Chapter 10
Emerson~
I t was obvious that Ramsey and I were going to have to have a serious talk about this thing with Adrian. By Ramsey Reed standards, he was no longer playing nice, and if he cost me my job, then it was safe to say that we were going to have problems. However, the conversation that I’d been trying to avoid was going to have to wait until we got home tonight, because I refused to become a viral sensation for going ballistic at a children’s charity event.
“Everyone, everyone...may I have your attention?” Cordina Priller said into the microphone. “While the night is far from over, and while we are having record donations with the silent auction and art showcasing, I wanted to take this moment to talk about something more important than money, and that’s the human involvement that goes into these things. Though money is the foundation of making these things possible, children need human interaction and understanding more than they need money. They need to see the sympathy in our eyes and feel the sincerity in our touch.” Her voice sounded strong, but you could also hear the emotion in it, and it was clear to everyone in this room that Cordina Priller really felt very passionately about her cause. “So, it’s the people that are committed to helping children everywhere that make the real difference. The volunteers, foster parents, counselors, agency workers, teachers, coaches…it’s these people that are making a real difference in the lives of these children, and if I had an award for all of them, I’d gladly take the time to hand them out.”
Everyone in the room clapped for her, and while her speech was inspiring, I knew that it wasn’t going to change anyone’s mind in this room about volunteering their time. Most of these people were more comfortable writing a check, and that was just going to have to be enough for right now.
“Nevertheless, we’re lucky enough that one such person is here with us tonight, and if anyone deserves recognition for their help with underprivileged children, it would be this woman. While I could list all the things that she’s done over the years, we don’t have that kind of time tonight.” Everyone laughed like they were supposed to, making Cordina smile. “So…” Just then, a man walked up to her with a plaque of some sort, which just made her smile wider. “…without further ado, I’d like to present this plaque of excellence to Emerson Reed for everything that she’s done and continues to do for the children of Port Lucia and neighboring cities.”
“What the hell…” I muttered.
Ramsey looked down at me. “You didn’t know about this?”
I shook my head as everyone turned to look at me. “No,” I whispered.
“I wanted it to be a surprise,” Adrian announced as he grinned over at me. “I thought tonight would be a perfect opportunity to thank you for all your selfless hard work, Emerson. That’s why I asked if you were going to be here tonight.”
I felt Ramsey’s fingers digging into my hip, but we didn’t have time for this. Cordina was already waving me over, and with all eyes on us, I was not about to ruin a positive moment for the charity. Even though I didn’t do what I did for recognition, I knew that I needed to be gracious about the award.
Putting a smile on my face, I stepped out of Ramsey’s arms, then made my way towards a smiling Cordina Priller. When I finally reached her, she placed the plaque in my hands, and I could tell how genuine she was in this moment.
“Thank you so much for all you do, Emerson,” she said, using my first name casually, though we’d only spoken a couple of times before tonight. “When Adrien suggested surprising you with this recognition, I thought it was a brilliant idea.”
“Thank you,” I replied as my hands tightened around the plaque.
Cordina stepped back a bit, then addressed the crowd again. “I think now would be a perfect time for Emerson to say something.”
The crowd started clapping as Cordina led the way, and when I looked over at Ramsey, I could see the fire in his eyes all the way from where I was standing. Now, there could be a number of reasons why he was pissed, but I was upset because I felt ambushed. Because my family meant everything to me, had I known about this, I would have told them, so that they could all be here for this. I also knew my family well enough to know that they would have all tried their hardest to be here for this had they known.
Looking back over the crowd, I let out a deep breath before I took the microphone from Cordina for my impromptu speech, one that I’d never had to give before. I also knew that I’d sound generic and insincere if I gave the standard speech about not needing any recognition or how I did my job to make a difference, even if it was the truth.
