Her Leading Hero

by Maggie Dallen

  Because she was strong. Over the past month she’d done all of the things she’d spent years running from because she’d thought she was too weak.

  She’d confronted her parents, she’d returned to her former world—she’d even given her heart for a second time and risked having it shattered all over again.

  And even with their setback and the pain it caused, she hadn’t broken. She could see that now. She’d given her heart and she’d made herself vulnerable—and she was that much stronger for it.

  Being vulnerable wasn’t the same as being weak. And to trust others she had to trust herself.

  Two simple lessons—but lessons she would never have learned if not for Gregory.

  He’d helped her to heal, even when he was hurting her. The least she could do was fight for him.

  The rest would be up to him. She couldn’t learn his lessons for him—she couldn’t make him take a chance. She knew better than anyone how hard it was to trust yourself, and Gregory had to take that leap on his own.

  Smoothing her hands over the silk of her dress, she took a deep breath. She couldn’t make him leap, but she could lead him to the edge of the cliff.

  Another ding of her phone had her smiling. Meg and Jake were home with their baby but rooting her on from the sidelines. Apparently Caitlyn was under strict orders to report back immediately.

  Taking a deep breath, she let it out slowly. At least she had her friends around her for support. If the worst-case scenario happened and Gregory didn’t appreciate her grand gesture—well, at least she wouldn’t be alone.

  Marc grabbed her arm again and started heading for the theater. “It’s time.”

  “Don’t say it like that,” she said, pulling her arm from his grasp. “I feel like I’m walking to the gallows.”

  “Dead man walking,” Marc called out, causing everyone around them stop and stare but also making her giggle, which she assumed was his intention.

  “Thank you.”

  “Anytime.”

  They walked into the theater and there he was. Gregory stood at the front of the theater by the stage, one among many of the eligible bachelors up for auction. Tamara breathed in deep. She could do this.

  With Marc by her side, she headed down the aisle toward the stage. She knew the moment he spotted her; all of the air in the room seemed to disappear. His gaze burned into her, but she refused to look his way. She couldn’t. If she did she might lose her courage, and this was it. Her chance to show Gregory she was strong enough to stand on her own. Strong enough to stand by his side.

  When she drew close to the stage, she paused and waited as Alice and Nicholas took to the stage to kick off the event. Tamara barely listened as they addressed the crowd—a crowd made up of the city’s most influential, its wealthiest, its most famous.

  These were the people she’d been afraid of for so long. Now it was hard to remember what she was so scared of, because now she had so much more to lose. Now it wasn’t her ego at stake, or her wounded pride. It wasn’t her image that was in danger of being shattered.

  It was her heart on the line.

  She was dimly aware of laughter from the crowd as Alice and Nicholas teased the contenders.

  She made the mistake of looking in Gregory’s direction. His gaze clashed with hers, and her heart squeezed painfully at the agony she saw there—a pain she knew was reflected in her own eyes.

  But maybe his grief was a good sign. It meant he was as heartbroken as she was. So maybe he’d believe her when she told him she was ready to admit that what they had was worth fighting for.

  I’m here, she wanted to scream across the theater. But shouting wouldn’t achieve anything. It was time to show him that she was ready to fight. For him, for them...for herself.

  Tearing her gaze away, she forced herself to concentrate on what was happening on the stage. Marc took her hand and squeezed it as Alice started to wrap up.

  “Our bachelors will be stepping up on stage in a moment. We’ve asked them each to prepare a few words about what makes them such a catch and why you should bid on them.” Dropping her voice an octave, she added, “And remember, folks, all money goes to charity, so bid high even if you think he’s a dud.”

  More laughter and applause as the crowd settled in for the entertainment of watching the city’s most eligible bachelors humiliate themselves for a good cause.

  “But first,” Alice continued, making Tamara’s stomach do a backflip. This was it—no turning back now.

  “First we have a surprise contestant—a bachelorette!”

  Applause echoed in Tamara’s ears, and she reminded herself forcefully that she was not allowed to get out of this by fainting.

  A few minutes. She just had to be courageous for a few moments, and then it would all be over. Either Gregory would have come to his senses and realized they were meant to be...or he wouldn’t.

  Either way, she would survive and she would be just fine.

  With that thought, she pasted a smile on her face as Alice announced her name. “Give a hand for Ms. Tamara Pierce.”

  She tried not to pay attention to the whispers as she walked the last few steps to the stage and allowed Nicholas to help her up the stairs.

  The theater took on a dreamlike quality—or maybe that was just her perception. But from up on that stage, with the dim lighting and the buzz of hushed voices—the nerves subsided and a calm swept over her.

  Only then did she let herself look in Gregory’s direction again.

  “Hi, everybody, I’m Tamara Pierce. Or you might know me better as Tammy Vanguard.” Tamara stopped. If anyone gasped or whispered in the crowd, she didn’t notice. She was too focused on Gregory to hear or care.

  Standing by the edge of the stage, she could make out his features in the dim lighting. His eyes were wide with shock and confusion. She nearly laughed aloud. Maybe she would have if her heart wasn’t in her throat.

