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I groaned, pinching my eyes closed and my head lolling back, hoping that, by some miracle, the ground would open and swallow me whole. “Dear God…” I started, ready to try anything, even chatting with a man in the sky who I didn’t actually believe existed, “… if you’re out there, I apologize for cussing inside your church, but I could really use a break right now.”
“You need a ride?”
No fucking way.
I opened my eyes, blinking against the sun to try and make out the dark figure walking around the front of a large black Chevrolet SUV parked at the curb. He wore a pair of black slacks and a gray suit jacket, but underneath was a simple, fitted white T-shirt. It was businessey, but in a way that told the world he didn’t like to be defined by a suit—that’s if the beautiful but dark tattoos that covered practically every inch of visible skin on his body hadn’t already been a telltale sign.
“You should probably keep driving, buddy. This dress is not an invitation,” I answered, my shoulders slumping. “Because if you think this is where you kidnap me and demand a large ransom, good luck with that after the mess I’ve just made.”
His deep chuckle had me glancing up again. My eyes adjusted to the bright sunlight, allowing me to see a full picture of the man in front of me—a picture which, this time, I pieced together instantly.
The tattoos.
The striking blue eyes.
The suit.
We hadn’t met before, but his face was literally on the covers of all the magazines.
“Reed Lawson,” I stated. My eyes subconsciously moved to his throat, where the haunting yet beautiful black-and-white design covered its entirety.
He didn’t bother verbally acknowledging my assumption, though my confirmation came in the twitch at the corner of his mouth as he sat back against his car, crossing one ankle over the other. “So you’re the bride everyone’s looking for.”
I scrunched my nose. “I’m Valen.”
“Well, Valen, Jade’s currently organizing a search party so she and your cheating boyfriend can try to explain themselves. So, if you don’t want to deal with their bullshit excuses today, I’m willing to play Uber.”
This was easily going to top my list of strangest conversations I’d ever had.
Reed Lawson wasn’t only the owner of a multi-billionaire dollar real estate development company and one of Boston’s most desired men, his dad had also married Jade’s mom a couple of years ago, making them step-siblings.
I licked my lips, telling myself it was because the August sun felt like it had been turned on high today and not because the sexiest man alive—People Magazineconfirmed—was standing in front of me, offering to bail me out of hell by being my personal driver.
I cleared my throat. “You’re gonna have to help me.”
“Pretty sure that’s what I’m trying to do?”
I held out my hand. “I mean… literally help me up. Because I’m starting to think they put me in this dress so I couldn’t escape.”
He smirked but didn’t comment as he pulled me to my feet, then he opened the door to the back seat of his car and proceeded to help me shove and stuff layers and layers of fabric inside until he could slam the door behind me. I sat in the center seat with the dress pillowed around me.
He climbed into the driver’s seat and looked back at me in the rearview mirror. “Where to?”
Anywhere but herewas my first thought.
But as I opened my mouth, another came to mind.
“Do you know Dolores’ Diner?”
Chapter Four
REED
“Here you go, dear,” Dolores said with a sweet smile as she slid a piece of apple pie before Valen. The hour ride here had been almost in silence. She’d stared out the window for most of it, a plethora of different expressions passing over her features, which I couldn’t help but take in as I glanced back at her in the mirror. “I hope this helps.”
I figured at this point, the two of them knew each other, given Dolores didn’t look surprised to see Valen wearing a wedding gown, and we hadn’t even ordered yet.
Hell, I think we’d been sitting for less than two minutes.
