The lady smiled. “Mr Taylor, what’s it like dating the future President’s daughter?”
Anna laughed, and I smiled at her nervously. I had no idea why this woman would waste her question on me. Not having practiced anything for myself, I decided to answer her question with the truth. “Well, to be honest, it was a little intimidating being taken home to meet the parents,” I joked. Anna laughed, as did half of the reporters who were still filming and taping us. “Honestly though, it’s been the best time of my life. She’s the best thing that ever happened to me,” I said honestly. I bent my head and kissed her on the forehead.
Anna’s eyes shone with happiness and joy as she smiled up at me, clearly impressed by my answer.
Reginald stepped forward once more. “Okay, that’s it folks. Only one question each. Miss Spencer and Mr Taylor would like to get inside and enjoy the celebrations.” He waved us towards the door so I pulled her inside quickly, happy that it was all over.
My body relaxed as we made it through the doors. From the corner of my eye, I saw Dean slip into the building behind us. He nodded at me discreetly, signalling that everything was satisfactory.
“That was insane,” I muttered, wrapping my arm around her waist and pulling her body close to mine.
“I know, but it’s done now though,” she sighed deeply, looking relieved. She nodded towards the sign that was sitting in the foyer of the hotel, announcing the way to the private function in the ball room. “Think that’s us,” she muttered, slipping her hand into mine.
Formal didn’t quite cover the posh party that I was currently in the midst of. The dinner had been exquisite; on the small side though, so I was glad I’d eaten a sandwich beforehand. After dinner, there were a couple of speeches and people wishing Anna’s father happy birthday and offering stories of him when they first met or witty anecdotes on something he’d done or said at some point in their friendship. It was nice and intimate. Of course, because Anna was underage, and I was pretending to be, we had to toast with non-alcoholic champagne.
Finally the speeches finished, and a big band started to play. I smiled, wanting to escape the stuffy people that were seated on our table with us. “Want to dance?” I asked Anna.
She smiled happily and nodded. “Sure,” she replied, taking my hand. I stood up and proudly led her to the dance floor, pulling her as close as I could without being all over her.
“You’re amazing, you know that?” I whispered. I didn’t just mean how she looked tonight; I meant how she was conducting herself with grace and poise when she probably hated this whole thing and the attention that was being directed at her. I was immensely proud of her right now.
She smiled. “You’re not too bad yourself,” she teased, tightening her grip on my shoulder.
Dancing with Anna made me feel amazing, like I was the most important man in the world; she wouldn’t dance with anyone else like this and I loved that fact. I could see some of the guys in the room watching her like vultures. I smiled to myself smugly, setting my hand on the small of her back as we sashayed around the dance floor.
After a few songs, her father walked over, smiling happily. He looked every inch the President tonight, and I was honoured to be in his presence; he truly was a brilliant man who would do well for the country.
“Do you mind if I cut in?” he asked. I resisted the urge to say no. I didn’t want to let go of her tonight. Well, that wasn’t strictly true, I didn’t want to let go of her ever, it wasn’t limited to tonight.
Anna shrugged. “Sure, if you want to dance with Ashton, then I’ll go get a drink or something,” she teased, making both me and her father laugh.
I stepped back as he held his hand out to her in invitation. She took a deep breath, seeming to steel herself before she stepped closer to him, placing one of her hands into his and the other onto his shoulder. I grinned proudly and made my way back to the table, sipping my water but not taking my eyes off her the whole time. Anna’s father looked like the proudest and happiest man on the planet as he paraded his daughter around the dance floor.
When the song was nearing completion, he bent and kissed her forehead. Surprisingly, she didn’t flinch away from him the way I had seen her do in the past. She detested all forms of affection or closeness with other people. Her father looked up and caught my eye, giving me a small nod. He had things to do tonight, and people to speak to no doubt, so their dance was probably limited to one because of that. I smiled and headed over to them.
