Chapter 24
Twenty-Four
Brayden put his arm around her, kissed her temple and removed his arm only when the waitstaff began serving dinner.
“This is really fancy for a benefit,” Maggie said as she cut into delicious steak and asparagus.
“Apparently, the Hermitage donates the space and gives them a huge deal on the food and beverages. They also donate weekend packages to the silent auction. My mom used to talk all the time about how great they are.”
After dinner and chocolate cheesecake for dessert, the program began with a welcome from the chairwoman of the board, who discussed accomplishments over the last year.
They included sponsoring after-school programs that kept kids busy in what she referred to as the “at-risk hours” and matching young people recently “graduated” from the foster care system with adult mentors.
“My mom had something like ten kids she mentored and kept in touch with every one of them,” Brayden whispered. “They came to our house for holidays and stuff.”
“I wish I could’ve met her.”
“Me, too. She would’ve liked you.”
Maggie smiled at him and wished she could kiss him.
“At this time, we’d like to honor our volunteer of the year, Kathy Thomas.
As all of you know, we recently lost Kathy in a tragic accident.
I’m sure I speak for so many people in this room when I say the loss of this great lady can’t be measured in mere words.
I’d like to share this slide presentation that provides just a small glimpse into the impact Kathy had on our organization. ”
While holding his hand, Maggie kept one eye on the slide show and the other on him, noting the way his jaw had tightened with tension as the images of his mother with a wide variety of young people and other adults were displayed on the huge screen.
In every one of them, Kathy was smiling, laughing, fully engaged in giving back to kids in need.
It was obvious to Maggie that Kathy had sought to redeem the mistakes she’d made with her own son by helping other kids.
Maggie found herself forgiving a woman she’d never met for having failed to protect Brayden.
The slide show ended with a warm round of applause.
A video played then in which several of the children and young adults Kathy had worked with talked about what she’d meant to them and the difference she’d made in their lives.
“We’re honored to have Kathy’s son, Brayden, with us tonight to accept the Volunteer of the Year award on behalf of his mother, the indefatigable, irreplaceable Kathy Thomas.”
Brayden squeezed Maggie’s hand and headed for the stage as the entire room stood to applaud his mother.
Maggie had a huge lump in her throat as she stood with the others to watch him take the stage, shake hands with the program chair and take a long look at the crystal award he’d been given.
The applause went on for minutes.
“Thank you all so much,” Brayden said. “It’s an honor to be here with you tonight and to accept this award on my mother’s behalf.
She had tremendous affection for this organization and for the amazing people she met through her work with y’all.
If she were here, she would tell you she doesn’t need awards.
“In fact, she declined this one many times over because she said the kids gave her the only reward she needed when they finished college or got a great job or started families of their own. She was so proud of every one of the young people she worked with, and I gratefully accept this award on her behalf. Thank you for remembering her this way. I appreciate it so much.”
Maggie’s heart swelled with pride along with a surge of affection and love for him that caught her off guard.
It was too soon to love him. She couldn’t…
Not yet… But as he came toward her, stopping to accept condolences from numerous people, her heart hammered, and the feeling that overwhelmed her could only be love.
She loved him.
How was that possible?
Clearly, she was being ridiculous, caught up in the emotion of the moment and not thinking clearly. But then his gaze met hers, and…
Everything else fell away. In a room full of people, she saw only him.
She loved him.
He finally made his way back to the table and immediately reached for her.
Maggie closed her eyes and hugged him back as her mind raced to catch up with the heart that had chosen him.
Eventually, they took their seats again, but Brayden kept his arm around her, which was fine with Maggie. She wanted only to be close to him.
When the ceremony ended, he said he needed to use the men’s room and would be right back. Maggie took advantage of the time he was gone to talk to some of the organization’s leaders about Matthews House and to exchange business cards.
“We get together for lunch with other program directors the first Wednesday of every month,” one of the women told her. “You’re more than welcome to join us.”
“I’d love to.”
“Great. I’ll email you the info.”
“Please do.”
“I work with a child who would absolutely love your equine therapy program, and I think it would do wonders for his self-confidence. Are you willing to work with children outside your own program?”
