Behind the Scenes

by Elisa Preston

  “What was what?”

  Virginia took Levi’s hands in hers. She looked up at him, and in the sea of people surrounding them, she only saw him. They might as well have had the ballroom to themselves.

  “We belong together.”

  Levi’s arms swooped to her back, his left arm circling her waist and his right arm across her back. He dipped her fairytale-style, and planted a kiss on her ready lips that she would not soon forget. She may have seen and heard fireworks in the ten seconds between the start and end of that kiss.

  When they were back to the land of the Gala, and after Virginia had regained awareness after the best kiss of her life, Levi asked, “So, since we just kissed in public and were not pounced on by paparazzi, does that mean my being a public figure is no longer an issue? And we can move on and live happily ever after? Or at least enjoy the rest of the Gala like we have the past five minutes?”

  The smirk on his face was undeniably adorable, and any defense she had kept up to guard herself from falling for Levi had fallen so far away she couldn’t find it if she tried.

  With a resigned sigh, she leaned in. “I’m yours, Levi. I have been since the moment on the plane when you told me what I said to the lame pick-up line was brilliant.”

  “That was the moment, huh?” Levi’s head went back in laughter. “I thought it was when you said my name so loudly you almost gave me away to an entire plane full of strangers,” he said, winking.

  “There have been so many moments, Levi.”

  Again with the undeniably adorably smile, the one that made Virginia’s heart turn to absolute mush, the one that she had been dreaming about for months.

  “We can have a million more, Virginia. If you’ll have me?” He held out his hand, another offer to join him like one he had presented a month ago on their way to Ashley’s wedding.

  Back then she had politely declined, only moved about their arrangement and hoped it would be okay. And it had been. Levi had respected her. She knew that behind the scenes, he wanted more. He almost kissed her in the warmly lit outdoor wedding space, but the falling snow practically begged for romance so she let it slide. And all throughout the behind the scenes planning for the Gala, Levi had shown up on time and with ideas, he had followed through, and he had lent a hand when he didn’t have to. She knew he was doing it for her, but also because that’s who he was. And who he was, was the kind of man she wanted to love.

  Well, not the kind of man.

  The man.

  It had happened behind the scenes of everything else that went on the previous six months. Behind the planning and the meeting and the stolen glances. Behind the two runs and the one perfect kiss. Behind the thirty phone calls he made to help carry out Virginia and Sophie’s last-minute solution to a potential Gala-ruining problem.

  Virginia considered Levi’s outstretched hand for half a second.

  “No question,” she said, and the two embraced in one more fireworks kiss that sealed the deal on one of Virginia’s staple beliefs for planning any kind of event: it’s always the unplanned moments that end up being the most memorable.

  And Levi Adams certainly was nothing she had planned for, but she knew without a doubt that he was everything she had hoped for, and more.

  Acknowledgements

  If you’ve gotten to this page, thank you! I hope your heart is filled with joy at the conclusion of this sweet story. It was a blast to write, especially as I imagined the Gala, the run through Manhattan, and Virginia’s lakeside cottage, inspired by one my mom lived in a few years ago.

  Self-publishing is a much more solo effort than traditional publishing, but only in the execution. Looking behind the scenes of an author’s endeavor is to look into her life at those she knows and loves who have all influenced the story:

  Missy, for reading this honestly and sharing your heart with me. Marco!

  Dad and Linda, for letting me live at the island while we watched Blue Bloods and I wrote my heart out.

  Mom, for answering my seventh call like it’s my first.

  Mike, for riding Annabeth up and down that ramp four hundred times.

  Tanya, for teaching AB about s’mores and fireworks.

  Mom & Dad Preston, for the oasis that is your home.

  Joe, for always being ready with technical jargon and home improvement advice.

  Andrea, for all things oil-related.

  Michelle, for being the very definition of consistent, reliable, and tough. Mint, anyone?

  My Irwin people, for making me a better person and better at my day job.

  Greg, for being an endless supporter.

  Annabeth, for keeping my heart light.

  There are so many people I hold close to my heart; I could not possibly fit them onto one page. So if your name isn’t here this time, look forward to the next one!

  Connect with the Author

  I’d love to connect with you! I write from time to time on my blog about finding joy and perspective in the simple, everyday experiences. Read a sample on the next page.

  Find me on Instagram: elisapreston

  Come to my website: elisapreston.com

  Shoot me an email: epreston@elisapreston.com

  When Helping Becomes Hindering

  My 2.5-year-old loves -- *loves* -- to climb the rock walls at parks, all by herself.

  “No Mommy, I do it.”

  Okay, hunny, but all I'm imagining is you plummeting and breaking your back.

  “Mommy, urr siwwy.”

  No, I'm a realist.

  Eventually you come to a happy medium with your kid, somewhere between making sure they don't plummet to their demise and making them think they're doing their ninja moves completely solo. It's nerve-wrecking and heart attack-inducing, but it's a necessary and universal tension for Western mothers.

  Today at the park, AB did her rock wall climbing. She got to the wall and up four knobs before I could say YIKES. When I did get to her, I fought the urge to put my hand on her bottom, because I remembered what happened the last time I did that. See, the first time today that she went to climb, I did stand uber-nervous-mommy close, and put my hand on her butt to “guide” (catch) her. But you know what happened when I did that? She let go and suddenly it became me pushing her up the wall instead of her climbing the wall. For those of you who don't know me in person, I am not even five feet tall. So pushing my child up a rock wall, it doesn't go far.

  I thought about parenting, and then I thought about my marriage and my friendships, and even some of my professional relationships, and I thought, there's a point when helping someone becomes a hindrance. Sure, I hope to always be there to catch my daughter, literally and figuratively. But as she grows out of needing my immediate assistance, my helping her, or the things I'm doing in the name of helping her, could actually be a hindrance to her growth and development.

  In grown-up relationships, I think we sometimes say and do things in the name of helping that could actually be hindering others' growth and/or the situation, not to mention our relationships with them. We don't want someone to get hurt or we just want to get the job done, we gloss over others' gaffes or gaps or even needs because we're in a one-way state of mind. We don't have time or don't want to make the time to deal with the repercussions of drawing that line between the two.

  Here's a hint for when that boundary between helping and hindering is crossed: you can feel it in your gut. Your mood generally goes south, your body tenses, your thinking is less clear.

  It would be really great--and it would make this counselor heart so very happy--if we could have a universal, required-for-adulthood training on setting appropriate boundaries. Letting others know when helping them actually isn't helping them, and for this one, they're on their own. It would be really great if we could stand strong in who we are, not enable or coddle or pander. There are ways to be this way -- setting boundaries, standing firm in who you are -- without alienating others and without losing respect. In fact, I believe if you take stock of t
he three people in your life whom you most respect, they all share some version of boundary setting as a character strength.

  I challenge you to set one boundary today. Just one. Start small. Don't say NO to your boss or your mother and tell them it's because of this great blog you just read. Do your gut check when you're about to help, and be okay with who you are and the choice you’re making when the answer is "No". Then do another gut check and see how much stronger you feel. Ten-to-one: after the nervousness wears off, you kind of like it.

  As I punctuated that last sentence, AB fell out of her bed. For the second night in a row.

  I guess I won't catch her every time.