I caught the end of their conversation. “I know this is going to be hard for you now with my new job, and I’m sorry. But I’m glad you have him. He’s a really good guy,” Senator Spencer told her quietly. I slowed my approach so that they could finish talking. I had a feeling that the ‘him’ was me.
“It’s fine, Dad, honestly. I’m really proud of you,” Anna replied.
Her father beamed down at her. “Thank you, Annabelle. That means a lot to me,” he answered. I couldn’t put it off any longer. I stepped to her side, and she instantly melted against me. I smiled and wrapped my arm around her waist affectionately. Her father smiled at me before looking back at his daughter. “I won’t see you again tomorrow because your mom and I are heading out early to catch a flight to New York, so make sure you say bye to your old man before you leave tonight, huh?” She smiled and nodded in agreement. “Thank you for the dance,” he said happily.
Anna laughed. “Anytime, Mr President.”
He grinned. “That’s going to take some getting used to,” he stated, shaking his head, looking a little bemused. He turned to me and held out his hand, smiling warmly. “Look after my little girl,” he pleaded.
He really didn’t need to ask me that, I would look after Anna forever if she’d let me. “Of course, sir,” I promised, nodding and tightening my other arm around her waist as I shook his hand. As soon as her dad left, I pulled her into another dance, eager to have her in my arms again. My mouth was itching to be on hers. She looked exquisite tonight; she was so beautiful that it honestly hurt to look at her. I couldn’t seem to get close enough to her. “I don’t suppose I can kiss you in front of your parents,” I whispered, already knowing the answer was no.
She shook her head and winced. “I don’t think I’d ever hear the end of it.”
“Yeah, that’s what I thought,” I admitted, trying not to show her how disappointed I was that I couldn’t kiss her soft lips. As her eyes drifted over my shoulder, her whole posture changed. She stiffened, her hand tightened on my shoulder, her nails dug into the back of my hand that she was holding as we danced. My body tensed too in response, but I had no idea what, or who, had caused her reaction. Just as I was about to turn and look, she twisted my body and ducked her head so that she was hidden from view. Whoever she was looking at, she obviously didn’t want them to see her.
“Holy shit, Jack’s family are here,” she whispered.
My eyes widened in surprise. No doubt, she was going to have a full scale meltdown now, just like last time she’d seen Jack’s mother. My arm tightened on her as she pressed her body closer to mine, peeking over my shoulder. “They are? You want to leave?”
She gulped but didn’t answer. Slowly, her hand loosened on mine and her shoulders lost the tenseness to them. “Actually, I’m alright,” she replied, seeming a little shocked about it herself. I looked down at her, stunned. Her eyes told me that she was telling the truth, she really was okay at being confronted by Jack’s family. Is she finally getting over him? Is she finally ready to move on? I wondered.
“Yeah?” I asked, watching closely to see if her mask slipped.
“Yeah,” she nodded. “Actually, I want to go say hi,” she added, as a smile tugged at the corners of her lips.
Pride swelled inside me. I actually wanted to jump up and down in celebration, doing my victory dance because she was clearly making some progress with her grief.
She pulled out of my arms and sidestepped me, walking confidently over to a table at the back
of the room. I followed behind her with my heart still slamming in my chest. “Hi, I didn’t realise you guys were here, otherwise I would have come over sooner,” Anna said, smiling happily at them as we got to their table.
I glanced around the table quickly, taking them all in. When my eyes landed on the blond guy, I felt sick. It was Michael, Jack’s brother. Last time she’d lost control because he looked so much like his brother. Maybe she hadn’t seen him yet? I flicked my eyes over to Dean, seeing that he was watching the scene unfold with wide eyes. He was clearly expecting her to freak out at any second too.
A blond guy, probably in his early forties, stood and smiled at Anna affectionately. “Hi! Oh you look beautiful, Anna,” he cooed as he stepped forward and wrapped her into a tight hug.
She smiled as she stepped back after a second. “Thanks, Steve, you’re looking pretty good yourself there,” she answered, looking him over. She turned as Jack’s mom stood too. “It’s so nice to see you again. It’s been a while.”
