Page 12 of Impulsive Saint
“Okay.” Blake seemed relieved, “That’s good. That’s really good, Ty. If she’s with you, then you can bring her back.”
Tyler balked.
Take her back? He glanced over his shoulder at the giant neon red Target sign. She hadn’t come back out but he didn’t think she’d snuck away from him. She was in there shopping. She truly thought he was going to take her on her road trip to Vegas and she was excited about it. She’d marched into that store with her head held high even in her ruined wedding gown and flip-flops, because she was looking forward, not back. She’d told him she didn’t want to go home and he didn’t have it in him to force her.
“Ty?” Blake prompted when he didn’t answer fast enough.
He couldn’t do it. He cursed inwardly. It was stupid. It was crazy and impulsive and yeah, probably reckless. But he couldn’t take her back there when she’d finally found the courage to stand up for herself, even if that had meant running away.
“Tyler.”
“No.” He shook his head. “I’m sorry, man. Really I am, but I can’t do that.”
“Can’t do what, exactly?”
“I can’t bring her back.”
“What?” Blake’s voice rose, “Why not?”
“Because she doesn’t want to come back.”
“What the hell does that have to do with anything? I don’t care what she wants. Bring her back…” Blake yelped a curse and muttered, “Stop it, I’m on the phone. I’m getting her back. Stop it.”
“What?” Tyler put a finger in his free ear trying to make out what Blake was saying since it wasn’t directly into the phone. “What did you say? Are you talking to me?”
“No, I’m talking to the bride’s mother. She wants me to give her the phone.” Blake cursed again and then growled, “Dammit fine, she wants to talk to you. You deal with her.”
Tyler had no idea what was going on back at the church but it seemed like mass chaos. Tyler hadn’t given much thought to the mess he and Ashtyn were leaving behind them when he drove away but he realized now it must have been a disaster. He’d made the right call reaching out to Blake instead of Vaughn. His brother was no doubt up to his neck in bullshit dealing with the Senator and his team. Telling him that Tyler had helped the bride escape wouldn’t have won him any bonus points with his big brother right now.
“Hello? Hello?” A woman’s voice came on the line and Tyler cleared his throat.
“Hello?”
“Hello, this is Delisa Echols, I’m Ashtyn’s mother. Who am I speaking with, please?”
“Uh….” he hesitated. “This is Tyler St. James, ma’am.”
“Don’t ma’am me. Just tell me that my daughter is safe.” The other woman snapped.
“Yes, she’s perfectly safe.”
“And she left this church of her own free will?”
“Yes ma’am.” He winced when he realized he’d called her ma’am again.
“Oh thank God.” she whispered softly, “May I speak with her?”
“I’m sorry, but no.” He cleared his throat and then thought about what it was he could, or rather should, tell this woman, “She’s uh… changing out of her dress.”
“Don’t lie to me, young man. Where is my daughter?”
“She’s in Target.” he blurted and when the woman started laughing, he sighed and figured he might as well explain that too. “She wanted to get away so we started driving and we ended up pulling over at this strip mall and then she mentioned something about a bucket list and wanting me to take her to Vegas and said she’d give me time to think about it and went to buy some clothes and get rid of her wedding dress.”
The woman stopped laughing, “She’s shopping? In Target? While wearing her wedding gown?”
“Yeah.”
“Wow.” The woman all but whispered. “Her father has always pushed her so hard. I worried about her so much, worried that someday he’d push her too far and she’d break, just like I did.”
