Annabeth continues to twist her hands as she moves to the center of the stage and I hear Poppy read her bio.

"Next up is Hollis' own Annabeth Matthews. Annabeth enjoys a stroll in Wickham Park on Sundays, drinking a cold one on Thursdays and dancing the night away on Saturdays. Who will be the first to bid on this rambunctious beauty?"

I laugh, knowing the only time Annabeth goes to Wickham Park on Sundays is when she's stumbling through it to get home after a long night of drinking. Her fake bio doesn't stop a few bidders from tossing up their hands, but Gus trumps them all by offering seven hundred dollars. I watch as Annabeth turns pink from flattery and she smiles to Gus when Poppy announces she is sold! I can't help but be excited for her and she squeezes my hand as she passes me to get back to him.

Annabeth held the highest bid until Molly Hamilton graced the stage. My heart leaps when I see Theo bid a pretty penny and there is a small bidding race until Theo wins at thirteen hundred dollars. The crowd gasps when Poppy announces the winning amount and I am overjoyed that Theo bid on Molly.

Wesley Goodwin then tops Molly's win when he bids on a belle from Sommerville. Lacey Carrington, draped in silver silk, raises sixteen hundred by Wesley and I become more nervous as I approach the stage. Theo is gone, Wesley is gone and I imagine Jackson won't be participating seeing Poppy isn't up for grabs. Tate was an obvious no-show tonight so I fear all of my options are dwindling. Those men were rumored to be the deep pocket bidders so I have no idea who I'll end up with. Hopefully, my father will be generous when he is forced to save me.

Finally, I am on deck and my hands are practically shaking with anxiety. Penny Bloomwood is in front of me and I watch as her boyfriend bids a thousand for a date. She blushes as he winks to her and she smiles to me before I take the stage. Poppy grins when she sees me and begins my bio.

"The next Hollis belle hardly needs an introduction. Sawyer Sweeney was the Founder's Day Belle a countless number of times, she's the reigning two-step champion and comes from a founding family. Now, who is going to start the bid on this beauty?" I feel like I'm going to puke when there is silence spreading through the hall. I think I'll throw up if no one bids on me. I find my father's cheery face in the crowd and I try to telepathically tell him to start the bid. Suddenly, out of the far corner of the room, I hear a bid for five hundred dollars from a man I've never seen before. On the opposite side of the room, I hear a bid for five-twenty-five and I recognize the guy from my graduating class. A few more bids are shouted from around the room and I'm beginning to feel hopeful. Maybe this isn't so bad.

Poppy ignores Jackson's bid for two thousand and I glare at him for being so stupid. Poppy continues to point to the latest bid for twelve-hundred dollars when a voice from the back of the room shouts "Five-thousand dollars." Everyone turns their head toward the bidder and my stomach somersaults when I see him.

Ryan stands at the back of the room looking ravishing in a midnight blue tuxedo and black bowtie. Poppy stutters as she repeats the amount and no one challenges Ryan's bid. She glances to Ryan and then back to me before saying, "Sawyer is sold to the gentleman in the back for a whopping five-thousand dollars." I'm too stunned to move. I had no idea he'd be here or knew I was going to be here. Poppy looks at me to exit the stage as Margot trots up behind me. I force myself to move and I hear Poppy explaining Margot's bio as I move through the crowd.

Ryan pushes forward and my feet move faster the closer I get to him. I hear voices bidding on Margot but one voice stops me in my tracks. I spin around toward the bidder and see Austin standing in the far right of the room with his hand up. Margot claps her hands in excitement and Poppy smiles as she repeats Austin's generous amount. No one challenges Austin's five-thousand-dollar bid and Margot rushes off the stage and throws herself into Austin's arms.

When I turn back around Ryan is standing in front of me and my heart jumps into my throat.

"You're here." I croak out as Ryan sports a wry grin.

"I couldn't miss this." He grabs my hand and holds it up for me to spin around. He takes in my long, chic plum chiffon dress that hugs and flaunts all of my curves. When I turn to face him, he reaches out and pulls me into him. His hand rests on my exposed back and we sit inches apart from each other.

"Why did you come back?" I ask him and I can see a mischievous gleam in his eye.

"I solved the case."

Confused, I ask, "What case?"

He smiles and quickly says, "The Sawyer Sweeney case." A flicker of confusion crosses my face so he continues, "Can I tell you a secret?"

"Well, you did come all this way." I'm locked onto his emerald eyes as he confesses, "I'm a special agent for the F.B.I." A light laugh escapes me as I am still just as confused.

"That's hardly a secret Ryan."

Sarcastically he replies, "Oh, so you did know?"

"Of course."

"So, then it's probably no secret that I do investigative work for a living. And according to Austin, you were made fully aware of how good I am at it." The light bulb in my head finally turns on and I take a step away from him. Still grinning he says, "It didn't take long for me to figure out why you turned so cold so quickly."

"Ryan I couldn't-" He cuts me off by pulling my chin up to look at him, "You couldn't let me make my own decision? Which, I do find slightly ironic because you despise it when others make your decisions for you." I bite my lip while continuing to gaze up at him, "Sawyer, I love you and if I want to stay around Hollis that should be my choice. However, if you really don't want me here, I'll go. But you have to leave my job out of your decision." A frog gets caught in my throat and I swallow hard to keep myself from getting upset. I shake my head before saying, "I can't let you leave your job, Ryan. That's why I lied. I never hooked up with Tate and I certainly didn't see our relationship as purely sexual."

He nods, "I know, I didn't believe you when you said it. But after talking to Gus and Austin I understand why you did."

Surprised I ask, "You talked to Gus?"

He nods, "How do you think I found out where you were going to be tonight?" I smile as I silently thank Gus's sneakiness and I add, "And to be clear, Austin came to me and told me to back off. He's the one that said you deserve more than Hollis has to offer." Now frowning, Ryan grabs my hand and says, "That wasn't his place. But Sawyer, did you ever think about what I want? Maybe my job isn't the only important thing to me."

"I just didn't want to be the one who took you away from something meaningful. I couldn't live with myself if you resented me for it later." I shake away any tears that are threatening to spill over knowing my makeup is too fancy to fix. I refuse for any tears to ruin my eyeliner.

The auction is over so everyone is now pushing through the house to get back to the bar and the ladies scramble to find their bidders. Ryan pulls my attention back to him when he says, "Sawyer, my job is a huge part of me. But do you know how many near-death experiences I've had? Do you know how many dead bodies I've seen or all the shit I've done as a duty to my job? Sometimes I felt like I was losing my humanity, and then I met you. You've reminded me that there is good in the world and everything falls away when I'm with you. Life is lighter. It was hard to go back to South Carolina this week and go back to everything that was weighing me down. I could honestly use a break and do lighter work for a while. So, with that said, I'm going to ask you one last time and I want you to answer me honestly and selfishly. Do you want me to stay in Hollis?" Looking at his vulnerable face I know I couldn't lie to him again and say no. I don't think I could handle letting him go again either. I take a step forward so there are only inches between us and confess, "I never want you to leave Hollis again unless you're taking me with you."