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I had a feeling only one person would fit and fill his life with happiness. But could he and Alley mend whatever tore them apart and grow as one in the future?
“What do you two want to drink?” Landon asked, yanking me from the worry running through my head.
Gyth dropped his arm from around me that he had left in place as we walked, once again putting his palm in mine and smiled. “Ladies first, what do you want, Sunshine?” he asked, just as Landon had.
“Just a glass of water,” I told them both. Gyth’s eyes took me in a little sadly and then changed to understanding. He knew how much I loved a good glass of wine, but with my medications, I had cut out all alcohol. He was very supportive, so his response next didn’t surprise me, but it did warm my heart.
Landon nodded, telling the bartender, and then addressed Gyth. “How about you, man?” he asked, turning his eyes on Gyth. “They do have some great beer choices here. It is a plus of dealing with a party like this,” he added, laughing.
“Just water for me too, thank you,” he told Landon.
Landon looked shocked and then his eyes softened, realizing why water was Gyth's choice this evening, his respect for Gyth clearly going up a notch. “Sure thing.” Then holding up two fingers, he told the bartender to make it two waters.
As Landon handed them off to us, Gyth took his in his left hand so he could keep his other entwined with mine. Just as I took a sip, I heard one of the band members speak into the microphone and ask for everyone’s attention. Then asked if Landon Abbott could come up and make a toast. My brother groaned from next to us and I felt like a real heel that he was the one who always had to put up the appearance and play nice to keep the face of our family.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered to my brother just as he went to walk away. I don’t know why I said it now, but it was eating at me. “You shouldn’t have to always be the one to take everything on.”
He stopped his retreat and took a couple of steps back to me. With a smile, he said, “It’s okay, Sis. I got this. You don’t need to worry about it.”
“But—” I didn’t get to finish, because Gyth broke in, thanking Landon himself. Knowing what he did and seeing himself tonight how my parents felt about me, their daughter, along with how they treated me, I suspected he wouldn’t want me doing anything for them. Or in their crossfire more than already took place.
Landon nodded his head in affirmation and turned, heading off to do what he did best. My brother, with his good looks and charm, could command a room. With his heart, he had everyone eating out of the palm of his hand. That made him a damn good lawyer. But I didn’t think he loved it, even if he was exceptional at it, and I was almost sure working with my father wasn’t what he dreamed of when he thought about his future. It was downhearted to think of him being miserable.
Landon’s calm, collected voice rang out over the crowded room of social-climbing snobs, a perfect facade of happiness masking his face as he asked everyone to raise their glasses and toasted my parents on another year of marriage.
When I glanced at my parents, their charm was in place, as my mother put her hand to her chest as though my brother hung the moon and my father smiled proudly. I suppose this was true for them in regard to my brother, he was the one of us that didn’t shame or embarrass them. Gushing, my mother looked every bit the part she portrayed herself to be.
It just was never what I needed her to be.
Once the speech was finished, the music resumed and I thought maybe Gyth and I could get a dance in and then sneak out. I just wanted to get to his house and spend time with him. But we hadn’t even got to the highlight of the evening yet and it was a doozy.
It had the strength to bring me to my knees and cry in the unfairness of it all.
As I pulled on Gyth’s hand and asked him to dance with me, my parents intercepted our path. Noticing this, Landon made a beeline towards us too.
Here we go again.
“Really, Summer?” my mother’s voice dripped with distaste. “You couldn’t even pick up a glass of wine or champagne and toast your parents properly?
You have got to be kidding me, right?
My body went rigid, and I was immediately pissed, as well as hurt. Did my mother and father not listen to a single word Landon or I said? Did neither of them care about me at all? Sensing my feelings, Gyth started to step forward, but Landon was there and placed a hand on his shoulder, once again taking the reins. I know he did this for me and Gyth both just to keep my parents from bothering either of us.
“Mom, you know that Summer can not have alcohol with her lupus and seizure medication. I explained everything to you and Dad both,” he said looking at each of them pointedly. My dad just stood there as he always did, going along for the ride my mother always took us on. But of course she didn’t keep her mouth shut.
“You’re not going to have one of those things here in front of everyone and embarrass us, are you?”
My mouth dropped open, Gyth growled, and my brother started to say something, but my mother just continued as she had said nothing wrong.
“Oh, look,” she said as she pointed across the room. “Here comes the gentleman I wanted you to meet.”
Everyone’s head swiveled in the direction she was pointing. When my eyes caught on the man walking toward us, my whole body started to feel numb with disbelief, and then fear took hold and it shook from head to toe. Turning back to my mother, I opened my mouth trying to release the words I needed to say but nothing would come out.
Panic set in and I finally squeaked out two words. “It’s him.”
“We are leaving,” Gyth said, wrapping me in his embrace, ready to take me out of there.
A fire was burning inside him, I could feel the heat seeping from every pore in his body. Gyth had seen a picture of Dr. Lawson so he would know who he was and just from my two words, he would pick up on it anyway. Gyth was doing his best to control the situation, but If we didn’t leave I was afraid we would find my guy seeing the inside of a jail cell very soon.
