Chapter 27
Chapter Twenty-Seven
She stayed with her mom until it was time for her to drive back up for her fundraiser. Marlowe and Lila had called multiple times to reassure her that everything was fine, and great and wonderful.
She’d spent a little bit of time discussing her planned speech with Lila. She’d had a plan before she and Walker had — well, whatever she might call it, before they’d imploded? — and she was sticking to that plan.
She’d intended to talk about the Grayson family and give him credit for the food and clothing pantry idea, but since some of it involved talking about the Graysons past, she’d wanted familial permission to do it.
Lila had been enthusiastic.
They all know where we came from. Feel free to talk about it. I hope it makes them all squirm a little bit sitting in fancy chairs on our ranch.
She kept going over and over the speech, and it felt a little robotic, but it was better than crying.
Addison felt…better, but in a strange way. Her heartbreak wasn’t better. But she felt like her mom’s care had pieced her back together in a very specific way she hadn’t experienced since childhood. Mended her in such a way that she could handle all this, at least for tonight.
It being the Painted Ridge Resort, of course everything was stunning.
The lawn at the resort was decorated for her big campaign speech, a sharp contrast to when the venue had been for her wedding, when she’d been left standing there, listless and without power.
She wasn’t powerless now. She was here on her own terms, even if she was sad.
She was going to stick with her plan. The thing she had been intending to surprise Walker with.
Anna was there, Denisha and Lydia had come from California, and so had her mom and Thomas.
Of course her dad and Linda had come early to help with any last-minute things she might need.
Jackson had come as her date, and he looked great in a suit, and almost the whole community was there—though, not Alan’s family.
Her mom and dad were even seated at the same table, with their respective spouses, and they had chairs between them that would be occupied by her and Jackson, but still, it was a pretty amazing sight.
Anna was running around, trying to make sure that service was ready to go. Madison was going to speak at the beginning, but only for a few moments. Because she knew that mainly people wanted to dance, eat, and socialize.
Plus, they had more than succeeded in putting together amazing raffle baskets donated by local businesses, and even some not-so-local businesses, thanks to the viral fame.
She and Anna had talked about having someone introduce her still, but Addison had decided she was better off doing it alone.
She stood at the back of the setup until everyone was seated. Then, wearing her white pantsuit, she walked down the aisle toward the podium. All by herself.
“Good evening, everyone,” she said, smiling out at the crowd with her very practiced political smile.
But then suddenly, she felt it fade. Along with the carefully planned speech she’d memorized.
This wasn’t the time for her to be practiced.
It wasn’t the time for her to be anything but honest. Which wasn’t the typical way for a politician to behave, but she didn’t want to be a politician.
She just loved her town. She loved Walker.
But she couldn’t have Walker, so she was going to put everything into this, into her community.
She wasn’t going to hold everyone at a distance, not anymore.
She was going to let them see that she wasn’t so perfect, wasn’t so polished, and if that ruined her campaign, it would just have to be ruined.
Addison could only be herself now.
She took a deep breath.
“I’m having kind of a hard evening, but I’m really appreciative that you’re all here.
It makes me feel supported, even though right now I kind of wish I were at home eating cookies and cream ice cream directly out of a pint.
” There was a little bit of laughter out in the crowd.
“But that’s life. That’s... it’s community, really.
That sometimes you’re down, and you know the people around you will pick you up when you fall.
That’s my vision for Mustang River. A community that picks each other up when we fall.
We support each other’s businesses, and you know that that’s been a major platform that I’ve been running on.
But I want to add more to it than that. I want to pursue opening up a new food bank and clothing bank, that’s set up more like a store, to provide for families in need while making sure that we protect their dignity.
That idea was given to me by Walker Grayson. ”
She took a sharp breath. “We’re on the Grayson family’s resort, so I know you know the Graysons.
The Graysons could have used that resource back then.
I went to school with them, and I remember the way that they were treated, and I can see now how differently people treat them now that they’re successful. ”
There was a slight, uncomfortable murmur.
“I’m guilty of it,” she continued. “I was mean to Walker in high school, and then what did I do when I got engaged? I made a reservation to get married at his ranch. But back then? Back then when he could have used some help, a friend, some kindness, I didn’t give that to him.
That kind of attitude is pervasive, and it isn’t gone now.
