Winning It All (27 page)

“Mmm.” He didn’t think telling Darcy the proof of his love rested on a screen-printed T-shirt would get him very far. “I think we’re going to need more of an expert than you or me. How about—”

“Parker,” they said together.

Rachel stood. “Come on, let’s go to Victory Lane,
do the interviews, hugs and the hat dance, then we’ll figure out a way to get her back.”

For the first time in hours, a spark of hope surged through him. “
We
will, huh?”

“Sure.” She tugged him to his feet. “No offense, brother dear, but you’ve screwed this up in a big way. We’ll call a family meeting.”

“O
KAY, PEOPLE
, let’s get on with this.” On Monday morning, his sister stood at the head of the conference table in his office. “Operation Get Darcy Back will now commence.”

Bryan winced. “Do we need a name?”

Rachel winked, obviously enjoying herself to a ridiculous degree. “Be glad that Isabel talked me out of the idea of team T-shirts.”

Sending Isabel a grateful glance, he leaned back in his chair. He should have known his family would go full out. They never did anything halfway. If you were going to race, you raced to win.

They were all present—his parents, Cade, Isabel, Parker and Rachel. They had his grandfather on alert for a call should they need his expertise—He was entered in a fishing tournament for the next three days.

When one Garrison was suffering, they all suffered until the problem was solved.

For once, instead of being aggravated that he had problems or embarrassed that he’d confessed them,
he was happy to see them all. Love surrounded him. Every day. All the time.

Love of a sport. Love between families. Love between siblings. Love between couples.

He couldn’t imagine it would be long before that love extended to a new generation of Garrisons. Kids running around again, learning the turns and nuances of the go-kart track, finding their way in the world, whether it was on the track, in the business office or in a whole new venture—doctors, lawyers, owners of dry cleaners.

The idea of that future—marriage, kids and whatever else came his way—didn’t scare him anymore. If Darcy was beside him, he could overcome any fear or obstacle.

Rachel was right. He’d loved Darcy for a while, since wearing that silly yoga T-shirt, while insisting she be included in team and family pictures, since she’d trusted him with her pain and her body. Her leaving had forced him to face his stupid fears and denials.

Now, if only she’d forgive him for forcing her to take such a drastic action. If only she’d believe in their love and future.

“Grand gesture,” Parker said definitively, then sipped his coffee as if the matter was settled.

Isabel glared at him. “I say simple is best. If Bryan shows up at her door in a tux, she’s going think somebody died.”

“Can we do grand
and
simple?” Rachel asked.

“No.” Cade frowned. “We have to pick. Remember Mom and Dad’s wedding—big boat, moonlight, champagne. That was grand.”

Mom patted his hand. “Thank you, dear.”

“But it was also simple,” Isabel argued. “Family only. No organs, bridesmaids or gobs of people.”

“Is that a dig on our wedding?” Cade asked.

“No, of course not.” Isabel sighed. “I only meant Darcy is a one-on-one person. She isn’t comfortable in crowds.”

“I agree,” Dad said.

“It wasn’t the crowd that caused her to faint,” Rachel said to him. “Can we move into the present?”

As his family debated around him, Bryan wished Darcy was there. After less than a day, he missed her calmness, her touch, her smile, the scent of her tropical-vanilla-tinged lotion, the commanding way she warned him away from cheeseburgers and Martinsville hot dogs.

But if she was beside him, there’d be no reason for a meeting.

Even better.

Despite Rachel’s advice to keep silent until she’d helped him formulate a plan, he’d called Darcy after the race and left messages on both her cell and home phones, apologizing for the things he’d said and asking her to call him, so they could talk.

She hadn’t.

“What about Richard Childress’s winery?” Parker suggested into the mix of voices.

Everybody fell silent.

Rachel smiled. “It’s certainly grand.”

“But it’s also simple,” Isabel said, her eyes sparking. “Elegant and simple.”

“He has that lovely barrel room,” Mom added, “where he ages the chardonnay. There’s a waterfall and these amazing iron chandeliers that give off a glow of intimate lighting. He rents it out for small parties. I’d be glad to call him.”

