Busted (Promise Harbor Wedding) - By Sydney Somers Page 0,2

this private might be appropriate.” Gavin leaned around Josh to look at Allie. “I have some things I need to say before you say I do to another man, Al.”

Josh sighed, stepped closer. “Don’t do this, Gavin. Haven’t you messed with her enough? Just let her be happy.”

Hayley could barely make out the conversation. Everyone around her leaned forward as though they were having the same problem.

“That’s exactly what I want to do,” Gavin insisted, not backing down an inch. “Is that what you want?”

Jackson put his hand on the groom’s shoulder, long enough to help Josh hold his frustration in check, but it still edged into his voice. “I’m standing next to her in a tux in front of a minister. What do you think?”

“I think that if you don’t let her talk to me, you know that she’ll always wonder. You don’t want that, do you? To have your wife wondering about another man?”

Josh exhaled sharply and shoved his hand through his hair. Then he half turned to the bride. “Allie?”

“What would I wonder?” Her voice was a pained whisper that betrayed more than just shock at Gavin’s unexpected appearance.

Hayley half expected the bride to march across the small distance separating them. Or maybe throw the reverend’s Bible straight at Gavin’s head had it been within reach. In her place, Hayley would have likely done the latter.

“You’d wonder what I had to say to you so badly that I would fly over four thousand miles so I could rush in here to stop your wedding.”

There wasn’t a sound in the church, not even the click of a flash, as Allie stood staring at Gavin, a tear silently tracking down her cheek.

“Allie?” He stepped forward.

She pressed her lips together and shook her head, her mouth moving in what Hayley guessed was, “You’re too late.”

“Bullshit.”

Oh, he wouldn’t…

Gavin stepped forward, bent and scooped her into his arms, then headed for the side door.

And he did.

Hayley opened her mouth, but not a word came out.

“Gavin!” Allie kicked in protest, stalling him.

“Just a damn minute—” Josh started.

Gavin pivoted back around as though Allie were no more than a fluffy, lacy blanket cradled in his arms. “Give me a chance. Let me talk to her. Let me tell her what I came here to say. Then if she wants to come back, I’ll walk her down the aisle myself.”

Josh looked at Allie, his expression so careful he was either still shell-shocked himself or wondering if he could tackle Gavin without hurting Allie.

Ignoring the murmurs of protest, Hayley tripped her way—stupid freaking heels—down her row, scrambling over people not fast enough to move their legs in time, but couldn’t quite make herself walk the rest of the way to the front. She already felt like she was intruding on what should have been a private exchange, but Gavin wouldn’t have barged in without a damn good reason.

Whatever the bride said to Gavin lit up her best friend’s eyes in a way only Allie had ever managed. His arms tightened around her. Protective, sheltering. He glared at Josh like he was seriously contemplating taking him on, then turned away.

The breath Hayley had been holding slid out in relief, but tension jammed her spine straight the instant she focused on Josh. He couldn’t be taking this well, and neither could his mother, who stood up as Gavin turned his back on the groom, striding for the side door that the pianist rushed to open for him.

Between one second and the next they vanished from view, and every head swiveled back to Josh. The groom glanced around the church, needing a couple seconds to process that his bride-to-be had just been snatched out from under him, then strode after Gavin and Allie. The maid of honor, Josh’s sister, bustled after him, barely squeezing her monstrosity of a dress out the door she let bang shut behind her.

Josh’s mom, already on her feet, spun around, her gaze systematically searching the room the way Hayley remembered from eleventh grade math class.

“Detective Stone. Hayley,” she said sharply. Unbelievably, her tone mirrored every single time she’d caught Hayley writing a note to Gavin instead of paying attention in class.

“Yes, ma’am?”

“Can’t you arrest him or something?” Josh’s mom glanced once more at the door, then back to Hayley, waiting for her to do something.

Aw, hell.

Chapter One

Yesterday

Promise Harbor, Population 20,121

The town’s welcome sign flew past in the Challenger’s rearview mirror, no more than a blink across Jackson’s peripheral vision. From his point of view