The lady engulfed her in a hug too, patting her back as she closed her eyes and clearly cherished the affection from someone whom she cared about deeply. “It’s been way too long,” the lady gushed. I tried desperately to remember her name, but I couldn’t recall it. When I was introduced to her in the café, I’d been too concerned with Anna to listen to her name.
“This is Ashton Taylor,” Anna smiled, motioning towards me.
The guy she’d called Steve smiled. “Right, yeah, we’ve heard about him. He’s the one with you at college?”
“Yeah, he is,” Anna confirmed.
I reached out a hand towards him. “It’s nice to meet you, sir,” I greeted politely.
He grinned, placing his hand in mine and shaking it firmly. “You too. You can call me Steve,” he replied, waving a hand dismissively. I nodded. He seemed like a nice guy.
My body unconsciously stiffened as Michael jumped up from his chair. He looked so much like Jack that it was scary. I was pretty used to what Jack looked like from the photo Anna had in our bedroom – even though it wasn’t on the bedside unit anymore. She’d moved it onto one of the shelves, and the photo on the bedside was now of me and her and my friends in LA at one of the bars we went to.
“Hey, Michael,” Anna greeted, smiling.
I frowned in confusion, again flicking my eyes over to Dean, who looked just as stunned as I felt. I had no idea what was going on. This wasn’t how I would have predicted that this meeting would have gone.
He pulled her into a hug and said something in her ear which made her chuckle in response. When the embrace broke, he stepped back and motioned towards a young girl who was sitting at the table with him. “This is my date, Lisa. Lisa, this is Anna,” he waved a hand between his date and Anna in introduction.
“Hey, it’s nice to meet you,” Anna said.
Lisa stood, looking a little awed, probably by the ambience, the setting, the celebrities and the sheer luxury of the party. “Hi. I love your dress,” she replied, looking Anna over a little jealously. I wasn’t surprised that the girl was jealous; Anna’s dress was killer and made her look like a runway supermodel.
Anna nodded quickly in agreement. “I know it’s hot, right? Did you see my shoes? I love my shoes,” she gushed, lifting her dress up past her knees. I looked down at her perfect legs and groaned internally because dirty thoughts immediately clouded my mind. Jack’s mom and the girl gasped as they both stared at her shoes longingly. I noticed Michael was looking too, but I didn’t think he could even tell you what colour the shoes were – he was looking at her legs the same way I was.
“Oh goodness, those are beautiful,” Jack’s mom gasped.
“I know. I have to return the dress and shoes, but I’m going to accidentally lose the shoes in my suitcase,” Anna stated. I grinned at that. She was totally serious – I could tell by her voice.
“I’d lose them too,” Lisa chirped, laughing.
Anna nodded, dropping her dress back to the floor again. “Well, it really is great to see you. I’m going to go dance some more, but I’ll come and see you again before you leave.”
Jack’s mom reached out and touched Anna’s face adoringly. “I’d like that, honey. I’ve missed you.”
Anna nodded sadly, before slipping her hand into mine and giving me a little tug in the direction of the dance floor as she waved over her shoulder to Jack’s family.
I watched her warily as she wrapped her arms around me. She looked happy though, and I just couldn’t comprehend it. “You really okay?” I asked.
Her lips pursed as she seemed to think about it for a few seconds. Finally, she nodded, seeming a little shocked about her own feelings. “Actually, I’m fine. Strange as it may seem, I really do feel fine.”
Happiness exploded within me, because maybe, just maybe, she really was getting over him… maybe I did have a shot after all. “Great. That’s really great, Baby Girl,” I said, rubbing my hand across her skin on her back, sending little tingles of pleasure through my hand. I was so proud of her, I could barely stop myself from grabbing her and spinning her around in a circle. She truly was getting over him, and I didn’t even think that she realised it.
