The Wedding Pact Box Set - Denise Grover Swank Page 0,8

against his chest, his arm wrapped around her back to support her. He glanced down at a wheelchair at the entrance to the plane. One of the baggage handlers was watching him with wide eyes.

“I don’t suppose I can use that wheelchair?” Josh asked.

The man shook his head, grabbing the handle. “No can do, mister.”

“Thanks for nothing.”

The airline employee chuckled—actually chuckled—in response. If Josh had been the type of guy to write nasty letters . . .

“Megan?” Josh gently shook her. “Can you keep walking?”

Her eyes were tiny slits as she flopped her head back to look at him. “No, thank you. I don’t want any peanut brittle . . .”

He supposed that was as good an answer to his question as any. Now he needed to figure out how to get her, her purse, and his bag down to arrivals.

Squatting, he pressed his shoulder into her abdomen, then stood, carrying her in a fireman’s hold. Her upper body dangled down his back, her drooping arms swinging and brushing his ass. This was going to look suspicious as hell, but it was the only way he could get her out without leaving their stuff behind.

He grabbed the handle of his suitcase and set her purse on top of the bag, hurrying for the door once he had her steady. He’d never flown to Kansas City, so he wasn’t expecting the cramped waiting area and the dense crowd preparing to board the next flight. Thankfully, the exit was only twenty feet away.

Megan’s upper body still dangled down his back. He knew they were a spectacle, and the outright stares confirmed it. “She’s my fiancée,” he muttered, breaking one of his cardinal rules—never explain yourself, especially not to strangers. But he knew that some of those stares were from people who were worried that he was kidnapping her. “She’s not feeling well.” He tugged on her legs. “Tell the people you’re not feeling well, Megan.”

One of her dangling hands waved around as she spoke. “I’m the one helping you. I saved you from that awful woman.” Then she patted his backside. “You have a really nice ass. No wonder she wanted to have your babies.”

To his horror, Josh’s face began to burn. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d blushed. “Megan, there are children around us.”

Her hand dropped, but he wasn’t sure if his admonishment had stopped her or if she’d simply passed out again.

She wasn’t a large woman, but he hadn’t been very faithful at the gym lately, so he was feeling the physical exertion of carrying her dead weight. He made it out of the secure area, despite a suspicious once-over from the security guard at the door. As soon as he stepped out into the hallway, he wondered what on earth to do with her next. A group of three people stood clustered in a group, and they all turned their horrified gazes to the woman draped over his shoulder.

“It’s okay,” he assured them. “I’m her fiancé.”

Only then did he realize one of the women was an older version of Megan.

Oh. Shit.

The woman in question looked at the woman hanging down his back. She squatted and tilted her head upside down. “Megan?”

Megan gave an exaggerated wave. “Hi, Mom. Why are you upside down?”

Her mother released a horrified gasp. “Are you drunk?”

Josh took a step toward her, his heart hammering in his chest. How the hell was he going to get himself out of this one? “She took some Dramamine, and apparently it has a pretty strong effect on her. She’s okay.”

“How much did she take?”

He thought back to their conversation. “She said she took two as she was boarding.”

“And you didn’t see her take them?” she asked, her tone full of admonishment. The woman’s eyes lifted to Josh’s face, and he knew he was being scrutinized. He could see why Megan was scared of her mother. She was intimidating in the way that only stately women of a certain age could be.

An older man stepped forward and put a hand on her shoulder. “Oh, for God’s sake, Nicole, let the man be. Is this really how you want to meet your future son-in-law?”

Josh shook his head. “See, there’s been a misunderstanding.”

But he had to wonder why they didn’t know what Megan’s ex-fiancé looked like. Sure, they’d never met the guy, but hadn’t they at least seen photos?

Megan’s father shot his wife a weighted grimace. “The only misunderstanding is that Nicole is trying to micromanage everything. Like always.” He stepped