Zach reaches for me immediately, his hand warm over mine.
“We can’t let that set the tone,” he says gently.
“I know,” I murmur. “I know.”
I swallow.
“It’s just… the first real moment of it.”
Of what this is going to be. Of what it means.
“And it’s only going to get worse after the gala tomorrow,” I add quietly.
The words settle heavy in the car.
Elijah’s voice cuts through it.
“If you don’t want to go,” he says, measured, controlled, “we don’t have to.”
I shake my head immediately.
“No.”
There’s no hesitation in me this time.
“We’re going,” I say firmly. “This is important. For Zach. For Evelyn.”
I glance at him.
“I already told her we’d be there.”
And more than that...
“This is where we step into it,” I add. “Properly.”
Where we stop hiding. Where we stop waiting. Where we let it be what it is.
Elijah watches me for a moment. Long enough that I feel it. Long enough that something in my chest tightens slightly.
Then he nods once.
“Security is already arranged,” he says. “Our guys are coordinating with the venue. It’s private property. Controlled access. Media will be managed.”
Of course it will. He’s already thought of everything.
“There won’t be any issues.”
I nod.
“I know.”
And I do. I trust that. I trust him.
But even with that, there’s still a flicker of unease sitting low in my chest.
Not enough to stop me. Not enough to change anything. But enough to remind me, this isn’t going to be easy. Not at first, not while everything is still fresh. Not while the world is still catching up to what we are.
I lean back slightly in my seat, my hand drifting to my stomach again. Feeling the quiet shift of everything inside me. Inside my life. Inside us.