We danced for another couple of songs in silence before she set her head on my shoulder and sighed deeply. Tracing my hands up her back, I gripped the back of her head, feeling her soft silky hair under my fingertips. My heart sank, knowing what this would be about. The Jack thing was finally catching up to her. “What’s wrong?” I whispered, bending and resting my head on the top of hers.
Her arms tightened around me as she spoke with her face pressed into the side of my neck. “Nothing’s wrong. I’m just having a nice time with you tonight.”
It hadn’t been a sad sigh. It was a sigh of contentment. My heart started back up in double-time. “I’m having a nice time here with you too,” I replied, pressing my nose into her hair, breathing her in.
It wasn’t too much longer before the party started to wind down. I followed behind Anna as she said goodbye to Jack’s parents, promising to stay in touch and visit next time she was in town, before seeking out her own parents and bidding them farewell too.
I nodded to Dean who immediately headed to the door and stopped, waiting for us. As we stepped out of the hotel ball room, we made our way across the foyer and over to the elevators. Two secret service agents that I recognised from the lake house were waiting outside it, they waved us through quickly.
As the elevator sped us up to our desired floor, I felt slightly sick. I wasn’t staying in with Anna tonight. The accommodation was prearranged, and it would look weird if we changed them, so the agents were to be sleeping two floors below the family tonight. The night guards would take over their protection duty. I’d been dreading this part all day. I hated being separated from her; I worried about her like crazy when she wasn’t at my side. Thoughts of Carter haunted me when she wasn’t with me, but spending the night away from her would be even worse because I knew she would dream about him and there would be nothing I could do to prevent it.
I tried not to show Anna how worried I was as we walked to her hotel room. “Can I come in and check your room?” I asked, needing to make sure that she was safe. I knew that her room was okay because there had been guards outside it all day, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to settle if I didn’t look for myself. Realisation hit me that maybe I really was too overprotective, just like she always said I was.
“Sure,” she agreed, looking amused as she gave me a little tug into her suite.
My eyes widened at the luxury of the place as we stepped inside. She had a separate living area with a ginormous flat screen TV on the wall, sofas, and even what looked like a little kitchen area. She plopped down on the sofa as I headed to the bedroom and checked under the bed and in the closet and bathroom to make sure nothing or nobody was hiding in her room. When I had satisfied myself, I sat down next to her on the plush sofa. This situation was killing me. I knew she was going to be annoyed with m
e if I didn’t stop stressing out, but I couldn’t calm my jangled nerves.
One of her perfectly plucked eyebrows rose in question. Silently, I waited for her to scold me for treating her like a child or something, but she didn’t. Instead, she looked like she understood. “Ashton, I’ll be fine, will you stop worrying?”
I sighed. I really wished I could. My life would be so much easier if I’d never met her and didn’t have her to worry about. “I know you’ll be fine, I’m just worried about how many bad dreams you’re gonna have without me there,” I admitted. “And also, I’m gonna miss you in the bed,” I added, smiling weakly.
She laughed quietly. “I’m gonna miss you in the bed too,” she shrugged before continuing, “And maybe I won’t even dream, you never know. I haven’t had any nightmares for three months. Maybe they’ve stopped?” She looked like she didn’t believe a word of that statement at all.
“Yeah, I hope so. If it gets bad, then please call me,” I begged. “I’ll come up if you need me.” I took her hand, just needing to touch her before I left her.
A reassuring smile graced her lips. “I’ll be fine, but if I’m not, then I’ll call you,” she agreed.
I sighed, knowing that it was time to go. “Well, I guess I should let you get some sleep then. I’ll see you for breakfast, yeah?” I asked hopefully.
She nodded. “Yep,” she agreed and I kissed the back of her hand as she walked me to the door. She nodded tersely at the guy who was sitting in the chair outside her bedroom door. By her tight and defensive posture alone, I could tell she didn’t like him. I smiled and shook my head; she really had a problem with guards.
“Goodnight then, Anna,” I whispered, watching her face, silently wishing she would beg me to stay with her, screw the guards and her parents and their opinions.