Page 8 of Runaway Bride

Michael has always had the worst timing in the world. The fact that he chose this moment to show up it’s like a sign from the universe that it just doesn’t want me to be happy.

“What are you doing here?” Bridget asks.

I stand up and put myself in front of her when my brother’s face contorts in anger, and he walks toward us. I’m ready for whatever he’s about to do, but I’ll be damned if I’m going to let anything happen to Bridget.

“I came to get you, but it looks like you’ve already moved on!” Jordan snaps, trying to reach for her.

I grab his wrist and stop him. “Don’t touch her.”

“What are you going to do?” Michael yanks his hand from my grip. “You didn’t have the guts back in the day to do anything when I stole her from you. What makes you think you have the balls now?”

“What’s he talking about?” Bridget asks, but I don’t look at her.

“You didn’t tell her?” Michael asks with a smug smile. “This is long overdue, brother."

My stomach twists in my gut at what I know is about to go down. It’s like a car accident slowly happening in front of you. There’s really nothing you can do to stop the carnage that’s about to unfold, and you can't look away.

“He didn’t tell you about his puppy dog infatuation with you?” He asks Bridget but keeps his gaze on me. It’s like he wants to see the exact moment when his words hit me like a knife.

“Jordan,” Bridget says.

I narrow my eyes on Michael before turning to face her. He's right, this moment of truth is long overdue, and I'm finally ready, to be honest. I let the chance to tell her how I felt pass between my fingers once before, and I told myself if I'd ever get the chance again, I'd take it.

“I’m in love with you, Bridget.” I cup her face in my hands. “I always have been.”

“Jordan, I—” Bridget starts to say when Michael lunges at me.

His shoulder hits my stomach, and we both fall to the ground, a tangle of arms and legs swinging at one another. He manages one good punch, clipping me in the jaw before I have him on his back. My arms loop through his and hold them above his head, immobilizing his attempts to try and break free.

"Stop it, both of you!" Bridget yells.

“Oh no, not again!” Friar Tuck shouts. “I’m calling the police!”

"Stop it, Michael," I say through gritted teeth. "It's over."

And I don’t just mean this fight. Any hope he might have had with Bridget is done. He’s spent his whole life getting whatever he wanted, especially if it was something I showed the slightest interest in. I honestly think that’s the main reason Michael went after Bridget in the first place. My feelings must have been clear to everyone but her.

That's not to say his feelings didn't become genuine over time because there were moments when I really thought they looked happy together. But like everything else in my brother’s life, the shine faded, and he lost his interest, looking for someone else to make him feel good inside.

The one significant difference between the two of us is that my love never wavered. Even when I was at my lowest point, the fire inside me that burned for Bridget never dimmed.

“Get out! Get out!” Friar Tuck yells.

“Yes, I’m so sorry,” Bridget says to him and then turns back to me. “Let him go.”

Reluctantly I agree and push Michael off me. He tries his best to brush off the incident like he was just attempting to lull me into submission before he attacked me. He reaches for Bridget, but he pushes him away from her.

“Get off me,” she says, dropping her engagement ring on the ground next to Michael. She turns to walk out the door and says without looking back. “It’s over.”

The bright sunshine lights up the room as she pushes the door open, blinding us all to everything but the dark silhouette of Bridget walking out the door.

6

BRIDGET

I truly feel free at this moment, like the life I'd so carefully planned out before was a prison sentence, and I've just now gotten a reprieve.

“Bridget,” Jordan calls out from behind me.

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