“I’m not sure. I might have to be in Houston earlier than planned.”
“We have time to work it out. Wherever you’re going to be for the holidays, I will be there with you.”
Avery sighed. It would come out, eventually. She would tell her grandma that it hadn’t worked out and she was all right. When deep down, she felt hollowed out, like she was going through the motions. And she didn’t for one second believe she would ever be okay again.
She felt like she couldn’t breathe without him.
She’d found that tee shirt she had worn one night after they’d had sex packed in her belongings. Somehow it had made it in with her clothes. And she had slept in it the last two nights.
“I’m sorry, Grandma, but I’ve got to get down to the charity auction to go over all the last-minute details. I love you. Talk to you soon.”
“I love you too, my dear. Have a fabulous night with your young man.”
“Uh huh. Bye,” she replied and hung up. Avery inhaled a few steadying breaths. She rose and checked herself over in the full-length mirror.
Ballgown on and zipped everywhere. Shoes on. Hair all pinned in the updo. Makeup complete, including lipstick. She had her small clutch purse with her phone, cash for the bar, and keys to her place.
For an event like this, she always had to run through her mental checklist.
Avery left her place and took the elevator down to the ballroom on the second floor. One of the advantages to owning the hotel was that she had the penthouse on the top floor, along with a bevy of people who ran the place for her. It was one of the properties she had inherited from her parents. That also made it easier to host this event each year, since the overheads for it were minimal.
In the ballroom, she went and did a final check with all the servers, the bartenders, and wait staff. She spoke with the caterer, and the orchestra conductor, and found Lorne Dane and his assistants, since his accounting firm was helping manage the silent auction. There were stations set up around the room with people placing their bids.
They were all people she knew—the movers and shakers not just of Las Vegas, but from around the world. There was even some British royalty in the audience. Avery made her way around the room, thanking the guests for coming, for the prize donations. She did her part as a Morgan.
When it was time for her to address the audience, she headed to the stage and was greeted with applause. With the spotlight on her, she began to speak about the foundation.
“This foundation was started by my late father more than twenty-five years ago. He and my mother were passionate about the field of science. They felt it was imperative that all children, no matter their zip code or level of income, should have access to STEM training.”
She addressed the room, familiar with public speaking, and gave nods to all the donors by name, glancing around the room until she spied them. As her gaze moved around the room, she saw the ballroom doors open and almost dropped the microphone.
Her hands shook as she put the mic back on its stand and continued her speech, her gaze riveted to the man in the room with the ivory Stetson. Her mind traveled at the speed of light. And the heart she had worried had died in a cabin three days ago let her know it was still alive and kicking as it raced inside her chest at the sight of him.
What was he doing here?
Colt entered the ballroom not really sure what to expect. The last few days since Avery left the cabin had been nonstop action, from booking his flight, to the hotel, and all the work he had wrapped up on the ranch. He’d ended up chartering a private jet because everything flying out of Denver to Vegas—everything—had been booked solid without a spare seat to be had. He had a room here at the Golden Duchess. It was nothing fancy, one of their basic hotel rooms, but it worked for him. When he had arrived last night, he had been in no mood for company, more concerned with seeing Avery again tonight. Worried that he had messed up his chance with her and that she would never forgive him.
That’s why, when he entered the grand ballroom and glanced at the stage, he felt like he had been kicked square in the gut by Tank. Avery stood front and center on stage, illuminated by a spotlight. Gone were the torn jeans and tank top, and the down to earth woman he’d come to expect. In their place was a fucking knockout. She wore a slim, form-fitting black and silver number that sparkled beneath the spotlight. The dark brunette hair normally worn so carelessly in a braid or ponytail was artfully arranged, and she wore makeup that made her eyes, those big doe eyes, appear even more hauntingly beautiful.
He stood still, transfixed, as he watched her address the crowd.
“In honor of them, and all future scientists, I want to thank you all for coming tonight. Get your bids in by ten, eat, drink, and enjoy the evening. Without further ado, I would like to introduce the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Maestro, take it away.”
The spotlight shifted to the orchestra and the dance floor as music began. It was a fast jazz number that blared through the ballroom. Avery descended the stairs from the stage, and Colt lost sight of her for a minute. He marched through the crowd, past full tables of people eating and laughing.
Nothing mattered but finding Avery.
They met at the edge of the dance floor. “Avery.”
She seemed to drink him in with her eyes, but then her gaze shifted and grew wary. “Colt, I didn’t think you’d come.”
“Dance with me.” He approached and circled her waist before she could refuse him.
He could see it in her eyes. She wanted to fight him. If they’d been alone, she would have. But she conceded with a tight nod and grim smile that didn’t reach her eyes. Colt didn’t waste time, pulling her out onto the dance floor just as the orchestra switched to a slow waltz.
“What are you doing, Colt? Why are you here?”
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry for what I said, and the way I acted. I need to explain.”
“I can’t do this right now.” She shook her head and wouldn’t look at him.
His heart hammered in his chest. “Please, before you turn me away, I need you to know something.”
“And what’s that?”
“I love you, Avery. And I know I have no right to ask—no, to beg—for your forgiveness. But if you would please hear me out, give me five minutes to explain… and if you find that you can’t forgive me after that, I’ll leave.”
“I can’t,” she said, her eyes swimming with unshed tears, and she pressed her lips together.
Defeat slammed into him. He was truly damned, and had destroyed the best thing that had ever happened to him. He started to release her, but she continued, “I can’t do this right now. If you could wait until the auction is over, then we can go to my place and talk. Will you wait?”
Hope gathered in his chest. She wasn’t turning him away yet. He swallowed past the lump in his throat and said, “For you, Avery, I’d wait until hell froze over.”
She gave him a tremulous smile. “Okay. There’s lots of food and drink. I need to go check on the caterer, and…”
He squeezed her waist and released her. “Go. I’m not going anywhere, except off the dance floor.”
“Thank you. I’ll find you as soon as it’s finished,” she said, and zipped away with that same energy that had drawn him to her from the first.