One step, and then I saw the long, flowy, cream skirt of her dress, outlined by the leg she’d taken the step with.
Another step, and the bouquet I’d helped her decide on came into view — a brilliant gathering of daisies and roses, surrounded by fresh baby’s breath and dusty miller.
Three steps.
That was how long I was able to keep breath flowing into my lungs.
That was how long I was able to keep blood pumping to my organs.
Because on the fourth step, Ruby Grace came completely into view, and everything stopped.
The time that had stretched and warped as I waited in the church before the wedding began paused altogether, the music fading, lights dimming except where they shone on her. I didn’t even notice her father, the arm that she clung to — not when she was in full view. It was all I could do to take all of her in, every inch of her glowing beauty wrapped in that silky, cream wedding dress. Her cheeks were high and rosy, her lips painted a dusty rose, the freckles from our days in the sun breaking through the foundation that powdered her face. Her long, copper hair was braided on each side, the length of it twisted and tied in a knot at the back just below where her veil sat like a halo. Those hazel eyes I’d loved to stare into all summer were as bright and golden as the sun that peaked in behind her before the church doors shut again, and it was as if that sound slammed me back to reality, slammed time back into motion, slammed my heart back into its race within my rib cage.
I didn’t even notice her dress.
I didn’t care.
Because it was that woman I was here for, not the dress she wore — and if I had it my way, if everything worked the way I hoped, that dress wouldn’t mean anything after today, anyway.
Ruby Grace wore the same solemn smile as Annie had as she walked down the aisle, slowly, her father rubbing his hand over where she held his arm in assurance. With his face ashen and long, I wasn’t sure it was assuring her or himself.
Ruby Grace didn’t notice me as she walked by. In fact, she seemed to be in some sort of daze, some sort of dream.
Or nightmare.
The crowd ooooh’d and awww’d as she passed them, women dabbing at their eyes with handkerchiefs as the men smiled in wonder and awe.
I had no doubt she was the most beautiful bride to ever walk down that church aisle.
When she reached the end, Pastor Morris asked who gave her hand in marriage, to which her father responded that he did. He kissed her cheek, made an attempt at a smile that fell flat, and then, carefully, he passed her hand to Anthony.
Ruby Grace handed her bouquet to Annie, and Annie whispered something, nodding back toward me. My heart fell to my stomach as Ruby Grace turned, and just as Pastor Morris told the congregation they may be seated, she found me.
She blinked.
I blinked.
Her lips parted.
I smiled.
And then, I sat along with the rest of the crowd, and her eyes stayed glued on me.
Pastor Morris was already speaking, launching into what a beautiful day it was for such an occasion, but Ruby Grace couldn’t take her eyes off the back pew. She blinked, over and over and over, her bottom lip trembling, and it wasn’t until Pastor Morris said her name that she tore her eyes away, swallowing as she turned her focus to Anthony.
“Anthony,” Pastor Morris said, smiling at the groom before he turned his eyes to the bride. “Ruby Grace. It is with great joy that I stand here with you today, surrounded by your loved ones as we celebrate the unity of two hearts becoming one.”
Anthony smiled at Ruby Grace, but she couldn’t muster so much as a grin. Her eyes floated back to me once more. She blinked. Then, she faced Anthony again.
“Marriage is an honorable sanction, instituted by God,” Pastor Morris continued, but his words faded out when Ruby Grace looked at me.
Again.
Annie nudged her from the back, but she kept her eyes on mine, her brows folding together, lips parting.
Anthony frowned when she took too long to look back at him, and he followed her gaze. When he saw me in the back pew, he scowled, lips flattening into a tight line. He cleared his throat, squeezing Ruby Grace’s hand in his own to pull her attention back to him.
She seemed to do so reluctantly, and even when she was facing him again, she wore the same worried look.
Come on, Noah, I silently pleaded with myself. Stand up. Say what you came to say.
