29. Vincent
29
VINCENT
A surprise press conference was a guarantee that every important news outlet would show up, which was exactly what I wanted. Linda had pulled everything together within twenty-four hours, proving once again that she was a miracle worker.
“What are we forgetting?” Linda asked as she looked around the holding room next to the hotel ballroom where I’d be speaking in just a few minutes. “Everyone is just about settled in. The AV equipment is ready?—”
“What about the livestream?” I interrupted. “That’s critical .”
“I was just about to say that the social media team is on it and it’s good to go. And the?—”
“The messenger with the package?” I asked quickly, because that was the most important part of the whole show.
Linda held my gaze for a beat, the only editorial comment she probably felt comfortable giving me. “As I was saying… the messenger has been in contact, and he confirmed that she received it and the instructions included with it.”
I started pacing. “I wish there was a way to guarantee that it all falls into place. There’s a choreography element to this whole production, but if Piper doesn’t follow instructions, there’s no point to all of this.” I started pacing as I envisioned all the ways my plan could go wrong.
Maybe Piper put the box down and forgot about it?
Or worse, what if she threw it away without even opening it? She looked upset enough during the lilac fiasco to do exactly that.
No, the absolute worst-case scenario would be if Piper opened the box and hated what was inside of it.
Why had I thought this was a good idea?
“What about the packages for the press?” I barked harsher than I’d intended.
“Ready to be handed out. We have someone stationed at the end of every row.” Linda smiled patiently at me. “Vincent, you can stop worrying about logistics and focus on what you need to say.” She pulled out her phone to check the time. “Getting close. I’m going to go triple check everything.”
Dwayne popped his head in as Linda left the room. “Crowded out there!”
“Good, that’s exactly what I want,” I nodded at him. “Hey, thanks again for what you did. I know that was tight. Above and beyond, as always.”
He grinned at me. “How could I say no? Killer concept, and I love how it ended up. Hope it all works out.” Dwayne turned to talk to someone behind him I couldn’t see. “You okay for some company, or do you need time alone?”
I heard a commotion just outside the door, and I knew exactly who it was.
“It’s fine, I’ve still got ten minutes. Send them in.”
The door opened, and Trent, Aiden, Paul, and Dominic strolled into the room. They were all suited up for work, so how they’d managed to escape midday was beyond me. We all lived our lives at warp speed.
But then again, when one of us needed support, we all rallied.
“ Bro ,” Aiden cheered. “Look at you, going all out!”
“Seriously, this is some next-level shit,” Dominic said with admiration in his voice. “But I get it. It’s time for a showstopper.”
Trent slapped me on the back. “We know you’ve got this, but we figured a few more friendly faces staring at you from the audience would be a good thing.”
“Yeah,” I admitted. “It definitely helps. Thanks for being here. You guys have been with me through some of my toughest ups and downs.”
“And you’ve done the same for us,” Aiden said. “That’s what we do.”
“Wait a minute,” Paul glanced around at our group. “Can you believe we didn’t get one photo of the five of us at my wedding? We’ve got plenty with you guys and our lovely bridesmaids, but not one of just us. Let’s make up for it now.”
“Read the room, P.,” Trent laughed at Paul. “The guy’s stressed out, you can see it all over his face.”
He was right, but I welcomed the chance to spend a few minutes focusing on something other than what I was about to attempt.
“No, let’s do it,” I said quickly. “Who’s got the longest arms to take a selfie?”
“I mean,” Aiden spread his arms out to the sides and looked down at himself then all of us. “I’ve got an eighty-inch wingspan.”
We all stared at him for a beat, then broke into laughter at the idea of it.
“Eighty inches?” Trent sputtered. “Then you should be playing for the Giants.”
“Listen, I came pretty damn close to going pro,” he shot back. “But these guys convinced me to focus on our business instead.”
He pointed at Dominic and Trent.
“Yeah, you can thank us now,” Dominic said with a teasing grin. “We saved you from a traumatic brain injury.”
“Guys, let’s take the picture, okay? He needs to focus on his speech,” Paul said, ever the stable voice in the group.
We moved closer and slung our arms around each other’s shoulders.
Aiden held the camera out. “Three, two, one, Lost Boys !”
The old nickname always got a laugh out of us since we hadn’t been boys in forever.
“Thanks again, guys,” I said. “And don’t worry, I’m fine.”
“Yeah, sure you are,” Trent laughed. “You look more nervous now than you did before we jumped out of that plane together.”
