His face burst into a giant grin, though, and he tipped his head toward her. "Actually, I think I'm a little late."
"It was my fault—"
He held up his hands and then took each of her palms in his. "Blame does no one any good. I'm not interested in that. Still, I think there are a few things I should tell you, just in case today really is the last time we work together."
She held up a hand and with the other she reached into the satchel on her hip, then pulled a large manila envelope from within. "You can say whatever you want, but first I wanted to give you this stuff. It's um, all my medical files. Stuff about each of the guys I've been involved with. As much as I know anyway. I cross-referenced each and made a few charts I think you'll find useful. Oh—"
She scrambled for the bag again and pulled out another envelope. "This is the file on Matchware Incorporated. I did some research, but you know I think we're better off without the deal. Even if we do restructure the matching software, I actually think we could crush them as a competitor and maintain our own—"
It was his turn to hold up a hand, and she quieted, even though she hadn't gotten to tell him about the next round of charts and spreadsheets she made.
Instead of speaking, though, Garret surprised her. He turned on his heel, walked to the corner of his desk, and shoved all of her paperwork in the garbage.
"But I—" She started, but he shook his head.
"The deal is off. You don't owe me any of that."
"I know I don't owe it to you, but I want you to have it. If it can help the company—"
"The company doesn't matter."
She blinked, unsure if she'd heard him right. "The company—?"
"Doesn't matter. Not right now. I've given too much to this company. I've devoted all of my time and all of my relationships to it. I've ruined everything because of it. I'm not going to feed you into this like you're some kind of fruit fly for dissection."
"But what about Matchware—"
"You were always a savvy business woman. I'd done some of that research myself. In truth, the largest part of the merger was to expand the company into New York. We'd leave the small town life behind. Brooks isn't happy about it, but for now, I think we're staying put."
"What do you—?"
"I cancelled the merger. And the experiment. I've shredded every file on our work together. We'll find another way to collect data. The two of us always were a great pair."
She nodded.
"Of course, that's with the understanding that you'd stay on with us. And with me."
She nibbled on her bottom lip, considering his words carefully. "You didn't let me apologize, though."
"You don't need to."
"But I do! I humiliated you. I should have told you what I was thinking. I should have been strong enough to stand up to my parents and—"
He tucked his hand under her jaw, and then brushed a strand of her wild blonde hair from her face. "You did. It just took you a while to get there, and I'm proud of you for that."
"But—"
"The way things happened were meant to be. It helped me realize that I need to find balance in my life and that you're the one who can help me. You love the work as much as I do, and even if you won't admit it, you love my dog as much as I do, too."
She laughed, but he went on without interruption.
"If I have one regret about the way things happened, it's that I didn't get the chance to marry you for real. Lucky for us—"
He dropped to one knee, and tears pricked at Rachael's eyes. She could hardly think, could hardly breathe.
"I love you, Rachael."
"I love you, too." She sniffled.