That isn’t the kind of community that I want us to be.
And I see a better way forward. Because of Walker.
Because of knowing him. Because even if he and I are not together now, it doesn’t mean that me being with him didn’t change me.
I know, you probably thought that if I was going to talk about a heartbreak it was going to be my wedding that didn’t happen.
But that’s not my heartbreak. Walker is.
But he’s also the most important person that has ever come into my life. Truly.”
She finally found the courage to look up, and then her stomach dropped to her feet. There he was, riding a horse up over the ridge, down toward the event.
She stepped away from the podium and started to walk down the aisle as he continued down on his horse, just as he’d done during her wedding.
“Sorry to interrupt your speech,” he said.
“That’s okay,” she said. “I was kind of off script.”
“I’d like to speak to you privately, actually.
” Then he bent down on his horse and lifted her up, seating her right in front of him.
Everyone was watching them, just like at the wedding.
But this was different. Very, very different.
“Since we’re doing the vulnerability in front of strangers thing...
I love you. So please don’t be heartbroken.
Please don’t cry because of me. I love you. ”
It was her dad who stood up first, and started clapping. Then, because Bob Carey stood up and clapped, so did everyone else. Tears streamed down Addison’s cheeks as Walker turned the horse away from the crowd. “She’ll be back,” he said, urging the horse onward.
She clung to the horse and let the wind blow through her hair, freedom in front of her, and Walker holding her close.
“I probably just really messed up my campaign,” she shouted. “And I don’t care.”
“I kind of care,” he said into her ear. “I think you’ll care later. But...I’m sorry. I had to come. And then I heard what you said.”
Her heart was thundering hard. “I hope you didn’t mind me talking about you.”
He pulled the reins tight, and dismounted, reaching up to take her hand and help her down, so that she was standing right in front of him.
They were by the river now, shaded by the trees.
“No. I’ve been sitting with this for days.
I just... I was afraid. Because you turned me into a version of myself that I don’t recognize.
It’s just exactly what you said, though.
You make me a better version of myself. I’m so...
I’m pissed off, honestly. I really thought that I had everything together.
I really thought that I didn’t have to heal.
I thought that I could just get stuff. Get money, get educated, feel better than everybody else, I didn’t think I actually had to let it go. ”
“Oh no,” she said, covering her mouth and trying not to laugh.
“I had to let that shit go,” he said.
Then he pulled her in for a kiss, hard and hot and blazing. “I had to let it go. Because my hands were so full of issues that I couldn’t hold you.”
“Oh, Walker. I love you so much.”
“I love you too. I’m sorry that I hurt you.”
“It’s okay.”
“It’s not okay. I was being a coward.”
“But I’ve been a coward too. It’s been thirteen years of us both being too scared to take what we want. To heal all the way. And now we get to. Now we just...we get to.”
“I want to marry you. I want to marry you here. And I’m not going to run away.”
“Okay. I’ll marry you.”
“Well then it better be great. Because if you’re going to plan a wedding to the love of your life, it damn well better be perfect.”
“Walker, when you’re marrying the love of your life the wedding is already perfect.”
“Do you want peacocks?”
“A flock of them.”
“Peacocks aren’t in a flock.”
“Then what are they?”
“An ostentation.”
“Oh.”
“Or a muster, or a pride.”
“Well, we have to have an ostentation,” she said, very seriously.
He smiled down at her. “Why?”
“Because it’s us, Walker.”
He threw his head back and laughed, and laughed, and it healed something in her that had broken a long time ago. She was herself, wholly, and that was how she found herself with the love her life.
With the man she should have been with all along.
He got back up on his horse, and reached down to her again. “Do you think we ought to get back to your campaign?”
“Sure. And after that we can ride off into the sunset.”
He pulled her up onto the horse, arms wrapped around her. “Sounds good to me.”
She smiled. “Uh oh, Walker. You told me not to fall in love with you. And I’m afraid I did.”
He stopped the horse, and turned her face toward him, and kissed her. “How did I get so lucky.”
This was the stuff of romance novels. The kind she’d never allowed herself to read, because deep down she’d always thought love like that was for other people, and she’d never wanted to ache for it. Had never wanted to long for something that could never be hers.
She’d been searching for perfect all her life.
Walker Grayson was her perfect.
Always and forever.