His Hush-Hush Baby - Holly Rayner Page 0,64

I can’t just leave her there without explaining myself. I’ll send her a message.” He reached out and clapped Danny on the back. “Thanks for the ride, bro. I really do owe you one. See you back in the States.”

He reached for his bag out of the back and then exited the car before Danny could deliver another guilt-inducing monologue.

The pilot was still a hundred yards away, so Leo started crossing the field to meet him in the middle. The sooner we take off, the better, he thought.

Just ten minutes later, he was situated in the tiny plane that would take him off of the island. In another twenty, he was airborne, and the island became only one spec in the long string of landmasses that seemed to float in the vast ocean below.

An hour later, as the plane cruised over the aquamarine water far below, Leo took out his phone. There was Wi-Fi on the plane, and he had an important message to send.

Leo powered up his phone and typed up an email.

Rachel,

I’m so sorry. I can’t go through with the wedding. I started to panic, and it’s hard to explain why. I’m not sure I really even understand it myself. You mean the world to me, and I’ve enjoyed every single minute of our time together. Please know that I’m so sorry for causing you pain.

Leo

He hit send and said a silent prayer that the message would give Rachel a small measure of comfort.

Part 2: Rachel

Rachel Tomlin pulled another tissue from the almost-empty box. She used it to wipe her eyes, which were sore and puffy from her recent crying jag. She sniffed, catching the scent of tiger lilies from her bridal bouquet, which she’d discarded on the bed next to her.

“I just… can’t believe… he didn’t show up!” she said between sniffles. Her voice felt scratchy and raw, probably thanks to the venting she’d done over the last hour.

Her best friend, Gabriela, held out a water bottle. “Try to drink something, Rach. You’re probably losing a lot of water with all those tears.”

Her voice was filled with pity, which Rachel could understand. She’d probably speak in the same tone if the roles had been reversed. She twisted the cap off and took a tentative sip. The cool liquid soothed her throat.

She looked up at her friend. “I was just standing there like an idiot! In front of all those people… and I don’t even know half of them!”

Her cheeks flushed hotly as she remembered what it felt like to stand under the floral archway, the white sand hot under her bare feet, waiting along with everyone else. At first she worried that Leo was hurt. Then the whispers among the crowd turned into louder murmurs and shifting discomfort.

She remembered the way it felt to see Danny approach from the resort and whisper the news to Gabi, who, in turn, shared it with Rachel: Leo was gone. He’d arranged transportation off the island. The wedding was off.

Rachel closed her eyes and felt her stomach clench. “I thought this was going to be the best day of my life,” she whispered. “Turns out, it’s the worst. I want to crawl into a hole and die.”

She felt the bed sink down as Gabi sat beside her. “Come on, Rachel. You have nothing to be embarrassed about. It’s Leo who should be mortified. He’s the one who snuck out of here like a sleazeball. He’s the one who looks bad in this scenario, not you. And besides, now that we know his true colors, I’m glad you’re not marrying him. He’s a loser. A total scumbag.”

She paused, and Rachel knew Gabi was waiting for her to jump in with a few insults of her own.

But Rachel couldn’t bring herself to do so. Instead, she closed her eyes and was immediately overcome by remembered images of Leo, the man she’d fallen head over heels in love with just the month before.

She remembered seeing him for the first time, at the Groshan-Parks wedding rehearsal dinner. The whole evening had been stressful because it was the biggest wedding-planning project of her career. She’d worked with two other planners, who were both much more versed in working with celebrity-status clients. Rachel had wanted the rehearsal dinner to go perfectly, and indeed it had—thanks to the tall, dark-haired, smokin’ hot billionaire that she’d met just as the dinner came to a close.

She’d felt his eyes on her all night, but the first time they’d spoken, it