Page 102 of Runaway Bride’s Husband

Maggie had tried to call me. And just to top off a day that had abruptly turned my whole life upside down all over again, she’d left a voicemail too.

CHAPTER 44

MAGGIE

Late afternoon sunlight spilled across the grounds of the estate, not a cloud in the sky as we sat down for the rehearsal dinner. My parents had honored their promise to keep it more intimate this time, with only about forty people seated at the long tables set up on the lawn.

Under a pergola decorated with dozens of long strings of lights, we were surrounded by so many flowers that the air was scented like summertime in a meadow, and in the greater scheme of things, I was happy. As happy as I could be under the circumstances, anyway.

Tomorrow was the big day, but I was already feeling better about it than I had last time. It helped that there weren’t three hundred people in a fancy venue with the press sticking cameras in my face every seven seconds.

While I still would have preferred not being here, I was a little more at peace after my talk with Daniel yesterday. Everything about how I felt about Ryan was out in the open, Daniel had assured me time and again that there were no hard feelings about it from his side, and we’d agreed to try and become friends once we got to the Hamptons after the wedding.

None of it was exactly the epic love story I’d always wanted, but Daniel could be a good friend, at least. I saw that now. I got why my brother only had good things to say about the guy he’d considered one of his best friends for so long.

Beside me at the center of one of the long tables, he was as calm as ever too, leaning over every so often to make a quiet observation, but not pushing for more attention or conversation than just that. It was good. Peaceful.

“You look terrified,” he murmured when my father pushed back his chair and picked up his champagne flute and a knife. “Relax, Maggie. He won’t say anything too bad.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that if I was you,” I replied quietly. “You’ve never heard him talk at these things.”

“I’ve also never seen you wielding a fork like it’s a weapon, but I’m doing okay.”

I glanced down and realized he was right. I smiled and eased my grip on the cutlery. “I’m sorry. If it makes you feel any better, even if it was a weapon, I wouldn’t have used it on you.”

He chuckled. “That does make me feel better, but I’d also rather not visit you in prison for the next five to ten years for stabbing your own father with a fork on the eve of our wedding, so maybe just put it down.”

As I did what he’d asked, my father stood and the conversations around the table quickly died down. He tapped on the side of his champagne flute with the knife anyway, waiting until every last murmur had cut out before raising his glass. Every muscle in my body began to tense, but all I could do was sit here and smile through it, aware that all eyes were once again about to be on us.

“To Maggie and Daniel,” he started. “Tomorrow, they finally get the wedding they’ve been waiting for, and this time, we’ve made certain there isn’t a single piece of shellfish anywhere on the property. Maggie will have no reason not to make it down the aisle when the time comes.”

Scattered laughter rippled across the table, but Daniel’s expression turned blank, discomfort etched into the hard line of his jaw and the rigid set of his shoulders. I took a sip of wine and he bent his head toward me again.

“Maybe you were right. Should I fake an allergic reaction to get us out of this?”

I nearly choked on the tiny sip of liquid sliding down my throat but mercifully managed to keep myself from bursting out laughing as my father continued. Only a few seconds later, he finished his toast and our guests applauded, Henry’s staff bringing out appetizers right on cue.

After we’d finished those, people stood to stretch their legs, visit the restrooms, and just generally relax a little bit, which was also a welcome change from the very uptight, previous rehearsal dinner we’d had. Smaller groups splintered off on the lawn, chatting with drinks in their hands and smiles on their faces.

Cathy and Marcus pulled me closer, both of them surveying the carnival that was all set up and ready for tomorrow, the rides and booths currently quiet, but I couldn’t wait to see it all in full swing. Marcus shook his head, but he was smiling as he looked at the Ferris Wheel.

“I still can’t believe you’re getting away with this,” Marcus said. “I thought Daniel was kidding when he called to tell me the carnival had shown up despite Dad calling it off.”

Cathy grinned. “Honestly, Ryan deserves a medal for how much he helped with getting this wedding back on the books, and in such spectacular Maggie fashion.”

Marcus chuckled. “We felt the same way. Except we didn’t give him a medal, obviously. We did offer him a reward, though.”

My heart gave a tiny kick every time I heard his name. As much as they were right and we really wouldn’t have been here if not for him, I couldn’t do this right now. I couldn’t stand here, talking about him like he’d been nothing more than a tool that had helped pull it all together.

It hurt too much, so I took a step back, already planning my exit from the conversation when my brother shook his head, obviously not noticing that I was about to make a break for it. He was still grinning at Cathy, carrying on like none of this should be affecting me at all.

“My dad and I both tried several times to pay him for his efforts. It’s like you said, he worked damn hard to get us here. He deserved a reward for that, but he refused to take it.”

My stomach swooped. “What are you talking about?”

He glanced at me, his expression still bright and unchanged. “Ryan refused to take the money, and before you ask, we really did try a few times. He just didn’t want it. He said no every single time. He wouldn’t even consider it.”

The world around me seemed to go strangely quiet as I stared into my brother’s eyes. “I thought you said, and I quote, he earned the few million coming his way.”