Chapter Forty
Present - Ryder
RAGE PUMPS THROUGH me like a wildfire. The impulse to make this motherfucker beg for mercy as I rip him to shreds is real. I’m not one for suffering and torture, but for this special circumstance, I’d light him on fire with a smile.
He’s evil. Pure fucking evil. Swooping in on the greatest night of our lives, with nothing but the itch to destroy it all. Evie doesn’t deserve that. And you know what? I don’t either.
Leaning to the right, I stick out my foot ever so slightly as Preston takes another step, caught in my trap. With my hands still resting innocently in my pockets, Preston careens forward, face screeching across the marble floor.
Gasps and startled glances ripple across the crowd, all in Preston’s direction. Evie’s hands cover her mouth to conceal the pleased smile, and even Ted has to look the other way to hide his smirk.
I drop down on one knee, offering Preston my hand. “You okay, buddy?” I ask, loud enough for the onlookers to see me come to his rescue. “Looks like you had one too many champagnes.”
Preston shoves my arm away, turning purple as he rushes to stand up, losing his balance as he does. His parents are there, gathering him up and shoving him toward the door as the whispers trail behind them.
Evie smirks, more smug than anything
Ted claps me on the shoulder. “Well played, son.”
Son . The word rocks through me, healing wounds I haven’t dared face. A boy who lost his family too young and saw too much. A boy who turned down his second chance at one, for the girl he loved. A boy who may have found his way back into one, despite everything.
Son.
Kellin makes her way over to where we stand, leaning in to whisper. “What the heck was that all about?”
Ted wraps his arm around her shoulder. “It appears our Evelyn has stolen the hearts of a few.”
“Preston never had a heart to steal.” Evie makes a gagging noise. “Ugh. I need something to drink. Cleanse my palate.”
I offer an arm, and she takes it, squeezing my bicep with her hand a few times. I snort. “Extra thirsty, are we?”
She smiles, but sobers quickly, pulling me to a stop. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For being the kind of man who doesn’t put his pride before something he cares about.”
“You are the only thing I care about.” Placing my palm on her cheek, I run my thumb over her receding flush, before dropping my lips to hers.
We spend the rest of the night with her parents, getting introduced to their friends. Many were cautious but warm, despite the hard exterior I’ve spent a life constructing. All of their reservations, and my own, melted away when a kid recognized me from Immoral Support and asked for a picture, breaking the ice. Evie cackled as I smiled for the photo, before promising the kid that she’d make me practice smiling in the mirror before next time.
We danced and we laughed, basking in her success, free from the shadows until Evie was too tired to stand any longer.
As we lie in bed, I relish the feel of her face where it rests, cradled by my chest. My hand gently trails up and down her back, over her shoulder, and down her arm, easing her toward sleep.
“Tonight was a huge success,” Evie says, sleepily.
“It was.”
“I went there tonight to prove them all wrong, to show them I had worth and deserved their respect. But instead, I realized it’s been up to me all along. Once I believed in myself, nobody looked down their noses. Nobody laughed behind my back. And nobody had the guts to look at you with anything but decency, because I was standing next to you, proud and completely in love.”
“Well, except for Preston.”
She snorts, hitting my chest softly. “I can’t believe that was real life.”
I kiss her on the forehead, utterly at peace.
“What started as something vengeful, ended as something beautiful.” Evie places her hand over my heart, feeling it’s even beat. “You know what would make this night perfect?
“Hmm?”
“Will you sing to me?”
Brushing her hair back, I trace her cheek with the back of my hand, and begin to sing.
Grew up thinking there would only be darkness
It was endless, that midnight sky
Then like the sun that breaks the day, you were a sparkling streak of light
Now, I may never keep the world at bay
But here’s the promise I can make
When the sea is dark
When the waves are rough
When the darkness tries to swallow you whole
There I’ll be
I’ll be, I’ll be, I’ll be
I’ll beee-eee-eee
Covered in scars
Never seeing far
Lost in what’s been done
Afraid of what’s to come
When things get hard
And danger comes to pass
We can sit under the stars
Find ourselves on Mars
And even if we’re torn apart
This is the promise I can make
When the sea is dark
When the waves are rough
When the darkness tries to swallow you whole
There I’ll be
I’ll be, I’ll be, I’ll be
I’ll beee-eee-eee
Now I’m thinking there could be light, even in the dead of night
You’re my endless, bright blue sky
My sun that breaks the day
My sparkling, streak of light
And since I can’t keep my heart at bay
Here’s the promise I will make
When the sea is dark
When the waves are rough
When the darkness tries to swallow you whole
There I’ll be
I’ll be, I’ll be, I’ll be
I’ll beee-eee-eee
There I’ll be
I’ll be, I’ll be, I’ll be
I’ll beee-eee-eee
So please hold tight
I’m banking on forever with you
And when sleep finally carries her away, I begin to play with the piece of metal she still has wrapped around her finger. Tomorrow I’ll stop by my loft on the way back from rehearsal, grab every last bit of cash and put it in a duffel bag. We’ll take the money and pick out the sort of ring she’s dreamed of since the day she sat under a tree and read about Prince Charming.
Whatever cash is left, I’ll donate to Ziggy’s Kids. Anonymously. Let Brooke’s center take something born from blood and corruption, and use it for something good.
Because money doesn’t make a man.
Honor and integrity do.
And I’m getting mine back, one day at a time.
With Evie by my side.