Page 82 of When You're Gone
“I’m surprised you didn’t fly private. I guess the CEO life isn’t all it’s cracked up to be then?”
“It has its perks,” Rhett replied coolly. He was desperate to get in there, so hopefully Dempsey was done with the platitudes…
“Listen, I just wanted you to know that what happened with my brother… last month, and last summer… fuck. I don’t even know what I want to say. I just know that I’ll be doing everything in my power to keep him away from your family from now on.”
Rhett bit down on the inside of his cheek, deep in thought. “I appreciate that. So does that mean he’s not…”
“No,” Dempsey stated definitively. “He’s not here. My mom’s not here, either. I figured it’d be easier on everyone involved if I came in their place and they both kept their distance.”
Rhett felt a course of relief roll through him that he hadn’t been willing to hope for until now. Jake was convinced Fielding wouldn’t show up at the event tonight, but after his behavior last month, Rhett hadn’t known what to expect.
“He won’t cause problems for you again, Wheeler…”
Dempsey’s words were lost to him as Rhett’s ears picked up on the sound of Tori’s name being broadcast through the ballroom speakers. Then, a moment later, the sweetest sound reverberated in his brain.
He had talked to her on the phone just a few days ago, but hearing her voice projected around the ballroom—that he still wasn’t standing inside, he realized—stirred up a cacophony of memories imprinted in the fabric of his soul.
He was eight years old, running down the sidewalk at dusk while she pursued him in a game of freeze tag, her giggles tinkling in his ears as she hollered for him to slow down.
He was twelve years old, hugging her for longer than he had ever hugged another person in his life at her mom’s funeral, her sniffles so quiet he wouldn’t have known she was crying if his shoulder wasn’t damp with tears.
He was eighteen years old, knocking on the front door instead of cutting through their backyards for once, holding a corsage of three white calla lilies surrounded by yellow rosebuds as she stood before him and alluringly whispered “hi.”
He was twenty-one years old, sprawled out on a pool chair, blinking in slow motion to confirm she was really standing in front of him, her confirmation of “Oh, I’m sure,” ringing in his ears as he realized what she was agreeing to do.
He was twenty-four years old, standing at the edge of Lake Erie in a midnight-blue suit, fixated on the woman he was about to marry as she sweetly leaned into him and whispered “we made it.”
They had made it. He hadn’t missed it. He was here.
He glanced over at Dempsey apologetically, unsure what the other man had been talking about.
“Listen, we can catch up later. I’ve gotta get in there.”
He didn’t wait for Dempsey to reply before he took off like a shot. He had no idea why her voice was being projected throughout the ballroom, but he had to find out. He couldn’t have stopped his legs if he tried. His heart urged him forward, and his determination parted the crowd until he had a clear view of the stage.
There she was.
And she was glowing.
Rhett was taken aback as his eyes scanned up and down her familiar, gorgeous form. All his worries dissipated the second he saw her. She looked happier than he had seen her in a very long time.
That was his whole heart up there: everything he’d ever wanted; the person he was uniquely designed to love. Regardless of how the rest of the night went, he had seen everything he needed to see. Even if she wasn’t ready for whatever came next, it would be okay. How could it not, when the only thing he ever wanted for himself was standing on stage radiating joyfulness?
Tori was happy. His heart was whole. He was home.
Chapter thirty-four
Tori
“Goodevening,everyone.Myname is Jill DeMarco, and I want to officially welcome you to the inaugural New Hope Gala.” Jill squinted into the spotlight and smiled as the room burst into applause. “This event is the first of its kind for our organization. I cannot begin to thank you enough for showing up tonight and supporting the New Hope Foundation. Because of your generosity, I’m thrilled to announce that we have already raised more than $500,000.”
Another round of applause. Tori could feel her heart trying to beat out of her chest.
“Tonight would not have been possible—it wouldn’t have even been dreamed up—without the tenacity and dedication of one particular camper-turned-volunteer. I’d like to introduce that remarkable young woman to you now. Victoria Thompson, will you please join me on the stage?”
“You’re up, baby,” Jake whispered in her ear as he stood to help her out of her seat. His words played on repeat in her mind—He really didn’t know the half of it. No one did. Not a single one of her friends or family knew what she was about to do.
Tori held her head high as she approached the risers and joined Jill on the stage. She arranged the tulle skirt of her dress and tried to stand as tall and confidently as she could. She didn’t think about the crowd, she didn’t worry about the eyes on her. None of that mattered in comparison to what was at stake. She was doing this for her. She was doing this for Rhett. She was doing this for them.
