Grabbing her by the waist, I pull her in and kiss her. I can't believe this woman did this for us. She's selfless, a giving person who thought about someone else without a second thought.
Kissing her with everything I have, I want her to feel exactly what I feel. I want her to know without a doubt that she's mine and I'm hers. There are feelings flowing through me that I've never experienced before.
My heart is pumping hard and fast. Every muscle in my body is warm, buzzing from head to toe as our lips lock tight. “I love you,” I say into the kiss, letting the words flow into her mouth.
“I love you too,” she says back without pause.
It's crazy what she's given me in such a short time. It's as if I've been reborn. Everything is different. The way the lights glow, the way the air smells, even the way the beer tastes.
Brighter, cleaner, crisper. I'm amazed.
“Excuse me?” a man says, coming up to us and holding out his hand. “I'm Steven Bringham.” He's looking at Heather, his hand extending directly at her.
She takes his hand warily and shakes it. “Hello, I'm Heather.” Touching my arm, she introduces me and my brother. “This is Ian and Grey.”
“Hey guys,” Steven says, acknowledging us. “I saw you perform, and I just want to say you were incredible.”
“Thank you.” She smiles big. But there's still reservation in her grin. She's not used to getting this type of attention. “I really appreciate it.”
Sticking his hand into an inside pocket on his blazer, he pulls out a small card and holds it out to her. “I work for Diamond Records, and I'd love to take some time and introduce you to some people. Your voice is absolutely stunning.”
She's holding the card, her hand slightly shaking as she glances between him and the card. “Is this real? Are you serious right now?”
“Dead serious,” he answers with a laugh. “I get that question often actually. But my number is on there, give me a call this week, and we'll set something up. Does that sound good to you?”
“Yeah, that sounds great. Thank you.” Her eyes beam with excitement. It looks like she's trying to keep it together, doing her best to not scream in his face or jump up and down like a kid on Christmas.
“Awesome, I hope to hear from you soon.” Steve shakes her hand again, and leaves.
Heather instantly flicks her eyes to mine as she pinches the card between her fingers. “Did that just really happen?”
“It did.”
“Pinch me.”
“No, I'm not going to pinch you.” Chuckling, I shake my head no.
“Holy shit, Ian.” Her voice is edgy. She's trying to keep calm. “This is insane.”
“It's not insane, Heather, it's exactly what you set out to do, and you deserve it.”
Kissing her again, I pull her onto the dance floor. We spend the rest of the night dancing, drinking, celebrating this monumental night for her.
And as I look into her eyes, and feel her hands on my chest, I know. . .
Life can't be controlled. You either take a risk, or you don't. But if you never try, you'll never know what could have been.
I took that chance, and it gave me the greatest gift ever.
Her.
Epilogue
Ian
Nine Months Later
“Thank you,” I say, shaking the lawyer’s hand.
“It's my pleasure,” he says, releasing my hand and turning to shake my brother's.
It's done. The place is ours.
We reached out to a property attorney, and after a few months of negotiations, the apartment building now belongs to us. Our father wasn't keen to the idea at first, he's a man who likes reaping the benefits without ever having to break a sweat.
But we did it. We bought him out and we never have to deal with him again. That's a celebration of its own.
Standing out front, my brother slaps me on the shoulder and laughs out loud. “It's over, that part of our life is done. And the best part is we won this place in the process.”
“Yeah, it's a great feeling to be free of that man.”
Grey holds out the keys, dangling them in front of my face. “I'm not carrying you over the threshold, so don't even ask.”
“I wouldn't expect you to anyway. You're too weak. You ain't got the muscles for that.”
Laughing, he drops his head into his chest. “Fuck you, man.”
Unlocking the front door, I walk in and Grey follows. I can see it in his face, he's really happy with the progress so far.
“Wow, this looks awesome. You'd never know it was days away from being condemned.”
“Right.” Touching the railing, I point at the stairs. “Who knew the stairs were real oak under that shitty carpet. I mean, look at them.”
Grey bends down and runs his hand across the glassy, lacquered surface. “It's unreal. What about the units? How much is left?”