Chapter 49
CHAPTER FORTY-NINE
The Pemberley Club is every ostentatious detail that I loathe, but my parents both crave and delight in.
Servers with white gloves and coattails? Check.
Security guarding the doors as though the Pope is expected any moment? Check.
People simultaneously complaining about the press being here, while also choosing to arrive at the entrance that walks them right past the photographers? Check.
I refused to stay at the hotel where my parents had a room under my name. I agreed to attend this event—despite not even knowing what the gala is for—but I refuse to spend any more time with my parents than what is required to uphold my end of the bargain.
What do I get out of it? My mother hasn’t called me once since I agreed to attend, and four weeks of silence from her is a gift all in itself.
Of course, her personal assistants have contacted me almost daily, but they are not nearly as well-versed in guilt trips as Astor Morgan-Lane.
Plus, the assistants all became very good friends with my voicemail, so it was a win for everyone.
I smooth the front of my dark navy gown as I wait for my car to take its turn at the front entrance. I know there’s a side entrance I could have used, but I was given explicit instructions on my voicemail that I was expected to use the front, only the front, entrance.
I’m nervous, which is strange for me, but I know the cause. I miss Ryan.
“How is it that the one evening you need me out of town is the same one as the hospital’s annual board meeting?” Ryan asks as he runs his hand up and down my back. I’m sprawled on top of him like he is my body pillow, which, he kind of is.
“Fate is funny like that.” I turn and place a kiss on his bare chest. “It’s fine, though, I’ve gone to plenty of these things, and I am more than capable of going solo to one more.”
“I never doubted that, but I would prefer to be there with you. You know that, right?”
I nod. “Yeah, I know. And I love that you meant it, too.”
“Of course, Lo. Always.” He kisses my forehead, and I melt a little more into his arms.
I wish I was back in his arms right now. Plus, this strapless bra is extremely uncomfortable. I roll my head from shoulder to shoulder as I exhale deeply. This is not new territory for me, but I’ve never had someone like Ryan in my life to miss like this, and it’s making me feel off kilter a bit.
The car stops and the driver moves around to open the door.
Shoulders back, head held high, and one more deep breath, I step out of the town car and onto the sidewalk.
The logo for tonight’s benefactor is plastered along the backdrop, but I don’t recognize the Latin words along the logo.
It’s not that I don’t believe in philanthropy; I absolutely believe in giving back.
I don’t believe in going to events only to be seen and keeping track of who else is and is not on the invite list. I have no interest in the social games my parents play, nor where my standing is in the eyes of elite society.
But I have been trained and trained well.
I smile and pause, counting slowly to ten before moving on. I’m almost through the step and repeat when one of my mother’s assistants chases me down, whisking me away to the main ballroom where—oh, look, more press—my parents are having their photos taken.
I opt to avoid my mother and Bunny Lockwood, and much to the assistant’s disappointment, head to the bar instead.
I’m waiting for my Diet Coke when I feel eyes on me.
Leaning on my training, I casually assess the room, appearing to admire décor when I’m actually mapping out exits and any visible threats.
I don’t know whose eyes are on me. It’s that chilling feeling when the hairs on the back of your neck stand up.
I turn back to the bar just as a hand snakes around my midsection, and I’m pulled against a firm chest.
I’m expecting to see Stuart Lockwood when I whip around with fury in my eyes, but instead, I yelp with delight.
“What are you doing here?” I ask him as I reach up and wrap my arms around his neck.
Ryan leans down and encircles me firmly in his arms. “I tried to be present at the meetings and do my job. I promise, I tried. But it all felt wrong.” He kisses me below my ear as he quietly speaks so only I can hear.
“I couldn’t stay in Forrest Falls knowing you were going to be facing your parents and the social vultures alone.
I know you said you could do this on your own, and I’m sorry if I overstepped, but I don’t want you to have to do this on your own.
Not anymore, Lo. If you want me to be a silent attendee and give you space, I will. But I wanted to be here for you.”
I wipe away a rogue tear that managed to escape before leaning back and smiling up at him. “I don’t want you to be here for me, I want you to be here with me. And honestly, I’m so incredibly glad you’re here. It might actually turn out to be a tolerable evening.”
