Page 30 of Meant to be Mine

I took a sip. The champagne was cold and crisp and I felt the tiny bubbles tickle my nose. “It’s wild how much I feel like a teenager, going to the prom I never got to go to.”

“Oh yeah, I forgot about that. Jared Daniels stood you up that night, that prick.”

I shook my head. “Yeah, while you were out having the time of your life with Lucy Lambert.”

Drew snorted a humorless laugh. “Time of my life. She drank so much on the way to the dance that I spent the whole night holding her hair back while she threw up. I did not get back the deposit on the limo. I can tell you that.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. “That makes me feel slightly better about that painful memory. Sounds like neither one of us had a prom.”

“You know what?” he said and raised his glass. “Tonight’s your prom. How about that?”

I laughed softly. “Sure,” I said. “Okay. Tonight’s my prom.”

“I mean it. You’re in the dress. There’s a limo.” He shrugged. “We don’t have to tell anyone. It’s just for us.”

“I’m a little old for prom,” I said.

“Better late than never.”

I touched my glass to his and took a slow sip. Prom night with Drew was always the dream. And it was all coming true.

The limo pulled up to the club a full hour before guests were expected to arrive. That had been Drew’s plan from the start—get there early, walk the space, make sure everything was exactly where it needed to be before the first car rolled up. As much as this felt like a fun night out, we were both technically hosting this event.

The valet opened my door and I stepped out carefully, conscious of the heels. Drew was there before I had to think about it, hand extended. I took it. He helped me out and then held my hand just a beat longer than necessary before letting go.

“Ready?” Drew asked.

“Yep,” I said.

We walked in together. I stopped in the doorway of the main dining room.

The last time I’d stood in this space, it had been filled with bright afternoon light and covered in white linen. This was not that room anymore.

The overhead lighting had been dimmed and the chandeliers I’d barely noticed during the daytime walkthrough were doing serious work now, casting soft halos across the whole space. The tables had been pushed to the perimeter, and the center of the room had been cleared entirely. A dance floor had been set up.

Flowers were everywhere. Along the far wall, the glass doors stood open to the patio, and beyond them the ocean glittered dark and silver in the distance. The string lights continued outside, running along the railing and down toward the sand.

I stood there and didn’t say anything for a moment. It was beautiful. I had helped plan this and I still hadn’t been able to picture what it would actually look like when it came together.

“It really does feel like a prom,” I said finally.

“Yeah,” he said. “It kind of does.”

The room was empty. The staff hadn’t started circulating yet. The bartenders were setting up at the far end. A few people from the event team were making final adjustments to the flower arrangements and checking the placement of the name cards at the tables along the perimeter.

“Promise me a dance later,” he said. It wasn’t quite a question.

“Yes,” I said.

“Good.”

Then his phone buzzed in his pocket and the moment was over. He pulled it out, glanced at the screen, and was immediately back in business mode, already moving toward the bar area with the phone at his ear.

I exhaled slowly and looked around the room one more time.

Better late than never.

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