Elise began to pump her fist in the air and chant, “Harper! Harper! Harper!”
Not before long, nearly the entire pub had joined in.
A group of secret service agents arrived first, strategically positioning themselves around the pub and preparing for my father’s entrance.
Next, none other than Peggy Peters walked in, a sheepish look on her face. The poor woman was entirely new to all of this, and I knew just how disorienting it was. Brady and I both waved our hands so that she could spot us through the crowd. Grateful to see familiar and friendly faces, she hurriedly made her way over to us.
“My goodness, this is really something,” she said, hugging me.
“It sure is,” I said, hugging her back. “I guess we’re just going to have to get used to it though.”
“I think you’re right,” she said. She chuckled and shook her head. “And your father had the nerve to not expect a big turnout.”
“Always modest,” I said.
“Tell me about it,” Peggy said.
Finally, the man himself made his entrance. From the look on my father’s face, I immediately knew Peggy had been right; he hadn’t at all expected this level of interest in his pub gathering. The place was filled to capacity, and from the sounds of it, there were even people outside who couldn’t get in but still wanted to congratulate him and wish him the best for the general election.
The instant he was inside the pub, with secret service surrounding him, his eyes scanned the premises in search of me, Brady, and Peggy. When he saw us standing safely in the distance, his expression relaxed. He smiled and blew kisses our way, and then headed farther into the pub.
He reached the bar, where the event organizers had set up a platform to use as a temporary stage. A microphone was placed in his hand, although he did not speak for quite some time. Instead, he posed for pictures and shook dozens upon dozens of hands.
When the crowd began to chant his name louder by the second, he raised a hand to silence them, the smile never leaving his face.
“Wow…” he said, clearly overcome with emotion. He shook his head. “This is more than I could ever ask for. I want to thank each and every one of you for coming out tonight. I cannot tell you how much this means to me.” He paused as the crowd applauded. “Tonight is a very special night, for multiple reasons,” he continued, causing the crowd to quiet down again. “So before I say any more, I want you all to congratulate my daughter, Autumn Harper, for passing her BAR exam!”
Heat rushed to my face as hundreds and of eyes turned my way, clapping and cheering.
“And I’m sure you all recognize the outstanding young man beside her. Brady, I very literally wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you. I cannot thank you enough for your services, and I wish you nothing but the best in your future endeavors. Thank you so much for coming into our lives. I don’t know if it’s a little early to say this, but I’m going to say it anyway. Welcome to the family.”
More cheers filled the air.
“Lastly,” Dad said, “I want to give a special thanks to Ms. Peggy Peters. What a breath of fresh air you’ve been for me. I didn’t think it would ever be possible for me to find happiness again. Thank you so much for showing me just how possible it is.” People in the crowd whistled and Peggy’s face turned beet-red.
“And now,” Dad continued, “I want to say to the rest of you—we have a long road ahead of us, and I’m going to need the help of each and every one of you along the way. I know the nature of politics can be shady sometimes. People’s hearts aren’t always in the right places. But with this campaign, I want to change that. I want to make sure our government no longer leaves anyone behind! I want all of your voices to be heard. And the more we all stick together and support each other, the louder our voices will be heard. And when you all head out to the polls on election day, make your voices loud and clear with your votes!”
The loudest cheers of all ensued. As Dad beamed out to the crowd, a glass of champagne was placed in his hand, and the crowd began chanting his name again.
“A toast to my daughter Autumn, to Brady Logan, to Peggy Peters, and to all of you here with me today! Let’
s get ready to win an election!”
Dad sipped his champagne and then left the platform, making it over our area. Standing between Peggy and me, he took each of our hands. In my other hand, I took Brady’s hand. And we all smiled at the crowd before us.
The excitement in the room was contagious, and we all knew without a doubt that our lives were coming together in the most wonderful way.
Brady leaned over to me, “Wanna get out of here?”
“What?” I said, a little late detecting the lust in his eyes.
“You, in that navy dress—I need to get you out of it. Fast. We’ll be back before anyone notices, I promise.” He threw his whiskey down his throat and as Dad continued to shake hands and meet people with Peggy at his side, I followed Brady to the door.
I took one last look over my shoulder and saw Dad’s smile as Peggy held his arm. I didn’t need to watch him anymore; she would take good care of him.
Brady held the door to his car open for me.
“Where are we going?”