took me a while to acknowledge that out loud. But it didn’t take me long to realize it. I knew you were going to wreak havoc in my life from the second I saw you. I felt that connection, and it quite literally knocked me down. But I was terrified of what it could mean. For so long, I’d boxed myself into this vision of what my perfect life looked like. I didn’t stop to think about what might be missing or who might be missing. These past couple months have been the best months of my life, followed by the worst when we said goodbye. I know people are going to think we’re crazy for making promises so quickly, especially after I’ve vowed up and down I don’t have time for love. There will be people who don’t understand this thing between us. How could they? We didn’t understand it ourselves. But sometimes, I think you just have to follow your heart. You have to stop trying to make choices that sound right or sound smart or sound risk free. You have to go where your passions lead you, and right now, they’ve led me here to this moment. I don’t know if promising you forever is smart or even right. But I do know this. I love you, Zander Riley. I’ve loved you from the moment I saw you. And for the rest of our lives, I think that will be a mystery we’ll uncover and understand together. For now, though, all I can say is something I don’t say lightly—yes. Yes, yes, yes. I want nothing more than to venture into the unchartered territory of marriage and promises and forever with you. I can’t imagine doing it with anyone else. Let’s do this.”
Zander leapt to his feet, sliding the ring onto her finger as she leaned into claim his lips with hers. They kissed underneath the balcony for a long while, the sound of clapping eventually interrupting them.
Rachel turned to see Michael, sitting in the front row, clapping. Beatrice and Gigi were beside him.
“You,” she said, pointing to him. “You set me up.”
Michael shrugged. “I knew you couldn’t say no.”
“And you two. Were you in on this?” Rachel asked Gigi and Beatrice. Frank Sinatra barked from Gigi’s bag.
They shrugged. “Would you expect any less, darling? We knew you just needed a little shove. From the first second I heard you talk about this guy, I knew. I knew he was it for you. And a theater lover to boot with sexy eyes? Come on, sweetheart. You know it doesn’t get better than that.”
Rachel grinned, staring down at the three who had helped pull this off.
“We knew you’d say yes,” Gigi added.
“At least one of us did,” Zander said, grinning, wrapping an arm around Rachel.
“Gigi, Beatrice, Michael, thank you for helping me pull this off. Just one more thing?” Zander asked.
“Anything,” Michael replied.
“Please don’t have my fiancée run any more workshops, okay? I’ve heard they are a wicked matchmaking sort of deal, and I don’t want some hunky teacher stealing my woman.”
He turned to face Rachel again, and with the spotlights and the pure joy rippling through her, it felt like she really was dreaming or in some fantastical play.
“I can’t believe this,” she confessed as he kissed her forehead.
“It feels a bit crazy, doesn’t it?” he asked.
She looked up at him. “It does. But sometimes crazy is a little good, right?”
“I guess we’re about to find out. Off to a crazy life together.”
“And then some,” she said, smirking.
“And them some,” he replied, leaning in to kiss her lips once more.
Rachel Winters could say no to just about anything—but then again, sometimes she realized saying yes was exactly what your heart needed.
Epilogue
Rachel
Rachel knew this was ludicrous, ridiculous, and any other word that meant she was heading down a path she never, ever would’ve expected. She knew there would be so many questions and confusions. She was selling out on her promise to herself and to the group she loved so much.
How would they react? Would they tell her she was crazy? That she was making a mistake?
It was too late for those fears because it was Thursday, and the rest of the group was rolling in.
She had gotten to the Briarwood Tavern early, having permission from Michael to leave as soon as their afternoon performance was over. Her nerves over what she was about to announce made it impossible to sit and watch the clock mercilessly tick forward in her apartment. She’d gotten to their reserved table and sat, sipping a glass of wine as she waited for it all to fall.
As she sat alone, looking at the diamond on the finger she thought would forever be bare, she couldn’t help but smile. This was unexpected and fast and all sorts of impulsive, but it was something else, too: it was right. She had never been so sure of anything as when Zander slipped the ring onto her finger. It was like every piece of her fell into place, like it was the component of her life she was missing but didn’t even realize. She had been terrified to give up her heart and to say yes to forever. There had been so many reasons for focusing solely on her career over these past few years. The No Brides Club had played a huge role in that, but there was something even more at play—fear. She’d been terrified.
Love was a huge risk, and it didn’t just stop at the heart. Love seeped into every facet of one’s life and brought all sorts of risks to those elements as well. She’d been terrified that saying yes to forever would put everything else she’d built on the line.
But over the past few weeks, she’d come to realize her love with Zander didn’t put anything on the line. It didn’t take awa
y from who she was, her career, her friendships, or anything else.
It built them all up. Her love with him made everything else seem richer and fuller. She was more herself with him. She was closer to the Rachel Winters she wanted to be.
He’d done that for her from the moment he’d walked into that workshop. It wasn’t something she wanted or even thought she needed. But it had happened, even though neither of them was particularly fond of the idea of forever or even love.
Sometimes, though, love trumped everything, even reason and promises.
She took another sip of her wine, glancing down at her phone. She had a text from Zander.
Zander: I love you, no matter what happens. Call me as soon as you can. Lots of love and then
some.
Rachel smiled again, feeling at ease. He loved her and then some. She loved him and then some. It was a bigger, stronger, more powerful love than she could’ve ever hoped for. So what if it had happened fast? So what if it had come unexpectedly? That didn’t take away from the love they’d found and the life they were going to build.
Rachel slipped off the diamond ring, feeling a sadness at looking at her bare finger. She put the ring in the front pocket of her bag, zipping it safely in. She couldn’t wait to put it back on, but she needed to ease everyone into her news.
A part of her felt silly for worrying so much what the women would think. Sure, they’d started the group based on the idea of careers over love. None of them wanted or planned on getting married, so they’d made their promise to each other and, above all, themselves.
But things changed. Rachel wasn’t the twenty-something she had been when she made the promise. She’d grown and changed over the years in ways she hadn’t expected. Was it really so crazy to think her feelings about love would change? And had they all been so naïve to think love and life would go exactly as planned? Rachel couldn’t have predicted feeling this way now, but she also couldn’t have predicted Zander Riley would stroll into her life and steal her heart. She had no way of knowing what was up ahead, which wasn’t a bad thing. Zander had come into her life at a time when she was stuck in her notions about love but also subconsciously ready to be by her side.
No Time for Promises (The No Brides Club Book 3) Page 14