Page 59 of Runaway Bride’s Husband

My mind opened up with possibilities then, the thought of planning the wedding with Ryan spurring me on to actually do it. With him by side, it could be really fun and that was something that had been in way too short supply lately.

CHAPTER 25

RYAN

Once we arrived on the upper east coast, I held open Maggie’s door and she climbed out of the car, but neither of us said anything. Instead, we just turned in unison to look at the massive Gilded Era estate. I didn’t know much about building or construction, but even to me, this place looked like it’d been designed by an architect with no restraint and an unlimited budget who’d been told to go wild.

It was a castle, pretty much. I wasn’t sure what requirements it technically needed to meet to be called that, but either way, it looked like one.

My first thought was how much Isaac would love this, so I pulled out my phone and took a few quick snaps to send him. While I was zooming in on the stone towers, the turrets, and the ivy crawling across the walls, Maggie gasped at least four times.

“It’s perfect,” she said breathlessly, her mouth falling open as she looked around.

I finally pocketed my phone. “It’s also the only venue within a hundred miles that has an opening this summer, but let’s just wait until we’ve seen the rest of it before we get excited, okay? It looks like there’s a lot more to see and the interior could be crumbling.”

“I don’t care,” she murmured, her eyes so wide that it was clear she was completely awed. “If there’s a part that’s crumbling so badly that it’s a danger to life or limb, we’ll close it off, but this is where I want to get married, Ryan.”

My heart squeezed, but I ignored the unpleasant sensation and simply shook my head at her. “I know you’re excited, but⁠—”

A man in his sixties came striding toward us with a broad smile on his lips and I cut myself off when I realized this must be the owner I’d made our appointment with. “Welcome! Is this the happy couple?”

I opened my mouth to correct him, but Maggie grabbed my arm and marched us closer, already extending her hand as she returned his wide smile. “Yes, we are. I’m Maggie and this is Ryan. It’s lovely to meet you.”

“Henry,” he said, shaking with her. “It’s an absolute pleasure. We’ve been looking forward to meeting you.”

I glanced at Maggie, an internal groan echoing through my mind, but I could see how excited she was and I didn’t want to ruin it. So, when Henry turned to me, I offered my hand without correcting his assumption about me being the groom.

“It’s wonderful to be here,” I said. “It’s a beautiful place.”

Henry beamed at me. “Thank you. It was built in the 1920s by my great grandfather. He was a rather eccentric man, as I’m sure you can guess, an inventor who was inspired by the royal hunting cottages and castles in Europe.”

“That’s incredible,” Maggie gushed, wrapping her hand more firmly around my arm, but I wasn’t even sure she was aware she was doing it. Her attention was entirely focused on the silver-haired man currently waving us toward his weird ancestor’s house. “It took my breath away when we first came up the drive. I love it.”

“Ah.” He smiled and led us across the gardens first. “That’s how you know you found the one, my dear. In a wedding venue, that is. You’ve clearly already found the one you want to marry here.”

Maggie glanced at me, those blue-gold eyes so alive with excitement and joy as she nodded that even I almost forgot that we weren’t actually getting married. “Absolutely. Of course. I can’t wait to see the rest of it.”

She blinked a couple times but turned back to him without missing a beat. As Henry launched into an enthusiastic explanation of the history of the estate, Maggie absorbed every word like she was learning she’d been adopted by a fairy-tale kingdom. And me?

I tried to remember my role here. As wedding planner. Not groom.

Frankly, I was just along for the ride anyway. This was Maggie’s show and she ran it like a boss, asking questions about the different amenities available on the property, local vendors, the guest rooms, and the gardens.

She looked so happy that it felt like seeing her this way was rewiring my brain. I hadn’t seen her look this alive since we’d been teenagers, and right now, I would do anything to keep her like this. Which is a problem. For obvious reasons.

I wasn’t supposed to want anything from her—or to want her, for that matter. But clearly, touring a wedding venue with her was fucking with my head just a little too much, so I kept my mouth shut and let her do her thing.

Henry showed us around inside first, leading us through a ballroom and several smaller, more intimate dining areas before taking us outside. The grounds stretched as far as the eye could see. Ancient trees surrounded wide, green lawns with patches of flowers and brush here and there.

Maggie oohed and ahhed as we followed, but when we reached the far end of the property and Henry pointed at the next stop on our tour, I thought she might just faint. “This is the real star of the show. The chapel might be small, but it seats almost a hundred guests in moderate comfort. My grandfather restored it with his bare hands after my gran passed away.”

My gaze followed to where he was pointing until I found myself staring at a tiny building beyond the trees. To me, it didn’t look like it could seat anywhere near a hundred people, but I didn’t know anything about the dimensions you’d need for that kind of thing.

An actual, honest-to-God graveyard stood beside it, and when I glanced at Maggie, her eyes had widened. “Oh, my God.”

Henry smiled. “The chapel dates to the eighteenth century and the cemetery is part of the estate. I realize that’s not exactly romantic, but⁠—”

Maggie shook her head hard and fast. “No. No, I love it. It’s perfect.”