Page 82 of Wild Promise

With little time to spare, I ran back to my office to get changed. I closed the door, locked it, and unzipped the garment bag hanging on the back of the door.

My breath caught. Instead of my old, overused little black dress was a sparkling gold gown.

The same dress I’d fawned over in the shop when we’d gone to pick out Lucy’s. A dress that wasn’t only too beautiful for words, but so far out of my budget I hadn’t given it a second thought.

My eyes burned. This had to be Zane.

He must have done this before everything fell apart. Before the fight, before the cold shoulder, before he’d walked away from the only life he’d ever loved. He’d bought me this dress because that’s who he was. A man who noticed, who remembered, who gave without being asked.

And I’d thrown it all back in his face.

I pressed the fabric to my chest and let myself feel it for a moment. The softness of it. The weight of what it meant. Then I wiped my eyes, tossed my day clothes aside, and stepped into the most beautiful dress I’d ever worn.

Just as I’d pulled it on and pulled the zipper up, a knock sounded on the door, followed by a familiar voice. “It’s…Dad.”

My hand flew to the lock, and I opened the door to find my father standing on the other side, wearing a brand-new suit. His cane was gripped tight in one hand, but he was standing tall. Taller than I’d seen him in months.

“What are you doing here?” I gushed, holding the dress to my chest.

“Got a f-fancy…invite,” he stuttered, stepping carefully into the room. “Couldn’t miss seeing you…shine.”

Tears gathered in my eyes as he motioned for me to turn. With trembling fingers, he fixed the clasp at the back of my neck, then rested his hands on my shoulders. “You’re beautiful,” he said. And for once, the words came out clear.

I turned and gave him the biggest hug I could manage without ruining anything in the process. “I’m really happy to see you. But how did you get here?”

He hooked a thumb over his shoulder.

I stepped out into the hallway and found Nate waiting with an empty wheelchair. “I’ve got your dad. You should go.”

“Is he here?”

Nate’s mouth twitched into something I’d never seen from him before. An actual smile. This gruff, guarded man cared about Zane almost as much as I did. His smile made me believe everything might turn out okay.

Fresh tears burned behind my eyes. But God, I didn’t have time to fall apart. Not yet.

The ballroom was alive. Noma employees and their guests mingled with what looked like half the town of Copper Ridge. People sipped wine, nibbled on canapés, talked, laughed, and a few had already found their way to the dance floor, even though the DJ was keeping the volume low for the moment.

I did this.

The thought hit me mid-stride, and I had to stop for a second to let it sink in. Every table, every centerpiece, every carefully chosen detail—I’d planned it, organized it, fought for it. And it was exactly what I’d envisioned.

For the first time in days, something that felt dangerously close to happiness swelled in my chest.

Nate led us toward a table near the front of the room. My sisters were already seated. Lucy was in the dress we’d bought with Zane, glowing beside Jasper, who seemed almost as nervous as she did. Olivia wore something borrowed from Avery, who sat beside her, gorgeous as always. Wyatt was there too, relaxed for once, with Lydia beaming beside him. And two empty chairs, side by side.

Nate parked Dad’s wheelchair at the end of the table beside Lucy, who immediately reached for his hand. Olivia caught his eye from across the table and blew him a kiss, and for a moment, I just watched the three of them together.

My family. Still broken in so many ways but still holding on. Still healing in all the ways that mattered.

I was about to take my seat when I spotted him.

Zane was standing near the edge of the dance floor, half-hidden by the crowd. He had on a dark, expensive-looking suit, but his hair was its usual unruly mess, and his jaw was lined with scruff. His hands were shoved deep in his pockets, and his eyes were moving through the room like he was searching for something.

My heart slammed against my ribs and my feet stopped moving.

He hadn’t seen me yet. He was shifting his weight from one foot to the other, his shoulders drawn up and his whole body wound tight. No easy confidence. No swagger. Just a man who looked like he was about to walk into a firing squad and had shown up anyway.

I started toward him before I’d made the conscious decision. The crowd thinned as I got closer, and then he turned his head and saw me.