HENRY’S SITTING ON THE VANITY stool, watching as I brush on some makeup. He’s been curious about all my things, asking me about this and that as I unpack my clothes for tonight.
“Can I have some of that?” Henry asks, eyes wide on the large powder brush I’m sweeping across my cheeks.
I nod and sit him on my lap so we’re both looking into the mirror. “This is just translucent powder, so I don’t think it should irritate your skin.” I hand the brush to him after I tap out some more into the lid.
“What’s it for, though?”
I glance up and turn my face back and forth. “See how there’s no shiny parts? It soaks up excess oil.”
“Oh!” He seems excited by this fact and I have to bite my lip to stifle a chuckle. I wiggle my fingers for my brush and dip it into the powder when Henry passes it over.
“So you just swish it around in here, tap it out so the extra falls off, and then—” My voice trails off as I sweep it across his cheeks and forward, giggling when his face scrunches up as the bristles tickle his skin.
When I finish, I lean back and tilt Henry’s face. “Look at that, darling, you’re shine free!” I say in an exaggerated voice.
Henry giggles in my lap and mimics my movements as I finish my makeup.
“Ok, just some perfume and I’m all done!” I set him back in his seat and spray rose perfume my father bought me as a graduation present.
“Can I have some?” Henry asks, predictably at this point.
“How about your dad’s cologne? I think my rose perfume might be a little strong for you,” I say instead, reaching for the probably wickedly expensive cologne bottle.
I spray it in the air and tell him to walk through it, laughing as he spins through. “I want to make sure it gets everywhere, not just the front.”
Chuckling at his logic, I lean forward and inhale, smiling as I smell East. “You smell just like your daddy. You look very handsome, Hen!”
Henry strikes a pose, showing off his tiny tux, and runs out of the room, nearly knocking East over in the process.
“How long have you been standing there?” I pin my hair back on one side and raise a brow at him.
East looks incredible in his slacks, suspenders, and white dress shirt. He gelled his hair so the curls I love so much are a little tamer. He walks over to me and pulls me out of the chair, spinning me so my black cocktail dress flares out. His hand traces the cutout back, but his eyes stay locked on my legs and the burgundy heels I know I’ll regret wearing later.
I kept my makeup simple, but decided to go with a bold lip to match the color of my shoes, and by the look on East’s face, I might need to bring the lipstick with me to reapply.
“You look stunning.” East drops a kiss to the side of my neck.
“So do you.” I grin.
“Are you ready? The car is outside.”
I look around for my clutch and drop my phone, license, debit card, and lipstick inside before snapping it shut. “Let’s go.”
Carter and Henry are waiting for us at the bottom of the stairs, turning the second my heels hit the hardwoods.
“Taylor, you wouldn’t happen to have any cousins hidden somewhere, would you?” Carter grins impishly at me.
“Nope.” I smile, flattered by the implied compliment.
“East really lucked out with you and I hope he knows it,” Carter says seriously, kissing my hand as we reach the bottom.
“Ok, brother, hands off,” East says playfully, but there’s no mistaking the underlying steel in his voice.
“I’m sitting next to Taylor!” Henry calls out as he runs to the door.
“Wait for us, Henry,” East orders, and Henry stops at the door, giving us an impatient look as we grab our coats. East takes Henry’s hand and Carter and I follow them out the door.
A sleek black town car sits at the curb, a distinguished man waiting with the back passenger door open. We step down the stairs, Carter locking up behind us, and I climb in after East and Henry. Carter hops in the front and the driver returns to his seat, pulling us away from the last bit of refuge I’ll have tonight.
My hands knot in my lap as we drive further away from the houses and the streets change to mirrored glass goliaths and stately brick buildings. I close my eyes, briefly picturing the large spruce trees, the smell of evergreens instead of gasoline and the quiet lapping of the water against my father’s small dock.
As much as I love Easton, I have a hard time imagining trading mountains for concrete and skyscrapers. Shaking off the reality that wants to burst in, I focus on the now, even if it’s a fantasy.
We pull to a stop in front of a beautiful hotel; East explained earlier that he rented one of the smaller ballrooms. I still have a hard time believing he pulled all this together and really why he pulled it together. It seems like he’s the one that needs closure, not I.
Carter exits first and opens my door, offering a hand, for which I’m grateful. Almost immediately, cameras flash and my name is being called.
“Ms. McKay, are you and Mr. VanHouten together?”
