Page 48 of Her Brother's Billionaire Best Friend

“What’s going on, buddy?” Iasked the bridesmaid.

“You don’t remember myname,” she accused me.

I nodded toward the clusterof bridesmaids. “Is that the biggest problem at the moment,friend?”

Her face fell. “It’s all going to befine.”

“Is it?” Idemanded. The women had to close ranks to protect their friend; Iunderstood and respected that. I needed to protectmyfriend, though.“Because if it’s not, you need to tell me right now, before Scottmakes a fool of himself.”

“No, I’m sure it’s fine.She’s running a little bit late.”

“Here.” The bear handlerpressed the leash into my hand. “Don’t let go of that.”

“If it tries to eat me, I’mletting go,” I warned, side-stepping Daisy’s paw again as the womanmoved off, leaving me alone with the fucking bear while I tried tofigure out where the hell the bride was.

“Is she coming?” I snappedat the bridesmaid.

Her face went pale.

I looked back at thecanopy, under which my best friend now stood proudly in front ofthe driftwood altar, awaiting Benedict Lauren.

“Jesus.” I ran a handthrough my hair. The bear was no longer the scariest thing in thegeneral vicinity. “So, do I go tell him or—”

“No, no, no,” the womaninsisted. “Don’t say a thing. She might change hermind.”

“It soundslike shedidchange her mind.” I had no loyalty to Lauren, no reason toprotect her. On the other hand, if she changed her mind back andcame zooming over the horizon dangling off the back of a golf cartbefore anyone was the wiser, what good would come of telling Scottabout her second thoughts?

How long did one wait before breakingthe news to a groom that the bride wasn’t coming?

This was going to ruin hislife.

I made my decision fast. “Get her onthe phone right now. Tell her to get her spoiled ass down here or Iwill make a rug out of this god damn bear!”

It was a bad time to findout that Daisy understood English. With an annoyed growl, hermassive claw slashed across my calf. Blood splattered on the sandand sidewalk and the bridesmaid beside me screamed. The bearhandler was back in an instant, but to tend to the bear, not theguy bleeding out on the sand.

“Oh my god!” anotherbridesmaid screamed, and that got the attention of everyone underthe canopy. There were shouts and horrified gasps, and Scott joggedback up the aisle and out to help me.

“Are you okay?” he asked asI limped toward him, blood flowing down my leg. At least, Icouldn’t feel the pain.

Oh wait. There it was.

I gritted my teeth againstwhat felt like a rush of fire consuming me from the ankle up.“Scott, you need to—”

“Holy shit! Hey, someonecall nine-one-one!” Scott shouted, waving his arms.

“I don’t—” I began, thenremembered that hospitals had morphine. “Yeah, probably a goodidea.”

Some of the wedding guestshad exited the canopy to view the carnage, which didn’t help withthe bear situation. Daisy, the big, cuddly, harmless grizzly bearthat had laid my leg open to the bone, broke free and lumbered offtoward the sea, while guests flung themselves out of herpath.

“And animal control!” Ishouted. “Call them, too!”

Then I sat down. Not out ofchoice. Even my non-injured body parts stopped working.

“Matt!” I heard a familiarvoice shriek.

“He’s okay,” Scott assuredCharlotte as she ran up to us.

I looked up at her andtried to smile reassuringly. Instead, I opened my big, stupid,woozy mouth and my blood-starved brain ejected, “Scott, if I die…I’m sorry I had sex with your sister.”

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