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I grinned at his begrudging confession.
“I appreciate that,” I told him. “That’s awfully mature of you.”
“Yeah, well, what can I say? I’m a very mature, amazing person. You’re lucky to have me as your best friend.”
I laughed and nodded. “Yes, I am. No arguments there.”
Jason grinned. “All right, well, I think my work is done here. I should get back to my loving wife if people will let me near her. Talk later.”
“Good luck.”
Jason maneuvered his way back into the crowd, and I took a moment to consider everything he’d said. Sam wanted me, but she was scared, that much was clear. I couldn’t let her retreat from what was happening between us because of fear, though. I had to convince her that we were meant to be with each other, despite everything else happening around us.
Filled with new determination, I finished my drink and set the glass aside before moving away from the wall. I intended to find her and convince her once and for all that a life together was what we both truly wanted.
I didn’t make it three steps, however, before my phone buzzed in my pocket. Frowning, I pulled it out and saw that it was the police calling me. I tensed, wondering what in the world they could want at that moment.
Moving back toward the wall, I answered it. “Hello?”
“Mr. Carson? This is Officer Wells.”
Through gritted teeth, I asked, “What can I do for you, officer?”
“We wanted to give you a heads up about a tip we just received. It seems one of the employees of the reception hall noticed a man lurking in the utility area of the building. When confronted, he said he was part of the staff, but no one recognized him. He somehow managed to slip away from the other employees and disappear, presumably into the reception.”
My breath caught in my throat, and my heart started racing so fast that I thought it might burst.
“It was Bill,” I growled. “It had to be. He must have slipped in with the employees or something.”
“That’s what we believe as well. Now, Mr. Carson, we’re not telling you this so you take this matter into your own hands. We just want you to be aware of the situation as our people search the building for him as discreetly as possible.”
I knew I had to be careful and agree to what he was saying, but in reality, my plan was to hunt Bill down myself and drag him out of this wedding, and out of my life, making sure he knew never to cross me again.
“I got it, officer,” I replied. “Don’t worry. I don’t want to cause any kind of disturbance.”
“Good,” Officer Wells said. “We’ll let you know as soon as we have him, sir. Don’t you worry.”
I hung up the phone and immediately set off in search of Henry and Sam. Before I hunted Bill down, I needed to make sure they were both safe and clear of any danger.
I spotted Henry playing with some other kids almost right away. Relieved that he was all right, I focused on searching for Sam in earnest. I didn’t see her among the crowd, though. I told myself to panic just yet and hurried toward the closest bridesmaid I could find.
“Have you seen Sam?” I asked, coming up to stand in front of the woman. “Is she in the bathroom or something?”
The woman blinked up at me, seemingly stunned.
“Uhhhh, why do you want to know where she is?”
I frowned, confused. “I need to talk to her.”
The woman narrowed her eyes and arched a brow. “If I’m not mistaken, you two are supposed to be taking a break or something like that, aren’t you?”
I furrowed my brow, surprised. “Who told you that? Who are you?”
She rolled her eyes. “Of course you don’t remember me. I’m Jessica, Sam’s best friend, and you’re Ryan Carson, the guy who broke said best friend’s heart into a million pieces.”
I really didn’t have any luck, did I?
“Sorry,” I replied with a deep sigh. “I’m guessing I’m not your favorite person in the world, which is fair, but I really need you to tell me where Sam is right now. It’s important.”
