Page 104 of Runaway Bride’s Husband

CHAPTER 45

RYAN

Completely against my better judgment, Holden and I arrived in Massachusetts on the day of the wedding. After hearing Maggie’s voicemail, I just hadn’t been able to stay away.

On the other hand, Holden had bought our plane tickets before we’d even finished listening to her message. I hadn’t put it on speaker, but it turned out he’d been able to hear every word in the quiet of my apartment after our phone call with Jane anyway.

“Coming here was a terrible idea,” I repeated for the umpteenth time as I pulled into the parking lot of a hotel near the venue. “We should’ve just gone drinking.”

“We could’ve.” He shrugged. “We still can, I guess, but we can also do that after. We’ve got a lot of things to drink about right now.”

“True.” I sighed, pulling into a parking spot near the grand entrance and switching off the engine. “We have bigger fish to fry. This really was an awful idea.”

“Yeah, you’ve said that.”

He opened the door and climbed out, sliding his sunglasses over his eyes when a group of people we used to know emerged from the hotel. I didn’t miss the tic of his jaw when he noticed them, so I followed him out, knowing this wasn’t easy for him either.

Before I could ask if he was going to be okay being here, Mom appeared amid the group, spotting us and breaking away from them immediately with a slight frown creasing her brow. “Ryan? Holden? What are my boys doing here?”

“I was invited to the wedding and he’s my plus-one,” I said, elbowing my brother to stop him from scowling at all her supposed friends. “How are you holding up, Mom?”

Her face fell, but she drew in a deep breath and schooled her features. “Oh, sweetheart. I’m fine. I know it’s going to be hard if he gets out, but we’ll cross that bridge when we get there. For now, I’m just glad to be celebrating a happy occasion.”

“Happy?” Holden snorted. “For who?”

She turned to him. “For Maggie and Daniel, of course.”

He scoffed. “Are you crazy? They’re not happy. They’re trapped by families with too much money. It’s a scam.”

“Baby—”

“No, Mom.” He slid an arm around her and pulled her in for a gentle hug, even kissing the top of her head. “I’m okay. This isn’t a rant because of the news about Dad. It’s just true. Maggie is in love with Ryan, Ryan is in love with her, and Daniel would rather be on a yacht. No one is happy.”

Mom went still in his arms and I groaned. “Way to go, little brother. Seriously. Thanks for nothing.”

“What?” He glanced at me over the top of her silvery hair. “You are in love with her and I heard that voicemail. She’s definitely in love with you too.”

Mom broke away from Holden, her eyes filled with tears as she wrapped her arms around me instead. “Oh, my baby. I’m so sorry. I didn’t know.”

“It’s okay.”

“No, it’s not. You’re in love with her and she’s marrying Daniel.”

I sucked in a sharp breath but hugged her back, just breathing in the familiar scent of her perfume and wondering what the fuck I’d been thinking when I’d gotten on that plane. “I shouldn’t have come.”

“Why did you?” she asked gently, pulling away far enough to bring her watery gaze up to mine. “You shouldn’t have to watch it happen, my love.”

“She wanted me to,” I said, offering the only explanation I had. “She called and said she wished I was here, and I was invited, so here I am.”

Mom stared up at me, her lower lip quivering ever so slightly. “You’re breaking my heart.”

“Mine too, but what are we going to do?”

Holden cleared his throat. “Drink?”

“I thought we were only doing that later.”

He shrugged. “That was before I knew what the guest list looks like.”