Dad shifted his glance to his bride. “You’re close buddies with Richard now, huh?”

Mom lifted her chin. “He invited me to parties when you were being a jerk.”

Dad covered her hand with his. “And I’m grateful to him.”

Bryan stared at his dad in amazement. The man he knew was totally focused on racing, on making his team the best in NASCAR. And while, given Cade’s current position, he’d clearly accomplished that, he hadn’t forgotten what was truly important.

Well, maybe he had for a while.

Everybody was entitled to a stumble. To going off-track. To crashing, then making repairs and finishing the race. The key was finding a way back without a DNF.

And racing metaphors weren’t going to impress Darcy.

He leaned forward, his shoulders slumping, his
hands cupping his coffee mug. He had to find something else, something tangible and profound that would prove his love and his regret for how he’d treated her.

Though Cade and Isabel had snapped at each other during the discussion, Bryan wasn’t surprised to glance out of the corner of his eye and see his brother whispering in his wife’s ear.

Love
could
last forever.

“Whatever the location,” Rachel said with a definitive nod, “he needs to bring chocolate.”

“And champagne,” Parker said.

Isabel shook her head. “What does he need to bring champagne for? He’ll be in a room surrounded by wine barrels.”

“If it’s okay with you people, I think I’ll just bring a ring.”

Everybody stared at him.

Parker smiled. “Now,
that
would be a grand gesture.”

“Propose?” Cade asked, staring at Bryan in shock. “You’re going to propose?”

“Marriage is all the rage in this family,” his mother said, her eyes gleaming with pride.

“Yeah.” Rachel nudged Cade. “We got you to the altar. How hard can it be to get Bryan there?”

Bryan kept waiting for the idea of marriage to sound wrong, but he was through with panic and denial. His only concern was wondering if he’d be rushing Darcy. Would she balk at the pressure of such a big decision?

On the other hand, what was he waiting for? He wanted Darcy with him, committed to him. He didn’t want her to leave, and while vows didn’t always hold forever, he knew they would with her. If she said yes, he’d have her by his side—always.

Hadn’t they been coasting long enough? Hadn’t his suggestion that they not complicate their relationship led to her leaving?

Still, proposing was a little crazy.

He would either win it all, or lose her in an instant.

Isabel held up her hand.
“Hello
…people. Back to reality here. Don’t you think he should probably get her to talk to him again first?”

“That particular question would require a response,” Parker said.

“If we’re having a wedding, the boat’s available,” Dad said.

“No boat.” Rachel shook her head. “This plan has to come from Bryan. Besides, Darcy was on the boat for the wedding. We should at least be original.”

“I agree,” Isabel said. “We’re taking over, not helping.”

Rachel looked at Bryan. “Are we helping?”

“Yes.”

“But?”

“No but.” His gaze swept his family. “I just want her back. Whatever we have to do to make that happen, I’m ready.”

As the discussion resumed, he slid his hand into
his pocket, fingering the folded piece of yellow paper he’d tucked there. No matter what happened, what was decided or planned, he had a tangible reminder that she loved him.

He only hoped he wasn’t too late.

D
ARCY HALTED
at the bottom of her apartment building steps. “A limo?” She turned to the elegantly dressed man next to her. “What are you up to, Parker Huntington?”

“Many things.” He laid his fingertips on the small of her back and urged her toward the door being held open by the chauffeur. “Right now, I’m taking you out for a drink and sympathy conversation.”

With a sigh, she slid into the limo and glanced over at him as he joined her. “When women have a bad breakup, they eat ice cream—chocolate, of course—watch chick movies and drink too much wine. They do not get dressed up in designer clothes and ride in limos to undisclosed locations with their ex-boyfriend and employer’s brother-in-law on Wednesday nights.”

“The dress is lovely on you,” he said. “Green is definitely your color, and Rachel did a superb job with the sizing.”

“Why am I wearing it?” she asked, fingering the silky fabric, but still feeling silly.

