Page 84 of Endurance

“What prompted you to go there?”

“I needed to make amends. I’ve finally come to understand why my mom did what she did. She really loved my father. After he was gone, she gave all that love to me. When she thought she would lose me too, it was just too much for her to handle. I know that with certainty now. I never really comprehended the depths of that love until I met you. When I thought I might lose you, I finally understood what it meant to feel like I couldn’t live without somebody. Everything just seemed to make sense after that, and I realized I’d been too hard on my mom.”

“Sloan, I—”

“Wait. Let me finish,” he said and held up a hand to silence me. “I also talked to her and my dad about life without racing. Neither of them would have approved of what I was doing. You were right about that, too—I was killing myself. I’d blurred the line between perseverance and foolishness. So, I asked my dad what he thought about me possibly getting into consulting or coaching, and the strangest thing happened. Your universe, the one you love to talk about, spoke to me. Icango on without racing. I thought about working with Wings Halfway House like you suggested, possibly starting my own racing school, looking for a job as a crew chief, and everything else in between—but I don’t want to do any of those things if you aren’t with me.”

My heart began pounding rapidly. I loved Sloan, but I was terrified to hope. I studied his face, desperately trying to read his expression. I couldn’t tell if he was happy, sad, or relieved to have shared all of that with me.

“What are you trying to say, Sloan?”

“I’m saying you made me a believer in romance—and I believe in us. It isn’t racing I need. It’s you and only you.”

I squeezed my eyes closed, trying to sort the multiple emotions that ravaged my thoughts. When I opened them again, I noticed a bunch of people with their focus trained on Sloan and me.

“Why does it seem like everyone is staring at us?”

Sloan’s gaze scanned the small crowd waiting at the gate.

“I don’t think everyone is, but I’m pretty sure the airline employees behind the desk are. There’s kind of a funny story behind that.”

I raised my eyebrows.

“Oh?”

He grinned sheepishly and shrugged.

“Yeah… So, when I was rushing to get a plane ticket so I could catch you in time, the woman who was taking care of me was moving at a snail’s pace. I tried to hurry her along by telling her I needed to get to the woman I wanted to spend my life with. She got all excited and sort of assumed that meant I was going to propose.”

My eyes widened in surprise.

“Sort of assumed? And you didn’t correct her?”

“As I said, she was moving too slow, and I had to speed her along. How was I supposed to know she was going to call the gate and tell them I was going to propose to you?”

“Wait, are you telling me the reason people are staring is that they’re waiting for a marriage proposal?”

“Maybe. What do you say, Rainbow Brite? Want to get hitched?”

I would have laughed at the idea, but there was nothing humorous about his expression.

“You’re serious right now?”

“I can be if you want me to be. But I will say, I thought if I were going to propose to you, it would be someplace better. We’re in an airport, for crying out loud—I can do better than this. I just want you to know how serious I am about you—about us. I love you so damn much it hurts. I was a fool not to realize it before today,” he admitted, his voice raw with emotion. “I know you have a life in D.C., and I’m not asking you to give that up. The reality is, there’s nothing for me here. I can pack up and go wherever you are if that’s what it takes. Did you really mean what you said? Do you love me?”

“I meant every word. I do love you, Sloan—but I wasn’t thinking marriage. It was more like… I don’t know. Take me slow dancing on the beach, make love to me under the stars, and discover each other over time. I never want to get divorced, and I don’t think this sort of thing should be rushed.”

“I didn’t come here to propose to you, so don’t feel rushed. But once I started thinking about it, I couldn’t shake the feeling that it just seemed right,” he explained. “I didn’t plan on falling in love with you, just as I don’t think you planned on falling for me. But once we met, the gravitational pull was undeniable. I’ve never felt anything like it before. What we have is rare and beautiful.”

He sat a foot away from me, his eyes searching mine. I understood what he was saying. I felt the same way. As I processed the emotion swirling in his endless blues, I saw something in our future that would go on forever. It was all I could do not to reach into my carry-on bag and pull out my tarot deck. Official proposal or not, I just needed a sign—anything that would allow me to leap into his arms and tell him I would be his partner in life forever.

“Now boarding Group C,” said a woman’s voice through the overhead speaker.

“That’s me,” I said, wishing I could buy more time.

“It’s me too.”

I looked around. There was only a smattering of people nearby since two-thirds of the passengers were already on the plane, but it seemed as if every single person in the immediate area had their eyes trained on Sloan and me.

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