Chapter 20
CHAPTER 20
I found Porter outside, leaning against the huge stone railing of the balcony. He looked like a model in an expensive ad. He fit into this world better than I did.
“Find what you were looking for?”
“Porter…” I paused, trying to find the words.
“What is it?”
A voice spoke over the loudspeakers. “ May I have everyone’s attention, please? ”
Dad was about to announce his candidacy. We could listen to the announcement, then leave. I’d tell Porter that Dad knew about our fake engagement on the way home, but first, we needed to get through the speech.
I gave Porter an apologetic smile and promised, “Just one more event. Dad’s going to announce his candidacy, they’ll have their first dance, then we can go.”
Porter offered me his arm. I slid my hand onto it, and we entered the ballroom. Everyone had stopped talking and stared at my parents on the stage .
Dad looked out into the audience, spotted me, and said into the microphone, “Beth? Will you and Porter please join me on stage?”
Oh, boy.
Porter and I shared a glance. I felt like I was walking to a guillotine as the crowd parted for Porter and me to approach the stage.
“What’s this about?” he asked quietly against my hair.
“No idea,” I spoke through my fake smile.
Dad talked to the crowd about leadership and his background in business before he announced his plans to run for mayor. The clapping sounded like thunder.
He raised his hand, silencing the obedient group. “I have one more announcement. I wasn’t going to say anything, but I’m so damn proud, you’ll have to forgive me.” He glanced over at me and held my gaze. “Porter Lyons, my daughter’s boyfriend, is an esteemed member of the military. We all love the men and women that dedicate their lives to the service of this great country, so it’s with both pride and joy that I announce that wedding bells are in the near future for this happy couple.”
What. Just. Happened?
Flashes of cameras temporarily blinded me, but not before I saw the shock cross Porter’s face.
“Come here, my darling daughter.” Dad opened his arms, inviting me in for a hug.
With robotic legs, I moved to hug him while the crowd cheered and yelled.
He kissed both my cheeks. “I couldn’t be more happy for you, Beth.”
I moved to hug my mom, aware that Porter was shaking Dad’s hand.
Tears welled up in Mom’s eyes. “He’s not my first choice,” she whispered. “But this is going to be excellent for your father’s campaign. And I’m going to put my differences aside and plan the wedding of the century for you.”
Speechless. No words came out of me .
Dad approached the mic. “I invite you all to join us in our celebrations.”
On cue, the band started. I watched, numb, as Dad led Mom down to the dance floor. Porter moved to stand beside me, his expression carefully blank.
“I don’t know what to say,” I said through my pained smile.
He grabbed my hand and tugged me off the stage. I didn’t ask where we were going when he pulled me past the crowd that circled the dance floor. He led me out of the ballroom and searched for an empty room. I tripped behind him, terrified of what he would say. Whatever it was, I deserved it.
He opened the door to a smaller banquet room and ushered me in. The room was dark, lit only by the streaming moonlight shining through glass windows. He walked away from me. And for a long, terrible moment, we didn’t speak.
He turned and looked at me. Like, really looked at me.
“I’m sorry,” I started.
“For what?”
“For all that.”
“Did you tell your dad?”
“No!”
“So, don’t apologize.”
Okay, then. More silence. This game had escalated beyond either of our expectations. Would he walk? My heart beat faster.
“So much for keeping this to ourselves.”
“Are you mad?”
“No.”
I looked around the room. If he wasn’t going to lecture me, what were we doing here?
“What do you want to do?” his voice was quiet but calm.
“What do you mean?”
That grey stare held my gaze. “This is your life, Beth. I’m only an actor in all of this. Eventually, I’m going to go back to my life, and this won’t impact me, but you’re going to have to deal with a wedding that doesn’t happen.”
The thought was sobering. I hadn’t considered that. As far as I'd been concerned, this was all about keeping Yates at arm's length. Now that this was public, it was an entirely different matter. Mom had just promised she was going to plan the wedding of the century. Telling my parents that this was just a joke on Yates was a conversation I didn’t want to have.
I swallowed. “You’re worried about me?”
“A little bit.”
“Mom is already planning the wedding. Dad announced this to the entire world.” I tried but failed to keep the panic out of my voice. “Why would Yates tell my dad about this?”
“Maybe he thought he’d put a stop to it?”
“If that was the case, it backfired.”
“Why don’t we get out of here? We don’t need to make any decisions tonight.”
“Yeah, good idea. I’ll quickly say goodnight to my parents.”
We found Dad at the bar, getting a drink. What could I say to him? This was his night. His moment.
He glanced at Porter before saying, “Sorry for springing that on you both. I wasn’t going to say anything, but I looked over at you, and I was so proud of my little girl.”
Tears blurred my eyes. I couldn’t remember the last time he’d said he was proud of me. The fact that he was proud of me over a lie, just made it worse. “It’s okay.”
He reached forward and warmly shook Porter’s hand. “Son, welcome to the family.”
“Thank you, Sir.”
“Are you two lovebirds heading out?”
I nodded because no words would escape. I was completely blank. At a total loss as to how to handle the magnitude of this lie. He winked broadly at Porter .
“Good night, Dad,” I managed, before turning to walk. It took half of the length of the ballroom to realize Porter wasn’t behind me.
He was shaking hands with Dad again. I should end this charade. Immediately. Tomorrow. I would deal with the entire mess tomorrow. I waited for Porter in the lobby, then he ushered me to the car.
We were halfway home, both silent. Lost in our own thoughts.
I turned to him. “What did my dad say to you on the way out?”
Porter sighed and reached into his jacket pocket. “He wanted me to give you this.”
It was a ring box. With trembling fingers, I lifted the lid. Grandma’s engagement ring. “He gave you this?”
Porter’s expression was hard to read. “He said this ring had always been your dream ring.”
Oh no.
I stared down at the jaw-dropping, five-carat, perfectly round diamond set in a platinum band, encrusted with smaller diamonds. As a child, I’d always grabbed Granny’s hand to stare at it.
Even in the dim light of the car, the diamond caught the light and sparkled.
“What did you say?” My voice shook a bit.
“I told him I’d buy you my own damn ring, but he said this ring was part of your grandma’s will, and she wanted you to have it.”
I told him that I’d buy you my own damn ring .
I looked over at Porter. He was staring silently out the window, wearing a killer tux, looking like he had lived in this world his entire life.
“Are you upset?”
He gave me a wry smile. “Mildly affronted because I’d never let my fiancée wear a ring her father gave me.”
My fiancée .
I swallowed. “Sorry about that.”
“I guess it doesn’t matter, since this is a charade and everyone is going to expect a ring, and there’s no way I’d ever be able to afford a ring like that. ”
It was easily worth six figures. When I was a girl, I had childish romantic dreams about this ring. I daydreamed about a handsome prince, sweeping me off my feet with a romantic proposal. Now I had the handsome prince, but he was only pretending to be mine, and there was no romantic proposal in sight.
It dawned on me that, in my haste to lie my way out of an uncomfortable situation, I was ruining future moments. If I ever had a real fiancé, would we still want to use this ring? If we did, would I think of Porter and this moment every time I glanced at my ring finger? The whole thing saddened me.
“I think I’m in over my head.”
Finally, a truth, but it didn’t make anything better.