  Smothering a nervous giggle, she forced yourself to continue. “Some of you may have heard of me, some of you may not. And honestly it doesn’t matter. Whatever you heard, whatever you think you know, it has no relation to the truth.” Tamara drew in a deep breath. “The truth is, years ago I was hurt. Badly. And it took me a long time to recover, and not just from the physical and emotional injuries.”

  She had to stop speaking, because Gregory’s look of confusion disappeared and what replaced it was unbearable to see. Pain was etched on his features as though he was hurting on her behalf. She gave him a small smile to let him know she was okay.

  Truth was, she was better than okay. Speaking these words aloud only confirmed what she knew to be true in her heart. “I had to recover my trust—in others and in myself. That’s not an easy thing to do, but I was lucky.”

  She paused, holding Gregory’s gaze. She needed to be sure he was listening. Truly listening. “I was lucky because I had help. Someone came into my life who showed me what it was to be fearless. He showed me what it was to trust.”

  Tears were burning in her eyes, but she forced the words out. “He showed me what it was to love.”

  Gregory’s eyes were filled with emotion, filled with tears. He made his way through the crowd of bachelors so he was at the edge of the stage. When she realized he was going to jump up on stage, she stopped him with a shake of her head. She wasn’t done.

  She hoped he understood. If he came to her now he would be saving her, rescuing her. And that wasn’t what she wanted or needed. This wasn’t about being saved; it was about proving to herself and to him that she had the strength to put herself out there—back in the world that used to terrify her. But most importantly she had to prove that she trusted him.

  He loved her, she knew he did. And she understood him well enough to understand that his reservations had been based on false beliefs about his own worth and capacity to love.

  If anyone
could understand doubts—how hearing lies and misconceptions about oneself could lead to believing them—it was her. And maybe that was why they were meant to be together.

  They understood one another, believed in each other. And she hoped, given time, they could come to truly trust themselves not to hurt or be hurt. But no one was perfect, and if they hurt each other, then she hoped they could learn to forgive.

  For the first time since she started speaking, she let herself look away from Gregory and faced the rest of the crowd. From where she stood, all she could see was smiles of encouragement. She even spotted a few women who had tears in their eyes as they smiled up at her.

  Funny to think she’d been so afraid for so long, and for what?

  Gripping the microphone a little harder, she started speaking again. “Alice says I’m supposed to talk about what makes me a great catch and why you should bid on me.” She let out a little laugh as she made eye contact with Marc, who was beaming at her like a proud mama.

  “Why am I a good catch? Because I’m strong. I may have had my struggles, but because of that, I am stronger now than I ever could have imagined.” She smiled at the crowd and saw a hundred smiles in return. “That makes me a great catch, I’d say, because I don’t need to be saved. I’m not some princess in a tower, and I’ll slay my own dragons, thank you very much.”

  This was met with a scattering of applause and a few shout-outs from some women in the crowd.

  “As for why you should bid on me…” She looked off to the side and saw Alice giving her a thumbs-up, and she laughed. “Well, because it’s for a great cause, obviously. But to be honest, that’s not why I’m standing up here making a fool of myself.”

  Turning back she met Gregory’s gaze for one long second before facing the crowd with a smile. Something Marc had said to her days ago came back to her now, and she found herself fighting back a laugh at its truth. “It always starts with someone who says they don’t want love. But you know what they say—love finds you when you’re not looking for it.” Her courage gave out, and she couldn’t turn to face Gregory, instead focusing on the crowd before her who were no longer a threat. “There’s only one person here who I’m hoping will take a chance on me. But to do that he’ll have to trust me and trust himself—not an easy feat, I know.” She swallowed the sudden onset of nerves. “I’m hoping he’ll do it, though, because…because I love him.”

  Her voice gave out on her as nerves and adrenaline made breathing nearly impossible.

  A man in the crowd shouted out, “I’d bet on you, Tammy!” Followed by other good-natured calls. She tried to smile, but the silence coming from the crowd of bachelors had her frozen in place.

  This was it. Speak now or forever hold your peace. What if she’d put it all on the line and he couldn’t do it? Maybe love wasn’t always strong enough.

  * * * *

  Gregory was frozen in place. Shock and awe made it hard to think.

  But he could feel.

  After all this time trying to keep his distance, the need to run to her, to embrace her, to claim what they had—it was nearly unbearable.

  He was distantly aware of some male voices calling out that they’d bid for her.

  Like hell they would.

  Not stopping to think it through, he sprang forward, finally unleashed from his shocked stupor. Striding up the stairs and onto the stage, he called out, “Thanks so much, gentlemen, but you can put away your wallets. This bachelorette is mine.”

  Whoops and whistles followed that announcement, but he was too focused on the woman standing before him on the stage to take much notice.

  And holy hell was she gorgeous. Radiant with strength and confidence, she turned to him with a look of such pleasure that it nearly crippled him. It wasn’t just pleasure, but pride—in him. In the fact that he’d stood up and claimed her despite his insecurities and fears.

