Page 50 of When Forever Stays

I feel like David in the Psalms, Lord;

over and over I beg

Please let me stay

With You, Lord, I’m happy

With You, Lord, I’m strong…”

She sings through it another two times, and I allow myself to soak in the words and melody. Then I silently pray the prayer of her song, asking God to get me through the messes I’ve made.

The music stops, but absorbed in my prayer, I don’t notice until the door opens and someone says, “Rhett? What are you doing here?”

I’m both surprised and not surprised to find that the beautiful voice belongs to Dana.

I stand up straight and look at her up close for the first time in weeks. There are dark circles under her eyes and frizz frames her face, but I still find her breathtaking.

Her eyes shift back and forth and she clears her throat. “Did you…hear me?” Her voice comes out small.

“I didn’t mean to intrude. Honest.” I put my hands up in a placating gesture. “But when I heard the emotion in your voice and the sincerity of the lyrics, I couldn’t walk away. I had no idea you could sing.”

“I could say the same thing to you,” she spits out, then scrunches her nose as if she didn’t mean to say the words out loud.

Tucking my hands into my pockets, I feign nonchalance. “I deserved that.”

“You did.” She presses her pink lips together and closes her eyes.

My chest cracks open at the sight of her vulnerability. “I’m sorry, Dana. I couldn’t be more sorry. You have no idea?—”

She stops me, raising her hand. “I can’t hear this right now.”

“At least hear me out.” She opens her mouth—to retort, no doubt—but I keep going. “I’m sorry.”

Dana stares at me a long moment, arms crossed tightly across her chest.

Since she doesn’t leave, I take the opportunity to be honest. “I know forgiving me may be impossible, and I wouldn’t hold it against you if you never did. But I at least need you to know the truth, and then you can do with it what you will.” I search her eyes, doing my best to convey the sincerity of what I’m about to say. What I’m about to promise. “I will do everything I can to earn your trust back because you mean more to me than I thought possible. I will never give up on you. I will never give up on us.”

Her mouth pops open. I take a step forward, running my knuckles down her soft cheek. “You mean the world to me, Dana Swann. And I will fight for you and prove to you how serious I am about you. I’m not going anywhere this time. Where you are is where I want to be. You can have all of me. I will give you my heart, handing it to you piece by piece until there’s nothing left.”

She stares at me, unblinking, her chest rapidly rising and falling. I send up a genuine prayer of thanks that I at least have some positive effect on her.

A gentle smile lifts her lips until she forces them back into a firm line. “I’ll hold you to that, Rhett Stryker.”

And just like that, she’s made her own promise to me.

It’s been four days, and I’ve still heard nothing from Dana. In an effort to distract myself and focus on another broken relationship, I call Ashley, who answers on the second ring.

“Hey, how are you?” I ask.

She sighs. “I’ve been better. But I know you’re not calling for me. I’m sorry, but Oscar hasn’t changed his mind.”

“I am calling for you too.”

“If you really want to know, I’m not doing well. Oscar has shut me out, and nothing I do or say is getting through to him.” She sounds defeated.

“I’m sorry.” I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve apologized for my failure to be who they needed me to be.

“You need to stop apologizing. The past is in the past, and we can’t change a thing.”

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