Page 104 of Auctioned To Be Mine

The second we stepped off the runway, it was like being swallowed whole. They came from every direction. Mimi reached me first, both hands holding my face, her eyes bright with emotion. Drew clapped me so hard on the back I nearly dropped Victoria’s hand. Cleo was already crying as she hugged me, then Victoria. Dash pulled me into a brief, hard embrace and said something in my ear that I didn’t catch because Jeremy had appeared on my other side with two glasses of champagne.

I held on to Victoria’s hand through all of it. I wasn’t letting go. Ever. It made hugs difficult but she didn’t seem interested in pulling away from me, either.

She was laughing and had a huge smile on her face. Her cheeks were still flushed. I watched her take a sip of her champagne while she talked with Elizabeth. She fit into the chaos of them the way she always had. Like she’d always belonged there.

Beau materialized at my elbow. “I need to know if you practiced that little speech.”

“No.”

Beau looked at Victoria. “Did you know he was going to do that?”

“Absolutely not,” she said with a laugh. “I probably would have worn something else if I’d known I was going to be on that runway.”

“Even better.” He raised his glass. “Welcome to the family, officially.”

“Nobody asked you, Beau,” I said.

He grinned. “Nobody had to. I think Mom and Cleo are itching for another female in the ranks.”

Hollis appeared next, throwing his arms around me in a hug. Micah was already photographing everyone, documenting them moment. Mom walked into the chaos, slipping through the crowd with the kind of grace that made everyone else look like they were moving through concrete. She looked at me for a long moment like I had just received a grand prize. Then her gaze went to Victoria. She pulled us both in for a hug at the same time.

“I’m very proud of you,” she said quietly, close enough that only we could hear it. “Both of you.”

I had to look at the ceiling for a second. And then I saw my father. He was always the most popular guy in the room. He cut through the crowd.

“Callum,” he said.

“Dad.”

“Mr. Blackwell,” Victoria murmured.

Dad stared at both of us and then started laughing. “Good job,” he said. “And please, call me Max, Victoria. Looks like you’re going to be sticking around, and Mr. Blackwell is just a little too formal.”

“Thank you, Max,” she said.

The party had fully taken over the store. The runway was still lit. I watched a cluster of guests gravitating toward it. We had expected as much. A woman in a gold dress kicked off her heels and walked the length of it to scattered applause, phone held aloft, recording everything. Her companion followed, attempting a model turn at the end that nearly knocked her on her ass.

On the plus side, every video would hit social media before midnight. Every tagged post was another piece of advertising money couldn’t buy. The grand opening was two days away and the internet was going to do half the work for us. The videos would catch various angles of the store. The catering was provided by one of the vendors we were working with. It was all drumming up buzz for the store.

I grabbed two fresh glasses of champagne from a passing tray and handed one to Victoria. She took it and leaned into me slightly, just her shoulder against my arm. The knot that had been embedded in my gut finally loosened. I felt like I could actually breathe again.

“You okay?” I asked.

She tilted her head up at me. “Ask me again in ten minutes when the adrenaline wears off and I remember you just put a spotlight on me in front of a hundred famous people.”

“I thought it was a good plan.”

“It was absolutely insane.”

“Did it work?”

“That remains to be seen,” she said and took a sip of her champagne. “I might get used to the grand gestures. Be careful.”

We drifted through the crowd together. I kept my hand on her back as we made small talk with the guests. She greeted people easily, fielding questions about the charity. For someone who didn’t like being the spotlight, she was great talking to people.

“Can I ask you something?” I said, finding a quieter pocket near the window wall while the party swelled behind us.

She turned to face me. “Sure.”