Page 98 of Runaway Bride’s Husband

“At the same time, we’re not even close to being in love. At least not with each other.” He waved a hand toward the tables. “We’re doing this because we have to. That’s it. Ryan got the short end of the stick in life. If he hadn’t, who knows? I’m actually a big fan of the guy. I get why you feel the way you do about him and I know you’d rather have been in this position with him. I can’t do anything about that, but I’m here for you, okay?”

“Thank you.” Tears pressed at the backs of my eyes as I nodded, realizing that Daniel was, in almost every conceivable way, Ryan’s polar opposite.

Where Ryan’s presence effortlessly filled an entire room, Daniel seemed perfectly content occupying only as much space as was strictly necessary. Maybe it was because he didn’t want to be in this room to begin with, but he genuinely seemed to have accepted this was where he had to be. It was almost like he didn’t care enough to exude any more presence than he absolutely had to simply by being here.

Ryan, on the other hand, wore his emotions like armor. He also had a sarcastic comment for everything as opposed to Daniel’s occasional dry observations. He was just so calm and easy-going compared to Ryan’s expressive nature that I honestly didn’t even know what to do with him.

It was impossible to tell what actually bothered him and what didn’t. That’s going to take some getting used to for sure.

“My parents are giving us an estate in the Hamptons as a wedding gift,” he said as he rose from the sideboard. “Maybe we can go there after the wedding and just decompress a bit. How does that sound?”

Internally, I sighed, remembering how Ryan and I had joked about it when I’d told him how much I hated the Hamptons, but I bit my tongue and offered Daniel a smile instead. He was trying to be nice. The least I could do was not be a bitch about it.

“That’s a very generous gift,” I said carefully. “I would love some time to decompress after. Thank you.”

He smiled and waved for me to go ahead of him when we left the ballroom in search of Henry. There was nothing romantic about any of this, but a partnership with someone like Daniel wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world.

In essence, that was what this was. A duty, a business arrangement with matching stationery and his and hers vanities, and as much as all I’d ever wanted was love, I could work with this. It would be easy to do that with Daniel.

As we stepped outside, however, both of us immediately noticed a commotion down the drive and it severed the quieter, earnest moment we’d been having inside. I frowned and lifted a hand to my forehead to shield my eyes from the sun as I tried to make out what was going on.

Henry was waving his arms at a line of trailers that had rolled onto the property, clearly arguing with the drivers. Daniel squinted down the drive beside me, murmuring under his breath. “What on earth?”

“I don’t—” As soon as the door of the lead truck opened and the driver stepped out, my heart gave a hard, confused thump. “No, it can’t be.” I watched a familiar man stride toward Henry, and suddenly, I knew exactly what this was. “Oh my God. It’s the carnival, Daniel.”

He frowned. “I thought your father canceled that.”

“Well, he did, but…” I trailed off, a broken laugh sliding out of me when I realized that Ryan had come through for me one last time.

Even after everything, he’d pulled another rabbit out of his hat to give me the one thing I’d so desperately wanted. My stupid, feral wedding topped off with a carnival reception.

I blinked hard, so happy and so utterly heartbroken at the same time that it felt like I was about to shatter completely. What else have you done, Ryan? And how is it that you’ve ruined me so completely for everyone else and you’re not even here to see it?

God, he really should’ve been here to see it.

CHAPTER 43

RYAN

Holden would not stop talking about my personal life. We walked into a liquor store to grab a bottle of wine for a small dinner party Alex and Jane were hosting later, but the guy hadn’t shut up about Maggie for at least the last forty-seven minutes.

“You should go to the wedding,” he said for the tenth time. “Why wouldn’t you? You planned the damn thing.”

“Red or white?” I asked when we reached the correct aisle. “That’s way more important right now.”

He waved me off. “Whatever Jane likes.”

“That wasn’t the question,” I forced out between clenched teeth, annoyance burning like a red hot coal in my gut. “Just choose. Red or white.”

Without even looking at the shelves, he reached for a bottle and stuck it under his arm. “There. I chose. We’re buying alcohol, man. Cheer up.”

“I’ve never been happier.”

He snorted. “You should tell your face.”

Before I could fire off a retort, a group of women came into the aisle from the other side. They were gorgeous, effortlessly rich-looking, and probably exactly the type of girl I should’ve been paying attention to, but instead, I groaned and started turning.

Flirting was the last thing I had energy for right now, but with Holden by my side, if he saw them, that was absolutely what was about to happen. Before I could grab him and drag him away, hopefully before he even spotted them, one of the girls started making a beeline us. A slow smirk spread on his lips as he watched her approach, letting me know that he’d already seen them and had no intention of allowing me to pull him away.