Page 10 of Runaway Bride’s Husband

“Yes.”

Finally, I nodded, looking away from him to plan an escape route back to my room that didn’t involve setting foot near the party. “Thanks, Ryan.”

“It was nothing.” He shrugged. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“See you tomorrow,” I murmured quietly, then turned and started walking, trying hard not to think about the fact that the tomorrow in question was my wedding day.

When I reached the corner of the cabana, I glanced back at him over my shoulder again, but this time, he wasn’t watching me walk away. He was already striding in the opposite direction, his long legs actively putting more and more distance between us.

The sudden surge of disappointment I felt about it gave me pause. Why do I care that he didn’t look back at all?

Honestly, I didn’t know, but it was slightly worrying that the feeling lasted until long after I’d gotten back to my room.

CHAPTER 5

RYAN

By eleven the next morning, I’d had already lied to three journalists, redirected two photographers, and considered giving myself an honorary degree in damage control from the University of Bullshitting Your Way Out Of It.

It was the day of the big wedding, and while the coordinator was handling the bride and groom, I was handling everyone else. How I’d ended up playing bodyguard in addition to everything else, I honestly didn’t know. All I remembered was my mother asking me to talk to a reporter to see if I could get her to feature the wedding on the front page of some magazine, and the next thing I knew, I’d physically put myself between Maggie’s door and Annie from Bride.

“Absolutely. Of course, you’ll get access to her,” I said, smiling as I tried to lean back against the door and crossed my arms. “You’ll get plenty of it later, but for now, the bride needs some space.”

“We would really love some shots of her getting ready, Mr. Thayer,” Annie tried again. “I was hoping for a quick interview as well.”

“You’ll get that too, but later.”

She frowned. “I need Maggie before the ceremony.”

“And you’ll have her.” I stepped forward, right toward her, which forced her to take a few steps back. “Just not right now.”

“When?” she asked.

“Later.”

Her expression hardened, her eyes narrowing to slits, but I didn’t care. Clearly, I’d ticked her off, but she’d live, and there was no way I could let her into that room right now, so I gave her a friendly smile and steered her—as well as the pack of reporters behind her—away from the bridal suite.

“Have you guys seen the flower arrangement by the entrance? It’s wonderful,” I said. “Also, the groomsmen are probably waiting for you, a whole herd of Hawthorne and Pembroke boys.”

Annie huffed out a breath and muttered something I couldn’t hear, but then shook her head and stormed off. One by one, the other journalists followed, all grumbling, but none were quite as upset as her.

The ceremony was an hour away now, and guests were arriving in waves. Luxury vehicles rolled through the gates, several billion dollars’ worth already filling the numerous parking lots scattered around the grounds.

Security checked invitations before each car was waved through. Staff hurried around with clipboards and earpieces. I ventured out toward the beach where the wedding would actually be taking place, sighing when I saw the crowd gathering beyond the barriers.

Why are so many people hoping to catch a glimpse of the wedding?

My best guess was that trying to keep the whole thing private had made every passerby more interested. Fucking fantastic.

“Ryan,” Cliff Pembroke said warmly as he joined me by the window overlooking the beach. “How’s it all going?”

I glanced at Maggie’s father, wondering if he truly believed this match was so great that he would ignore his only daughter’s obvious misery. On the other hand, if he didn’t think it was great enough to warrant her unhappiness, he would have put a stop to it by now, and since he hadn’t, I just gave him a tight smile.

“So far, so good,” I said. “As far as I know, at least, but my main contribution today has been trying to keep the media out of everyone’s hair. I don’t know much about anything else.”

He chuckled. “Well, the media is a force to be reckoned with. If you’ve managed to keep them at bay, you’ve done us all a massive service. I understand it’s their jobs to cover these kinds of events, and obviously, we’re honored they’re here, but no amount of access is ever enough, is it?”

“No, sir.” I nodded toward the group I was keeping an eye on to make sure they stayed away from Maggie’s room. “Every last person over there was just trying to get into the bridal suite so they could take some pictures of her getting dressed. It’s like they don’t understand the concept of privacy.”