He grasped her hand and squeezed it. “Because you’re my friend, and you’re hurting.”

Not at all fooled by his smooth manners, she narrowed her eyes. “You’re not plotting anything?”

His eyes widened. “What would I be plotting?”

“To get me and Bryan in the same place at the same time.”

“While I would certainly love to see you two work through your problems, you give me too much credit. Trust me, I could never get Bryan Garrison to anyplace at anytime without his total cooperation.”

She watched the lights of the freeway fly by out the window. She didn’t like thinking about Bryan, much less talking about him. Yet she knew she had to talk to somebody. She couldn’t sit alone in her apartment and shed another tear.

Not answering his messages had probably been cowardly, certainly unprofessional. She was supposed to be working for him, after all. But she’d deleted them without even listening. She simply couldn’t hear his voice, couldn’t bear to hear him tell her that love didn’t matter or last. Again.

Would he love her someday? Would he wake up one morning and think,
Gee, I really love that Darcy. Maybe I oughta set aside my ridiculous pride and fear long enough to tell her.

Even if he did, she wasn’t sure they could go back to before the hurtful words they’d said on Sunday.

“There are a lot of charismatic men in stock car
racing,” she said quietly, still watching the flickering lights.

“Are there?”

She looked over at Parker. “You could be their Grand Poobah.”

“I should tell you my wife is a very possessive woman, and she might be offended by your compliments.” His smile lit up his green eyes. “However sincere.”

“My point is…you’re trying to pull one over on me.”

“I am?”

“And it isn’t going to work.”

“It’s not?”

She clenched her jaw at his transparently not-so-innocent tone. “I’m not going back to him.”

“Okay.”

“You’re not going to try to talk me into forgiving him?”

He smoothed the lapels of his dark blue suit coat. “Certainly not. You’re capable enough of making up your own mind about your relationships.”

“Yes, I am.” She nodded, crossing her arms over her chest. “He doesn’t want all of me, then he gets none of me.”

“Amen, sister.”

“I laid out my heart and soul, and he stomped on them, trod around for a while, then sailed out the door.”

Parker lifted his finger. “Technically, you were the one who sailed out the door.”

“How do you—” She pressed her lips together to keep from saying something hurtful.

While she’d been holed up, alone with only her chocolate for comfort, in her apartment, he’d been sharing all the intimate details with his family. She’d been discreet, telling everybody they broke up, but offering nothing more. It was nice to know that same courtesy had been returned.

“Well, I had plenty of reason—” She halted as the limo turned in a grand iron gate. “What’s this?”

“A winery.”

“A…what?”

“Don’t worry. They have drinks, and my ear is feeling very sympathetic tonight.”

Mouth open, she stared out at the landscape. Muted lighting caused the twisting vines to cast shadows along the valley of land below the winding path the limo took.

“It’s beautiful,” she managed to say through the tears clogging her throat.

“Very Tuscan, don’t you think?”

She watched the stacked stone and red tile roof of the main building come into view, and though she’d never been to Italy in person, she had a general idea of the architecture. “I guess so.”

“But all the grapes for the wine are either grown on site or at other local vineyards. Everything from North Carolina. Amazing, isn’t it?”

Darcy looked away from the setting long enough
to meet Parker’s gaze. “Thanks. Thanks a lot. This is just the distraction I needed.”

“The evening’s not over yet,” he said as the limo rolled to a stop in front of the building.

They were whisked through the lobby by the attentive and friendly staff and led downstairs to a room with iron chandeliers and old-fashioned bulbs that simulated flickering candles. Wine barrels were scattered in the front of the room, while a rock wall waterfall dominated the back. A single table, set for two with elegant china and real candles, sat just beyond the waterfall.

A fracture of unease worked its way through her body. “Ah, Parker…I don’t think this is appropriate for—”

“Hi, Darcy.”

She closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them and turned back toward the door she’d just walked through.

Bryan, ridiculously handsome, dressed in a dark gray suit and silver tie, stood in the opening of the room. He held a dark brown package with a gold ribbon and had the nerve to smile at her.

