Page 91 of Runaway Bride’s Husband

She blinked a few more times rapidly, like she couldn’t quite believe what I was saying. “Oh. Okay.”

“So we’ll split custody?” I asked after shifting my weight and adjusting my grip on the leash. “I’ll take him for the rest of the day and you can have him back tomorrow.”

She glanced down at him, sighing as she bent over to stroke his head. “I haven’t named him yet.”

My eyebrows inched up. “You haven’t? I thought you would’ve had a name picked out and ready to go the moment I brought him to you.”

She shrugged. “Well, I didn’t.”

“Should we name him now?” I asked, watching as the puppy sat down and glanced between us, his tail wagging with a steady thump against the sidewalk. “Or do you need more time to think about it?”

“Let’s both think about it,” she said after a beat, finally nodding and taking a step back. “Sharing custody is a good idea. He listens to you better than he does me. Maybe he’ll learn a thing or two while he’s in your care.”

“Alright, then.”

“I’ll pick him up tomorrow morning.”

I held out the leash. “Do you want to say goodbye?”

Instead of taking it, she dropped to her haunches and gave him a cuddle, murmuring something I couldn’t hear against his ear. Then she rose back to her feet and, without looking at me, turned and started walking away.

“Maggie?” I called after her, my brow furrowing as I watched her hurry in the complete opposite direction of where I’d come from.

She lifted one hand in a wave, still without looking back. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Ryan. Have fun with him.”

She weaved her way between the other pedestrians in the park, her head bowed, and a few steps later, her shoulders hitched and it looked like she brought her hand to her face. I could’ve sworn she was wiping away tears and the realization nearly crushed me.

My chest hurt like I’d been trampled by a buffalo, my nostrils even flaring as I fought the urge to chase after her. But she wasn’t mine to chase anymore. Not that she’d ever really been mine, but at least I’d been the designated chaser at one point.

Since that wasn’t true anymore, I let her go. There was no point anyway. Even if I told her now that I hadn’t taken the money, it wouldn’t make a difference.

She was moving forward with the wedding, marrying Daniel, and taking the next step toward building a future with the kind of man she deserved. It hurt knowing that wasn’t me, but come on. This was Maggie Pembroke. She wouldn’t have sent out the invitations if she hadn’t been able to see herself being happy with him eventually.

All that meant was that I had to keep working toward moving on too, but first, I had to figure out what I was going to do with the puppy for the rest of the day. When I glanced back down at him, he was staring in the direction she’d disappeared with his head cocked, his tail no longer wagging.

“Don’t worry, boy. She’ll be back for you tomorrow.”

Derek appeared by my side, handing my coffee back over with a quizzical expression on his face as he glanced at the puppy. “Where did you suddenly get a dog?”

“It’s a long story.”

“Girlfriend?” he asked after a beat. “Or was she an ex?”

I shook my head slowly from one side to other and started forward, back to the office, with Derek on one side and the puppy on the other. “No, she’s not my girlfriend and she never has been. Like I said, it’s a long story.”

“Okay, bro,” he said a moment later. “I hear you, but, uh, what are you going to do with her dog when we get back to Thayer?”

I scoffed down a laugh. “I have absolutely no idea, but I’ll figure it out.”

That really was the family motto. It didn’t matter what happened or how well things seemed to be going. If you were a Thayer, eventually, you would always end up right back here. In a place where I’ll figure it out was the only true and acceptable answer.

CHAPTER 40

MAGGIE

Early the morning after running into Ryan in the park, I got to his apartment to collect my puppy. Our puppy. Whatever he is now.

The doorman smiled and waved me through, looking genuinely happy to see me again. “Good morning, Miss Pembroke. Does he know you’re coming?”