I didn’t know what I was waiting for — a sign, perhaps. Or maybe the classic line from Pastor Morris — Should anyone have just cause why these two should not be wed, let them speak now, or forever hold their peace.
But those words never came.
Because in the next breath, Ruby Grace shook her head, pulled her hands from Anthony’s, and whispered something that looked a lot like “I can’t do this” from where I was sitting at the back of the church. She looked at her father in the front pew, words no one could hear exchanged between them in that weighted gaze.
Then, she reached down, bunched her dress in her hands, and turned to face the congregation.
She locked her gaze on mine, and my heart kicked hard and painful in my chest.
She took a step.
I stood.
Then, amidst the gasps and murmurs of four-hundred Stratford residents, Ruby Grace Barnett was a runaway bride.
And I was her getaway car.
* * *
Ruby Grace
Chaos.
It was all chaos as I ran down the aisle, as best I could in my designer heels, with my veil flowing behind me and my eyes locked on Noah Becker in the back pew.
Somewhere in the distance, I heard my mother scream out my name. I heard Anthony call out for me. I heard the gasps, the oh my’s, and, somewhere through it all, the distinct melody of Betty’s signature laugh.
None of it mattered.
The only thing that did matter was the man, now moving out of his pew to stand at the opposite end of the aisle, with a smirk on his face and his hands tucked into the pockets of his navy blue suit. Those hands slipped out of his pockets just in time to catch me as I threw myself into his arms, and then my hands were in his hair, and my mouth was on his.
And everything went silent.
Somewhere in my consciousness, I knew there was still chaos all around us. There had to be a flurry of gasps and screams coming from every which way. The Mayor’s daughter was kissing Noah Becker at the back of the church she was supposed to be marrying another man in. But in that moment, all I could hear was the drumming of my heart in my chest, the relieved sigh from Noah’s lips as they met mine, the steadying of my own breath. I wrapped myself around him tighter, and he pulled me in closer, as if to tell me it was all okay now, that we were safe, that it was all over.
But it was far from the truth.
“Noah,” I whispered, pulling back and pressing my forehead to his. “I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry. I never should have left, I never should have done that to you. I was lost. I was confused and scared,” I explained, shaking my head as my eyes glossed over, the tears breaking loose before I had the chance to stop them. “I didn’t know what to do. And there was so much I couldn’t tell you, or at least, I thought I couldn’t tell you. But I can’t walk away from you. I can’t walk away from us.”
Noah quieted my words with another kiss, sliding his hands up to frame my face before he locked his eyes on mine. “You never have to.”
I smiled, but the tears kept coming, and I leaned into Noah’s touch as he thumbed them away. “I can explain,” I said pathetically. “My father…”
“I know,” he interrupted, searching my eyes. “It’s okay. I know.”
I frowned. “You do?”
He nodded.
“How?”
Noah smirked, looking somewhere over my shoulder, and when I followed his gaze, Betty smiled at me from the crowd of horrified faces.
Sneaky old woman.
I turned back to Noah, eyes glossing ov
er again. “I’m sorry it took me this long to be brave.”
He scoffed. “Please. I’m sorry it took me so long to stand up and say what I needed to say here. You beat me to the punch. Didn’t even let them get to the part where they ask if anyone objects to the marriage so I could stand up and steal you away like they do in the movies.”
“Betty would have loved that,” I said, one tear slipping free. “But you can’t steal something that’s already yours.”
Noah wiped that tear with his thumb before it could fall past the apple of my cheek. With a gentle smile, he slid his hands back into my hair as he angled my chin up. But, before he could press his lips to mine again, he was ripped away from me as a fist crashed violently into his jaw.
“Noah!” I screamed, covering my mouth in horror as he fell backwards into the pew. People scattered away from him, from where Anthony now stood towering over him, chest heaving, eyes wide and terrifying.
“You sonofabitch,” he seethed, pointing one hard finger down at Noah. “How dare you kiss my fiancé on our wedding day? Are you insane, or do you just want me to kick your ass in front of this entire town?”
