The Wedding Pact Box Set - Denise Grover Swank Page 0,67

finale tomorrow and figure out a way to appease her in the meantime.

His other problem—how to appease his own hurting heart once she found out what he was about—was entirely his own cross to bear.

He took another draw off the bottle, trying to chase the feeling away. How could he already be so attached to Megan? He hardly knew her, but he knew enough not to want to let her go. He finished off the beer and grabbed another. Fuel for the performance.

Megan turned and saw him, her face momentarily lighting up . . . then fading. He lifted his bottle in salute to show her he was on task.

He walked toward her, and a black cat shot out from a bush, darting across his path. He stumbled to keep from tripping on it, and he was sure it made him look drunk, although anyone who had been paying attention would realize it was far from true. He couldn’t face Megan at the moment, so he made his way over to Noah, who was sitting at a small table with Libby. They were deep in conversation and laughing when he sat down across from them.

“What’s got you so low?” Noah asked, leaning back in his seat. “You looked like you were having a great night until your fiancée dragged you away. You should be wearing a shit-eating grin right about now.”

Josh glared at his brother and took another long drag of his beer.

“Have you thought of a way to keep from breaking up with her?” Noah asked.

Lowering the bottle, Josh cast a glance toward Libby.

She gave him a sympathetic smile. “He knows I’m helping you.”

He couldn’t contain his look of surprise. What had Noah confessed to?

Noah gave him a conspiratorial grin. “I’m all in, bro. I’ll get you to the altar.”

“What?” Josh asked.

Noah shrugged. “What can I say? I’m a sucker for true love.”

Libby snorted. “Liar. You wouldn’t know true love if it bit you in the ass.”

Josh was relieved that Noah still hadn’t fooled her. Many a woman had claimed to go into a relationship with Noah with eyes wide open only to find herself with a broken heart.

Noah shrugged and held out his hands. “Okay, you caught me. I don’t believe in love. I think what people call love is all about hormones and loneliness.” He leaned his elbow on the table and waved to his brother as he gave his attention to Libby. “Take Joshua here. He’s been so focused on his job that he’s barely dated in the last two years.”

Josh groaned. “I’ve dated. I just don’t share all the details.” He took a drink, then shot his brother a piercing glare. “Unlike someone I know.”

Noah chuckled and turned his attention to the pretty brunette sitting next to him. “Like I said. Josh is lonely and he comes to Kansas City in his self-imposed exile, during which he stumbles upon a pretty girl on a plane. Said pretty girl is desperate for rescue, and he instantly falls for her.”

“Shh!” Josh’s eyes flew open in alarm. “Keep it down.”

Noah’s grin widened as he looked around. “Cool your jets. No one heard.”

Josh’s chest tightened with anger. He was in this situation because of Noah. And now he was treating Megan’s life like it was some sort of game. He was going to fuck her over for his own purposes without thinking twice about it.

No. Josh was fucking her over, and he could only imagine how hurt she was going to be when she found out. He had hoped that he could get out of this without her ever finding out. But it seemed pretty unlikely, especially now that Noah was involved. Noah was good for one thing—destroying everything good in Josh’s life.

Why had he let him come?

Maybe he should break up with Megan tonight after all, put this farce to rest. Give up on the company. Give up on a real chance with her.

Josh finished off the beer and set the bottle on the table. He started to get up. “I need another.”

Noah slapped Josh’s shoulder and pushed him back down. “Cheer up there, young lad,” he said in a fake British accent. “I’ll get you another pint of ale, and all will be well.” He stood and the barking dogs against the fence amped up their racket. The black cat Josh had seen earlier was now calmly stalking across the top of the fence.

“Knickers looks like she’s about to come unglued,” Libby laughed.

Sure enough, Nicole looked furious.