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“Kasey and I are attending a charity event tomorrow night. Black tie and all the fancy shit that entails. It’s to support a few animal shelters around the city. I have it on good authority our favorite life and style reporter will be covering the event for the paper,” Donovan tells me.
My pulse is already racing with the idea of seeing Abigail. I’m not sure if going to an event she’s working is the best plan ever, but desperate times call for desperate measures, and I’ve never felt more so. Hopefully I’ll be vindicated with a positive drug test by then.
What a weird thing to wish for.
“I fucking knew it,” I whisper to myself the next day when the nurse at the clinic Aiden set up for me gives me the results of the drug screen. Positive for Rohypnol. Son of a bitch. Now I need to figure out who had it in for me so bad they would have drugged me. I was only in Charleston for a couple of days, for fuck’s sake.
On my way back to my apartment to get ready for the event, I call Donovan.
“Hey, brother. What did the test say?” he asks when he answers my call.
“Positive. Someone fucking drugged me.” I feel vindicated and so damn angry at the same time.
Donovan whistles out a breath. “Shit. What are you going to do?”
That’s the million-dollar question, isn’t it? I could call Abigail right now and tell her, but I don’t know if she’ll believe me without seeing the proof, and right now, she won’t let me anywhere near her.
“I’ll be coming tonight with the test results. Hopefully if she sees them, she’ll at least let me talk to her and maybe hear me out instead of shutting me out.”
“Okay then. And if that doesn’t work?”
“I will do whatever it takes to make her see that I’m not the man she thinks I am. I’ve spent my entire adult life not caring about people’s opinions, not wanting to get involved with a woman and be beholden to her, but I’ll be damned if I let her slip away. She’s it, and I’m going to prove to her that she’s worth the fight. I love her. It’s as simple and complicated as that.”
“That’s exactly what I wanted to hear. I have your back, brother.” Donovan sounds proud of my answer. I don’t fault him for wanting to make sure I have every intention of not giving up on Abigail. His woman is her best friend, and I know Kasey is fiercely protective of those she loves. He’s not about to go to bat for me if he isn’t one-hundred-percent sure my feelings for Abigail are the real deal.
“I’ll see you tonight.” Donovan hangs up when I’m almost back at my apartment.
Nervous energy is coursing through me as I put on my tux. I have to redo the tie three times before I have it right, and even then I feel as though I’m going into this thing naked and completely unprepared. Abigail could very well take one look at me and decide too much has happened and not give me a chance to show her the proof that I was drugged. Regardless of the why or how I ended up in the closet with that bridesmaid, the fact remains it happened. I’m not sure if she’ll be able to see past that. Sure, she may not hate me anymore, but that’s still a far cry from her wanting to be with me for real and not some fake bullshit that was never really fake to get her family off her back.
When I enter the ballroom where the charity event is being held, I spot my brother and Kasey right away, talking to the mayor. Looking around for Abigail, I don’t see her, so I decide to say hello to Donovan. The mayor shakes my hand in greeting and excuses himself.
“Thank goodness. I was getting tired of him trying to talk my ear off about all the things I should be doing for my hometown now that I’m in office. As if I didn’t know.” Donovan rolls his eyes and takes a sip of champagne.
“Oh, poor Senator Hayes.” Kasey giggles next to him. “And you thought shaking hands and kissing babies was over.”
Donovan leans into her ear and growls something just loud enough for her to hear. Kasey instantly blushes and lightly smacks him in the chest.
“Behave,” she tells him.
He smiles and winks at her before turning to me. “Have you seen Abigail yet?”
I shake my head no and look around the ballroom again, trying to spot her.
“Jackson, Donovan told me what happened. I’m so sorry someone did that to you. Do you have any idea who it was?”
“Not yet. Honestly, I’ve been thinking about how to get Abigail to talk to me more than trying to figure out who the asshole was that roofied me,” I tell her.
Just then, I see a flash of red hair in a stunning floor-length green dress. My breath hitches in my throat as Abigail and I lock eyes. Hers are wide in shock at seeing me here, then they quickly glance behind me. Anger washes over her features as she starts to walk over.Here goes.I take a steadying breath and reach for the paper in my pocket, ready to show her the proof of what happened that night, but she breezes past me. Turning around, I see the person she’s gunning for.
Davis fucking Callaway.
When she reaches him, her jaw is tight and her posture stiff as she barks something at him. I’m too far away to hear what she said but decide to quickly remedy the situation.
Without giving my brother or Kasey another glance, I casually walk up to Davis and Abigail, getting there just in time to hear Abigail tell him she doesn’t want to hear anything he has to say.
“Well, this is a surprise,” I start, glaring fire at Davis as he stands with his hands in his pockets, imploring Abigail with his eyes to hear him out. “I think you’re a ways from home, Callaway.” As soon as he sees me, his posture goes rigid.
“Hayes. This is a private conversation, so…” He tries to shoo me away with the flick of his hand. The fucking balls on this guy. I cross my arms and stay firmly planted where I stand.
