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“I thought it was a contest to see who could come up with the right price,” Grayson argued. “Besides, I only wononething.”
“Mom was so pissed at you.”
“We all enjoyed that boat,” Grayson grumbled.
“Perhaps we should do this gala more than once a year.” Alexander rubbed his chin. “The fundraising committee is estimating twenty percent higher donations this year over last.” When he scanned the crowd this time, I assumed he was counting heads.
“I don’t see Luna.” Uncle Alexander tried to hide his relief, but it was there, lurking beneath his fake surprise.
At this exact moment, Luna was upstairs getting ready, so she was most definitely going to be in attendance, but she’d also make her entrance from the top of the grand staircase. Which would make it very clear she was here asmyguest.
“It’s probably for the best,” Alexander said.
He must have seen the irritation on my face.
“It’s just the optics,” Uncle said. “She’s a defense attorney, helping criminals get off.”
I glowered at him.
He squared his shoulders. “Having the daughter of a killer at a charity that benefits victims of violent crimes would be a bad look.”
“Luna is not responsible for the crimes of anyone else, including her father. Even if heisguilty of murder, that’s not on her.”
Alexander sighed. “Hunter, I’m not trying to be disagreeable. I’m sure she’s a very delightful young woman.”
“But you think she should be shunned from society because of something her father was accused of.”
“Her showing up to this event could leave a stain on the charity. It could be misconstrued by some as being insensitive to the victims of violent crimes.”
I couldn’t decide which I was angrier about: what my uncle said or the fact he might be right—people might be highly offended if they knew who Luna was and that she was here at tonight’s gala.
“If people get upset, donations might decline,” Alexander said. “And the victims of violent crimes are going to be the ones to pay the price.”
Was I in the wrong here? Was I being a complete asshole, putting Luna’s needs above the possible backlash with the charity?
I did not want to hurt the victims of violent crimes; I was the one who founded this charity, for God’s sake. Not Alexander. Alexander’s interest only sparked when the charity began to hit headlines—a shining light on the good that the Lockwoods were doing after the tragedy that had plagued our family.
But I started this charity to help people. I didn’t start it to run it as a PR campaign, to make decisions on what might look good or bad in the press.
And someone—someone—in this world needed to prioritize Luna’s emotional needs.
Once she’d learned what the gala was for, it had taken a lot of convincing on my part to get her to agree to show up tonight. She was insecure, terrified of what people would think. It was why she avoided a lot of things in life, isolating herself from society and, I suspected, relationships.
And just when she was finally brave enough to come, Alexander was reinforcing that very fear of her not being accepted.
Maybe I couldn’t be everything to her.
But maybe I could fulfill one very important purpose in her life: to help give her the confidence to stand tall among those who wanted to tear her down. Because, as I had told Luna before she started getting ready, she deserved to be here just as much as anyone else. And she had nothing to be ashamed of.
Someone needed to send that message to the rest of society, so why not start tonight? And who better to send that message than me?
I was Hunter Lockwood. I’d spent years parading around in social circles, acting aloof—it was what I was known for in the blogs and the online tabloids that would run stories about me. The unapproachable, impenetrable Hunter Lockwood, the serial dater.
Many wondered if I would ever settle down and, if so, what “lucky” woman would land my elusive attention.
I couldn’t solve all of Luna’s problems, but I was going to make a statement to everyone in this room—of just how much worth Luna Payne had in this world by linking her arm with mine and showing them she was the queen of this ball.
Grayson cleared his throat loudly, and I followed his gaze to the grand staircase.
