The Wedding Pact Box Set - Denise Grover Swank Page 0,119

other.”

“But Blair would say—” Megan lowered her voice to a growl, “—‘then go on a date, Megan. Don’t do something rash, like marrying someone you barely know.’”

The door swung open. “I don’t sound anything like that,” Blair said, marching through the doorway with a brisk stride, an enormous dress bag slung over her shoulder. “My voice isn’t anywhere near that deep. Although the rest is reasonably accurate.”

“Blair.” Megan clutched her hands in front of her, feeling like she was about to puke.

“You’ve been ignoring my calls, texts, emails, voice mails, and carrier pigeons, Megs.”

Blair not only showed up, but also used her nickname. Megan grinned. “I never got the carrier pigeons.”

“Ah-ha!” Blair pointed at her. “You just admitted that you received and ignored the other three.”

“You’re playing the role of an attorney, Blair. I need you here as my friend.”

“Well, you’re going to have to tolerate the attorney for a little while longer, because there’s something I need to talk to you about. If you feel like going through with this preposterous endeavor once I’ve said my piece, I will be here for you one hundred percent.”

Tears stung Megan’s eyes. “Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me yet.” She hung the garment bag on the rack that held Megan’s wedding dress, spread out in all its bedazzled organza glory. Blair stopped in her tracks as she took in the sight of it, her mouth gaping. She pointed to the dress, then Megan, then back at the dress. “Really?”

Megan shrugged, over it all ready. “Knickers.”

Blair looked around. “Where is she anyway? I expected to find her here with a riding crop and a whistle to keep us malcontents in line.”

Libby snickered. “I haven’t heard her call us malcontents for years.”

“She’s not here. And after Gram asked me earlier today if Josh and I were into BDSM, I don’t want to hear another mention of whips or crops for a very long time.” Megan shuddered. “She’s at the hospital with a dislocated shoulder and a scratched cornea. She’ll be here soon.”

“You’re kidding?”

“I’m more interested in finding out how Gram knows about BDSM,” Libby said.

Megan rolled her eyes. “She says she read Fifty Shades of Grey.”

Libby burst out laughing. “That explains so much.”

“Tell me about it,” Megan grumbled, her nerves pinging with anxiety. She was ready to seal her fate.

Blair lifted her eyebrows. “What happened to your mother?”

Megan sighed. “It’s a long story, but I’m more interested in the story you have to tell me. I’m ready to hear it now.” When Blair blinked in surprise, Megan added, “I know you have something important to say. Josh told me that much, but not the details. You investigated him, didn’t you? After I expressly ordered you not to.”

All the fight left Blair, who looked more vulnerable than Megan had seen her in years. “What would you have me do, Megan? I wasn’t willing to stand by and watch you get hurt by one more jerk, especially when the last one still can’t seem to take no for an answer. I swear, if Jay makes one more annoying call . . .”

“What are you talking about?”

“That man’s been calling me nonstop since Friday morning. Finally, after your fiasco of a rehearsal dinner last night, I told him you were in Kansas City, which meant you couldn’t go out to dinner with him so he should stop calling me. To his credit, he seemed genuinely surprised to hear you were here. I said the only way you would even fathom going out with him was if he hopped on a plane, found you here in KC, and groveled at your feet. Thank God, that seemed to do the trick, and my phone has been mercifully silent ever since.”

“Why would you tell him that? I wouldn’t go out with him if he were the last man on earth. Especially after meeting Josh.”

“Yeah . . . well, you shouldn’t put Josh on a pedestal just yet.” She put a hand on her hip and cocked her head. “What did he tell you?”

“I told you. He didn’t tell me anything. I figured out you had something to do with it after he punched his brother—oh, God!” she said, realization hitting her. “I have no idea where Noah is or where he stayed last night.”

Libby’s mouth contorted. “I know the answer to both of those questions.”

Megan froze, narrowing her eyes. “How do you know?”

“You didn’t!” Blair gasped.

Libby’s back stiffened in defense. “What? He didn’t have anywhere to go, and he was really upset.”

“Libby!”