Page 19 of Runaway Bride’s Husband

I shrugged. “I’ll lock up next time.”

“You could walk in to find an actual criminal next time.”

“But I won’t because I’ll lock up.”

“Yeah, because criminals generally respect locks, property laws, and privacy.” He dragged a hand through his hair. “Are you seriously one of those people who believes our prisons are filled with innocent people? Come on, Maggie. You’re smarter than that.”

“Are you done?” I folded my arms a little tighter around myself and took another step forward. “I’d really like it if you would leave now.”

“No.” He stepped backward onto the balcony. “You ran away from your wedding, disappeared without telling anyone where you were going, came to a house nobody knows about, and started wandering around with a fake gun.”

“Well, I mean, when you say it like that, it doesn’t sound great, but you don’t know everything, Ryan.”

“I’m willing to bet I know more than you.”

I took a final step forward, flashing him a smile before I slammed the balcony door shut. Ryan’s eyes widened on the other side of the glass panes, but as he reached for the handle, I clicked the lock.

“Enjoy the great outdoors, Mr. Thayer, but if you’ll excuse me, I have things to do.”

Exasperation shone like fire from those blues as he reached for the door handle anyway, probably hoping the lock didn’t work. “Maggie.”

“I’m not going back to New York or San Diego, and I’m not going through with the wedding.”

“Tough luck. I’m here to fetch you and I’m not leaving until you’re in the car with me.”

I frowned. “You let me run. In fact, you literally told me to do it.”

“No, I gave you a chance to get out before you made a scene in front of three hundred people. Now I’m here to bring you back so you can clean up your own mess.”

“I’m not going.”

He shook his head at me. “You can’t stay here.”

“Watch me.”

“With what money?” He arched both eyebrows. “I know you’re thinking you can probably just figure it out, but it’s not as easy as you think.”

In that moment, I hated him more than I’d ever hated anyone, but I also knew that he was right. “That’s none of your business.”

Ryan folded his arms. “You have nowhere else to go, no money, no plan, no job, and frankly, no work experience either. You have no connections that will help you right now, no support system, and no one but me to turn to.”

I stared at him through the glass and it suddenly hit me like a truck of bricks that he was right. All that determination I’d felt earlier vanished in a heartbeat and I averted my gaze, then spun around for good measure and buried my face in my hands.

Oh, God. I’m so, so screwed.

As much as I hated him right now, I detested the fact that everything he’d said was deeply, heartbreakingly true. I had nothing and no one.

Except him.

Drawing in a deep breath, I finally lowered my hands and spun back to face him, but as I lifted my gaze to unlock the doors, he was gone. “What the…”

I frowned, pulling open the doors and wondering if he was hiding around the corner, but nope. The balcony was completely empty.

When I stepped out and looked over the railing, I realized he’d climbed down. “Ryan?”

He was standing two floors below, covered in dust and leaves. Looking up at me, he pointed at the unfamiliar car before planting his hands on his hips. “Get in, Maggie. We’re leaving.”

“What? How did you even get down there?”