I begin to protest, but roll my eyes when East comes up to my side and kisses my cheek, wrapping a possessive arm around my waist to usher me forward. So much for letting them come to their conclusions…
“Ms. McKay, did you spend time in a mental institution after your ordeal?”
I snort at that and keep moving, the light spilling from the door offering me escape if I can just make it there.
“Ms. McKay, is it true that you are deeply in debt?”
I stop in my tracks, the accusation clearly implied. A little hand grips mine tightly and Henry moves in front of me, facing off with the photographer.
“Leave Taylor alone!” he shouts before Carter scoops him up and we hurry after them.
Heart pounding, I pull away from East and head towards the bathroom at our right. “I’ll be right back.”
“Taylor—” East starts, worry coloring his voice.
“I said give me a minute!” I don’t shout, but the sharpness cuts through the distance between us and East jerks slightly, as if I hit him with my hand instead of words.
I push the door open, letting it swing shut behind me, and the noise is cut off almost instantly. Sighing deeply, I move to splash some water on my face, catching a glimpse of myself in the mirror. The whites of my eyes nearly blot out the green and the color in my cheeks is too high. Ripping my gaze away from the scared girl in the mirror, I drip some cold water onto my fingers before splashing it on my face.
Gripping the countertop, I count in my head until my breathing is calm.
This life…
Shaking my head, I pull my phone out of my clutch and dial Jamie. He picks up after the third ring and I turn, resting my lower back against the marble counter as the tension in my body drains.
“Hey, Jamie,” I say quietly, biting my lip to stave off the need to cry at the comfort I find in the familiarity of his voice. Everything here is so strange. I should have called him sooner.
“Taylor, what’s wrong, are you enjoying yourself?”
My grip on the phone tightens as I stare at the stall in front of me. “Yeah, I just needed to hear a bit of home at the moment.”
Jamie’s quiet for a moment. “You’re very far from home, aren’t you?”
In more ways than distance. “Yes.”
We talk for a little bit and I promise to call with my flight information so he can pick me up. East said he’d buy my ticket for whenever I want to leave. Generous, but for some reason it seems like there’s this pressure on me now.
Checking my reflection briefly, I leave the bathroom to find East leaning against the opposite wall, looking effortlessly sexy.
“Hey,” I drawl, trying my best to look innocent and calm.
East raises a brow and waits me out. It takes no time at all for me to crumble under his level gaze. I do my best to maintain eye contact, but lose it seconds later, huffing and walking over to him.
“So what? I freaked out a little.” I lean against the wall next to him, turning so I can study his profile.
“That’s the second one today. You’re not going to disappear on me again?”
Rolling my eyes because that’s exactly what I feel like doing, but don’t want him to know, I say, “No, East. It’s the reality of all this, you know? A couple days ago I was by myself living in my family’s modest cabin and now I’m dressed up at a fancy hotel after rubbing elbows with some of the richest people in the country.”
It’s East’s turn to roll his eyes. “You have got to get over the money thing. You sound a bit elitist, you know.”
I gape at him, a sound of outrage escaping me in disbelief. “Me? I’m the elitist one?”
“You don’t hear any of us bringing up money.”
“But-but-you—” I flounder, arms falling to my side when I realize it’s true. Snapping my mouth shut, I look at him, grinning slightly. “Ok, I see your point.”
“Whether you’re doing it consciously or not, it’s your way to put distance between us, but what you don’t seem to get is that I would give it all up if it meant having you in my life. I lived with nothing, even if it was for a short time, and it doesn’t compare to the months after when you weren’t there.”
My brows lower in consternation when I realize again he’s disarmed me completely. Realizing his success, East’s grin turns into a massive smile and he loops my arm through his and leads me back to the hotel’s lobby.
I spot Henry and Carter instantly, playing by the large fountain. Carter hands Henry a penny, which Henry holds to his mouth and then tosses in. He turns as Carter spots us; a smile the mirror image to his father’s spreads across his face and he dashes over, yelling my name.
My heart clenches at the unadulterated joy on his face when he spots us. It’s so pure and my body reacts without thinking. I lean down, letting go of East, and catch the little boy who reads me perfectly that launches himself at me.
“Where did you go?” he asks curiously, hugging me tightly.
“Nowhere,” I tell him, giving him a quick kiss on the head before setting him back down.
When I stand back up, East is watching us with a soft, but intense look, and my body warms in anticipation. Would there ever be a time that I did not react to his slightest look?
“Come on; they’re all waiting for the guests of honor,” Carter says, pulling up to a stop beside us.
Taking a deep breath, I follow my boys into the ballroom.