  God, he loved this woman.

  Then he was at her side, and he swept her into his arms and crushed her lips beneath his, ignoring the raucous applause. All he cared about was right here on this stage, in his arms.

  He pulled back just long enough to smile down at this woman who’d conquered her worst fears and showed him he could do the same.

  “I hope you’re sure about this,” he said between kisses. “Because now you’re stuck with me.”

  He could barely hear her laugh over the din from the crowd, but he could feel it reverberating through him and decided right then and there that it was the best feeling in the world.

  As he was leaning in for another kiss, a hand on his arm had him looking up. One of the organizers of the event was firmly but gently leading them off the stage. For the first time, he became truly aware of his surroundings and the fact that he and Tamara were giving this crowd the show of the night.

  He saw the moment Tamara realized it too and her cheeks turned a brilliant shade of red. Catcalls and whistles followed them off the stage. He gave the crowd a wave as Tamara ducked her head and all but ran offstage, dragging him with her.

  Once there she turned to him and laughed.

  “I cannot believe you just did that,” he said.

  “Believe it.” She grinned up at him. “Meet the new and improved Tammy Vanguard.”

  He arched a brow as he wrapped an arm around her waist. “I thought you only answered to Tamara Pierce these days.”

  She shrugged, her eyes alight with a joy that made her radiant. “I’m learning to embrace both names.”

  Brushing a long blond lock from her face, he leaned down until his lips were tantalizingly close to hers. “Then I guess it’s a good thing that I love them both.”

  He heard her gasp of surprise, but he captured it with a kiss before she could respond.

  A pang of fear had him pulling back, cupping her face in his palms. “You know I’m new to this whole intimacy thing, right? It may take me a while to figure out how to be a good boyfriend.”

  “I trust you,” she said. And with those three words he got a glimpse of what his life could be. A warmth filled his chest as this tiny slip of a woman knocked down the demons that had been tormenting him for as long as he could remember.

  The voices of doubt turned to words of hope. His father was wrong. His intentions might have been decent, but he’d been wrong all along. He didn’t have to be like his mother. He could choose to be a better man. Loyal like his father, passionate like his mother. Take the best of both and leave the rest behind.

  Before he could tell Tamara any of this, Alice came up beside them. She was grinning at them, but she had a slightly harried air about her. “You guys, I’m so happy for you.”

  “Thanks,” Tamara said, her gaze never leaving his.

  “And I hate to rain on your parade,” Alice continued, laughter in her voice. “But the bachelor auction is still going on, and we are missing one very important contender.”

  Tamara’s eyes widened, and he was sure his surprise matched hers. He’d forgotten all about the auction…and the fact that he was supposed to be the star. The city’s most eligible bachelor up for grabs.

  Giving Tamara a light peck, he turned to Alice. “Let’s get this over with.”

  Alice led him back onto the stage, where he was met with loud applause. Giving a small bow, he saluted the audience. There was no avoiding the fact that he and Tamara had created quite the scene in front of this influential crowd. Might as well make the most of it.

  Alice gave a brief, unnecessary intro before handing the mic over to him.

  “Look,” he said. “I think most of you know who I am and what I’m about. And now, after that performance you witnessed earlier, I’m sure you can imagine what I’m about to say.”

  He glanced over and spotted Tamara, surrounded by her friends, smiling up at him. All the faith in the world shone in her eyes.

  “When I signed up for thi
s auction, I was a bachelor. But now, I’m happy to report that I am a taken man.”

  Laughter and whistles greeted that comment.

  “I think we all know how important this charity is, so I hope you can still find it in your hearts to bid on me. In return, I can offer stellar financial advice and maybe even tell you the tale of how this eligible bachelor fell head over heels.”

  Apparently everyone loved a good love story, because the bidding started high and the end amount was the most raised all night. The woman who won him was old enough to be his grandmother, and she told him when he left the stage that she couldn’t care less about his business acumen. She just wanted the exclusive story on how he’d swept that beautiful young woman off her feet.

  That, he realized as he made his way through the crowd and to the love of his life, was something he was still trying to figure out. Because much as he’d love to take the credit, he wasn’t the hero of this love story—Tamara was.

  Before she came along, he’d been clueless. An overgrown child who was still trying to rebel against his parents. Always out to prove something—that he wasn’t like his mother. That he was better than his father. But like an idiot, he’d been fighting because he was afraid it was true. Deep down he’d believed the hype, the story his father had spun from the moment his mother left. Just like Tamara had fallen victim to the lies Billy had told to keep her down. But she had woken up, faced the truth about herself, and come out stronger than ever.

  So strong she had the courage to show him what a fool he was and wake him up, too.

  Holy shit, she really was his hero.

  His love for her was overwhelming in that moment. A short laugh escaped, and he gave her a quick hard kiss. When he pulled back, she lifted her brows in question. “What’s so funny?”

  “You. Us.” He shook his head. “When we first met, I had this crazy notion that I was helping you. Saving you.” He laughed again, and she tilted her head to the side.