Cross My Heart (A Contemporary Romance Novel)

somewhere. Or unless...
    His car was in the driveway.
    She pulled in behind it and sat for a minute, taking deep breath after deep breath. Her heart was beating wildly in her chest, and she couldn’t seem to make herself calm down.
    Finally she got out of the car and walked up to the front door. She felt a little dizzy, and it occurred to her that she hadn’t slept for more than twenty-four hours. Also that she was wearing the same jeans and sweater she’d worn yesterday.
    But if Michael rejected her, it wouldn’t be because of that. It would be because, in the last month and a half, he’d come to his senses and realized that he’d rather have her as a friend than...something more.
    It was a long walk to his front door. She almost wished for something to stop her—a bolt of lightning or a meteor from above. Ever since she’d left Chicago she’d been thinking of this moment, but now that she was here, all the fears and uncertainties she’d ever felt seemed to be tugging at her, pulling at her, telling her not to say what she’d come here to say.
    There was no lightning bolt. No meteor strike. She rang Michael’s front door bell, and waited.
    It wasn’t long before he answered. He stood in the doorway, just staring at her, for at least a minute.
    “Jenna,” he said finally. “My God, I can’t believe it’s you.”
    He reached for her as if he couldn’t help himself, and hugged her tight. She wrapped her arms around him and closed her eyes, pressing her face into his chest. After a minute she felt his lips on her hair. “It’s so good to see you,” she heard him say, his voice a little shaky. “Come inside. Let me get you something. Do you want coffee?” She followed him into the house, and sat down at his kitchen table while he poured her a cup.
    He sat down across from her. “Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?”
    “I was afraid.”
    “Afraid of what?”
    “That you wouldn’t want me.”
    He stared at her. “You were afraid I wouldn’t want you?” He sat slowly back in his chair, his eyes never leaving hers. “What do you mean?”
    She took a deep breath. “I’m in love with you, Michael. I love you, and I love Claire, and I can’t imagine my life without the two of you in it. But I thought you might not feel the same way anymore.”
    He didn’t say anything for a minute. He just kept staring at her, while her heart thumped painfully in her chest.
    After what seemed like an eternity, he spoke. “You thought I might not feel the same way anymore.”
    She nodded.
    “You really thought that?”
    She nodded.
    He stood up. “Wait here a second, will you?”
    He left the room, and less than a minute later came back with something in his hand. He came to her, and when he dropped to one knee her heart stopped beating. Then he held out a black velvet ring box.
    “I got this a month and a half ago, but when I saw you perform I knew I couldn’t ask you to stay. Then I realized it doesn’t have to be like that. I don’t have to hold you back. If you can deal with my crazy hospital schedule, I can deal with you going on tour.” He took a deep breath. “I was planning to fly out to New York to propose. And now, here you are.”
    He opened the box, and a square cut ruby winked up at her. “Jenna, I love you. Will you marry me?”
    All the air left her lungs. For a minute she thought she might actually pass out.
    She managed to pull herself together. “But you—” She ran out of breath and tried again. “As far as you know, I’ll be gone most of the year with the Mollies. That doesn’t bother you?”
    “No,” he said. “I’ve thought about this a lot, Jenna. I’ll miss you like hell, and Claire and I might have do some traveling on the weekends to see you, but we’ll make it work. You do whatever you need to do, for your music. The only thing I care about is that when you do come home, you come home to me.”
    Her heart swelled. “Well. As it happens, there’s been a slight change of plans. The band came to a mutual agreement at about two o’clock this morning. We’re getting back together, but part time. We’ll tour and record during the summer. I’m planning to teach during the school year—maybe in Des Moines.”
    For a minute he just looked at her, and Jenna wondered how she could have believed even for a second that she could live without him.
    He slipped the ring out of the box and took her left hand in both of his. “Is that a yes, Jenna? Will you marry