“Hey, at least my safety was guaranteed with a professionally packed parachute,” I joked.
“Let’s get out there,” Dominic said. “I saved us seats in the back row, so we won’t be a distraction.”
“Trust me, I’m not going to see a thing in that room,” I replied. “I’m going to be staring directly into that camera.”
Paul stood off to the side with his arms crossed, watching me. We’d been okay since we’d talked things out at his apartment with Chloe, but there was still an edge to him, no doubt because Piper had filled him in on the lilac disaster. He finally approached me when the guys made their way back out to the ballroom.
“You got this,” he said as he clasped my shoulder. “Don’t worry.”
I swallowed hard. “Lotta moving parts. I just hope it all works out.”
“Chlo and I agree that this is perfect. You’re doing the right thing.”
“Thanks,” I said, the tension in my shoulders easing slightly. “I sure hope so.”
I watched him leave and went over my speech again. I didn’t even have to write it down. Everything I needed to say was in my heart—and had been for longer than I was willing to admit.
Linda peeked in the door. “You ready? You’ve got about three minutes.”
I took a deep breath. “I am.”
I followed Linda into the ballroom, and a quick glance around the room confirmed that it was a full house. It didn’t matter how big the crowd was, I never got nervous before speaking in public. At least, I never had before, when speaking about work.
But this wasn’t work, which explained why my heart was hammering away in my chest.
I glanced at the AV team near the livestream camera and got a thumbs-up, so I took my place behind the podium.
“Good afternoon, everyone,” I said, and the noise stopped. “I want to begin by thanking you for being here on such short notice. I recognize that it was an unusual request.” I paused to clear my throat. “I think it’ll be worth your time.”
I glanced around the room. Every face watching me was wearing a version of the same confused expression. I caught a few sideways glances, the kind people exchange when they know something’s about to happen but can’t quite figure out what.
“You’re all well aware that Summit releases a set number of fragrances per year. With the recent launch of Evermore , you might’ve assumed it would be a while before you got something new from us.”
I let that hang in the air for a moment, feeling the ripple of curiosity growing through the room.
“But I’m here today to announce a surprise special release.”
A murmur went up from the crowd as I reached into the hidden shelf on the podium and pulled out a bottle. I glanced at the time.
I hoped Piper was watching.
“Introducing our latest fragrance.” I took a deep breath because this was the moment. “ Perpetual .”
I raised the bottle up, and the facets shimmered under the lights. It was a recreation of a one-of-a-kind antique Parisian vial, the original of which I hoped Piper now held in her hand, that reflected light like a diamond.
“I guess you could call Perpetual an epilogue to our Trio of Time collection,” I continued. “I thought that Evermore was the last word, but I realized sometimes love can go deeper than evermore. Love should be endless.”
I paused and looked right into the camera. “I met a woman named Piper Doyle who taught me that.”
Gasps rippled through the audience, followed by an excited flurry of whispers.
“This fragrance,” I said, holding the bottle a little higher, “is a tribute to her. I attempted to capture her beauty and enormous heart in this scent, which is a mix of elements that remind me of her. The top notes are of her favorite flower, lilacs, with hints of heliotrope, the scent that’s the soul of Evermore that wouldn’t have been possible without her. I also included supporting notes of vanilla, to remind me of the sweetness she brought into my life.”
The room was now buzzing with excitement, but my thoughts were miles away, imagining how she might react. Would she hate me for this, for putting her on display? Or would she appreciate the intention behind it?
“I never expected someone like Piper to come into my life. Sometimes…well, sometimes you just get lucky. From the day I met her, she knew how to shake up my world like no one else. But I made a mistake. Plenty of mistakes, actually,” I admitted. “The biggest one was not realizing how much I was hurting her by trying to protect myself from what she made me feel. Piper won my heart a long time ago, but I wasn’t strong enough to hand it over to her.”
I stared into the unblinking eye of the camera.
“So that’s why we’re all gathered here. I wanted to publicly apologize for being careless with Piper’s heart, and more importantly…” I felt like I was jumping off a cliff. “I need to let her know that I am deeply, hopelessly, perpetually in love with her.” I took a deep breath. “Piper Doyle, I love you, and I’m going to spend the rest of my days proving that to you. If you’ll let me.”
The room broke into wild applause, and I finally allowed myself to feel hopeful. It seemed I’d convinced the people in this room that I was sincere. Maybe I’d convinced her too.
