Wildest Dreams

Chapter 42

*This is almost to the end!*

Ty could tell that she wanted to run. He could see the panic written all over her face. Ty didn't blame her. Roles were reversed, Ty would have turned and ran right out the door.
"Please, don't run."
"I feel like I'm couldn't even if I tried." She responded. "Where's Mercer?"
"Probably having lunch."
"We were supposed to have lunch. That's why I'm here."
"Actually, that's not why you're here." Jocelyn bit her bottom lip. He missed that. Ty missed walking over to her and pulling her bottom lip out between her teeth before placing a kiss on her lips that always made her body lean into his and her toes to curl.
"What do you mean?"
"I had her lie to you to get you here."
"How did you know I was here with her?"
"I saw you. In the parking lot a week ago. And DeLuca started talking about you." Jocelyn said nothing. "I knew this was the only way I could even get you to talk to me."
"By using my niece and getting her to lie to me."
"And I feel bad about it, but it worked."
"Why do you even want to talk to me after what I did?"
"I have a lot of questions, Joce. A lot of what-ifs to get rid of."
"I don't know if..."
"Why did you resign?"
"It felt like the right thing to do. If I resigned, you wouldn't get in trouble."
"You didn't have to leave."
"I took the cowards way out."
"I know you did."
"I don't understand why you needed me to say it in person if you already knew the answer."
"I needed to see your face again. Hear your voice say it."
"And how would Elsie feel if she knew this was going on right now?" Now Ty looked confused.
"How do you know about Elsie?" Jocelyn sighed. "You stalked her social media, didn't you?"
"Didn't mean to. Mercer mentioned seeing her with you in Nashville. The summer after I left."
"How did you figure out who she was?"
"Did some digging. Like a crazy stalker." Ty laughed. It wasn't a sarcastic laugh, but a genuine laugh and Jocelyn didn’t understand. "What is so funny?"
"You stalked my girlfriend on social media." Ty said, still laughing.
"I'm glad you think this is so funny. I should go, I don't want her to find out you're alone in a room with your ex."
"She's another ex."
"I don't follow."
"She left."
"What?"
"Elsie left me after I told her that I didn't love her like I loved you. I told her I didn't want to marry her."
"Ty..."
"I tried moving on and getting you out of my heart, but I couldn't. I can't."
"I broke your heart."
"I know."
"I shattered it beyond repair."
"I know."
"I shattered my own heart beyond repair. I never let myself put it back together."
"Why not?"
"Punishment." Jocelyn choked out.
"You didn't deserve that."
"Of course I did. I deserve everything that comes my way."
"Joce..." Ty took a a few steps towards her. Jocelyn put up her hand and Ty stopped walking for a moment.
"No, please don't."
"Jocelyn, please."
"I don't deserve it." Ty made it to the other side of the room. He stood in front of her, keeping some distance between them.
"Joce..."
"You should be mad and upset and angry and..."
"I thought about it. I thought about being mad, upset, angry, and every emotion in between. Believe me, I tried. But every time I thought about it, I couldn't. Dr. Dyer told me that it was okay..."
"Dr. Dyer? You're still seeing a therapist?"
"Well, I had to find a new therapist. My old one left me." Jocelyn choked out a watery laugh. "I can't be mad at you. Never in a million years. My heart won't let me." That's when the tears finally started to fall. Every emotion that she left in the last two and a half years flooded out of her like a waterfall or a broken dam. Ty finally pulled her into his arms, letting her cry into his shoulder. Jocelyn wrapped her arms around him like an old habit. He felt safe and secure to her in that moment. Like he used to.
"I'm sorry!" She cried, her voice muffled by the fabric of his T-shirt.
"I forgive you."
"You can't that quickly." She said, pulling away. Ty looked at her, seeing how red and puffy her eyes already looked. She was beautiful still, even after a crying fit. He missed the gorgeous shade of green that her eyes were. "I won't let you."
"Too late." Ty put a gentle hand on her cheek, Jocelyn immediately lean into it. Her head was screaming to step away, but her heart told her to stay.
"You shouldn't be touching me like this." Jocelyn said as her eyes slid shut.
"I can't help it. You're too hard to resist." Ty leaned forward, brushing his lips against her. Jocelyn gasped.
"Ty..."
"Shh..." Ty finally pressed his lips to hers. The first kiss she's had since Jake well over 18 months ago. Somehow, his lips felt both strange and familiar at the same time. Jocelyn kissed him back as she tangled her fingers into the hair on the back of his neck. He pulled her close, pressing their bodies against each other. "I still love you, Jocelyn Grace Davis." He said against her lips. Tears still fell down her cheeks, but the more fell after his confession.
"Ty..." Jocelyn pulled her lips off his.
"You don't need to say it back."
"I need to...I have to leave." Jocelyn pulled out of his arms. "I'm sorry." Jocelyn turned away before practically running out of the conference room. Jocelyn looked around, trying to figure out an escape route. She went right, heading to the elevator. Jocelyn didn't know if Ty was following her and at that point, she didn't want to find out. She said nothing to Marlene as she fled out of the building. When she got to her car, Jocelyn saw Mercer was calling her.
"Where did you go?"
"Why did you do it?"
"What do you mean?"
"You lied to me to get me here. You made a plan with Ty to get me alone with him."
"Auntie Jocelyn, I'm sorry. I just..."
"He shouldn't have taken advantage of you."
"Auntie, don't think like that. You never would have come here if I didn't trick you into coming. You needed to talk to him. You needed to see him. Don't run."
"I don't need a 17-year-old playing matchmaker."
"And you need to stop punishing yourself." Jocelyn sighed. "Give him a chance. He's more than willing to do the same." They hung up as Jocelyn pulled out of the parking lot. She didn't know where she wanted to go, but she knew she needed to go somewhere. All the feelings she had suppressed and pushed down two and half years ago bubbled to the surface, and she couldn't deal with it. How was she supposed to deal with it? Everything she knew, everything she thought she knew was in question at that point. He was supposed to hate her, be upset with her. But he wasn't. Why? Jocelyn finally decided on going back to the apartment. All she wanted to do what to crawl into her bed and never come out. That definitely sounded like a great plan.