Page 37 of The Runaway Bride of Blitzen Bay (Blitzen Bay)

Chapter Eighteen

NOELLE

December 22

Blitzen Bay, California

“What the hell happened? Are you telling me you ran out on your own?”

Steve sits down and shoves the condiment holder out of the center of the table. The way he’s looking at me, I think he’s trying to make sure nothing’s in his way when he inevitably reaches out to strangle me.

“I panicked. None of it seemed right. I’m sorry. I know I didn’t handle it very well.”

He grunts. “Yeah, that’s a huge understatement. Do you have any idea what’s happening back in L.A. right now? Your mom’s freaking out. My parents are threatening to sue your parents for the money they put into the wedding. The guests are walking around in circles. No one knows what to do.”

“I’m sorry. I just couldn’t do it. With everything that happened last night—”

“I knew that was it,” he says, shaking his head. “I knew it. I told you we didn’t have to move to Dallas. It was just a thought.”

“You’ve been talking to your dad about it for two months. How could you not tell me?”

“I’ve had a lot of stress—finals, graduating, my playing career coming to an end. You know? It was a lot. I couldn’t fight Dad, too. It was too much.”

“Yeah, but we talk about stress. We talk about everything. Why didn’t you tell me about it?”

“Because I knew you wouldn’t want to move and then I’d be stuck in the middle of you and Dad.”

“So you had him spring it on me in front of hundreds of people?”

“He didn’t tell me he was doing that. He shouldn’t have done that.”

“So I would have found out after we got married? That’s even worse.”

“I was going to talk to you about it on our honeymoon—after all the stress was done. And then we’d figure it out and talk to Dad together about what we decided.” He reaches across the table and grabs my hands. “We’re supposed to leave for Anguilla tomorrow. Let’s go there and chill for a week. We’ll figure everything out.”

My chest tightens and my legs start shaking. “I don’t know, Steve. I don’t think I can go. It doesn’t feel right.”

“What doesn’t feel right? Anguilla or me?” He moves his chair next to me and pulls me into a hug. My entire body trembles as I start crying.

“Babe, it’s okay. We’ll figure it out,” he whispers. He’s stroking my back, trying to settle me down, but it’s making me feel worse. I pull away from him and wipe my eyes.

“I’m sorry, Steve. I need some time. I’m not sure how long. I need to be alone to think about everything.”

“Okay, we’ll go back to L.A. I’ll bunk with Jack while you figure stuff out.”

I take a deep breath. “I’m not ready to go back yet. I want to stay here for a while.”

“Stay here? We’re in the middle of nowhere. Why would you want to stay here?” He’s starting to get angry. He points over to the bar. “Because of him? Are you kidding me? Are you having an affair with him?”

“What? No. I told you I met him today. He was my getaway car—nothing more.”

“But you want to stay here with him?” He’s shouting. He looks over to the bar and points. “Stay where you are, Young. I swear to God if you take one more step over here, I’ll kill you.”

I look over to see Nash walking toward us. His face looks deadly.

“Nash, I’m fine. Please,” I say, signaling for him to stop. He looks from Steve to me. He nods at me and walks slowly backward toward the bar.

I look back at Steve. “Lower your voice. It has nothing to do with him. I want to stay here because it’s a quiet place for me to be alone and think. I can’t deal with L.A. right now and our families.”

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