you feel?”
“Like the dream I had where you came home and swept me off my feet finally came true.”
Those words were clear and they punched Gavin in the gut. “Yeah?” he asked gruffly.
“Yeah.”
He couldn’t believe he’d been within minutes of losing her for good. He took a deep breath. He’d come here to tell her how he felt, to beg her not to get married.
The not-getting-married thing seemed taken care of. For now anyway. Now for the I-was-stupid-to-let-you-go speech. “Allie, I—”
“I’m starving,” she interrupted.
Ooookay. “What do you want?”
“A cheeseburger. With bacon.”
He couldn’t help his smile. Allie was one of those girls who could eat like crazy and never gain weight. Then he frowned. She’d never been this skinny though. She hadn’t been eating any bacon cheeseburgers lately.
“You don’t look good,” he said simply.
Her eyes widened. “Well, thanks.”
“Seriously. Did you sleep last night?”
“Four hours.” She wrinkled her nose. “Maybe three.”
“And you haven’t eaten?”
She shook her head. “Couldn’t.”
“But you’ve been drinking.” The way she’d slightly slurred her words in the church had made that clear.
“Definitely,” she confirmed. “Lots.”
“Today too?”
“Champagne.” She spread her arms wide. “Happiest day of my life.”
Uh-huh.
That champagne was playing a huge part in her leaving the church with him.
Gavin shoved one hand through his hair, taking a corner too fast. He knew that her state of mind came, at least in part, from a bottle, and he knew that he should be torn about that. But he wasn’t. He’d had to get her out of that church. At least long enough to tell her that he was still in love with her.
“How’s your head?” he asked. Surely she was feeling the effects of the night before. On the phone it had been clear she was drunk. But he hadn’t been able to help the thump of his heart when he’d heard her voice—and the words to the song.
“Swimmy,” she answered, wrinkling her nose again. “Is that a word?”
He shook his head with a slight smile in spite of knowing he shouldn’t find this funny. “I don’t think so.”
“Well, that’s how it feels,” she said. “Like my words are swimming around and around. Like they can’t find the way.”
“Okay, we need to sober you up. Then talk.”
She frowned. “I’m really hungry.”
A cheeseburger he could do. That was now the plan—focus on one thing at a time.
“Can we grab my bags out of my car?” she asked. “I’ve got crackers in there. And Twizzlers. And a Snickers. And lip gloss.” She rubbed a finger over her bottom lip as if being without lip gloss and licorice was the biggest problem in her life. She grabbed the bottom edge of her bra through her dress and wiggled it. “I need a different bra, too. Bernice picked this one out.”
Gavin wasn’t sure what that had to do with anything. “Al, I can…”
She reached up and pulled her veil from her hair, then looked down at her dress, lifting the skirt with her hands. “I need a brush and some different clothes.”
Finally, he just grinned. With that list, how could he doubt she needed her bags? And he was on board with her not needing to keep the dress on. That was a good sign she didn’t intend to go back to her wedding any time soon. “You bet. Where is it?”
“It’s right by the north door of the church. The blue Focus.”
Right. Her car would be at the church. Great.
Praying for a little divine intervention—that he was pretty sure he didn’t fully deserve—he took a left and headed back for St. Mark’s. He pulled up by the door, hoping no one would be spilling out of the church just yet. Angry mobs weren’t his thing. And they’d have a right to be angry. He got that. But this was big. This was bigger than what his hometown thought of him—not that his reputation was spotless anyway—and what everyone thought Allie should have done. He was sorry about the cake and flowers, but a guy didn’t just stand by and let the love of his life marry someone else.
The Focus was unlocked, so he grabbed the two bags out of the backseat, slammed the door and headed back for Allie.
She was stretched lengthwise on the front seat, facedown.
“Allie?”
She didn’t answer or move. Gavin shoved the bags into the backseat of the rental, then leaned in the driver’s side door.
He shook her by the shoulder. “Allie? Come on, babe, wake up.”
She mumbled something incoherent. Was alcohol poisoning a real possibility here? She’d just been talking