Will joined the other men who were waiting for their dates at the bottom of the stairs. Tonight was his parent's charity dinner where they would give out trophies for the golf tournament that had happened earlier in the day. He had never been up for an award but today his golf game had reached a new low.
The chandelier above gleamed a brilliant orange glow that gave the place a warm inviting feeling. There were long white drapes hanging from the ceiling to frame the marble staircase and a bouquet of exotic flowers at each end. His mother had done a good job putting the day together. They had a huge turnout numbering close to a thousand people and the children's hospital would receive a sizeable check that night.
"Hello, William," Will turned to see Alston coming up behind him. He was dressed in a tux making Will think that Alston had been planning this evening for weeks. His sister had really stepped in it this time. Ronnie didn't need any more complications in her life and he didn't need a new reason to bash Alston's face in.
"Alston," Will nodded in his direction but kept his attention towards the stair hoping Annie would make her appearance. Or maybe someone would spontaneously break into song and dance giving him an excuse to ignore him. Any distraction would be appreciated.
"What? No jabs in my direction? I believe it was you who always had to have the last laugh," Alston commented. "Or is that just when you stab your friends in the back?"
Will glanced over to Alston who, despite the direction the conversation was going, looked very put together. It's true that Will had stabbed him in the back but after he had hooked up with Ronnie Will figured their friendship was over. The saying goes that all is fair in love and war and Will had taken it to the next step. One weekend when he was tired of their separation, he had kidnapped Ronnie and taken her to Hawaii where he spent countless hours reminding her of why they belonged together.
Will smiled to himself remembering how they had spent most of their time in the hotel room. If he closed his eyes he could hear the sound of the ocean coming through the open balcony doors and blending with her soft moans of ecstasy. The way Ronnie said his name while they made love drove Will crazy.
"I was wondering though, how it feels to know that she was back in my bed within hours of reaching Hawaii," he bit back.
Alston smiled clearly enjoying their banter. Will turned back to the stairs noticing Annie for the first time. She was dressed in a white Grecian dress that hung off one shoulder and decorated with pewter heels. She was a vision that attracted all the men's attentions to her. Scott, who had just joined them, was no exception.
"I think I just died and went to heaven," Scott joked.
"Put your eyes back in your head," Will admonished. "The lady is with me." Annie glided down the steps coming towards him like a dream. Taking the last few steps in front of him, Will took her hand and placed a kiss on her lips. "You look beautiful."
"Thank you," she said bowing her head to hide the blush on her face.
"Wow," Will heard Alston say from behind them. He thought he was commenting on Annie but Alston had his focus towards the top of the stairs where Ronnie had made her appearance.
Will's breath caught in his throat as he saw Ronnie donned in a strapless olive green floor length gown. Her hair was long and flowing over her shoulders with a slight curl. Alston climbed the stairs before taking her arm in his and leading her down the steps.
"You look fantastic," Annie commented to Ronnie.
"Thank you. So do you," Ronnie beamed at her. "Are we waiting for Megan?"
"No, she is with mom since she is going to be a presenter tonight," Will answered.
The night flew by with awards being given out for the golf tournament and a few speeches about the organization that the money would go to. Megan had given the back-story to why the charity was set up. She had cried a little when talking about their brother and Will had to quietly wipe away a tear that had slipped out. Then the dance floor had been opened up for couples to take the floor. Scott had asked Annie to dance before he could ask her and Alston and Ronnie were on the floor leaving him all alone with his thoughts.
He knew he should be watching Scott to make sure he didn't try any funny business but he couldn't take his eyes off of Ronnie. Why did she have to dress like that anyways? She might as well offer herself to Alston since her dress was certainly sending out the wrong signal. She was going to be a mother. She didn't have time to be starting a relationship with Alston. Was she going to start a relationship with him? He knew it was too early to tell but his nerves had been on edge since the spineless bane of his existence had shown up.
Then there was Annie who had been very aware of his sour mood all day. Just his luck she would be ready for an argument at the end of the night. He wished he could control it but he had never had very much control where Ronnie was concerned. They had been divorced for eight months now and he still felt like he was responsible for her.
Will picked up the glass of champagne in front of him and downed it. When he looked up he noticed that Alston now had Annie in his arms.
"Where did Ronnie go," Will asked Scott who had just sat down in the seat beside him.
