Page 22 of Runaway Bride’s Husband

Moving around to the front door, I rapped my knuckles against it, calling out to her when the knocking obviously didn’t work. “Maggie? I’m sorry, okay.”

I paused for a beat to listen, but there were no sounds coming from the other side yet. Crap. Okay, time to dig deeper.

“Look, I really am sorry I scared you earlier,” I said, leaning my forehead against the door. “I honestly didn’t mean for that to happen. There was no car out front and you weren’t inside when I got here, so I figured I’d stick around to see if you came back, but I wasn’t even sure if you had come to Deerfield.”

“The door was unlocked, for God’s sake,” she snapped from inside. “Marcus obviously told you about this place, so you had to know the previous owner was dead. It’s not like he would’ve kept the place a secret his whole life and then just left it open for anyone to make themselves at home in.”

Well, at least she’s talking to me now.

“All of that is true. I should’ve known it was you, but I swear, I didn’t think I was going to scare you.”

“Is that it?”

“No.” I sighed. “I’m also sorry for telling you to get in the damn car. I was frustrated and I took it out on you.”

“I didn’t ask you to come here.”

“I know.”

The lock clicked and I took a step back from the door just as it swung open a few inches. Maggie’s face appeared in the crack, her eyes twinkling but her brow still furrowed. “You’re not bad at groveling.”

“Thank you. I’ve never had to do it before, so I wasn’t sure how it was going to go.”

She opened the door a little wider. “I’d give you a six out of ten for effort.”

“Only six?”

She finally let me in, smirking a little as she shut the door behind us. “Yep, and that’s being generous.”

I was dripping rainwater all over the floor, but I took a deep breath and tried to ignore the puddles I left in my wake as I moved into the house. Maggie drifted after me, her dark blonde hair now loose around her shoulders and a hoodie on over the t-shirt she’d been wearing earlier.

I’d never seen her dressed so casually before, but I liked this look on her. With her face bare of any makeup, her hair slightly messy, and in jeans, she looked like just another pretty girl instead of the untouchable heiress who always had all her shit together.

“I thought the wedding was tacky,” I said finally, turning to face her once I’d reached the comfortable little living area. The whole cabin was rustic as hell, the couches faded and overstuffed, with old throws on the backrests and a coffee table that’d seen better days, but it felt homier than any other Pembroke house I’d ever been to. “Beach weddings aren’t really for me, though. I have no idea if it was what you wanted or not, but that’s my honest opinion.”

She cocked her head. “Are you still trying to grovel? Because that six is about to turn into a five, and by four, you’re back on the porch.”

“Just hear me out.” I put my hands up to show her I came in peace. “I’m sorry, but I hated your dress too.”

Her blonde eyebrows shot up. “Excuse me?”

“Oh, please.” I scoffed. “Even a blind man would’ve been able to see how uncomfortable you were. The same goes for that contraption you wore to the bridal shower.”

She just stared at me for a beat, but then, unexpectedly, she laughed. “It was so uncomfortable. Both of them, actually. And the shoes? God, don’t even get me started on the shoes.”

“Next time, you should make better choices.”

“If I get to make any choices at all, you mean,” she said quietly, the amusement fading from her features. “I didn’t pick any of that stuff, Ryan. Not the dresses, the shoes, or the venue. None of it had anything to do with me.”

“I thought so.”

“You did?”

“Yeah. You looked so miserable that it was pretty obvious” I reached for one of the throws and started patting myself dry, not looking at her even as I carried on with my honest review. “If you ask me, the entire situation was out of control. The press shouldn’t have been granted access to absolutely every area of the venue. I mean, I had to physically block them from walking in on you getting dressed.”

She flinched. “Really?”

“Yeah. There was so much security everywhere, but I don’t even know what they were doing. Your parents and Daniel’s parents were acting like it was some historic event instead of a wedding. It was like they didn’t even notice how much neither of you wanted to be there.”