She eyes Roarke one more time, but he’s deep in conversation to his right.
“She gets me.” Eloise winks and then waves her finger between us. “Hannah meet my husband, Earl. He’s all ears on how he can help get young girls to believe they have a voice that needs to be heard.”
She speaks so close to what’s in my heart that you’d almost think she had a file on me. I have the urge to grab Roarke’s hand under the table, but I stop myself. Everything this woman is saying feels like it’s lifting the fog that’s been heavy in my brain all week. I don’t need a prince to save me, but I do need to trust that if things fail between us, I have the strength to pick myself back up.
I push the thought of Roarke to the side as I carry on a conversation with Earl and the other directors at the table about RISE and what we’re hoping to accomplish for the next half hour through dinner.
Roarke sits quietly, never interrupting me or trying to interject his own thoughts on the matters up for discussion. He doesn’t try to sell RISE to the table. In fact, if it wasn’t for the static electricity that stands my hair on end, I’d wonder if he was still there.
Our dinner dishes are cleared and dessert is about to be served.
“Excuse me, I believe the auction is going to start.” I hold my napkin in my hand, but Roarke gets up and slides my chair out for me. “Thank you.”
“Always.”
Our eyes meet for the briefest moment before I look away.
Although Eloise’s unsolicited advice is yet another warning that I’m being stupid, this is not the time to have this conversation.
He sits back down as I head to the podium once more to introduce the auctioneer.
For the rest of the night, RISE profits from more donated money than I thought possible. Roarke has stayed in the backdrop, silently supporting me. He doesn’t invade my space or make a scene. I make sure to say hello to my parents and take some time to thank all the speakers so they know how much I appreciate them donating their time. I schmooze some of the deep pockets in the room and everything goes off without a hitch.
I’ve just turned around from saying goodbye to Jasper and Lennon Banks with regrets they’ll miss the fireworks when I hear a tapping on the microphone.
“Excuse me.” Roarke’s deep timbre voice echoes through the tent.
I freeze in place—fear and excitement run through my veins as I wonder what he could be up to.
Everyone stops their conversations and grants him their undivided attention, but his eyes are solely on me.
“No, no, no,” I whisper as my cheeks heat.
“Who is that?” Lennon asks from beside me.
“Come on,” Jasper says to his wife, knowing they need to get back to their kids at the hotel, but she shrugs him off.
“Not a chance in hell I’m leaving now,” she says.
He steps up to her, and the three of us stand in a line.
“I thought this would be easy,” Roarke starts. “Since I’m used to pleading my cases in front of a judge most days. But this is so much more important than vacation timeshares, joint bank accounts, and retirement plans. This is my own future and this moment will decide whether I get the future I so desperately desire.” He pauses and swallows. “I love you, Hannah Crowley.”
Gasps sound off throughout the room and everyone turns my way. I try to push the thought of all these people away because he just told me he loves me for the first time and there is something that feels so right about that.
“From the first time I saw your picture, I had a gut feeling that you were the woman I’d been waiting a lifetime for.”
A few ahhs echo out from the women in the crowd.
“I don’t say that to be cliché, it’s true. I’ve always trusted my gut and it’s never steered me wrong. You learn from failure so even if it pushed me to something I failed at, I was okay with that. If it’s steering me wrong right now as I stand in front of this room with hundreds of eyes on me while I confess my love to a woman and she turns me down…I guess I’ll learn not to do it again. Not that I’d have to because there will only ever be you.”
Laughs ring out from the crowd.
“But I hope after I’m done with this speech, my little firecracker will let me guide her out onto that balcony and hold her while we watch real fireworks light up the sky. Because my arms are empty without you and my heart is hollow without your love. I miss you, Hannah. I know what we have is complicated and isn’t easy. Trust is hard in any relationship. But you took the chance and got to know the real me. That took courage, but I like to think you got something of a reward by taking that leap.”
He winks and smiles that charming one with all white teeth and bright eyes that wins everyone over. The room laughs again while I feel my face grow hotter.
“Our road may have started out bent in the wrong direction. We straightened it together and if it bends again at some point, I have faith in us that we’ll straighten it back out—together. I made you a promise that if we’re in this relationship, we walk side-by-side. I know you doubt that you’ll ever trust me because of your past. Well, I’m here with my hand out because we will walk that journey together, one day and one step at a time. Any branch that lays in our path, we’ll step over together. Do you get the common theme here?”
The room echoes with laughter again.
Chelsea has made her way over to us with a big smile.
“Isn’t he the cutest?” Lennon says to her.
“Who the hell is this guy?” Jagger Kale, an old friend, comes up on the other side of me. “He belong to you?” The disgust in his voice has me wanting to punch him in the gut.
“You get away from her,” Victoria tells him in her mom voice.
“Yeah, Jagger, don’t ruin the romantic moment,” his wife Quinn says. “Let’s remember you were the asshole at one point, too.”
“That was when I was clueless, and you hadn’t cast your spell over me yet.”
Quinn and Victoria pull him away and their conversation drifts away while I study Roarke.
He tucks his hands back in his pockets before he continues talking. “I’m making another promise to you, Hannah, and you know I don’t break my promises.”
My heart hammers in my chest as everyone’s gazes shift from him to me and back.
“I promise to be one hundred percent invested in our relationship. I promise to love you unconditionally. I promise to be patient with you when your past experiences creep up on you and make you think crazy things.” That one pulls a small smile out of me. “I promise to be the support you need by your side, but never cast a shadow over you. I promise that we will stand united, always.”
The room is silent except for the blood rushing to my head and the loud thumping of my heart. Roarke steps down from the podium, stalking over in my direction.
My throat dries as all eyes follow him until he stands in front of me.
“What do you say, Hannah? Can we give this thing between us a true shot and leave all the bullshit behind us?”
“Kiss him!” someone in the crowd screams and Roarke smiles back at them before turning to me.
“I’d make a promise that I’ll never disappoint you, but I don’t break promises. I can say I’d never do it deliberately. I mean if I bring home the wrong kind of milk or—”