Page 11 of Runaway Bride’s Husband

“I suspect they understand it,” he said. “I simply think they don’t always respect it. How did you get roped into this, anyway?”

I gave him my best customer-service smile. “It’s just a favor for my mother. I’ll have hell to pay for it at the office when I get back to New York, but I’d do anything for her.”

He laughed. “If anyone deserves some help on occasion, it’s Nora Thayer. After everything she’s been through…”

When he trailed off, I bristled a little, but I tended to have that reaction when everything we’d been through came up. I fucking hated the stigma attached to our name nowadays, but thankfully, Cliff didn’t continue down that road.

“I think I heard you were in financial acquisitions now, isn’t it?”

I nodded. “I’ve been working under Colin.”

“Ah.” He smiled, looking at the impatient group of reporters who were slowly inching back to the hotel. “So you’ve become a man of many talents, with your skills in media management and wedding planning, and your experience in finance.”

I shrugged. “I’m just trying to help.”

“Well, I’m sure you’ll do well in acquisitions. Finance is in your blood.”

My smile faltered even though I knew he hadn’t meant anything by it. It was such a harmless sentence, but I felt it anyway, the proverbial gut punch that came with those words.

My father was in my blood. Half of me came from him, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to be proud of that. My father had betrayed his own family on every possible level. He’d taken everything he could from the people who’d trusted him and left the rest of us to live with the consequences.

“Thank you,” I said finally, spotting Alex and Jane near the entrance. “I should go say hi to my sister, but if you see any of those reporters sniffing around, just give me a shout.”

Cliff chuckled and checked his watch. “They should be starting to clamor for seats with the best view any minute now. I think we’re good.”

“Probably,” I agreed, then gave him one last smile before I headed toward my sister and her husband.

They were surrounded by faces I recognized from family dinners in my younger years, boardrooms now that we were clawing our way back to the top, charity events we used to attend, and the society pages that had been staring up at me from newsstands and magazine racks my whole life.

The guest list for this shindig was insane. There was old money and new money, CEOs, politicians, and socialites. Mom had been right on that front. This really was shaping up to be the wedding of the century.

After greeting Jane and Alex, I should’ve gone to find a decent spot to sit with them. Being photographed at this thing was as good as getting an engraved invitation back to the inner circles of power, but instead, I went looking for my mom.

It felt like I had red ants in my veins, urging me to keep moving. There was no way I’d be able to sit still, so I figured I’d check in with her and find something else to do to keep myself busy once she went to sit down.

As I weaved my way around groups who were still being ushered in and those talking in clusters around the grand lobby, I spotted Nora with Daniel and his parents near the hotel bar. Our family and the Hawthornes had run in the same circles once, before everything had fallen apart, but this was the first time I’d seen Daniel more than just nursing a glass of whiskey.

The guy had always been the calm, in-control type, but right now, he was holding that glass like it was the only thing standing between him and a nervous breakdown. I gave his parents polite nods and quick, firm handshakes but then turned my attention to him.

“How are you doing?”

He laughed. “This is a lot, but I’m dealing.”

I glanced at the whiskey. “Yeah, I can’t blame you.”

“There’s a ton of people here.” He took another sip of his drink, his movements becoming more rigid by the second. “I don’t know at least eighty-five percent of them.”

“That’s how these things go, right?” I clapped his shoulder. “You’re going to be great.”

He gave me a tense nod. “Yeah, of course. Yes.”

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

“No. Yes. I’m fine.” He sighed, immediately following it up with another sip of his drink. Then he looked around, winced, and brought his gaze back to mine. “Hey, if you want in on this whole marriage scheme thing, you should talk to my dad and Maggie’s. They’re pretty efficient about it.”

I chuckled. “Thanks, man, but I’m good.”

Before he could respond, the wedding coordinator appeared and tapped him on the shoulder. “Daniel, we’re ready for you.”