Asher glances down at his watch, then lets out a relieved sigh when Harold opens the front door. Shock filters through me when Zahra and Lucy walk through, dressed in gowns.
“What are you two doing here?” I gasp, running to them.
“Your boyfriend flew us in for the party,” Lucy says.
The three of us hug, and my mom and Maya join us. My mom hasn’t seen Zahra or Lucy for a while, so she hugs them furiously and makes them promise to chat with her and update her on their lives before the night is over.
I notice Asher out of the corner of my eye, standing back from our little reunion.
“You did this?”
He shrugs. “Tonight is a special night. I wanted all your most important people to be here.”
I hurry over to him and press a kiss to his lips. “Thank you.”
“Anything for you, baby.”
“It’s time,” Catherine calls.
Asher takes my hand, and we follow his parents and the rest of our little group as they head toward the ballroom—yes, the summer mansion has a fucking ballroom in the east wing of the house—but before we enter, Asher pulls me to the side and asks his family to give us a moment.
“Tonight is . . . a big deal for my family,” Asher says, suddenly uneasy. “And a big deal for me.” My stomach drops.What the hell is happening tonight?“And I realized after your reaction this morning to our family photo that it’s probably going to be a shock for you.”
“What is going on, Asher?”
“It’s a big step. And now I’m realizing like an idiot that I probably should have talked to you about it, but it’s too late now. And it’s fast. I know it’s fast. But I didn’t expect us to be in the place that we are now. I thought everything would be more business, more cut-and-dried.”
He’s tripping over his words and rambling, and I’ve never seen him do either of those things. “Asher, please tell me what’s happening. You’re starting to scare me.”
“It’s sudden, I know that. Like I said, I didn’t think we’d cross the boundaries we crossed, and so now this feels much different than how I thought it would when the idea was first presented to me. But?—”
Cheers erupt from the ballroom.
“It’s time to go in, darling,” Catherine says. “We’ve been announced.”
“Give us a minute.”
“Your minute has passed.”
Asher groans and takes my hand, and we follow his parents into the ballroom. The guests’ cheers grow louder, welcoming the Langfords to their own party. As soon as the applause dies down, the small orchestra in the corner strikes up a new song, and the mingling begins.
My stomach is in knots, and I want more than anything to ask Asher what the fuck is going on, but I can’t. We can’t catch a breath with all the people who want to speak to Asher. My worries are somewhat assuaged as Asher holds tight to me as we make our rounds—at least I have him to ground me—but the back of my mind cannot stop worrying as I’m introduced to dozens of people, one after another.
They all simper and fawn over Asher, and most are nice to me, if not curious, while a few seem to be genuinely friendly. The vibe is very different from the other events we’ve attended this weekend, and I’m grateful. Blessedly, there are so many people to get through that the conversations are short and mostly directed toward Asher, so I only fill in answers and questions sparingly.
My curiosity still burns throughout dinner, but I can’t get in any words with Asher since his grandmother is at the table. I don’t dare speak about what he was so nervous about earlier with her in hearing distance. As it is, she shoots me piercing looks and cuts at her food more viciously than necessary. I can hardly get a few bites of food down I’m so tied in knots.
After dinner, Harrington and Catherine make their way onto a small stage at the front of the ballroom, and a stage tech hands Harrington a microphone.
“Thank you all for joining us tonight at our annual Memorial Day weekend party,” he says. “This is a long-standing tradition for our family, and we’re honored by your presence.”
He passes the microphone to Catherine.
“As a special surprise, I’d like to introduce our entertainment for the evening. Ladies and gentlemen, please join me inwelcoming multi-platinum and Grammy award winning artist, Alena!”
My jaw drops, and I gasp. I turn to look at Asher. He smiles and laughs at my reaction. All my worries of the night disappear, and Maya, Zahra, Lucy, and I can barely stay in our seats as Alena takes the stage. She’s my favorite artist of all time, and I’ve always wanted to see her in concert.
“Oh my god!” Lucy yells.
