“How—” Steph was about to ask how Emily knew what
Cedric looked like when she saw her father and brother come
through the entrance at the far end of the hall. She gawked at
them and unceremoniously yanked her hand from Phillip’s. She
felt him touching the small of her back as she stared in disbelief while her family joined Phillip’s.
“Dad?” She mumbled in disbelief as he pulled her into a
hug. For the first time that day. she didn’t feel short, since her shoes made him look an inch shorter. She was happy and
shocked to see him. She hadn’t seen him in person in weeks be-
cause of her trip to Japan and Men’s Fashion Week in Paris.
“Bonnie.” He replied. His childhood nickname momentarily
soothed her, but he regarded her with a disconcerting frown. She 25
TAMMY COONS & MICHELLE PACE
knitted her brows, and her eyes shifted to Cedric. He wore his
black clerical suit and vest with his white collar, always the show stealer. He cocked his head to the side and gave her a grim,
knowing look. Like Phillip’s mom before him, he seemed to be
trying to communicate telepathically. Unfortunately, Steph had
never had lessons in that particular dialect. She frowned at him with a puzzled shrug.
“What are you two doing here?” She chuckled as the words
tumbled from her lips giving her question a crass quality. She
felt Phillip’s hands on her shoulders and noticed all eyes seemed to be on him. She turned to look up at him, and he clasped one of her hands between his.
“Stephanie. I’ve asked my family here today because this is
the most important day of my life. I invited yours because I hope you’ll feel the same. I’ve never met anyone like you before, and I know I won’t again.” With each word he spoke, Steph felt like
someone was pushing down on the gas pedal that controlled her
pulse. Her stomach dropped like she was on a roller coaster
when she saw Nanna pull out a tissue and dab her eyes. She
knew how much it meant to him to have her meet his parents.
She was well aware of how private he was and how protective of
his family he was. She felt her whole world slipping away on the current of his determination. Part of her wanted to slap him on
the shoulder and tell him to stop joking around, but the other part (the part that knew he wasn’t playing) wanted to flail her fists on his chest and yell at him that he was about to ruin everything.
When he dropped to one knee before her, she felt as if a
noose tightened around her throat. He paused, and his features
transformed; Phillip, whose front- man swagger landed him on
the cover of Rolling Stone, looked petrified. It was at that mo-
ment that Steph realized she loved him. Selflessly, painfully loved him. Because she was torn between horror and sorrow at
what he was about to do to them. He had his finger firmly plant-
ed on the button that would nuke their relationship, and she un-
26
RAGE
derstood he didn’t know her well enough to realize it. The cramp in Steph’s side reappeared with a vengeance, and she felt sweat
rolling down her neck. Pain in her shoulder that she assumed was from the impossibly tense situation caused her to reach up and
grasp at it. Unable to breathe or make a sound, she simply locked eyes with Phillip.
He pulled out a ring box and popped it open, presenting it to
her. His vulnerable expression touched a nerve. Phillip was al-
ways confident, but for the first time she was seeing genuine fear flicker across his face, and watching his cockiness evaporate
made it hard for her to breathe. An astoundingly large marquis
cut diamond caught the light. “More than anything in the world,
love, I want you to be my wife. Will you marry me?”
As her eyes flitted from his earnest face to the ring, some-
one dimmed the lights in the room. Why the hell would they do
that at a time like this? She blinked slowly, feeling suddenly
sleepy. Her legs felt like rubber.
“Steffy?” Cedric hadn’t called her that nickname in years.
He sounded like he was yelling right in her ear, and he sounded
very upset.
“Bloody hell! She’s going to faint!” Linda shrieked, and for
Stephanie, the world went black.
27
CHAPTER THREE
The setting sun cast the waiting room in an azure glow.
Phillip caught sight of a man packing cigarettes and leaving for the exit. He chased him down like a heroine junkie and begged
him to buy one off him. Sadly, the man recognized him and with
stunned awe handed him the entire pack. Phillip took it and
thanked him, stuffing one-hundred-pound note into the man’s
breast pocket. Outside, he paced with a vengeance. Helplessness
consumed him. It seemed impossible that just that morning he
had stroked Stephanie’s angelic cheek while she slept next to
him. And now, for all he knew she could be dying. and he was
forbidden to see her.
Yes, he’d made some bad calls. When Steph first passed
out, he was sure—from his expert knowledge of girls fainting in
his presence—that she’d merely swooned. But when Cedric
slapping her across the face didn’t get her to open her eyes, he literally felt his heart stop. Linda shouted that her pulse was way too fast and began barking directions. For minutes he stood mute and useless while everyone around him sprang into action. It was all a bit of a blur, but certain key moments jumped out at him.
Adam felt Steph’s forehead and demanded someone call 911,
Cedric asking if she was taking anything and if she’d eaten any-
thing today. Danielle and his mother ran back and forth getting
blankets and pillows. Adam and Cedric left the room to hunt for
a thermometer. His own dad placed a cool cloth on Steph’s fore-
28
RAGE
head and assured him that she’d be “just fine”.
Grandad came into the room, phone in hand, and said he’d
called for an ambulance to take her to Portloais. That’s when he finally found his voice.
“No. No way in hell. You always said you’d never send one
of the