Brayden returned in time to hear the question. “I am if it’s okay with Maggie. She’s the boss.”
“That’d be fine with me. Call me to make arrangements.”
Maggie knew that Brayden was ready to go, but appreciated that he was patient while she talked to the others about networking opportunities.
“We’ve heard such amazing things about your program,” another woman said. “We’d love to see your facility sometime, if that’s possible.”
“Any time. We can do one of the monthly lunches there sometime, if you’d like.”
“That’d be great.”
Maggie left the event feeling like she’d made some friends and begun to set up the professional network that would be so helpful to her going forward. “That was great,” she said to Brayden when they were out of the ballroom. “Those are just the kinds of connections I need.”
“I’m so glad you got the chance to meet some people. My mom loved working with them. She said they’re the perfect group because they care so much about the kids they serve. It’s not just a job to them, but a cause.”
“I can see how they would look at it that way. Matthews House has never felt like a ‘regular job’ to me, and it’s not only because I work for my sister and brother-in-law. It’s because I know that even on the worst days, we’re doing something important to help people who really need it.”
“That’s right, but tonight, you’re off duty.”
“Until we get home, you mean.”
“Nope. I mean until tomorrow afternoon when the kids get home from school.”
“What’re you talking about?”
He pulled a room key from his pocket and showed it to her. “Remember that toothbrush I told you to bring?”
Maggie gasped. “We’re staying here?”
“Yep.”
“But the house, I need to… They’ll be wondering…”
“Teresa knows you won’t be back tonight.”
“Oh.” Maggie wasn’t sure how she felt about him telling one of their colleagues that they’d be spending the night together.
“She said she thinks it’s great because you haven’t had a full night off since you started months ago, and she said to tell you not to worry about a thing. She’s got you covered.”
“This is rather sneaky of you, Brayden.”
“I realize that, Maggie, but I thought you might enjoy the night away.” He directed her into a small alcove off the hallway, and with his back blocking the view of anyone going by, he kissed her neck, jaw and lips.
“We don’t have to stay if you don’t want to, but before you decide, you ought to know there’s a huge tub in the room, I ordered champagne, and there’ll be room service in the morning—”
Maggie wrapped her arms around his neck and drew him into a kiss. “Sold.”
“What did it for you? The room service?”
She shook her head. “It’s that I get to enjoy all those things with you.”
“So this is a good surprise, then?”
“A very good surprise. Did you check us into a fancy hotel with no luggage?”
“Maybe?”
Maggie laughed. “That’s the definition of a booty call.”
He flattened his hand on her ass and squeezed. “I can live with that as long as it’s your booty calling.”
“Can we go check out the room now?”
“Absolutely.” He kissed her again before resting his forehead against hers. “Maggie…”
“Hmmm?”
“Is this real? Are you real?”
“I’ve been wondering the very same thing about you.”
“It’s the most real thing I’ve ever had, and all I want is more of it—and you.”
“Me, too.”
He took hold of her hand. “Let’s go upstairs.”
Brayden had expected tonight to be a gut punch, and in many ways, it had been.
Seeing the photos of his mom alive and well and laughing with the kids she’d loved so much was a brutal reminder of what he’d lost. But being there with Maggie had made it far more bearable than it would’ve been otherwise.
Being with Maggie made everything better.
He thought she was beautiful all the time, but she’d blown him away with how she looked tonight.
When he saw her standing there by the truck, he’d thought for a second he was dreaming.
Everything about her appealed to him, from the way she handled the residents and staff to their shared love of horses and her dedication to the program they were building together.
She did it for him in a way that no other woman ever had. She was his dream girl, and he’d wanted their first real date to be memorable for both of them. Which was why he’d used the last of his credit card limit to reserve a room at the Hermitage so he could make tonight special for her.
He’d be getting his first paycheck from Matthews House next week, and that would give him room to breathe. In the meantime, tonight was a major splurge, but well worth it to make her happy and to give her a badly needed break from her responsibilities at the house.
They took the elevator to the fifth floor and followed the signs to room five twenty-five.