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“Yes.”
“But, why?”
A light hand lands on my shoulder and I turn to find Elle.
“Because they are the villains, love.”
I’m not sure whether to be hurt they spilled my secret or … or …
“All we need is your yes,” Darcy reminds me. “And everything would be cleared with you and Christian before I ran a story anyway.”
I don’t even need to think about it. “Yes.” And with that one word, the weight I’ve been carrying around, the worry and stress andpressureit just … it disappears. Maybe we’ll do something with the information, maybe we won’t. They tried to blackmail him and that’s not something they’ll want to get out.
“I need to see him,” I say, heart feeling like it might burst. “Where the hell is my man?”
“Come with me.” Elle takes my hand, and I finally notice the pale pink suit she’s wearing. It’s perfectly tailored, all severe lines and pinched waist, and looks amazing on her.
“Where did you get that?” I ask, because it’s not the dress she showed me she’d be wearing.
“I’ve recently met an extremely talented designer who made it specially for me.” She steps onto the small platform that we’ll be auctioning things from later and tugs me up after her.
“What are you …”
“Excuse me!” a voice bellows, and I turn in time to spot two people who could not look more out of place.
Xander, with his periwinkle blue hair, is waving people aside while Seven, with his red hair, piercings, and neck tattoos, rolls something out from the back of the room to the platform where we’re standing.
The hiss and rattle of levers distracts me and I glance toward the noise, finding an enormous backdrop unfurling behind us. The wordsforever and alwaysare painted surrounded byflowers, cakes, and an ice castle. And dotted in between them are tiny, colorful kites.
I bite my lip and throw a suspicious look Elle’s way. “What’s all this?”
“This is all Christian.”
A throat clearing is amplified in the room and Gabe joins us on stage. His six-foot-four bulk has been squeezed into a suit, and he lifts a hand to the room. Silence falls, and he unleashes an easy, dimpled smile.
“Ladies and gentle fools, thanks a bunch for coming. I know you’re all here to give generously, but before we get into all that, we want to divert your attention for a sec. Our amazing host thought, with all his friends and family gathered, it couldn’t be a more perfect time to do this. And so, let’s break some legs and get this show on the road.”
The band starts up again, playing a soft, floaty tune as the lights in the ballroom dim until only the giant chandeliers are on. Xander appears first, at the head of the carpet they rolled out, and he walks along throwing glitter at the people on either side. Seven follows him, then Rush, then Madden, who blows kisses and throws out winks for anyone who’ll look.
But I’m not.
Looking.
Not anymore.
Because right behind them, arm hooked through Agatha’s, is Christian. He’s got his bashful expression turned up to a thousand, blush visible even from a distance, and as Agatha walks him toward me, my heart claws its way up into my throat, and I thinkI’m not falling anymore.
His friends gather around me, and when he reaches the platform, tugging at his collar, bright blue eyes shining with the types of emotions I’m feeling, I’m drunk on the sight of him.
It’s been entirely too long since I last got to check him out.
His mouth forms the wordheyand mine follows on ahi.
Elle kisses my hand she’s still clinging to, then she holds it out at the same time as Agatha reaches Christian’s forward. His hand slots into mine, and I’m home.
He trips onto the stage, because, of course he does, and it warms me to the core. His blush, his muffledfuck, the way his hand tightens over mine.
“Never change,” I whisper.
