and then stepped back into the alcove to grab his suitcase. Once he’d tossed it into the back seat and then scrambled into the front passenger side, he waved Danny on.
“Go, go!” he said as a fresh wave of panic hit him.
He looked over his shoulder at the resort. They were at one of the less-used exits off the back of the property. Thankfully the only signs of life he could see near the building were a bunch of caterers bustling around an outdoor oven.
No one was paying attention to the silver sedan at the edge of the property, but Leo couldn’t shake the feeling that at any moment, someone would spot him and try to stop him.
He returned his gaze to the front, as Danny slowly and carefully put the car into drive while shooting Leo a sideways look.
“You sure about this, man?” Danny asked.
“Yes!” Leo practically shouted. He felt so worked up, so freaked out, so scared. He pulled at his shirt collar again. “I just can’t do it, Danny,” he admitted, gulping in some more air. “I don’t know… I was fine yesterday, but then this morning I woke up and I thought: is this it? My last hours as a single guy? I’m going to be with one woman for the rest of my life—until I die?”
Danny cast another sidelong look toward the passenger seat as he steered out onto the wide dirt road. “That’s what marriage is, Leo. ‘Till death do us part.’”
“I know… I know that. And I thought that’s what I wanted. I really did. I mean, I’m crazy about Rachel. Really. We’ve spent every day together since we met. She’s my dream girl. But to be with one person for life… that’s a long, long time, man. I just started feeling kind of like… like I was drowning or something. And then it just kept getting worse as each hour passed, and—” He stopped abruptly and looked out the window. He pushed a hand through his dark, curly hair.
Danny spoke calmly. “Hey, I think this is normal. It’s called cold feet. Every guy gets freaked out right before the ceremony.”
Leo watched the palm trees along the side of the road pass, occasionally accented with a bright bird or fluorescent tropical flower. He thought about the conversation he’d just had with the pilot who agreed to fly him off the island. “Just a hop, skip and a jump, and you’ll be home in no time, mate,” the pilot had promised.
Home.
Leo thought about his mansion in Hollywood Hills, and the life he’d lived there for the past seven years, growing Invite Productions up from scratch. When he was twenty-three and his events management company hit it big, he thought he’d died and gone to heaven. He was suddenly rolling in cash and rubbing shoulders with celebrities. He was the first to know about every hot party in Southern California. Heck, he threw half of the parties himself.
I can’t give all of that up, he thought as he caught sight of the airfield up ahead. A few cars, a hangar, and a small plane were crowded together on one side of the wide field. It looked as though the pilot and his team were checking over the plane.
“It’s not cold feet,” he said. “It’s more than that. I’m just not the marrying type. I thought I was. I thought—when I met Rachel, you know—that I could be that guy. I thought it was what I wanted. But I can’t go through with it.”
Danny slowed the car to a stop at the edge of the field. The pilot saw them, gave a wave, and then started crossing the field toward them.
Danny spoke. “I’m your best friend, right?”
Leo nodded.
Danny went on. “This is coming from my heart, man, and I’m telling you this with love. You’ve always been impulsive. Sure, it’s served you well in business that you can be quick on your feet, but sometimes you gotta just stop and think things through. Like now… Just stop and think about what you’re doing. Think about the consequences. Rachel is a sweetheart. She’s a good person, and this is going to destroy her. So come on. Let me take you back to the resort. You can’t just leave her standing there, waiting for you without any explanation whatsoever.”
Leo felt his heart ache at the thought of Rachel. “You’re right,” he said.
Danny raised his brows. “Really? Great! Then let’s get back and—”
Leo cut in. “No—I mean, you’re right.