Breaking Braydon (23 page)

Colin sat next to me on the sofa and exhaled a long breath. “Jain, you wanted him to give up. Remember when you were sick over Christmas? That’s all you talked about. You kept telling me it was too painful. You said you wanted Braydon to leave you alone so you could move on. You were very insistent.”

“You took me for my word? I had a fever! I didn’t know what I was talking about. I barely remember those three days. Who believes someone when they’re that ill?” I stopped, with a horrible thought. “Did you tell Braydon what I said?”

“I didn’t have to.”

No. No. No

“He was there,” I whispered, touching my lips.

“Yes, he was. It about broke my heart watching him. He didn’t want you to suffer anymore. He moved on to help you. To be honest, I don’t know if he ever did move on.”

“Oh, he did. I’ve seen pictures of him and Jewelry Girl all over the place. Don’t forget about their little tryst on New Year’s.”

“Jain, you know better than anyone that pictures, articles, or documents aren’t always as they seem.”

I’ll love you forever.

Braydon did this for me. He thought he was helping me. My heart fluttered.

“After I got over the hurt, I realized the love we had was more important than anything, but I thought it was too late. Do you think there’s a chance? Is he here yet?”

“Yes, I saw him about a half hour ago. He was talking to the caterer. But, I have to warn you, Tiffany came with him.”

My entire body deflated as that little seed of hope floated down the river. “Oh.”

“Keep your eyes and mind open. I have a feeling all is not how it appears.”

Ten minutes later, I was on stage in front of a packed house of three hundred of Seattle’s most active philanthropists. The ballroom was open and spacious, decorated in colors of pink and ivory to match the Valentine’s Day theme. The tables were decked out with the finest linen, china, and silver money could buy. Braydon had spared no expense making sure the guests were wined and dined properly.

The murmuring in the room stopped while I shuffled my note cards. I hoped I could remember my speech from memory, but I’d brought them as a back-up in case I froze.

“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the beautiful Paramount Hotel. My name is Jain Parker, and I’m one of the scientists at Bastion Medical Research.  We are happy you’ve chosen to join us on this special day, Valentine’s Day, a day we set aside every year to dedicate to love. Our theme tonight is love and passion. I love my work, and I feel passionate about what we are accomplishing. With your help, we plan to find ways to treat, and possibly cure, ALS.” Overwhelmed by the import of my words, I paused for a moment to gather myself.

“As many of you know, finding a treatment or cure for ALS is near and dear to my heart. My healthy, vibrant mother was struck down by this disease in the prime of her life. I’ll spend the rest of mine fighting this disease for her, and for the many people who are diagnosed and yet to be diagnosed.”

There was a sharp screeching noise as the sound of another microphone was turned on.

“I have a question.” The voice came from somewhere in the back. It was shadowed in the corner, so I couldn’t make out who was asking the question. Was this supposed to be a question and answer session?

“Sure. What would you like to know?” I may as well be polite.

“What else will you be doing for the rest of your life?” The microphone was turned up too high. I couldn’t make out the voice. It sounded like…
No
.

“I’m sorry, sir, but we’re talking about ALS, not my life.” I scanned the room to see if I could locate Colin. Someone needed to deal with this crackpot.

“I’m talking about my life
and
yours. I’d like them to merge,” the voice said. It was clearer, stronger. The words, the voice….
his
voice. Could it be?

My heart skipped a few beats, accompanied by profuse sweating and rapid breathing. I didn’t want to allow myself to get my hopes up. I’d been thinking of him, dreaming of him, for months now.
Please, God, let it be him
.

The crowd began to buzz. Everyone was craning their necks and turning their heads toward the back. Out of the shadows stepped…Braydon. What was he doing? Next, his dad stepped forward, then Todd, and then…Tiffany? My eyes stayed on hers for an extra beat. She gave me a huge smile and blew me a kiss.

“Maybe we should talk in the back?” I asked. A thrill of emotions, all good, churned inside. This was really happening.

He jumped up on one of the unoccupied tables along the back wall. “A wise old man once told me…” He smiled at his dad, who proceeded to give him a playful punch in the leg. “He told me he didn’t raise a quitter. He told me to fight for the woman I loved.” He was still a long distance away, but I could see his gorgeous smile. I was stunned silent.

“He also told me that I needed to make a grand gesture to get my point across. He said women loved this stuff, so I’m going to take his word for it.” He turned to his father smiling.

“You ready dad?”

Brian reached over and turned on the sound system. The first notes of a ukulele unfolded as the medley of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World” drifted out into the ballroom.

He remembered.

A few of the guests clapped in appreciation.

“I’ve put together some thoughts I want to share with you.” He turned. “You ready?”

His dad nodded and whispered to Todd, who in turn nudged Tiffany. She beamed a huge smile at me and picked up a large, white poster board sign, handed it to Todd, who in turn gave it to Braydon’s dad, who hoisted it up to Braydon. It looked like everyone wanted in on the action.

He held up the first card. The crowd, who was murmuring with excitement, immediately hushed in anticipation.

He dropped it and reached for the next sign.

The audience laughed. Braydon smiled.