Page 62 of Secret Dynasty

His hand flew, and I turned my face to avoid the worst of it. But it made no contact.

“Don’t you know better than to hit a lady?” Holden growled at him, and relief flooded through me. I turned to find him standing there, holding his brother’s arm in place. Spencer was frozen, mid-swing.

“She’s not a lady.” Spencer turned his head and spit on the floor. “Isn’t that what you’re always saying about her? She’s a dirty girl, right?”

“Spencer, you’re in danger of saying something that you’re going to regret,” Holden warned him.

“The only thing I regret is letting that piece of trash into my—”

He didn’t finish the sentence. Holden’s fist knocked the words out of his mouth. Spencer crashed to the floor, staring at his brother with a dazed look.

“You’ve crossed the line,” Spencer growled. “You want her. She’s yours. You too can have each other. Enjoy being penniless on the streets with that –”

“Careful what you say about her. She might be a dirty girl, but she’s my dirty girl,” Holden stopped him.

It was possibly a very sweet thing to say, but I was too overwhelmed by the moment. I rushed toward him, but he held up a hand.

“You came back,” I said.

“I never really left. Something kept me here.” His throat slid as he looked at me. “God, you’re beautiful.”

Happiness swelled in my chest and for a moment, everything felt possible.

Then Spencer stood up. But he didn’t come at either of us. Instead, he brushed dirt from his suit pants and yelled at a passing server. “You,” he said.

The man stopped and waited, looking between the three of us with barely contained interest. I couldn’t imagine what this looked like. “Call the police. I want these two escorted off-premises.”

The man looked at me again, no doubt confused that the bride was being kicked out on her wedding day.

“Sir, I’m just a caterer,” the man protested.

“I’m paying you, aren’t I?” Spencer exploded.

“Don’t worry about it.” Holden clapped him on the shoulder, distracting him long enough for the poor guy to escape. “We were already leaving.”

He reached for my hand and I knit my fingers through his. I’d made it to shore, at last. I was safe.

“You sure about this?” he whispered to me.

“Geez, let me think about it,” I said dryly.

“In fairness, you can be indecisive.”

I raised an eyebrow at him and he held up his other hand in surrender.

There was a shuffle of footsteps on the stone floor, and Spencer lurched toward us. Holden moved out of the way, wrapping an arm around my waist and pushing me behind him. “I think that’s our cue to go.” He tipped his head toward the exit. “After you.”

I didn’t waste any time. Lifting my skirts, I ran toward the door. Before I reached it, someone opened it from the outside and it swung wide like a cage door. I rushed toward it, my heart taking flight as I stepped into the sunlight and flew free at last.

The driveway was full of catering vans and photography equipment and more than a few people stopped to stare as Holden and I raced away from the house, hand-in-hand. Considering he was wearing a pair of old jeans and a T-shirt, and I was still in my wedding dress, I understood their confusion. His Range Rover was parked near the gate, the keys in the ignition and engine running.

“Were you planning on going somewhere?” I asked as we hurried toward it.

“Not without you.”

“What if I tried to stop you?”

“Why do you think I left the car running? It’s better to be ready if you might need to kidnap someone.” I couldn’t help but smile. After everything, we had fought. For ourselves. For each other. We’d broken free on our own, so we could be together.