Page 170 of On Merit Alone
“Are you sure?”
I nodded. “I’m not confused, remember?”
Chapter Forty-Three
Merit
I pulledup short of Ira’s family as the sound of what sounded like stampeding feet coming my way stopped me in my tracks. Turning sharply, I watched as the entryway suddenly became overrun with reporters, photographers, and the like. They stormed in like they were on a mission, swarming the area in front of the stage and focusing their attention on the man of the night. The one who’d been dropping bomb after bomb nonstop. Starting with showing up at my place with gifts, then wining and dining me in the city, and now surprising me by supporting my organization.
There wasn't any doubt that I loved this man, but if there had been, it was officially shattered in the wake of his nurturing. He was one of a kind, and I loved him not because of the things he did for me—though they were vast and grand—but the mere presence of me on his mind. It’d been so long since someone had considered me first, if at all. I was no one’s first priority… until Ira.
Which is exactly why him and his safety was the only thing on my mind when I turned back toward the crowd and demanded, “What the hell is going on?”
I started briskly toward the side of the stage where Ira was,wanting to shield him from whatever this was. But the moment my foot hit the bottom step of the stage, Ira’s hand extended in a motion to halt me. Across the other side of the stage, the MC’s voice came nervously over the speakers.
“Excuse me, everyone. You can’t be here. This is a private event,” he cautioned.
“The event is over at ten!” a guy toward the front of the crowd shouted.
“Yeah! This is legally a public space now!” someone else yelled.
The MC looked out toward the back of the room in a panic, probably searching for help from their directors.
“No, please,” Ira’s voice came over the speaker. Calm and sure, as if he… planned this? “Let them stay. My friends might be rude… and early. But they’re useful.”
Friends? These were reporters. Sports columnists. News anchors. Was he… was this a conference?
I felt my eyebrows pull together as I tried to find Ira’s eyes amongst the craziness. It wasn’t hard. They were steady on me. Staring, with that same strong surety etched into his features.
He knew what he was doing. I could tell by that look.It would be great if he would let the rest of us in on it too.
Hands came up to bracket my shoulders and I turned my head to see Iris behind me. Ira’s mom was holding the baby right beside her. I felt instantly supported, though I still didn’t know if it was going to be for Ira or against him. The latter felt wrong in some way, like it should never even be able to cross my mind. But somewhere deep down the fear that nothing ever worked out for me with love raged on. Ira had mostly squashed it, but that didn’t mean he didn’t have the power to make it a reality too.
“Now, what is that boy up to this time?” Lisa asked under her breath as she bounced the baby on her hip.
“You don’t know?” I asked, worried.
She shook her head. “We still don’t even know why we wereinvited, nice as this is. He doesn’t usually want us at his work events. It’s better for him if he doesn’t have to worry about us all night.”
I bit my lip. “What do you think he’s going to do? Something bad?”
Her face changed, going soft as she looked at me. “Oh, honey. I might not know what’s going on here, but I know my son. Has he ever treated you badly?”
I shook my head, though my palm went over my heart as nerves overtook me. I wanted him down here with me. I wanted to know what was on his mind. I wanted him to stop blindsiding me with all the ways he loved me without me being prepared enough to show him in return.
I wanted him, to my core I did. And he was out of my reach all the way up there. With a swarm of reporters around him, I suddenly remembered how out of my reach he truly was.
It had been a week since the instance in the tunnel with Rob. A week of trying to push the fact that he wanted to trade me out of my mind. That he wanted to pull me away from this place where I’d met the greatest person of my life.
I had tried to forget about it, but with this scene unfolding in front of us now, I realized that while I was replaceable in a city like this,hewas not. The reality was like a slap in the face.
I was going to be sent away while he belonged right here.
Turning back to the crowd below him, Ira cleared his throat. “If we could get this going. I’m sure people have better things to do than look at me up here all night.”
Ha! Fat chance.
Ira smiled, all his charm issued into one look. Leaning down, he bracketed his palms along the sides of the podium and spoke into the mic. “Uh, unfortunately, I’m afraid I’m about to be a bit of an ass and make this meaningful night about me.”
