“You good?” Vivi whispers from across the table.
“Yeah, fine.”
The mayor continues, “Before we get to the main event, we have a special guest who’d like to say a few words.” The mayor beams at the crowd. “Please welcome your returning hometown hero, Griffin Callahan!”
My heart stops.
Griffin walks toward the stage, and I can see the determination in his stride. This isn’t a man approaching a simple thank-you speech. This is a man walking into battle.
What is he doing? What the hell is he doing?
He takes the microphone and clears his throat with authority. Then he finds my face in the crowd and holds my gaze.
“I had a speech prepared,” he says. “Something polished about community and giving back. The kind of thing you say at charity galas when you want people to open their checkbooks.”
A few nervous laughs ripple through the room.
“I’m not going to give that speech tonight.”
The room goes quiet.
“Five years ago, I left Charleston under a cloud of rumors and scandal. Some of you might remember. Some of you believed the worst in me. Some of you made up truth in the information gaps.” He pauses. “I don’t blame you for that, there was a lot going on.”
My heart hammers against my ribs.Oh my God. Oh my God. What are you doing Griffin?I shoot a look at Vivi and her mouth is hanging wide open.
“But the truth is, I didn’t leave because I did something wrong. I left because I was accused of something I didn’t do, by someone I rejected. And I was told that if I didn’t disappear, ifI didn’t sign an NDA and never speak of it again,the career of someone I loved would be destroyed.”
I see phones appearing and recording. The murmur running through the crowd becomes a full on roar. People whisper and stare at Griffin with new eyes. But he’s not looking at them. He’s looking at me.
“None of the accusations about me back then are true. But I didn’t come here tonight to clear my name. I came here for her.”
The room goes silent. He’s pointing at me now, and every eye in the room follows his gesture. I feel the weight of their stares, but I can’t look away from him.
“Jessica Hartwell is the love of my life. I loved her five years ago. I love her now. I never stopped loving her. Anyone who has had the absolute gift of getting to spend time with her will understand.”
My eyes are burning. My chest is so tight I can barely breathe.
“I was a coward five years ago. I made a choice alone when I should have trusted her to face it with me. I told myself I was protecting her, but all I did was break her heart and mine.”
He steps down from the stage and walks toward me through the parting crowd.
“I’m not asking for forgiveness.” His voice cracks on the words. “I’m just asking for a chance. A real chance, with all the truth between us. No more secrets. No more noble sacrifice. Just... me. Standing in front of you. Telling you that I love you.”
He stops in front of me. It feels like the whole world is watching, but I don’t care. Griffin is all I can see. Tears well in my eyes.
“I’m done hiding,” Griffin says quietly. “I’m done running. I’m done letting the best thing that ever happened to me slip through my fingers.” He takes my hand, and his touch sendselectricity through my entire body. “If you’ll let me, I’m going to spend the rest of my life earning back what I threw away.”
Tears are streaming down my face. Vivi grips my thigh under the table, but I barely register her presence. The room is dead silent. Waiting for me to say something.
I think about the letters. About the five years I spent thinking I wasn’t enough. About the walls I built to protect a heart that was already shattered.
Griffin isn’t running.
He’s standing right in front of me, vulnerable and terrified. He’s laying his heart at my feet in front of everyone who ever doubted him. He’s told his truth. Now it’s my turn.
“I love you.”
And then I kiss him.
