We wandered through the house, me taking it all in, while Liza and Melanie chatted and I half-heartedly listened to them.
The house was beautifully decorated with gold and black streamers and balloons everywhere and tables full of blow horns and confetti to toss when the clock struck midnight. People were laughing and talking, but I just couldn't buoy my mood. I felt anxious, hot, like there was somewhere I needed to be right that second, but I wasn't sure where, or why. I turned in a slow circle, looking at the people all around me, searching for something… but I didn't know what.
When we entered the ballroom, a woman with a tray came over and offered us a glass of champagne. We each took one and I looked around distractedly.
"Bree? Earth to Bree," Liza laughed. "Where are you?"
I smiled at her, coming back to the here and now. "Sorry, this place is just sort of overwhelming."
"Well drink up! We have some dancing to do!"
"Okay." I laughed, trying to shake the strange feeling.
We finished our champagne and headed to the dance floor and as we danced and laughed, and the champagne hit my system, I was able to come back to the moment.
We started to leave the dance floor as the fast song we were dancing to ended and a slow song came on.
"Oh hey, there are Stephen and Chris," Melanie said looking toward two young men standing to the side of the dance floor and chatting. They spotted Liza and Melanie and smiled and gestured them over.
I put my hand on Melanie's arm. "You go talk to them. I need some air anyway."
Melanie frowned. "Are you sure? We can come with you."
I shook my head. "No, no, really, I'm fine. Promise."
They hesitated, but then said, "Okay, but we'll come find you if you're gone too long." She smiled and winked. "And if we do and find you in an empty room petting the family cat, there will be an intervention."
I laughed. "I promise I won't be long."
I walked out of the ballroom toward the larger balcony that I'd seen on our way in and when I stepped outside, I inhaled a deep breath. It was chilly, but not frigid and after all the dancing, I welcomed the cool air on my skin.
I walked along the balcony trailing my hand on the stone railing. It felt magical out here–large, potted trees adorned in twinkle lights were placed along the outside of the house, and in between were small, intimate benches just big enough for two. I leaned over the side, looking down at all the guests talking and laughing on the balcony below and then straightened up and just stood there for a few minutes, inhaling deeply and looking up at the stars.
I had the strangest sensation that someone was watching me. I turned in a slow circle, that same feeling I'd felt inside the house coming over me again. I shook my head slightly and brought myself back to the present.
A couple burst out onto the balcony, laughing as the man groped at the woman and she teasingly pushed him away from her before pulling him in for a kiss.
I looked away, my heart squeezing at the sight of the intimacy between them. Please come back to me, I said in my mind.
I walked toward the door, moving around the couple and leaving them to their privacy, and entered the house again. Once I was back in the hallway, I stood still and took another deep breath before moving toward the ballroom. I startled as I felt a hand on my arm, my breath caught, and I turned slowly. There was a tall, good-looking man with jet black hair and beautiful, deep blue eyes standing just behind me. His eyes were trained on me. "Dance?" he said simply, and then held out his hand as if my yes was a foregone conclusion.
"Um, okay," I said softly, releasing my breath and taking his hand.
The man led me onto the dance floor and stopped in the middle, pulling me in to him. "What's your name?" he whispered into my ear, his deep voice like silk.
I leaned back slightly, looking up into his blue eyes. "Bree Prescott."
"Nice to meet you, Bree Prescott. I'm Gage Buchanan."
I leaned back. "Oh, this is your house! Thank you for having me. I'm Liza and Melanie Scholl's friend. Your house is so beautiful."
Gage smiled and then turned me effortlessly, moving his body fluidly to the music. He was easy to follow, even though admittedly I wasn't a very good dancer.
"And why is it I haven't met you before tonight? I find it hard to believe a girl as beautiful as you hasn't been the talk of the town. I would have made it a point." He winked.
I laughed, leaning back slightly. "I live in Pelion," I said. "Perhaps–" I stopped talking abruptly as the loud chatter going on around us seemed to cease, the conversation now just a low murmur moving through the crowd, the music, "In My Veins," seeming to rise in volume as the voices around us died. Gage stopped moving and so did I as we looked around, confused.
And that's when I saw him. Standing on the edge of the dance floor, those gorgeous whiskey-colored eyes trained on me, his expression unreadable.
My heart flew into my throat and I drew in a loud gasp and brought my hands to my mouth, pure happiness filling every cell in my body. He looked like a god standing there, somehow taller, bigger, seeming to have an authority he didn't have before, but still that beautiful gentleness in his eyes. I blinked, mesmerized. His dark hair was longer, curling up over his collar, and he was wearing a black suit and tie and a light colored dress shirt. His shoulders seemed even broader, his frame larger, his beauty more intense. I drank him in, my heart beating triple time.
I vaguely noted that people were watching us as I took a step toward him and he moved toward me, like magnets being drawn together by the force of something neither one of us controlled. I heard an older woman in the crowd mutter, "He's the spitting image of Connor Hale, isn't he?" her voice soft, dreamy.
The people on the dance floor moved aside to make way for him and I stood waiting now. The lights twinkled around me and the music swelled as Archer made it to me on the dance floor and looked somewhere just to my right.
I felt a hand on my arm and when I tore my eyes from Archer and looked up, Gage, whom I had forgotten was there, smiled and leaned in, whispering, "It's suddenly become obvious to me that you're already taken. Nice meeting you, Bree Prescott."
I let out a breath and smiled back at him. "Nice meeting you too, Gage." It seemed Gage Buchanan was a nicer guy than Liza and Melanie gave him credit for. He nodded at Archer and moved off, disappearing into the crowd.
I looked back up at Archer and for several moments, we did nothing but gaze at each other before I brought my hands up and signed, You're here, tears springing into my eyes, joy enveloping me.
He let out a breath, warmth filling his expression as he brought his own hands up. I'm here for you, he said. And that's when his face broke into the most beautiful smile I'd ever seen in my life and I launched myself into his arms, crying and gasping against the crook of his neck, holding on tight, holding on for dear life to the man I loved.
CHAPTER 32
Archer
I held her close, inhaling the beautiful smell of her, my heart exalting at the sweet relief of the weight of her in my arms. My Bree. I'd missed her so desperately I'd thought I'd die without her those first few weeks. But I hadn't died. I had so much to tell her, so much to share with her.
I leaned back, looking down into her emerald eyes, the golden flecks that I loved so much even brighter under her shimmering tears. She was stunning. And I hoped to God that she was still mine.