"She said she needed some air. By the way, have I told you how lucky you are with women? Annie is one hot little number."
Will stood to his feet and patted Scott on the back. "I think I need some air too. I'll see you later."
"Fine. Just don't be mad when I slip Annie my room key," he joked.
"I'm not worried," Will threw back at him.
Back in the lobby, Will strode towards the door hoping to find Ronnie when he heard music. The six white pillars in the lobby were colored from lights at their base and kept the piano out of sight. Will passed by the exit and saw Ronnie seated at the piano.
"You're not tired of Alston yet, are you," Will jeered.
"Not at all," Ronnie stopped playing to give Will her full attention. "My feet have been hurting so I stepped out for a break."
"You were getting awfully comfortable with him on the dance floor."
Ronnie shot off the piano bench and moved to walk away but Will grabbed her arm in a tight grip. "Let me go. I don't want to do this with you."
Will's grip tightened on her arm. "If you didn't parade yourself around with him we wouldn't have to."
Ronnie yanked her arm out of his grasp and rubbed the spot where his hand had been noticing the red mark he had left. "Don't go there, when you hang all over Annie whenever I am around. It's not easy for me Will."
"And you think it was easy for me in college when you two were together? I know how it feels. I was the one who stayed up alone tortured by the fact that you were with him. It gnawed at me that he was touching you and making love to you when I should have been."
"Will?" Will turned to see Annie and Alston standing behind him with their arms locked together. She was smiling from ear to ear and he figured she hadn't heard what they were talking about. "Scott said I could find you out here. He also gave me his room key, which I must say was kind of awkward for me. Anyways, I was hoping I could steal you away for a while. May I," she directed her question to Ronnie.
"Be my guest," Ronnie answered. "I think I have had enough fun for one night. Alston, would you mind escorting me to my room?"
"I would love to. Annie," he bent over her hand and proceeded to Ronnie's side. Will watched them walk away feeling his hand, ball into a fist. It had been the tenth time it had done that all day.
"Follow me," Annie whispered in his ear. She led him out into the night where the stars were shining bright in the sky. The warm breeze tickled his skin as she had him settle in one of the golf carts and drove off towards the greens.
"Where are you taking me," he asked dropping a kiss on her bare shoulder.
"There," Annie pointed towards the ninth hole that he noticed was lit up with candles. The cart pulled up to a row of candles that became a ring around the green. There had to be close to a thousand candles all glowing warmly. In the center was a blanket spread out with a wicker picnic basket in the center. "I asked your mother for a favor."
"This is all for me?"
"I noticed you have been really stressed lately and I though you could use some pampering. So after you have some dessert I am going to give you the best massage you have ever had," she grinned. "Supposedly this would be strictly forbidden but your mom pulled a few strings for us."
Will ran his hands through his hair trying to get his thoughts in order. He had been right. She was too good for him. This angel never thought of herself or what she could get out of their relationship. Her focus was always on others and their comfort. "Why do you stay with me Annie?"
"What do you mean," she asked while sitting down on the blanket. He watched her take out two plastic containers of the chocolate cake that he hadn't partaken in earlier.
"It's just one thing after the other with me. I'm a mess and I keep making mistakes but you still love me," Will started pacing back and forth.
"I can deal with a lot of things except dishonesty but so far I haven't had to worry about that."
"I just don't get it. Most people would have run away already."
Annie stood to her feet and stopped right in front of him so that he could no longer pace. "I'm not going anywhere." Then her lips sought his. Will pulled her against him roughly so that their bodies were pressed together. He was done worrying about Alston and Ronnie for the night. He would have plenty of time to break them up the next day.
"Can we enjoy our little picnic now," Annie asked. "It did take me all afternoon to set these out after the tournament."
"It must have," he chuckled. "Did you clear out a whole store?"
"Close. The hard part was to find someone who would light these for me while I was devising a plan to steal you away."
Will sat down and directed her into his lap while she shared a piece of cake with him. The night was beautiful and in the back of his mind he knew that there still were a million problems waiting for him the next day but he didn't care. Yet again, Annie had given him piece or mind that everything was going to turn out all right.
Sorry this chapter took so long. I have been really busy lately. I would like to know what you think of this chapter so please leave a review/comment. Thanks!