The Proposal by Diane Craver Read Free Book Online Page A

here.”
    “Babe, let me take
care of you,” Brad said to her.
    “You know something,
Brad. I don’t like being called babe or baby doll. And remind me to
never play football with you again.”
    “I didn’t mean to
hit you like that. I feel terrible. I was caught up in the moment.”
    “Hey, let’s go eat
dessert,” Eric suggested.
    Stephanie chimed in,
“That’s a great idea.”
    * * *
    Jacqueline sipped her
hot chocolate and noticed Brad’s silence. She shouldn’t have
gotten angry at him about hitting her so hard. She could tell that
he’d been worried about her. One good thing came out of the
football game… It was out in the open about Tyler’s feelings for
her.
    “I’m glad you
suggested we come back here to talk.” What she had to tell Brad
would be painful, so it was better they were alone in her house. She
put her cup on the end table and turned to face him.
    “After you left to
take Alex to his friend’s house, Tyler and I talked briefly. He
apologized for not telling me right off the bat how he felt about
you. Apparently when you thought I was getting you a ring, he got
worried about where our relationship was going.” Brad exhaled a
deep breath. “I never dated much in high school and college. I was
always shy around girls. You were the first woman I could talk to so
easily. You helped boost my ego. I thought we had something special,
but today I saw how you look at Tyler.”
    “Did Tyler also tell
you about our prom night when I told him I loved him?”
    He shook his head. “No,
he didn’t mention it.”
    She then explained how
hurt she’d felt when Tyler hadn’t returned her love. She’d
buried her feelings for Tyler, but recently she’d liked it when he
kissed her, and she knew in her heart that she’d never really
gotten over Tyler. At this point, there wasn’t a reason to tell
Brad how kissing Tyler ignited strong passion inside her. Kissing
Brad was sweet but definitely didn’t cause the same explosive
currents to run through her body, like Tyler’s kisses did. “I
couldn’t sleep last night. I thought a lot about us and how we
don’t want the same things out of life. I want children. And I’m
a small town girl. I’ve never wanted to live in a big city like
Chicago.”
    “I wish I hadn’t
bought any land.”
    She held his hand and
looked directly into his eyes. “It’s not your fault. After my
parents died, I was a mess. It was comfortable having you as a
boyfriend. I loved your phone calls when we couldn’t see each other
often. And I always looked forward to seeing you, but when you think
about it, we haven’t actually spent that much time together.”
    He nodded. “My job
requires long days and lots of traveling, but I’m hoping that will
change in a few years as I move up the ladder. Maybe we can still
work things out between us.”
    “Brad, I wish you
every bit of success in your career, but even if we spend more time
together, I don’t think it’d help. We aren’t meant to be a
couple.” Her eyes became moist. “But I don’t regret anything.
I’m richer for having known you. You’re a great guy and I wish
you the best.”
    * * *
    Jacqueline put the last
few Christmas decorations on her artificial tree while she waited for
Tyler. Last year she bought an expensive tree after Christmas at a
big discount. Even though she hadn’t originally planned on putting
it up the day after Thanksgiving, she had the day off, so decided to
start Christmas decorating early. When Tyler called to see if he
could come over, she was thrilled.
    At the sound of his car
in the driveway, she went to the front door and opened it. After
Tyler stepped inside, he gave her a hug. “You had a rough
Thanksgiving.”
    “Brad did too.”
    “He left this morning
to go home. He said that he didn’t feel like sticking around any
longer.”
    “I put the Christmas
tree up early to keep busy. I feel guilty about everything. When he
told me all his plans for us, I realized we don’t