Infatuation (Club Destiny #4)(103)
Author: Nicole Edwards

There was a wolf whistle, followed by Ashleigh’s voice as she said, “Holy shit! Did you know he had all that ink?”

Tag ignored her, then stepped back allowing them all to file into McKenna’s house. He only hoped she had time to put on more clothes than she had because if not, they were about to get a show.

After shutting the door, Tag snuck into McKenna’s bedroom and pulled a shirt from the closet, one he had placed in there the night before. Once he was at least semi-dressed, he returned to the kitchen to see everyone had managed to trap McKenna in the kitchen.

“What’s going on?” he asked as he slipped between Ashleigh and Sierra on his way to get to McKenna’s side.

“Did you know about this?” Logan asked, his mouth a grim, hard line.

“What?” he asked, grabbing the small sheet of paper from Logan’s hand. It looked like an article that had been printed out.

It only took a second for it to sink in and Tag turned to look at McKenna. She looked terrified.

“I’m sor-”

She was quickly cut off when Sierra threw her arms around McKenna’s neck, practically pushing Tag into the counter behind him. Following Sierra was Sam and then Ashleigh.

“I can’t believe you did this. I don’t know how to thank you,” Sam whispered, but the whole room heard it.

“It wasn’t that hard,” McKenna said when the women finally gave her room to breathe. “It was just one woman with a broken heart talking to another. As easy as it is to lose control because you can’t have something you think should be yours, doesn’t give you the right to trash everyone in the process.”

Tag pulled the paper back in front of his face to read the article beside a picture of Susan Toulmin:

Strength Times Ten

I met a woman recently who told me that she wasn’t strong enough to let go. That holding on was the key to happiness; the key to making the pain go away.

This woman is no different from you and I. She’s beautiful, successful, and she bleeds red when she’s wounded. She’s a strong woman, an independent woman who has accomplished success all on her own. However, this woman doesn’t define success by her career, or her intelligence, or even by those who love her. She defines success by the one that got away. In her eyes, she is a failure.

That’s where she is wrong.

It was during my discussion with her that I realized I am that very same woman, except my life is defined by my strength and my success, and there is no need for anyone else to be strong for me. I don’t need someone else to lift me up; I can do that all on my own. I’ve used brute force to get where I am, tenacity to show I can do it on my own, and my independence to prove that I am not dependent.

Until I spoke to this independent, tenacious woman who uses brute force to go after what she wants, I didn’t realize that I had been going about this the wrong way.

Same as she had.

It was then that I acknowledged that I am still strong, I am still tenacious, and I am still independent. And now, because I have given my heart to someone who will not lift me up, but rather hold me up when I am not strong enough to do so, I’ve simply made myself stronger. In turn, I have made him stronger too because I am now strong enough to return the favor when he needs to be held.

During this conversation, she and I both realized that we are strong enough… to let go.

By doing this, I assure you, we will not lose touch with who we really are. However, we will forget everything we thought we knew, ignore all of the things we imagined perfection to be, and let go of all of the things we held fast to for so long thinking we weren’t quite strong enough.

So, I’ll tell you the same thing I told this woman:

Whether you are fortunate enough to have met them already, or whether you are blessed enough to know you will have them one day… there is someone who is strong enough to be your equal, and you will know them when you meet them because you will finally be strong enough to love yourself and them…

At the same time.

-McKenna Thorne

Tag couldn’t move. He couldn’t think, he couldn’t breathe, he couldn’t… he was stunned into complete and total silence. As he let his arms drop to his sides, McKenna’s beautiful face came into view and the look of worry and concern that he saw there completely broke his heart.

“I love you,” he whispered, not caring who was in the room, or who was there to witness every emotion he had ever known.

“Susan said she was –” McKenna began, but he quickly cut her off as he reached for her.

“I don’t give a damn about Susan. I. Love. You.” Taking her hand in his, Tag found himself going down on one knee, realizing that this moment may never present itself again. “Marry me, McKenna. Make me stronger.”