I locked the chair and then pushed myself to standing. I could feel the hot glare of the lights and hear the murmur of the crowd. I knew most of the people in this room. I had worked with many of them in some capacity or another. Having them all staring at me like they were seeing a ghost, because I’d become a ghost, was unsettling to say the least. But this moment wasn’t about me.

“I have some explaining to do, but first.” I held out my arms, and Lexi stepped into them for a hug. She looked lovely, just like the princess she used to pretend to be when she was little, and I was so proud of her, I thought I’d bust.

“I’m sorry I was late,” I whispered against her hair. “I’ve never missed the big moments in your life, and I shouldn’t have thought it was okay to skip out on this one.”

“Oh, Nicky,” she cried. Tears coursed down her cheeks, and I handed her my pocket square. Isn’t that what they’re for? She laughed and dabbed her eyes and her nose.

“Do you want me to step in?” I asked, gesturing to the podium.

She looked at me as if I’d just saved her from the guillotine. “Yes, please.” Then she grinned. “But first, I’ll introduce you.”

She spun away from me and approached the mic. She looked poised and pretty, and she cleared her throat and said, “I’m sorry, ladies and gentlemen, there’s been a change of plan.” Her voice wobbled, betraying her nerves, but she soldiered on. “Speaking to you tonight about the New Dawn net-zero housing development”—she emphasized the words as she glared at the protesters—“is the man who made this gala possible, and he is also my big brother, Nicholas Daire.”

The applause started slowly, and then as Lexi stepped back and I stepped forward, the applause grew louder and louder. I tried to speak, but when I looked down, Jackson, the big idiot, was standing there, clapping his enormous hands together with a dopey grin on his face, and beside him was Annabelle.

She was breathtakingly beautiful, and for a second, I forgot everything except her and how much I loved her. Yes, it had taken me two weeks to come to terms with the fact that what I was feeling for her was not going to go away, but with the help of my new psychiatrist, Dr. Franks, I was figuring it out. Among other things.

Annabelle was clapping and laughing and crying, and my heart about clawed its way out of my chest to get to her. In fact, I wanted to jump off the stage and go to her, but now wasn’t the moment for me to fall to my knees and beg her to forgive me for being a fucking idiot. That would come later.