“Wow, Harlow, you look amazing.” Ryan steps back slightly as his eyes run up and down my body. “That dress looks like it was made for you.”
“It actually sort of was, but thank you,” I admit before my brain comes back online. Ryan is in a dark blue tuxedo, and I should not be held responsible for any of my thoughts or actions when I am in his vicinity and he looks that good.
“You look incredible.” I have a much more extensive vocabulary, but right now, that is the best I can do. His thick dark hair is expertly styled, the slight stubble peppering his face looks delicious, and his piercing blue eyes are gleaming with delight as I check him out.
“Careful, Dr. Lane. I’ll have to require a thorough private exam and whisk you away from here prematurely.” He tries to sound serious, but the corners of his mouth tip up in a smile he’s fighting.
“Don’t tempt me with a good time, Mr. Callahan,” I tease back. He puts his hand around my back and pulls me to him as I place a hand on his chest. “I’m so happy you’re here, Ryan. Really, I can’t … I can’t even express how much it means to me. I know those meetings were important.”
Mandatory. That’s what he had called them, but he waves away my concern.
“I was going to butt heads with the chairman of the board whether I was there today or not, and to be honest, I’ve been talking to Jack and Wells a bit.
I don’t know what it means moving forward, but I know in my gut there is only one place I belong tonight. ”
“With me,” I say quietly but confident that’s what he’s saying.
“Yes, Lo. With you. Always with you.” He kisses my forehead one more time before turning to face the rest of the room. “Now, where are your lovely parents? I think we should get this show on the road. I wouldn’t want to be accused of being untoward.”
I laugh as we walk through the room. Ryan then explains how he quite literally got here, once again borrowing Jack’s jet—well, sort of.
“Wells was coming to D.C. for a meeting tomorrow, so I asked if he wouldn’t mind coming a day early.
He started monitoring Tinsley’s caffeine again, so I think she would have paid me to get him out of her hair early. ”
Wellington Sinclair is Jack Callahan’s best friend and business partner—and Tinsley’s older brother.
Wells and Jack started Lux, which is now a multi-billionaire dollar streaming company.
After Tinsley’s attack last month, Wells has been flying back to Forrest Falls as much as possible, and I know he’s been driving his sister a bit nuts in the process of being overprotective.
Given the trauma they both went through, it’s understandable, but Tinsley is not one for people to dote on her, or monitor her caffeine intake.
She might love coffee even more than Vivian.
“How is Wells doing?” I ask as we mingle and slowly get closer to where my parents are holding court.
“It’s good that he’s distracted by work, and Jack staying put while Tinsley recovers is adding more to his plate, but that’s probably okay for right now.
” Ryan lowers his voice. “We had an interesting conversation on the flight here. In an ironic turn of events, he was invited to this event tonight but didn’t know anyone coming, so he wasn’t going to attend.
” That’s not surprising. If a billionaire has even an ounce of interest in whatever cause they are fundraising for tonight, I’m sure they were invited.
The list is exclusive, but there are under one thousand billionaires in the country, and less than a dozen in the D.C. area.
“Does Wells have an interest in … whatever this event is for?” I wave vaguely around the room.
“I don’t think so, but the foundation has an arm that’s doing some work to preserve the rainforest, and I guess there’s a new documentary series that Lux is doing which features it somehow.
Wells didn’t really know, but he remembered the invitation because, well, he’s Wells.
” With an IQ of one-sixty-two, Wells is an actual genius, so it doesn’t surprise me that he remembered the invite.
A small bubble of laughter escapes me as I turn back to Ryan. “Did you ask him to come?”
“No, why?” Ryan tilts his head while I nod toward the press going wild for someone outside.
I smile back at him. “Because he just arrived.”
However, my smile is quickly diminished as my mother and Bunny step up to us.
“Harlow, my dear, you look lovely,” my mother says loud enough for others to hear, and I lean down to kiss her cheek, just close enough to hear her say, “You really should have looked into that low carb diet I emailed you about. You really don’t help yourself, do you?”
I immediately step back and closer to Ryan, who instinctively wraps an arm around my hip, holding me to him. My mother sees all of this and doesn’t miss a beat. “We haven’t had the pleasure, hello. I’m Astor Morgan-Lane, Harlow’s mother. And you are?”