Page 24 of All the Promises We Break

“I’ve never felt so much pressure in a meeting, ever. I tried to do my normal prep. I got halfway through my staredown and I thought I was going to throw up. That’s never happened to me before. Ever. My father caught me right at that moment. He wanted to walk in with me united, so he came down the two floors just for that reason.

“He just kept asking if I was okay, if I was ready. Then he did the one thing he never does before a meeting. I got a hug. I swear, no matter how old I get, that one gesture can fix the world. His strength seemed to radiate into me. It was a true Iron Man moment. I felt a shift inside from the ground up.

“He fixed my tie then silently patted me on the back. That was it. We walked down the hallway side by side, shoulder to shoulder to the board room. Pops was waiting outside and led us in. We were this amazing line going into what I thought was battle.”

Eli’s hand twitches over the bare skin on my thigh. I cover his hand with mine and weave our fingers together. “I wish I’d beenthere to support you, even if I couldn’t be in the room. I feel like I should have stood up for myself and us. I earned everything I got, and I didn’t get any special treatment inside those walls. You didn’t treat me any different than Candice or Levi. They would tell anyone the same thing.”

“Hey. Calm down. Let me finish before you let the dark side of Viper take over. Pops called the meeting to order and thanked everyone in attendance. Only one person was on video. The rest were in person. My father called the emergency meeting, so they expected him to speak. I could see a small wave of shock happen as I stood to button my jacket and address them.”

Before Eli continues, he takes his jacket off, laying it across my mostly naked body with a kiss on my cheek. “I greeted everyone and thanked them for covering for me while I was on leave. John Thune asked immediately about my recovery. I could tell that was at the top of mind for everyone. I gave them the shortened version of Dr. Collier’s notes on how far I’ve come and where I’ve left to go.

“Everyone offered to support what I could still need to be one-hundred percent. Then I took a deep breath, altering my more familial stance for one of, for the lack of a better term, making my pitch.”

“It’s bullshit that it has to be this way. I hate it.”

“Shhh. I know. Me too but this is all part of the process. I’ll see if I can remember verbatim what I told them.”

Eli closes his eyes again. I can tell he’s having a conversation with himself. “Goose, it’s okay if you can’t. Don’t stress yourself out over it.”

“I’ll get my brain working the way it’s supposed to again. Dammit. I will.”

I pull his palm to my lips and ghost it softly over and over again. I can feel his pulse begin to slow. His shoulders fell and some of the tension that rose in his face as he began talkingis melting away. “Take your time. This is our room, our world. Time doesn’t exist here.”

“I love you so much Dylan Elizabeth Cooper.” He sighs. “I stood at the head of the table and I talked about my extra work with Professor Stone. I said through that experience I was able to find the essential, hardworking, and extraordinary intern for this year’s class. You know her as Dylan Cooper.

“I stated what they also didn’t see is something more special. I told them you have a passion, drive, and light that is unrivaled in anyone I’ve ever seen. You brought not only out of the box ideas to the table, but your passion for bringing the arts—dance specifically—to the underserved children we wanted to foster, but you also had the ideas, solutions, and determination to make it the way you saw it in your head and perfectly blended it with the function and new format of the Roark Foundation.”

“Jesus, you make me sound like a martyr or genius or something.”

“You don’t realize your potential yet. However, I do. It was at that point John and four other of the members leaned in. Two, however, sat back, one of which was Elise Nordby.”

“Shit, I forgot about her. I shouldn’t have but I did.”

“I saw the physical movement and their body language telling me to urgently get to where we were needing to go.”

“Tell me what happened please.”

“I told them that my commitment to AnSa has not and will not change. I have the rest of my injury to combat but that's the only obstacle I’ll have unless others are put in my way. I clearly stated that you’re a true asset not only to this company but to my life.

“I looked each person around me in the eye with a different part of my statement. I told them I’ve asked you to be my wife. I was standing there lucky enough to say that you’d accepted. I went on to say that part of your dreams is to be a dancer. I support you fully in that endeavor, and you are just ascommitted to AnSa. The last few sentences I remember exactly as I said them.

“I would not stand here before the people who have created and fostered this company to what it is today and do anything I thought would harm the legacy we’ve all worked so hard for. There will be hard times, new challenges, but I can guarantee you, on Dylan’s behalf and mine, we will persevere.

“I don’t need your blessing, but I’d like to have it, I said. I concluded by telling them I appreciated their time, and I would leave the room so they could openly vote and discuss without feeling my presence.”

His voice goes silent. I watch as he plays with the ring on my finger. My eyes follow up his arm to his beautiful face, which now wears a hint of my lip gloss. I drag my fingers over the apple of his cheek until he looks at me. “Eli. You inspire me every day. Tell me if I’m wrong, but that sounded like an ultimatum to me. You were ready to walk away from your family business for me?”

“I would have. I told my father that if they didn’t accept what I told them then my resignation would have followed. You come first, Dylan. Always.”

“Do you realize what you’ve done?”

“What’ve I done?”

“You’ve just washed away any doubt I have about making this work. Shit. I’m going to be a Sawyer.”

I stare off to the other side of the room. Every once in a while the light will sneak in from between the seams of the heavy drapes on the far side windows. “Dylan? Dylan?”

“Yes.”

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