“Now, now,” my father said, joining us all at the end of the aisle. He placed his hands on Anthony’s shoulders. “Language, son.”
Anthony shrugged him off, his eyes wild, but he blinked several times, then, as if he remembered we were the center of attention for the entire town.
He turned to me, then, straightening his bowtie before he reached for my hands. “Come on, sweetheart. Let’s get back to the altar.”
“No,” I said, tugging my hands away.
His eye twitched, but he smiled, looking around us nervously. “Baby, this is madness. Come on. Everyone came here for a wedding today.”
“Well, they won’t be getting one from us.”
Anthony’s eyes narrowed, his voice a low whisper as he stepped into my space. “Ruby Grace, you’re embarrassing yourself.”
“No, I’m embarrassing you,” I corrected. “But, I don’t care anymore.”
“Get your ass back up to that altar,” he seethed, pointing to Pastor Morris, who was watching us like we were all demons personified.
Dad’s brows rose at that, and Mom reached for me from behind, tugging me close to her and Mary Anne. She said something under her breath, something that sounded a lot like what did you do?
“Alright now, that’s enough. I think we all need to go our own way for now, cool down, catch our breaths.”
“No, what we need to do is get your ungrateful daughter back up on that altar,” Anthony seethed once more, stepping into Dad’s space until they were nose to nose. “This family has been nothing but a pain in my ass since this wedding was announced. Now, I’ve had enough of this. We can edit this all out of the tapes, but your daughter is marrying me today.” He turned on Noah again. “And this sonofabitch will be kindly escorted out by my team.”
The security that traveled with Anthony as he filmed his documentary stepped forward from the back on that cue, grabbing Noah by the lapels of his jacket where he still laid sprawled on the ground and ripping him up to stand again.
“Leave him alone!” I cried.
I heard the flurry of gasps and murmurs as Anthony exposed himself to the congregation. He couldn’t keep his cool any longer, and I didn’t have it in me to care about keeping his cover anymore, either.
“He’ll be fine,” Anthony murmured, smoothing out his tuxedo as Noah struggled against the security. “Now, let me escort you back down the aisle.”
The entire town of Stratford watched with rapt attention as the scene unfolded. I was surprised no one had popped popcorn and started passing it out. Of course, no one had left, no one had done anything but stare and hold their hands over their mouths, some even had their camera phones out filming this shit show.
They loved the scandal — no matter the cost.
“You don’t even love me, Anthony!” I tried to reason, shaking my head and pleading with him. “I heard you say so yourself on the phone with your father. I’m a trophy, a piece of your perfect political puzzle. Please,” I said on a whimper. “Just let me go.”
“That’s absurd,” he said, shaking his head like I’d made it all up. “I would never say any of that.”
I stood taller. “I’m not marrying you.”
“Oh, yes, you are,” he said, grabbing my arm.
“Don’t touch my daughter,” my father interjected, stepping between us and peeling Anthony’s fingers off my arm. “I think she’s made her decision very clear.”
“Oh, has she now?” Anthony asked, lowering his voice. “And what about our deal? What about the debt you can’t pay, Mayor Barnett? Maybe you should fill her in on that before you let her make a decision.”
“She already knows,” Dad answered.
His voice was strong, loud and steady, as if he didn’t hear the growing murmur of the congregation over what Anthony had just revealed. My father looked at me, then, his eyes determined, and he nodded.
That nod told me more than any words could.
“What’s he talking about?” Mary Anne asked from somewhere behind me. I turned, seeing the confusion on her face, and my heart broke for my older sister. She’d been in the dark, living in Europe with no clue of the chaos going on back home.
I’d explain everything to her later.
For now, I had a dad who needed me.
Anthony’s face was unreadable as I reached forward, threading my arm through my father’s. “I do,” I reiterated. “I know everything — including your plans to cheat on me as soon as this whole wedding was over, if you haven’t already,” I spat. “Classy, by the way.”