“I’m not sure what to say,” I started. “I…I didn’t know that I’d be receiving anything like this, so…so, you’ll have to excuse me if my speech is less than polished.” The crowd chuckled a bit, but I was being so goddamn serious. “The truth of the matter is that I don’t do nearly enough, and that’s not me looking for validation. The truth of the matter is that neglected children still outnumber the amount of adults that are willing to help, and so I don’t do enough to be the difference that all kids need. However, I like to believe that I do enough to make a difference in at least one child’s life, and I have to find a way to be okay with that, because if I can’t, then the ‘what ifs’ and stress will just drive me crazy.”
The crowd applauded, but my own unhealed childhood trauma was making it hard to appreciate their supposed appreciation for my speech. While all the people in this room were generous enough to write big checks, they still had enough to make those checks bigger. Most every person in this room had wealth in the millions or billions, and anything less than a hundred-thousand-dollar donation was an insult as far as I was concerned.
“Luckily for me, I’ve got a great support system that helps me when it starts to feel like it’s all too much,” I went on as I looked over at Ramsey. “My life is what it is, and I’m able to do what I do because of one person, and that person is my husband, Ramsey Reed. I’m fortunate enough to have a husband that believes in me and what I do, and he’s the only recognition that I need at the end of the day, truth be told. He loves every imperfect part of me, but still treats me like I don’t have any flaws, and that kind of love and encouragement goes a long way to making me believe that I can do anything.”
Another round of applause echoed throughout the room, but it didn’t matter. It also didn’t matter that every word out of my mouth had been the truth. Ramsey still had that dangerous fire in his eyes, and I honestly didn’t know if his anger was valid or not. I didn’t know Adrian Cossacks well enough to know if he’d just been being a good human being by suggesting this recognition or if he really was trying to make a move on me. His motives were fifty/fifty right now, but Ramsey wouldn’t care about any of that.
I held the plaque up with one hand. “So, thank you for the kind words, and I just hope that I can continue to do what I do.”
The crowd clapped, and I gave Cordina a quick hug before automatically heading Ramsey’s way. As soon as I got close enough, ignoring everyone else around us, Ramsey’s hand wrapped around the side of my neck, then he pulled me towards him to give me a kiss that wasn’t appropriate for where we were and for what this function represented. Nevertheless, I kissed him back just as passionately, making it clear to everyone in the room that I’d meant every word of what I’d said earlier.
When we finally pulled away from each other, he looked down at me, saying, “I love you.”
“I love you,” I replied, needing for him to know that.
“Let me see, let me see,” Sally squealed as she reached for my plaque.
I handed it to her, and Scott automatically hugged me as soon as the plaque was safely in Sally’s hands. “Congratulations, Em.”
“Thank you,” I said as I stepped out of his arms. “I’m glad you guys were here for this.”
Before Scott could say anything to that, Adrian had obviously read between the lines. “I really just wanted to surprise you, Emerson,” he said. “Had I thought it through some more, it probably would have been nice to have your entire family here for this.”
Since I could still feel Ramsey’s ire coating me like an uncomfortable blanket, I said, “Yes, that would have been nice. However, as long as my husband’s here, I’m good.” Adrian gave me a terse nod, and I really wished that I had a better read on him. “Also, though very considerate, the recognition is completely unnecessary, Adrian. I work hard because I believe in what I do, and it really is that simple.”
He looked like he was about to say something, but Cordina beat him to it when she approached our little group, saying, “Emerson, I really hate to interrupt your moment, but would it be possible to get a few pictures of you with the plaque? We’d like to include them with our social media recount of the event tomorrow.”
I smiled at her as graciously as I could as I said, “Of course.”
Sally quickly handed me back the plaque before I turned to look up at Ramsey. “I’ll be right back,” I told him, praying that he didn’t go off the deep end while I was gone. “Unless you want to go with me to take some pictures for social media?”
“You know I hate that crap,” he replied, his voice rough in warning. “However, if you want me to, I’ll be more than happy to smile for the cameras.”
I placed a hand on his chest, a silent warning to behave. “I’ll be right back.”
“I’ll be here waiting for you,” he replied seriously.