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Gripping her arm, he rubbed the tender flesh of her thumb, and heat pooled inside. He leaned closer to meet her gaze, and the flecks of gold in his green eyes sparked like flames.
“That’s a cop-out. You can choose to trust me, choose to have faith in us and how much I love you. You know I have never been a bad guy and that our love is the most real thing that has ever existed. Stop being so scared.”
His mouth was on hers before she could think, and every emotion she had swirled in her chest. She loved him more than she thought she could but was still terrified it was a lie. Letting him possess her at least one more time was worth the pain she might feel later.
Ending the kiss, he rubbed his thumb along her bottom lip.
“I’ll see you tonight. You can confront Mariah or not. But I will get her to admit she lied. And then you’ll have to decide whether you can be with me, even if Parker never accepts the truth. But if we’re together, I expect your full faith in me.”
Unable to speak, dazed from the kiss and his declaration of love, she watched as he strode away. What should she do? What should she believe?
Was she just scared? Or was she making the very mistake that Parker warned her about? Either way, she was going to get to the bottom of it tonight.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Hannah applied athick coat of waterproof mascara to her lashes and gave herself one more look in the mirror. She was certain of only one thing: no one was going to recognize her tonight in this knee-length, emerald-green silk sheath cocktail dress. Aside from the fact that the last time she wore a fancy gown was for her senior prom, something else was different tonight. She was tired of being quiet. She was going to confront Mariah and then tell Parker she didn’t care what he believed.
Deep down, she knew Conner was telling the truth, and she couldn’t deprive herself of being with him. Tonight started out about serving her community and making others see what was right in front of them: a piece of property in need of attention, underserved kids in the community in need of a safe place to go. But this project became more about her acknowledging what and who she wanted in her life. She didn’t need to follow every footstep of her mother’s to be close to her—in fact, she suspected her mom would enjoy watching her stand up for herself tonight.
Conner deserved someone who would believe in him, stand by him, and love him back, and she was going to be that person.
The vendors and volunteers had been so proficient she had time to run home, shower, get dressed, and return to the venue thirty minutes before it started. The red carpet was ready, complete with several local newspaper photographers and her student volunteers. Cocktails and apps would be circulated for the first hour while guests arrived and browsed the auction items. A large screen above the makeshift stage displayed all the kids from the community center and services the center provided with the help of generous donations.
Later, the attendees would have a chance to bid on the auction items over a sit-down dinner, followed by dancing and raffle announcements throughout the night. That would be her real chance to work the crowd for donations. There were several D.C. elites planning to attend: politicians, local sports team owners, hoteliers, and other investors who all needed tax write-offs or evidence of their charitable gifts. At some point, she would run into Mariah and have it out with her, once and for all.
Inside the warehouse, she found the waitstaff bustling around, and everyone dressed to impress in all black. Several of her student volunteers commented on how beautiful she looked. Within the hour, the warehouse was packed. There were people everywhere, and the crowd was energized to walk through the auction and take pictures at several pop-up selfie locations the students set up inside.
But Hannah didn’t see her family or Conner by the time cocktail hour ended, and she had to get on stage to announce the auction would begin once everyone found their seats.
“Hello, everyone, and welcome to our first ever First Responder Gala,” she said with as much confidence as she could project, staring out into the room of three hundred guests. “I wanted to start by saying thank you to the city council for agreeing to let us host the event here and the chiefs of all three first responder departments for volunteering your people. So far, we have raised enough money to fund a much-needed upgrade to the current community center on Rowe St., but let’s see if we can’t push that goal higher and fund a brand-new community center for the kids here.”
The crowd erupted with cheers and applause, and she was careful not to look at the city council members’ reactions yet. Instead, she turned over the microphone to a retired auctioneer who’d volunteered to assist. There were fifty items up for grabs, and she was excited to see how they sold. The first few items involved local box seats at different theaters and sports arenas, and those went for much higher amounts than she had earmarked.
Looking out in the crowd, she found her father and Parker seated with the chief of the fire department, and they all had their respective dates with them. The photographer from the calendar shoot sat in the seat next to Parker. Before Hannah could spot Conner, a beautiful brunette walked up with Rory Maguire.
“Hannah Paletti, right? You’re the mastermind behind this amazing event?” the woman asked and stuck out her hand.
“Yes, and you’re the White House press correspondent?” She recognized her instantly.
Rory smiled. “Hannah. It’s nice to see you again.” He leaned in and gave her a warm hug. “This is my fiancée, Ainsley. She’s very eager to get an exclusive interview with you.”
“Oh, I would be happy to.” They all stepped away from the stage as the auction kicked into high gear.
“Excellent! My news crew is just out front, and it’ll only take a few minutes. We just want to get a quick readout from you on your goal for tonight.” Ainsley linked her arm with Hannah’s and led her to the exit.
Rory followed like an armed escort. Finally, she caught a glimpse of Conner sitting at a table with an empty seat next to him and no sign of Mariah. Maybe she stood him up? But Hannah lost sight of him as they moved beyond the seated portion of the venue.
Outside, the air was crisp, and sure enough, there were several news crews along the red carpet.
“Oh, wow, I didn’t realize there was going to be real press here tonight,” Hannah said.
Ainsley smiled and walked her to the middle of the red carpet in front of a young man with a mohawk and a camera on his shoulder. The man handed Ainsley a mic and a light flashed onto them.
“Okay, I’m just going to announce where we are and then ask you about the event and why it’s an important cause. If you have a website or somewhere people can donate, we can post that when our spot airs tonight and tomorrow,” Ainsley said. She was so sweet and professional at the same time.
“Great.” Hannah held her clipboard awkwardly in front of her and straightened her shoulders.
“Tonight I’m at the Wharf Warehouse on Waterman that has undergone an impressive facelift for a very special event. One of D.C.’s own first responders has led the charge on this fundraiser to upgrade the local children’s community center in District 7, and she has a plan to fund a new one. Hannah Paletti, tell us why this means so much to you and what we can do to support the children of D.C.,” Ainsley rattled off her polished speech.
