Page 3 of The Bride's Secret

Brown eyed, strong jawlined Wyatt was a listener? Well, all the better. Perhaps he could help Heath understand. “He doesn’t love me. And I -I just couldn’t go through with it when the one stressful part about this whole day, is him. I can’t face him. I don’t want to see him. I could never spend the rest of my life with him.” Tears fell freely.

Wyatt handed her a handkerchief. “And you don’t think if you told him this, if you saw him, he could make you feel better?”

She shook her head. “No way. He’s a charmer all right, but now I see through it. I don’t believe him.” She sniffed. “I don’t know what to believe. He’ll hold me and tell me I’m beautiful and lift his lip in his one smile I used to not be able to resist. But…”

She held up a finger. “I could have sworn he was flirting with one of the servers. Is that crazy? Maybe I’m crazy. Maybe I have commitment issues. He has told me all along I have issues. I wanted to wait, longer. Something is definitely wrong with me. Who does this?”

Wyatt was quiet for so long she wondered if he would say anything at all. “Where will you go?”

She shook her head. “I don’t know. I need to leave, get out, stay far away for a long time.”

Her swallow came hard and sharp in her throat. “I guess I’ll go on our honeymoon. Maybe catch an earlier flight?” She laughed. A crazed, strange laugh. “You don’t think he’d follow me, do you?”

Wyatt shrugged. “If you want to hide, then you might want to go somewhere else, but it might be a good thing for him to come? You could talk through things.”

She shuddered. Some time she would have to talk to Heath, of course. Right now her panic was ruling the day. Fight or flight, didn’t they call it? She was in full flight mode. Whatever the cost. They pulled into the airport. She went straight to long term parking and parked. Getting out of her car, she suddenly remember she was still dressed as a bride. “Oh brother I can’t be going in there like this.” She pulled up the flight on her phone. “Oh! Oh! There’s an earlier flight. It leaves in thirty minutes. If I hurry!” She glanced down at herself. “I’ll change on the plane. She reached into the trunk, lugging her bag out. It thunked to the pavement, and then she placed her duffle over her shoulder. It was so heavy, pressing into her soft skin, bare. She tried to fist the front part of her dress with the one hand while dragging her overnighter with the other hand. The duffle weighed her down. “Thank you, Wyatt. I enjoyed your company. You can tell Heath my concerns.”

“You’re just going to go, by yourself?”

She didn’t have time to help his gentlemanly sensibilities feel better. “Yes, There’s an earlier flight. Goodbye.” She waved and hurried forward, tripping over the front of her dress, catching herself, but the skirts wrapped around her legs and the duffle fell forward to her front. She stumbled and fell forward, her palms touched the pavement for a second before another pair, strong, large, around her waist pulled her up as if she weighed nothing and set her back on her feet. “Are you allright, Miss Hamilton?”

The distance between them felt charged, energy racing up and down stirring the air and brushing delicious bumps up on her skin. “Thank you.” She wiped a tear. “I’m such a mess.” More tears fell and she stopped trying to dry them or hide her misery.

“Here.” He took the duffle and her other bag. “I’ll help you.”

She sniffed. “Thank you.” They walked across the street and entered her terminal. The line was long, but Wyatt led her to the front of the first class passengers. He pulled out an ID and his credit card. “I’m a platinum member, and she’s with me. She needs an earlier flight.” He held his hand out and she jumped, searching out her boarding pass she’d printed. With shaking hands, she handed everything to Wyatt. What a strange set of circumstances. But she felt so hopeless and incapable, as if it took all her strength to just run out on the day of her wedding. She snorted. Of course it would. And suddenly it all caught up with her, and fear started to get a lead on the small amount of courage she had left. Wyatt handed her a new ticket but she couldn’t even lift her hand to take it. “What am I doing?”

His huge hands encompassed the skin on her shoulders. Electricity zinged through her and her eyes snapped up to his. She thought something passed there, interest. But he hid it immediately. “are you quite certain you wish to leave? We could return to the church? You’d only be a little bit late.”

She shook her head adamantly. “This is so difficult. The ha-hardest thing I’ve ever done, but I can’t marry him.”

He studied her face. Then nodded. “Will you be alright? I can’t go through security with you.”

She crumpled a little bit more. “Of course.” But she didn’t know if she would. IF she could walk. “could you walk with me?” She looked around him to the airport attendant behind the counter. “Could you accompany me?” She felt ridiculous. “Like a minor?”

Her unsympathetic eyes watched her down a long pointed nose. “Not unless he has a ticket.”

“Oh, but I have another ticket. See, I’m scheduled to travel with someone.”

She looked from Wyatt to Carisa and back. “Is it his ticket?”

Her shoulders drooped. “No.” She placed a hand on Wyatt’s arm. “And I’ll be fine. I’m sure. I’ve never been this ridiculous. Thank you for getting me here.” She turned from him, pulling her bag behind her and left Wyatt standing at the counter. The good man had the decency to look conflicted. Her feet moved slowly, probably too slowly considering she was trying to catch a flight that left any minute. But they did move, and she could be grateful for that.

Chapter 3

Wyatt watched Carisa walk away, the hem of her white dress now dragging on the floor. A frown filled his face. Her slow feet, her slumped shoulders, tugged at him. Something about her courage impressed him. It kept her moving but she was a shell of the person he’d seen at the rehearsal dinner. She had been fun, and witty and vibrant. Everyone had felt the glow of her attention. And Heath was an idiot. He didn’t deserve such a woman. But that wasn’t Wyatt’s business.

What kind of friend broke up a wedding? Ran off with the bride? Apparently Wyatt did such a thing. If Heath wasn’t such a jerk…The duffle dropped off Carisa’s shoulders, and he had to stop himself from running after her to scoop it up. Suddenly Wyatt’s ordered life was in a mess. All he’d thought was noble and good yesterday seemed tweaked today. Surely it was not good to escape with a runaway bride, his friend’s bride…but surely it wasn’t good to let her go off and marry someone who was already checking out other women. He felt ill at the thought. Perhaps he wouldn’t have said a thing but when she herself was having reservations. And brave enough to leave. Her retreating form rounded the corner. The security line sat just on the other side. She’d never make it unless she could travel the faster lines with him. And something clicked. Where was she going again? Hawaii? He could make all his conference calls this next week from there as well as anywhere. He shrugged and turned back to the now grumpy flight attendant. “I’ll take a ticket as well, first class, on the same flight. TSA pre check as usual.” She pulled up his name. “Oh, Mr. Salvatore. A pleasure to serve you today. Will you be using miles?”

He nodded and completed the transaction, moving Carisa up to first class beside him while he was at it. “She’ll have to okay the change, but I don’t imagine she’ll complain.” The woman, now all smiles, perhaps because he was such a frequent flyer, or perhaps she thought his situation romantic. Whatever the reason she was much more pleasant. “I’ll alert the gate staff that you are both coming.”

He nodded. “Thank you.” He glanced at her nametag. “Gloria. I appreciate it.”

“I hope you can work out whatever troubles you’re having and enjoy your honeymoon afterall.”

He opened his mouth, a denial ready on his lips but he was in a hurry so, “Thank you.” Was all he said. Perhaps it would be best if he pretended to be her intended, for the journey, save them both a whole lot of explanations.

He hurried through the line, she was just collecting her things from the security machines when he showed up at her side. “There you are, honey.” He said loudly. “Sorry it took so long to get that mess worked out.”

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