The energy darting through him shifted at once. Betzy’s hand stopped trembling in his grip.Thiswas what they needed. A reminder of what the two shared, a connection that existed, audience or no.
He’d conjured a bland proposal that might have satisfied her mom, the audience members, and naysayers alike. But those weren’t the words he wanted to speak.
Sawyer had worked most of his life to be worthy of this moment, and he wasn’t about to hide where he came from. Where he had been. And the fact that he’d loved this girl from clear back when.
“When I was eight years old, I fell for the cutest girl. She liked math, which I thought was weird. She liked fast cars, which I thought was awesome. And she also liked me, which I thought made perfect sense.”
Betzy giggled, dabbing a fingertip to the corner of her eye as moisture built there.
“And now, twenty years later, I’m in love with that same girl, only she’s kind of different too. She has a head for business, which is as cool as it is intimidating. She has a heart for others, so big she can’t hide it even when she tries. And somehow…” He shook his head, daring himself to speak what he wanted to say. “Somehow she likes me too—the son of her childhood housemaid—which I realize now doesn’t make any sense.”
Murmurs broke out over the crowd.
“But that’s what makes it right,” he explained. “That’s what makes what we have…real. It never made sense for us to be together, but I miss you every day that we’re apart.”
He tugged the ring box from his pocket and flicked it open. Cameras he’d forgotten were there came close to zoom in on the diamond, one fit for a queen.
“I don’t want us to live apart anymore. I want to start a life together. The one we always dreamed of. So, Betzy Benton, will you do me the honor of becoming my bride?”
A blanket of pin-drop silence fell over the crowd.
He felt exposed once the words were all out. Naked in front of the world. Sure, the proposal was part of the plan, but he’d never expected it to feel so real.
Betzy dabbed the corners of her eyes, shifted and stood to her feet, then nodded before the word escaped her lips. “Yes,” she finally said.
The crowd’s reaction rivaled that of a NASCAR win by Mario Andretti himself. Sawyer straightened to his feet, pulled Betzy into his arms, and reveled in the warmth and comfort of her there. He brought his lips to her ear, whispered through the noise of the crowd.
“I love you.”
Betzy’s grasp loosened enough for her to lean back and face him. She studied him for a blink. Her eyes flickered to the nearby cameras, and then back to him.
“I love you, too.”
A chaotic thrill pushed through his insides, louder than the applause.It’s all for the cameras,he reminded himself. The audience cheered some more as he slipped the ring onto her finger.
Sawyer leaned in to seal it with a kiss. Short, and painfully sweet. It was likely the last time their lips would touch.
Music picked up, and suddenly Milo was closing the segment, asking viewers to support their local charities, and wishing all a merry Christmas.
The proposal had gone off perfect, at least from Sawyer’s perspective, but Milo’s words brought with him a sober realization. It was almost Christmas. Soon Sawyer would board a flight and go back to the life he’d planned on leaving behind.
As Sawyer joined the Bentons in waving to the audience, Betzy looped her arm through his and cuddled up to him. And though he tried to avoid it, his gaze drifted up to the corner where some very important women stood.
Mom’s face was covered with tears, but they didn’t mask the concern. Claudia on the other hand, was a woman trained in the art of composure. Chin lifted, eyes barely glistening with tears, and a pleased smile on her face. If Betzy’s mom was ticked off at him, and she definitely was, she knew how to mask it.
And then came a woman who was equally angry with him. The one Sawyer did not want to meet eyes with, yet he did it all the same. Lorraine Benton looked nearly as poised as Claudia. Yet as she clapped, waved back to the stage, and kept a grip on that unwavering grin, he caught the barely perceptible shake of her head.
A hot streak of fear shot through him as he realized just how real this was. He’d just proposed to Betzy on live TV, there was no taking it back. Sadly, the engagement itself was fake all the same.
Talk about an emotional storm. Hope clashing with doubt. Disappointment replacing moments of bliss. Love persisting through the deepest ache.
And now, as the countdown ended in the live production, one prominent question cried out in Sawyer’s mind.
What did I get myself into?
Chapter 20
Betzy pressed her hands to her temples. If she clenched her eyes tight enough, maybe the horrible sight before her would disappear.
