The Rookie and Me: Second Chances (COMPLETE)

Our Last Night in Paradise

I open my eyes and pull my face away from his, "What did you just say?"

Without hesitation he says, "Marry me."

I don't say a word. I stay as still as a statue on his lap and try to scramble my brain for what to say next. Before I can think of anything he says, "I know, it's fast. And this isn't how I intended on asking you but..."

"Tyler, we've only been together for like, 5 months. And I left for almost a month so I'd say closer to 4 months." I say back to him, completely shocked by his question.

He pinched the bridge of his nose and said, "I know, I know. But it doesn't matter to me. We've been through enough shit in the past 5 months, I know we can get through anything together. I don't want to live another day without you in my life." 

I am left speechless. I climb off of his lap and get out of the bathtub. He watches me wrap a towel around myself and lean against the counter. He stands and gets out of the tub, wraps a towel around his waist and stands in front of me. 

He lifts my chin with his hand, "You don't have to answer me now. I know it's a lot to think about. I just wanted you to know where my heart is at."

I watch him walk out of the bathroom and close the door behind him. Still in complete and utter shock, I turn to face the mirror and run a brush through my hair. My mind is racing right now. I've never had anyone even come close to wanting to marry me, this feeling is just so foreign to me. I know I want to be with him for the rest of my life, I have no doubt in my mind about that, so why couldn't I say yes? Is my hesitation a sign? I mean, our relationship has always moved at the speed of lightning, but does that mean we have to rush into marriage now too? How would Cameron feel about this? And what would Whitney think? I doubt Tyler has even given any thought to how his family would react. I can only imagine the drama that would come after hearing news like that. 

I throw on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt and walk out of the bathroom. Tyler is sitting out on the balcony alone, just watching the waves crash onto the sand. I quietly slide the door open and sit in the chair next to him. 

"I'm not saying no, Ty. I want you to know that..." He looks up at me and stays silent, "But can you just give me some time to think about it?"

He nods his head and looks back out at the waves, "I'll give you all the time you need. But can I just ask you one thing?" 

"Anything, Tyler." I say as I lean forward and reach for his hand.

He looks into my eyes and says, "Are you going to run again?"

I scrunch my eyebrows in confusion, "What do you mean?" 

He stands from his chair and leans against the railing, "I mean is this going to make you run again? Is this question going to scare you off? Are you going to leave me again? Because I can't handle losing you again."

I sit and think on it for a minute before answering, "I'm not going anywhere, Ty. I know it's not easy to trust me anymore, and that's completely my fault, but you have to believe me. I am not going anywhere without you again." 

Today is our last day in Maui. We spent the majority of it at the beach, playing in the sand and swimming around in the crystal clear water. Tyler has one last surprise planned for the three of us tonight and he's not giving anything away. All we know is what we are supposed to wear. But he doesn't know that I have my own little surprise planned for Tyler. I did some research online while we were here and found this cool little tattoo shop in Lahaina village. If I can't give him an answer on marriage right now, I can still do something to reassure him that I am in this for the long haul.