She whirled toward Parker. “You set me up.”

“I did indeed.” He kissed her cheek. “I hope forever.” He pulled back and studied her at length. “You, more than anyone I know, deserve to be happy. Give him a chance.”

“I—” She fought for a smart retort, some way she
could call him out for lying to her, but he was already striding out the door, and as she quickly ran through their conversation, she realized how careful he’d been to be endearing, say little and promise nothing.

“He could patent that charm,” she muttered, “and make another fortune.”

“I brought chocolate.”

Darcy jumped, realizing Bryan had moved across the room. She turned her back on him, though she could smell the dark cocoa and coconut. The man played dirty. She needed to remember that. “I’m not interested.”

“But I love you.”

Heart pounding, she jerked her head toward him. “You—”

“Love you.” He set the box on the table and slid his arm around her waist. His eyes, usually smoky and cloudy, burned blue and bright. “Always. Forever.”

“But—”

“But nothing. I was an idiot for the things I said on Sunday. I was scared.” He smoothed her hair away from her face, then pressed his lips lightly to her temple. The warmth slid through every part of her. “I was stupid, too. But I won’t be anymore. I need you more than I’ve ever needed anyone.”

She forced herself to meet his gaze. “You said you didn’t believe in love.”

“Did I mention I was stupid?”

“I—” She swallowed. Everything she wanted was
being handed to her. All the dreams she’d had could come true, the man she loved could be hers.

And yet she doubted the gift.

Bryan hadn’t done all this. Even without Parker bringing her, there were too many details for him to have managed on his own.

“This is all—” she glanced around at the romantic room and fought the pleasure over intimate details, over him arranging something so amazing “—nice, but you literally woke up this morning and decided you love me?”

He shook his head. “Nope. Rachel says it was the moment I wore the yoga T-shirt. Isabel thinks it was at my parents’ wedding. Dad decided I couldn’t resist your grilled chicken. Mom thinks it was your compassion. Cade thinks it was your strength, and Parker somehow knew we were right for each other from the very beginning.” He gestured to the room. “Then they all helped me arrange this.”

Tears gathered behind her eyes. Her heart trembled. The man she’d known was hiding behind disappointment and betrayal had fought his way out. “And you? What do you think?”

Grasping her hands, he pulled her close. “I’ve been fighting my feelings for you for months. Fear again, thinking I could float along and not face my feelings, not consider the future and really let go of the past. But you changed all that.” He handed her a folded piece of yellow paper. “You made me realize I
couldn’t care less about trophies or trips to Victory Lane unless you’re there.”

Her hands shook as she unfolded her list.

Reasons I Love Him.

“I’ve been carrying around that list since Sunday,” he continued. “And I know I didn’t arrange this on my own. Parker thought I needed a grand gesture. Rachel wanted simple. Mom suggested the winery.

“But this…” Wrapping his fingers around her wrists, he dropped to one knee and opened the dark brown box. “This is all mine.”

Nestled in the center of four chocolate truffles was a sparkling diamond ring. Her gaze jumped to his.

“Will you marry me?”

She blinked. Diamond still there. Man of her dreams still kneeling. “I—”

The diamond shone; the chocolate glistened. A million negative reasons for taking such an abrupt leap into the future raced through her mind.

But she’d learned a great deal about racing in the last year. Opportunities didn’t come along every day. Momentum was critical. Risks were tempered against rewards. Families raced together.

Besides all that, she was through being cautious. She was going to close her eyes and jump. She had no idea what awaited her, but she knew Bryan would stand by her side as they faced the future together.

Forever in love.

Pressing her lips together to stem the tide of
emotions, and failing miserably as a tear tracked down her cheek, she simply nodded.

With sure and confident hands, he slid the ring on her finger, then rose and yanked her against him. His heart beat wildly against her chest.

She knew she’d cherish that sound, just as she would always long for the roar of the crowd, the growl of the engines and the laughter the Garrison family would share far into the future.