The Wedding Pact Box Set - Denise Grover Swank Page 0,214

hot, which only made her angrier.

“How could I set this up, Blair?” her friend asked. “You picked the restaurant. I never come down to Brookside. I didn’t even know this place was here.”

“Come on,” Megan said. “Let it go.”

Blair dug her heels into the sidewalk. “I think I should just go home.” Though she’d die before admitting it out loud, the fortune teller had scared her. Blair reminded herself that the psychic had thrown out general terms in a fishing expedition, looking for a topic to narrow in on based on her reaction. But while her head knew this, the unreasonable part of her considered going back for some answers.

She had finally lost her mind. What if she was making the wrong choice? “Fine.”

“Great!” Megan exclaimed, ignoring her short response.

The bar was a short walk away, and as soon as Blair got through the door, she ordered a whiskey.

“Don’t you want to find a table first?” Megan asked.

“No.”

Libby ordered a glass of wine and Megan a beer, and once they had their drinks, they found an empty table in the back of the bar.

They’d barely gotten settled when Libby looked at Blair’s left hand and asked, “So you’re wearing the same ring?”

The panic rose out of nowhere, and she wasn’t even sure why. “Yeah,” she forced out. “It’s practical.” She took a sip, trying to hide her shaking hand.

“Yes,” Libby murmured. “It is practical.”

Blair took another sip. “Just say it, Libby. Say what you’ve been dying to say all night.”

She shook her head. “Blair, we really do just want you to be happy. You don’t look happy.”

“How could I be happy when you two won’t accept my choices?”

“Enough, Libby,” Megan said, taking a big gulp of her beer. “Change the topic.”

The three women sat in silence until Megan finally said, “Blair, we stand by you no matter what. Right, Libby?”

Libby nodded. “My lips are sealed.”

Still, their mood—already dampened from the encounter on the street—was grim.

“Maybe we should just call it a night,” Blair said.

“No,” Megan protested, anger darting into her eyes. “Not yet. We used to have fun together, and we’re going to have fun, dammit! We’ll stay here all night if we have to!”

The two women looked at her and burst out laughing. Megan joined them and ended up laughing the hardest of all of them.

“I’ve missed this,” Blair confessed.

Libby grinned. “Me too.”

“See?” Megan countered. “We all miss this, and it’s wonderful that we’re here together. Let’s make the most of it.”

They ordered another round of drinks, and Blair felt her panic retreat. Maybe this was what she needed—a night of fun with her friends.

They’d finished their second drinks, and Megan ordered another round. Blair knew she probably shouldn’t drink any more, but she picked up the drink and took a sip as soon as it was placed in front of her.

“Oh, crap.” Megan’s eyes widened.

“What?” Libby and Blair asked in unison.

“I think we should go.” Megan turned to her, her forehead wrinkled with worry. “We didn’t do this, Blair. I swear.”

“Do what?” Then she glanced at the front door, and her face instantly flushed when she saw who’d just walked into the bar.

Garrett.

Not just Garrett. The McMillan brothers were behind them. The way Josh and Noah had taken to Garrett, Blair wouldn’t be surprised if they sent out an adoption announcement officially changing Garrett’s last name to theirs.

Blair narrowed her eyes. “Are you kidding me?”

“We didn’t plan this,” Libby said, looking worried. “Josh and Noah were supposed to meet Garrett in his hotel bar, which is right around the corner. There was no way they knew we’d be here.”

Garrett looked around, and his eyes found Blair. Though she could hardly believe this was a coincidence—particularly after all of the other coincidences that had been piled into her lap lately—the shock in his eyes was undeniable. And like a moth to a flame, he came right to her. Her eyes were so laser-focused on him, she barely registered that the McMillan brothers were following him.

He stopped in front of her table. “Blair.”

She couldn’t believe he had the nerve to come over to her after admitting he’d gone to Neil’s office. “Go away, Garrett.”

He swallowed, looking nervous. “Give me one dance.”

She looked around the bar, incredulous. “No one’s dancing, Garrett.”

“I don’t care. Dance with me.”

She lifted her chin and held up her left hand. “I’m engaged.”

“So I heard. I rented a tux today. Black with a red tie. Classic. Good choice. I think I’m standing on the end of the