“Whereisthat handsome boyfriend of yours?—”
“I’m right here!” Lawson appears as though out of the blue, and honestly, I’ve never been so glad to see the asshat. Emerson, too, judging by the shine in her eyes when he pulls her in against his side. “Anywhere my pookie goes, I follow. Now, if you’ll excuse us. We’re needed backstage.”
Lawson successfully escorts Emmy away from the furor with the rest of us on their heels, close enough to hear when she questions him with a popped eyebrow. “Pookie? Seriously?”
He looks down at her with a barely suppressed grin. “Would you prefer I revert to sugar tits?”
She snorts a laugh as we get to the edge of the foyer, coming to a stop at a door leading backstage.
“This is where we part ways.” I twist about to the group. “Zane, you’ll escort everyone to their theater seats. I’ll accompany Miss Hart and Mr. Wilde and meet you once they finish their segments. They’re due on stage to present the lifetime achievement award to Mimi Harper in the next—” I check my watch, realizing we’ve lost more time than I thought on the red carpet. “Fifteen minutes?Shit. Let’s go.”
Once Zane ushers everyone toward the theater, I take the lead, using the codes supplied by the event coordinators to gain access to the backstage area with Emmy at my back and Lawson drawing up the rear.
“I need to use the restroom beforehand.”
I glance back, eyes flittering between Lawson and Emmy, before looking around the space. “If memory serves, there’s one just ahead. But you’ll need to be quick.”
We move off again, coming to the restroom thirty seconds later. Once I’ve given it a quick look over, guaranteeing there’s no one else inside, Emmy rushes past me, returning only moments later with a nod. “I’m good. Let’s go.”
We reach the stage managers’ area, and The Yardley staff converses with the two actors as I stand off to the background before they steer them toward the stage.
I move to follow, only to be met with a hand on my chest as a woman half my size looks up at me. “You’ll need to wait here, sir. The stairwell isn’t large enough to accommodate more than three people at a time.”
Emerson glances back, her feet stopping when she sees I haven’t followed. Fear rises in her eyes, making my chest pang with the need to take control of the situation. To keep her in my sight at all times.
“Is it okay if I watch from the side as they present?”
The woman drops her hand with a shrug. “So long as you leave immediately after, I don’t see why not.”
I shoot Emmy a reassuring smile, calling after her. “I’ll be right behind you.” Then I watch with a helpless feeling churning in the pit of my stomach as she steps out of my line of sight for the first time in days.
EMERSON
The audience’s applause is almost deafening as Lawson and I make our way out to the center of the stage. He surreptitiouslysqueezes my hand between his, shooting me a wink before we reach the designated spot to face us both toward the waiting cameras.
As Lawson reads from the teleprompter, I glance stage right, back in the direction we’d come from, and my nerves instantly settle when I see Ford watching us. And when he raises his hand to tap his tattooed chest, a smile overtakes my entire face, accompanied by a flush of sheer pleasure.
When my arms couldn’t hold you, my heart always held you close.
Lawson pointedly pinches my pinkie, and I refocus my entire attention on the teleprompter.
“And who better to share tonight with than my very own Wilde man and co-star, Lawson Wilde.”
The audience applauds their approval as Law picks up where I left off.
“I guess we could say you’ve always been…WildeatHart.”
Laughter follows even as I groan internally at the ridiculously lame choice of puns, grateful to get down to the important stuff.
“We are thrilled to present the Lifetime Achievement Award to a lady who I’ve emulated since I was a little girl. Someone I look up to and who has helped shape this industry for women like me. For little girls with big dreams everywhere.”
I pause for dramatic effect, allowing the audience to hang on every beat before announcing, “Ladies and gentlemen, the exceptional…Mimi Harper.”
The woman of the hour enters from the opposite side of the stage, her feet making a direct beeline for me to take me into a warm embrace.
“She’d be so proud of you, Emerson, dear.”
Mimi’s words in my ear make tears prick my eyes, and all I can do is hold her tighter for a moment before allowing her to accept her award from Lawson.
