Page 19 of The Awakening (The Morton Family Saga #3)

Chapter Seventeen

Ellie

T he big barn was lit up like a disco ball. Music wafted out from the open door, and people mingled out front.

I absentmindedly played with my bracelet while I watched the comings and goings of our guests. A coldness flowed through me and the pulse in my neck pounded as my heart raced.

The barn was filled with too many people I didn’t know, and I couldn’t force myself to walk in alone. It had been years since I felt like this.

Shy.

Overwhelmed.

I shuffled backward until I was far enough away from the open barn door not to raise suspicion, then I turned and rushed in the opposite direction.

Tonight’s fundraiser was for the local hospital, and it was my introduction into the world of the Morton family. Their friends and important people in the community were milling about. I had never seen anything like this in my life.

Jessica had planned everything right down to the dress I was wearing. But it didn’t matter how I was dressed. I was completely out of my league. I didn’t belong there.

“Where are you going? Everyone is excited to meet you.” Gavin walked up behind me and rested his hand gently on my lower back. His voice was low, and he smelled like cedar and honeysuckle.

He was dressed in a black suit jacket and wearing black wranglers. Over the few weeks we had been here, I had seen him in dirty jeans every day, which was a stark contrast to the man standing in front of me.

“Gavin, you look absolutely amazing,” I breathed and took a step back to look him up and down. “Wow.” Was all I could say.

“You done ogling me? Because I need to look at you.” He stepped in close and ran his hand down my arm. His touch was light and sent tingles deep into my core.

“You are stunning. I can’t believe you’ve been hiding yourself behind baggy pants and shirts.”

“Well, I didn’t want to flaunt the fact I was having a baby, and one that’s not actually yours,” I whispered.

Gavin leaned into me and matched my volume. “How many times do I have to tell you, I don’t care about that?”

His warm breath tickled my neck and sent shivers down my back. I pouted my lips out a bit and looked into his eyes.

Gavin lowered his head and brushed his lips against mine, then he wrapped me up in his arms and pulled me close. Ever so gently, our tongues tangled, and he tightened his grip on me.

He pulled away and guided me to the barn. Gavin cleared his throat and shuffled his feet in the new dusting of snow. “Are you worried I might do something wrong? You seem a little jumpy.”

Gavin gave me a half a smile before shaking his head. “Nothing you could ever do would upset me. You don’t give yourself enough credit.” He put a hand on my neck and stroked my cheek, then leaned in to kiss away my worries.

Footsteps sounded then, and someone cleared their throat. “Is the honeymoon ever over for you two?” Kate asked. Gavin and I parted and looked back to see Kate and Tyler walking toward us.

Gavin backed away from me. “Your lipstick is smudged,” he whispered in my ear. I wiped around my lips. His low chuckle almost made me take him into the house to continue our exploration of each other.

“The crowd is looking for you. Would you like me to tell them you’re preoccupied?” Tyler looked from me to Gavin. He knew the truth about our relationship, and he’d probably told Kate. They seemed to have the kind of marriage where there were no secrets.

“No, don’t do that. We were just on our way in.” I threaded my arm through Gavin’s and nudged him toward the barn.

Kate leaned over to me and whispered, “That was not a ‘we’re pretending to be together’ kiss. Are you two giving in to the chemistry between you?”

I was happy the sun was setting because I was sure I turned ten shades of red. “I don’t know what’s happening, but I hope so.”

“We will continue this conversation tomorrow.” Kate said as she walked back toward her husband.

The trip to the barn seemed quicker than I hoped. Kate and Tyler stopped at the door, and I took a deep breath as Gavin led me into the throng of people. We stood on the stage together. This was a Morton family event, and we were expected to portray a united front.

When we were all in place, Gavin’s father spoke.

“Ladies and gentlemen, we would like to welcome you to the New Year’s Eve Gala.

This year, our donations will be used to upgrade equipment at the hospital.

As you all know, medical equipment is costly.

We are honored to work with the hospital, and our ability to do so is because of your ongoing support. ”

The crowd clapped and Brian took a moment to let it die down. He was a born speaker. Brian commanded a room with very little effort.

“We would like to introduce you to the newest member of the Morton family. Please welcome Gavin’s wife, Elyse Morton, to the family and to our community.” Brian turned to me and held his hand out.

The crowd clapped, and I stepped toward Brian and plastered on the fake smile I’d mastered so long ago.

But bile rose in my throat at Brian’s use of the word community.

It was nothing like the one I’d left, but it made me sick to my stomach anyway.

I walked back to Gavin’s side and squeezed his hand for dear life.

He turned and looked at me, and while his face didn’t change much, his eyes held concern. I pasted on my best smile and turned my attention back to the crowd.

“Enough chatter. Now you know why you’re here so, let’s get dancing.” Brian called as he handed the mic back to the band.

The band started playing, and the crowd took to the floor. When I stepped off the stage, I was greeted by person after person. They introduced themselves, welcomed me to the community, and many already had donation checks ready for me.

“It’s so nice to see Gavin has settled down, and with the most beautiful Morton wife of them all, if I do say so.” A man walked up to me and handed me a check before he found someone to dance with.

The check had more zeros than I knew what to do with. Gavin appeared at my side and whispered, “How much did Haden pull from the vault?” I showed the check to him, and Gavin gave a quiet whistle. “He’s always been very generous. Probably helps that you are gorgeous. He’s a ladies’ man.”

I looked at Gavin and back at the check and smiled. “Is he? Maybe I should go see if he wants to dance.” Arching my brow, I turned, pretending to look for the man that I now knew as Haden.

Gavin caught me by my arm and pulled me to him. “Not on your life, Elyse. I’m the one who gets to hold you tonight.”

Instinctively, we swayed to the music. In Gavin’s arms, I felt like everything in the world could only go my way. Everyone here tonight believed in me and, more importantly, Gavin believed in me. Nobody had had faith in me for a long time and it was nice.

The music stopped, and Sandra took the microphone. “Ladies and gentlemen, the funds are rolling in and as of right now we have raised just shy of seventy-five thousand dollars.”

Kate snuck up to the front of the sage and handed Sandra a piece of paper.

Reading what she had been given, her face lit up. “Thanks to a generous donation that came in just before I took the stage, I can now update our total to one hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars. Thank you to New Dream Homes.”

“You got it set up?” I whispered to Gavin.

The smile on his face said it all. The idea he had been mulling over in his mind since we’d arrived in Texas was finally being realized.

“I went to the bank. They were confident I was a good investment based on my reputation and the fact that until my old business partner started making shady deals, I had plenty of capital. Once the legal stuff is over, I should retain my share of the funds, and they agreed.”

Flinging my arms around Gavin’s neck, I couldn’t help but let out a little squeal. “I’m so happy for you.”

“Let’s dance,” he whispered in my ear.