Free Touched By You (The Touch Series) by t. h. snyder Page B

pulls me up and leads me to our bench. We sit in silence for what feels like forever and then he lifts me into his lap. He rubs up and down my back to comfort me. I’m about to rip apart his night and he’s soothing me. Derrick is the most remarkable man I’ve ever known.
    “Chloe, I have no clue what is happening right now. I feel numb. It’s like someone ripped out my heart and I don’t even know what you have to tell me yet. I planned this perfect day, this romantic night. I was going to propose to you Chloe. We were going to start our new lives together…tonight. And you stopped me, why did you stop me?”
    I pull his face toward mine and kiss him. I want so badly to make him feel loved and like this will be okay. He pulls away from the kiss and stares at me with his baby blue eyes.
    “Please tell me Chloe, I have to know what is going on. Did I do something wrong?”
    “Oh no Derrick. You’ve done nothing wrong. This is harder now than I ever thought it would be.”
    “Are you breaking up with me?” He asks in a whisper.
    “No…please no, don’t think that. I love you so much Derrick. It’s just…ugh!” I shout and stand to walk pacing the inner circle of the tree branches.
    A few moments pass and Derrick comes over to me pulling me into his embrace. Tears prick at the back of my eyelids and as soon as I open them to look at him the dam bursts and tears are flooding my vision.
    “Whatever it is tell me. We will get through it together. As long as you love me and I love you we can make it work.”
    “You’re too good to me Derrick, I love you so much.”
    “I know, now let’s go sit so you can tell me why you stopped me from asking you to marry me.”
    We sit back down on the bench and Derrick pulls my face into his hands. He lightly kisses my lips and tells me everything will be okay. I feel better knowing he’s willing to support me even though I’m about to crush him.
    “Derrick…there’s no easy way to put this. I’m leaving for Los Angeles.”
    I look up into his eyes and his face is flushed with fear. I grip onto his hands. I can feel him start to shake.
    “What do you mean you’re leaving for Los Angeles? Like for a trip, a vacation, for what Chloe?” He asks staring into my eyes.
    I can barely speak as the tears fall from my eyes.
    “I’m sorry Derrick, I couldn’t say no. This is my dream.”
    “Chloe, I’m so fucking confused right now and to tell you the truth I’m getting pissed off. What the hell do you mean you’re leaving for LA? What fucking dream are you talking about?”
    Obviously Derrick is beyond pissed at me and I can’t really blame him. I move back from him so that I’m not touching him. It’s hard enough to explain this without the warmth of his touch consuming my body.
    “A few months ago Sean came into my office with a member of ESPN Live’s crew. It was Traci Roche. She came all the way to Boston to let me know that they’ve been watching my career and felt it was time to offer me a position as an analyst on ESPN. Derrick, I’m so sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. I just didn’t know what to do. They called me Monday and told me they needed me to be out there the beginning of June. I had to give them an answer.”
    “And let me guess you told them yes. That is what this is all about. You’re telling your boyfriend that you made a decision to pick up and move across country without even talking to me? How could you Chloe? Fuck your damn dreams for a fucking minute. Did you even consider what would happen to us with the choices you were making? No, because you never think of anyone but yourself. God damn it Chloe, I was going to fucking propose to you. I wanted to ask you to marry me and be with me forever. And because you didn’t have the decency to talk to me about this months ago…we…its…FUCK Chloe!”
    Derrick gets up from the bench and begins to pace the same path through the inner branches as I was a few minutes ago.
    “I’m sorry