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I don’t know what I expected to see behind that door, but this definitely isn’t it.
The floor-to-ceiling mirrors no longer line the walls. A pale blue color and the fresh smell of paint surround us instead, with large windows on the wall to my right. The sunset casts golden streaks onto the wood floor. Several potted plants with large green leaves decorate one corner of the room. An easel is propped up in another corner. And right smack in the middle of the room? A yoga mat.
“What is this?”
TJ’s watching me with unwavering intensity. “This is for you.”
My head snaps up to meet his eyes. “Me?”
“You are going to teach yoga.”
“I can’t—”
“And you’re going to paint.”
“But I—”
“You’re going to use this room whenever you want. I made it for you.”
“Why?”
He lifts his blocky shoulders and lets them fall. “Because you deserve it.” He inches closer to me, reaching out to twirl a lock of my hair. “Because I want to make you happy.”
Butterflies swarm my stomach—no, hummingbirds. Their wings flap against my insides, colliding into one another in a frenzy.
My arms wrap around my waist as I step out of TJ’s reach. “You know what would make me happy?”
His eyebrows arch. “Apparently not this.”
“This,” I wave my arms around the room, “is incredible. I’m in shock that you did this. For me. But I didn’t need this grand gesture of … of whatever this is. I’d be happy with the truth. I’d be happy knowing you’re okay. I’d be happy if you hadn’t put your life in danger like you did last night.”
TJ scrubs a hand over his jaw. “I’m sorry you had to see me like that.”
“That’s what you’re sorry for?” I realize I’m yelling, but I can’t find the lid to my jar of crazy at the moment. “I had a lot of time to think last night. You know, while I stayed up to make sure you were still breathing and all. I came up with something. Want to hear my theory?”
Amusement flashes on TJ’s face. “Please. Enlighten me.”
My index finger shoots out at him. “You’re a coward. You act like this big, tough macho man. You help everyone and they all sing your praises. But you can’t give yourself the same help because you’re too scared.”
“Scared of what?”
“Feeling,” I say louder. “Loving. Trying. Reaching for something you desire, because you’re afraid it won’t work out. And I get it—believe me, I do. Joe shattered my heart, and losing that baby killed me.
“Do you know what that’s like? I had a life inside me. It was a part of me. But in a second, it was gone. Gone like the blood-stained sheets I threw away.”
TJ lifts a hand to console me, but I swat it away. “No. I don’t need your sympathy. I’m doing just fine. I’m learning to move on and learning to grow from it.”
“You are,” he says softly. “You are such an incredible force, Carla Evans.”
“And so are you.” I close the distance between us and cradle his beautiful, bruised face, careful not to press too hard. “You are unstoppable. You can do anything. You just need to believe it. You were the one who told me to let go of the past. But you need to let go of yours. Stop letting your demons dictate your life. Look into your future and plan for something more than what you’ve got now.
“March into that prison, look your father in the eye, and tell him to go to hell. Find your friend Woods and thank him for being there for you all those years. Fall in love. Get married, have babies—or don’t, if that’s not what you want, and go on vacation instead. A real vacation with palm trees and clear water.
“Whatever it is that you want in life, all you have to do is reach out and take it.”
TJ’s hand snakes around my waist, pulling me flush against his body. His sparkling blue eyes are wild, chest expanding with ragged breaths.
“What are you doing?” I ask.
