Page 12 of Accidentally Kidnapping the Groom

Jay stills. “I wasn’t unfaithful,” he says with a sigh. “It’s a complicated situation.” He barks out a dry laught. “Not as complicated as being chased by the Russian mob, but still.” He rattles the arms of the chair again. “Let’s figure this out together and head back into town and sort everything out. Nick and I can help you. We can keep you safe.”

“Nobody can keep me safe. They always find me.” I look out the window. The wind has picked up and even though it’s dark outside, I can see the snow hitting the glass. “I don’t think anyone is going anywhere tonight though. We’re definitely not getting off this mountain. But the good news is that nobody can reach us either.”

The sound of plastic snapping flicks my gaze back to Jay. His hands are free and he’s massaging his wrists. I cringe when I see the red welts that mar his skin. I did that.

I stand up, not sure if I should go toward him or run away. “How did you do that.”

He looks up at me and fishes a multi-tool out of his pocket. “I was in the Special Forces,” he says calmly while he cuts the ties holding his legs to the chair.

“If you knew how to snap the twist ties, why didn’t you do it earlier?”

“I wanted to see if you would untie me. I wasn’t sure what kind of game you were running.”

“It’s not a game.”

He stands up, but wobbles. I run over and prop him up before he falls. He shakes his legs out and then seems to be steady again. I let him go and take a step back.

Jay grabs my hand and pulls me toward him. He caresses my face. “Here’s the plan,” he says, looking deeply into my eyes. “I’m going to wash up and get all this food crap off me. You are going to sit in front of the fire and warm up.”

“But—”

“And then we’ll talk.”

While Jay’s cleaning up, I go through the kitchen to see what kind of food there is. By the time he comes out of the bathroom, I’ve assembled a meal of clam chowder from cans and crackers. I even found a bottle of merlot and some stemmed glasses. I put it all on the low sofa table in front of the fire.

Jay pads over, wearing his tux pants and shirt. There’s still stains on both garments, but with evidence of him trying to wipethem off. His hair is wet, and he’s ditched his shoes, wearing only socks. “The shower is wonderful,” he says. “And this looks amazing. I’m so hungry.”

I take another gulp of wine. I poured myself a large measure as soon as I found the bottle. “Um. So we should talk then.” Even though I’m fortified by wine, I’m still nervous.

Jay pours himself a glass of wine and sits down on the blanket I’ve spread between the table and the fireplace. “Let me start,” he says. “I know I said I’m in a complicated situation, but I think my story will be a lot shorter than you explaining why the Russian mob is after you.”

I take another sip of wine. “Good point.” Also, I don’t think I could tell my story before knowing how screwing my brains out a few days before getting married isn’t cheating.

Chapter 7

JAY

While we eat, April listens patiently as I explain the situation with my inheritance and having to marry Charlotte. Or actually, being lucky enough that Charlotte is so good of a friend that she’s willing to help me out.

“Do you believe me?” I end with, and hold my breath waiting for her answer. Her trust in me is more important than I thought.

She shrugs and avoids looking at me. “I mean, I just don’t get what’s in it for her?”

That’s tricky. “Charlotte has her reasons for entering a platonic marriage, but it’s not my story to tell.”

April finally looks at me. “I haven’t known you long, but I’ve never known you to lie.”

The pressure in my chest eases. I smile at her and grab her hand. “I will never lie to you.”

Her gaze searches my face for a moment, but then she nods. “Okay,” she says. I believe you. “But what are you going to do now? You basically left your fiancée at the altar.”

I cringe. Charlotte definitely didn’t deserve that. “I called my brother while I was in the bathroom. He says the situation is handled.” Actually, he shouted at me for several minutes before he let me know Charlotte was okay. The gist of his message being that he’s tired of cleaning up my crap and it’s time for me to grow up. I’m not sure how he handled the situation. And it’s weird when your younger brother tells you to become an adult. But I couldn’t take anymore shouting. We’ll figure it all out when I see him in person.

“You get cell service up here? My neighbors said they never do.”

“So that’s who owns this cabin?”

“Yeah, I was supposed to drive up with them after work today and clear out a bunch of personal stuff. After they move to Florida, they want to rent this out as an Airbnb.” She fiddles with the stem of her wineglass. “But if you can call out, does that mean people can track you to this location?”

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