Page 70 of Offside Bride

All these months…feeling embarrassed and undesirable, like I did something to turn him off. All this time, using as much energy as I could muster to fight that lingering attraction to him—even though he made it clear he didn’t want me. I felt like such a fool. So I built an iron fortress between us just so he couldn’t hurt me again. And now he tells me this?

My little heart can’t take it. This is why people write tragic poetry.

“I knew that anyone I cared for would be in danger,” Sawyer continues, his voice thick with regret. “I didn’t want to be responsible for you getting hurt…physically. And in order to protect your life, I had to hurt your heart.”

GAH! Somebody bring me a quill. And my smelling salts…because apparently, I’m a nineteenth century damsel now.

He looks at me, his eyes pleading for understanding. “But after it was all over the media that you were my wife and your picture was everywhere, I knew the only way to keep you safe was to have you close. Under my protection.”

Sawyer’s lips quirk into a sad smile. “Forgive me?”

I feel my heart squeeze up to my throat. This man! My hands find the sides of his scruffy face. It feels rough on my palms.

“There’s nothing to forgive,” I whisper. “Now let’s kick some mobster butt and get our bird back.”

The relief on his face: Priceless.

He dips his head down and lets out a long, hard breath. “Okay. Mobster butt.” He looks at me and blinks. “I don’t even know where they went. How am I supposed to ‘deliver the goods’ if I can’t even find them.”

“Trust me, they’ll find you. I know this from movies.”

“I gotta call Siobhan. If they threatened you then…Oh God!” Sawyer’s fingers dance across his phone screen, dialing Siobhan’s number.

My heart’s doing a tap dance of its own, but I’m trying to keep it cool. Mobsters, bird-napping, discovering your fake husband’s dad is actually a crime lord…Just another Tuesday.

I fidget with the hem of my shirt, feeling utterly useless. What do you do when your fake husband’s mobster dad puts you in danger? Is there an app for that?

“Siobhan,” Sawyer says, his voice tight. “We’ve got a…situation.”

I can hear Siobhan’s muffled voice through the speaker, sounding concerned.

“Italians paid us a visit,” Sawyer continues. “They’re looking for something…Dad owes them.”

There’s a beat of silence, then Siobhan shouts so loudly, I can hear her from across the room. “WHAT? Are you okay? Is Maggie okay?”

“We’re fine,” Sawyer assures her. “But…they took Otto.”

“NO!” Siobhan’s scream is so high pitched, I jump a little.

Sawyer’s brow furrows as he listens to his sister’s frantic chatter.

“Listen, sis,” he interrupts. “Are your guards still there? Don’t go anywhere without them, okay?” I mean it, Siobhan. Treat those guys like they’re your new besties.”

I can practically see the worry melt off him as he listens to Siobhan’s response. His shoulders relax slightly, and his brow softens.

“Okay, good. I’m gonna head to Boston soon. I need to talk to Dad and see if I can get some help from the…uh, family friends.”

I snort at that. Family friends? Is that what we’re calling mobsters now?

As Sawyer continues to talk with his sister, I can see the gears turning in his head. He’s formulating a plan, I can tell. It’s probably only half-baked at best, but it’s something.

“All right, stay safe. I’ll call you soon,” Sawyer says, hanging up. When he finally hangs up, he turns to me with a half-smile playing on his lips. “Well, looks like Siobhan’s safer than the Hope Diamond right now. No one’s getting in or out without a retinal scan and background check.”

“That’s a relief.”

“Okay, we’ve got two weeks to figure this out. Got any experience planning heists? Because I think we’re going to need to channel our innerOcean’s Eleven.”

I rub my hands together. “You had me at George Clooney.”

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