Busted (Promise Harbor Wedding) - By Sydney Somers Page 0,22

familiar.

Movement from the corner of his eye snagged his attention, and he watched Hayley rise to her feet. She met his gaze and lifted one shoulder, clearly as stunned as everyone else by the intrusion.

“This is Gavin?” Josh took a step toward the guy, who looked like he spent more time in the woods than the asshole throwing punches at Stone’s last night. “What do you think you’re doing?”

“I’m here to talk to Allie.”

Josh planted himself between the pair, and Jackson inched closer to his friend. Fighting in a bar was one thing, but getting into it in a church was a big mistake, one he wouldn’t let Josh make if he could help it. And he really didn’t want to give Hayley another reason to haul him back to the police station.

“We’re kind of in the middle of something,” Josh said.

“Yeah, this can’t wait.”

Who the hell was this guy?

The stranger looked at Allie. “I need to talk to you. Now.”

Gavin. The ex, Jackson realized, and somehow Hayley knew him or understood what was happening a hell of a lot better than he did.

“I don’t think so, Gavin.” The clear threat in Josh’s voice was apparently some kind of signal for dozens in the crowd to start pulling out their phones.

All too familiar with having his least favorite moments splashed across the Internet, he was grateful to Hayley when she ordered those closest to her to put them away.

“Listen,” Gavin began. “I can do this here, in front of the whole town. I don’t mind. I’m leaving here with Allie one way or another.”

Jesus. This asshole had some serious balls if he actually thought Josh would let him waltz out the door with the bride.

“I think keeping some of this private might be appropriate,” Gavin added.

As if bursting into the church on someone else’s wedding day was appropriate to begin with.

Gavin stared at Allie. “I have some things I need to say before you say I do to another man, Al.”

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

So Gavin had hurt Allie on top of trying to ruin Josh and Allie’s big day? Part of Jackson hoped Josh knocked the dickhead into next week.

Gavin refused to back down. “That’s exactly what I want to do. Is that what you want?”

Jackson put his hand on Josh’s shoulder, recognizing his friend’s rising anger.

“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? Your wife wondering about another man?”

Was this guy for fucking real? Couldn’t he have picked a better time and place to pull this bullshit?

“Allie?” Josh turned toward her.

Pale and looking like she could benefit from breathing into a paper bag, Allie responded with, “What would I wonder?”

“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.”

A tear slid down her cheek, leaving Jackson to wonder if this had a lot more to do with the long story Hayley had mentioned.

“Allie,” Gavin pressed.

She shook her head. “You’re too late.”

“Bullshit.” Gavin moved in like Josh wasn’t even there, sweeping Allie into his arms. He moved for the side door.

“Gavin.” Allie tried to wiggle free.

“Just a damn minute.”

Gavin spun back around at Josh’s protest. “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 didn’t move, his control far more rigid than Jackson’s would have been in his shoes.

A few people grumbled in the crowd, and he noticed Hayley squeezing past the rest of the people in her row.

And then Gavin and Allie were gone, escaping out the side door.

Jackson stared at his friend. Why the hell wasn’t he moving already? Allie owed him an explanation and the only way he’d get it was by following them. Finally Josh got moving, his sister darting in front of Jackson and trailing him all the way to the door. Jackson started down the few steps, pausing when another voice rang out in the church.

“Detective Stone. Hayley,” Josh’s mother snapped.

“Yes, ma’am?”

Mrs. Brewster waved her hand at the side door. “Can’t you arrest him or something?”

Hayley cursed under her breath, wishing like hell Gavin had done this