I took a breath as I waited for the applause and cheering to die down. I felt a little dazed. The lights were suddenly too bright, like I was a specimen being examined. But I’d opened myself up to the scrutiny. It was fine; this was exactly what needed to happen.
“Now I’d like everyone to experience Perpetual . I have sample vials for all of you to enjoy. Team? Can we get them passed out?”
A synchronized group of Summit employees started handing out the small gift boxes with miniature reproductions of the bottle along with a message about the scent profile. It was one thing to talk about the fragrance, but I needed them to experience it, to understand the emotions wrapped inside it.
I refocused on the camera. “Piper, if you’re still watching, please open the bottle, close your eyes, and breathe it in. This fragrance is an encapsulation of what we shared. Sun, laughter, and love.”
By now, the audience was opening the sample vials, and their reactions made it clear we had yet another hit on our hands.
But honestly? None of that mattered. The only opinion that counted was Piper’s.
“Before I wrap up, I’d like to open the floor to questions. Anyone?” I glanced around the room as hands shot up. No surprise there. This was about more than a perfume now.
I pointed to a reporter from New York Magazine who had always sided with me when the Maya coverage got bleak. “Andi? What’s your question?”
The bookish brunette stood up and took the mic from an attendant. “Hi, Vincent. I love Perpetual , it’s a beautiful scent.”
People applauded in agreement.
“I think the question everyone wants answered is about the fake relationship aspect. Jerry aired that footage from the launch party, and what you said was…damaging. So can you clarify it for us?”
I clenched my jaw for a second, steeling myself. We had to address the elephant in the room, and as uncomfortable as it was going to be, I was glad we were starting here. The world needed to know the real story. I needed to set the record straight—for myself and for Piper.
“Yeah, that wasn’t my finest moment.”
Laughter echoed around the room, the tension easing just slightly. But I knew this part couldn’t be brushed off with humor.
“I want to be real here,” I said as everyone settled again. “I don’t often share the details of my personal life. But since you all have heard half of the story, I think it’s important to fill in some of the background.” I paused to collect my thoughts. “Yes, my relationship with Piper started off as a mutually beneficial partnership. There’s no need to talk about the specifics, but we found ourselves in the position to help each other, and we went for it. We had defined parameters to our deal at the start, but the more time we spent together, the more our feelings for each other grew. What had started off as fake became more real than I’d ever experienced. Piper is…exceptional. Falling for her was way too easy. We just fit together, like we were destined for one another. But I will say that I didn’t make it easy on her. Honestly, I’m amazed she was able to put up with me for so long.”
I recognized Aiden’s laugh from the back of the room. Typical.
“And then I screwed everything up. Three times. Losing my cool at the launch party, not apologizing to Piper for hurting her, and worst of all, not telling her that I loved her all along. But hopefully, I’ve been able to right my wrongs. Now the world knows how I feel…”
And what happens next , I thought, is up to Piper.
That was enough to make me dizzy. Piper now held my heart in her hand. She could crush it or nurture it.
People in the audience started shouting more questions, but there was no need to continue. I’d said everything I’d come to say.
“That’s all I have time for today,” I said with a nod. “Thank you all for coming. Here’s hoping that the love you find is perpetual.”
I gave a quick wave, then hustled back to the holding room, which was blissfully empty. My heart was pounding like I’d just sprinted a mile, and I needed a few minutes to clear my head. No cameras, no questions, no lights burning down on me. Just quiet.
But the quiet wasn’t calming me down. My head was still spinning, my heart still racing.
No, what I needed was to finish what I’d just started.
I’d told my driver to wait for me out front. I knew my team probably wanted to do a postmortem and check metrics, but I had no interest in gauging how my message had landed with the world. Metrics wouldn’t tell me if I’d reached the person who mattered most.
I slipped out the service entrance before anyone could corner me. The first thing I did once I was in the back seat of the sedan was pull out my phone to call Piper.
My fingers hovered over her name for a moment as I felt a brief flicker of hesitation. Had she even been watching? I swallowed my disappointment when I saw that she hadn’t called me first.
The car eased into traffic as I dialed. Fuck, I needed to see her, but I wasn’t about to force the issue. I held my breath as the call rang through, waiting for the voicemail message I’d become far too familiar with.
The phone rang again and again, and just as I was about to give up hope…
The ringing stopped.
There was a pause, a moment of silence so thick it felt like it was squeezing my chest, and then I heard the sweetest of sounds.
“Vincent?”