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I did love him, though. I couldn’t deny that. Maybe I’d always been in love with him, even when I was furious with him.
Crap, I hadn’t expected to make that discovery. Now what was I going to do? I loved him, and I wanted to be with him. I wanted to be a family with him and Henry, and as I continued thinking through everything, I came to another realization.
I’d forgiven him. I’d forgiven him for everything. For breaking my heart and leaving me all those years ago. I couldn’t say those things didn’t matter anymore, but they didn’t matter as much as our present time together and the future we could potentially have.
There was always the possibility of Ryan breaking my heart again, but that was a risk in any relationship. I trusted that he wouldn’t, though. Not on purpose. The risk, ultimately, was worth taking. We could be so happy together if I just let myself embrace this thing between us.
Ryan was such a good man. Caring, hardworking, loyal, and powerful. I’d never been able to push him out of my heart, and I knew at that moment that I never would. No other man would be enough for me. It was him, or nobody at all.
I felt a strange sense of relief at the thought of giving my heart back to Ryan. I wanted to tell him right at that moment. In fact, I was excited for what life might have in store for us.
At that moment, I heard footsteps behind me. My heart raced, and I turned with a wide smile, assuming it was Ryan.
“I was just thinking…” My words died on my tongue when I saw that it wasn’t Ryan approaching me, but a strange man I’d never met before. He was dirty and disheveled. His face was bruised, his arms and hands covered in scratches. As he stared at me, I noted a strange, crazed glint in his eyes.
“You’re Samantha,” he said, moving closer to me.
I frowned, anxiety and fear bubbling in my stomach. I looked around, hoping to see someone else from the wedding walking nearby, but there wasn’t anyone else in sight. It was just me and this strange, clearly troubled man. I took a step back, keeping my eyes on him and readying to run if I needed too.
“Sir, I don’t know who you are, but I don’t think you should be here right now,” I said in as calm of a voice as I could.
He pointed a finger at me. “I need to make him pay. He ruined my life.”
Panic seized me, and I struggled to breathe.
“Are you Bill?” I cautiously asked.
“It’s nothing personal,” he told me. “I need to make Ryan pay. You’re going to help me.”
“What are you talking about?” I gasped, but before I could fully grasp what he intended, Bill charged at me, his expression feral and his eyes blazing with fury.
Chapter twenty-seven
Ryan
HavingnotfoundSaminside the reception hall, I rushed outside, my heart beating so hard that I was afraid it would burst. I was terrified. My mind was racing with terrible thoughts of what might be happening to her. If Bill had found her, I had no idea what he might do. How desperate he might be to hurt me.
“Sam!” I called out in a booming voice. “Sam! Where are you?”
I didn’t see her anywhere. Shit, where was she?
Suddenly, I heard her. She was shouting and sounded terrified. I spun around and spotted a small garden not far away. She shouted again, and I took off running toward the garden.
“Sam!” I bellowed, pumping my arms so I moved faster. I reached the garden’s walking path and hurried in among the hedges and flower beds. I turned a corner and suddenly came upon them. Bill had a hold of Sam’s shoulders and appeared to be trying to contain her, but she was fighting him. Twisting and turning her body, she was also slapping at him as she screamed in fear and fury.
I didn’t hesitate. Charging forward, I grabbed Bill and yanked him away from her, throwing him to the ground. He latched onto me and dragged me down with him. We rolled in the dirt together, struggling to gain the upper hand over the other.
“Ryan!” Sam shrieked. “Be careful!”
Bill was going crazy, clawing at me and swinging his fists, clearly desperate to land a solid hit.
As much as I wanted to beat him bloody, I restrained myself and tried only to subdue him.
He wasn’t in his right mind, however, and was proving a much greater challenge than I would’ve anticipated. It was like grappling with a rabid dog that kept trying to latch its jaws around my throat. Sam was screaming for help. I wanted to go to her and make sure she wasn’t hurt, but I just couldn’t get control of Bill.
There was sudden movement out of the corner of my eye, and in the next moment, Bill was ripped away from me. Jason had him in a chokehold and was pulling him off of me. The other groomsmen appeared and swarmed Bill, helping Jason to subdue him.
I sat up and saw that other wedding guests had gathered and were watching the scene with stunned expressions.