He narrowed his eyes.
“And as far as my father’s business goes, we’ll handle that together. As a family,” I said, squeezing my father’s arm. “Without your help.”
Anthony scoffed. “You daft woman. Clearly you don’t understand anything about the amount of money your father owes to some very important people. There’s no way you’ll ever be able to pay it without us.”
“That’s where you’re wrong.”
The voice came from the front of the church, and Betty stood slowly, balancing herself with one hand on the back of the pew in front of her. She leaned against it, a victorious smile on her face.
“This old lady’s got some savings that she can’t take with her when she goes. I’ll gladly contribute to the cause, if it saves Ruby Grace from marrying the likes of you.”
The church was silent, every person inside it so still I wasn’t sure any of us were breathing.
Anthony chuckled. “You clearly have no idea the amount of shit he’s in.”
That earned a gasp, and a flurry of whispers began again.
My poor father stood there like he’d seen a ghost.
“I’ll help,” Noah said, shaking the men off him as he readjusted his tuxedo jacket and tie. He stepped toward me, reaching out for my hands, and when I placed them in his, he squeezed tight. “I don’t care how long it takes or what we have to do to settle it, we’ll handle it without you,” he said, eyes hard on Anthony. “But, let me make this crystal clear. There is no way I’m letting the woman I love marry a monster — especially not to pay a debt that was never hers to begin with.”
A collective sigh rang out, and I swore I heard some girl cry out her injustice that Noah Becker was in love with someone who wasn’t her.
I smiled at that.
“This has gone on long enough,” my father said, standing between me and Anthony once more. “The debt is mine, and I will pay it. If you haven’t noticed, I have a house and cars and plenty of equity to figure out my own solution.” He swallowed, turning to face me then. “I’m just sorry I ever put you through this, Ruby Grace. I’m sorry I didn’t step up sooner.”
My heart squeezed, and I nodded in thanks. It was a wound I knew wouldn’t heal for a long, long time.
But my father showed up for me in that church.
&
nbsp; And for that, I was thankful.
Anthony growled, launching his fist into the side of a pew before he pointed one finger straight at me. “This is ridiculous. Get your ass back to that altar. Now.”
Noah’s face hardened as he turned, guarding me from Anthony. “What aren’t you getting here, buddy?” he asked. “It’s over. And you can leave now.”
“Excuse me?” Anthony stepped into Noah’s space, but not before my father laid a hand hard on his chest.
“You heard him, son,” he said. “I think you should leave now, before you do something you regret.”
Anthony’s mouth popped open, and he watched my father incredulously before turning to me, and then to my mother. He pointed at her next. “You’re really going to let this happen?”
Everyone looked at Mom, then — who was pale, her eyes wide as a doe’s, lips trembling. I waited for her to cry, or yell at me, or scream for everyone to look away so they could start the whole ceremony over. I waited for her to kick into crisis mode, to say it was all one big show, that it was a joke. Haha, we got you!
Instead, she swallowed, pulled her shoulders back, and lifted her chin up high as she stared directly at Anthony. “I don’t think my husband stuttered when he said it’s time for you to leave.”
A few whistles rang out at that, some laughter and some clapping, and Mom fought back a smirk as Anthony’s mouth fell open wider.
“No,” he shook his head, running to the men holding the cameras. “No, no, no. Turn them off. Cut the tapes. Turn them off.” He was spiraling, raking his hands back through his full head of hair as he shook his head. “My father… he’ll kill me… he’ll disown me… I can’t…”
And suddenly, it all made sense.
The man who had gotten down on one knee and asked for my hand in marriage was under pressure from his own father. Did he even want to be in politics at all? Or was he just a pawn in his father’s game, the way he wanted me to be one in his?
His father wasn’t even there, on his son’s wedding day. That told me more than words how important he was in his life.
Just like he wanted me to play a part, that’s what he wanted Anthony to do, too.
Fall in Love Book Bundle: Small Town Romance Box Set Page 303
