The speech. He’d almost forgotten about that weight dragging him down when he saw her looking so stunning. “Hooray,” he said flatly.
“Did you bring it?”
He patted his lapel. “Got it right here. And I wrote it myself, I might add. No bribery was involved.”
“I’m looking forward to hearing it.”
They approached a round banquet table front and center, just beside the steps that led up to the stage. He helped her into her seat and took his own just as the orchestra music increased in intensity and the lights on the stage shifted to indicate the program was about to start.
Salads were brought to every place setting as the director of Youth in Crisis welcomed everyone and introduced the short video about their program.
Liam could only pick at his salad. With every minute of the video that went by, he felt more and more nauseated by the idea of speaking to three hundred people.
When the credits started rolling, Francesca sought out his hand and squeezed it gently. “It’s time,” she said, looking over to him. “You’ll do great.”
Liam took a large sip of wine and got up from the table. He made his way to the stairs and up onto the stage, where he was bathed in blinding white lights. He reached in his pocket for his speech, adjusted the microphone and tried to keep the frantic beating of his heart from being audible to the crowd. It was now or never.
“Thank you and welcome, everyone, to the eighth annual Youth in Crisis charity gala. As some of you may know, I recently bought the ANS network, which has a longstanding commitment to this organization. It’s a partnership I’m proud of, and there are many people who work hard to make it possible.”
He looked down in front of the podium, where he could see Francesca’s dim silhouette. Her excited expression fueled his courage to continue. His heart seemed to slow and the subtle shaking of his hands subsided. He just might make it through the speech with her sitting there, silently cheering him on.
“First, I would like to thank ANS’s Executive Vice President of Community Outreach and organizer of tonight’s grand event, my beautiful fiancée, Francesca Orr. For those of you that don’t know Francesca, she cares so deeply about this cause. With everything that has happened with our network in the past few months, there was some uncertainty about whether or not we could sponsor this event like we have for the past seven years.
“Well,” he corrected, “I should say everyone but Francesca had some uncertainty. Come hell or high water, this gala would go on as far as she was concerned. The woman would give back her own salary to fund this event if she had to. I hope everyone rewards her determination by writing a big, fat check. I have agreed to match the largest private donation tonight as an engagement present for my bride, so feel free to stick it to me for a good cause.”
The crowd laughed and Liam felt his confidence boost. He shuffled to the next index card, gave Francesca a wink and continued in his bid to get the attendees to part with their money.
*
Francesca loved her dress. She really did. But after a long night, she was just as happy to change into a breezy slip dress and zip the gown into the garment bag she’d brought with her to the hotel. She couldn’t stuff all those feathers into her little BMW and drive around. With that done, she stepped into the comfortable black flats she’d stashed away with her change of clothes and sighed in relief. Not only did her feet feel better, but the gala was a roaring success and—more important—it was over.
The ballroom was nearly empty by the time Liam found her gathering up the last of her things. “That was a very painful check to write,” he said. “Remind me to kick Scarlet’s fiancé for donating that much the next time I see him.”
She smiled, standing and turning to look at him. His bow tie was undone, his collar unbuttoned. He managed to look casually sexy yet elegantly refined at the same time. “Daniel knows that it’s for a good cause, as should you. And an excellent tax deduction,” she added.
“It was worth it to see the look on your face when they announced how much money we raised.”
“I can’t believe it, really. We blew last year’s donations out of the water. Everyone was buzzing about ANS tonight—and for a good reason.” Francesca slipped her bag over her shoulder and took Liam’s arm.
“It’s about time,” he said, leading them back to the front of the hotel where the party had been held. He approached the valet and handed him his ticket.
“I parked over there,” she said, pointing to an area she didn’t really want to walk to.
“We’ll get your car in the morning,” he said. “I want you to come home with me tonight.”