Jilted: Promise Harbor, Book 1 (5 page)

Her heart hurt so badly at that moment she couldn’t think straight. They were sitting there staring at each other across the small table in Barney’s Chowder House, where they’d come that time they’d been back in Promise Harbor for Allie’s mom’s funeral, the only time they’d ever been there as a couple. The air around them thickened, heavy with memories, longing and regrets. Well,
she
felt regrets anyway—she couldn’t speak for Josh, but as he looked at her with heavy-lidded eyes and a slow, wistful smile…she thought maybe he did too.

But it was too late for that, so she pushed that all to the back of her brain where it belonged. Later she would pull out the memories again, let herself feel the longing and regrets, but now, she couldn’t. Because tomorrow Josh and Allie were getting married.

Her throat closed up and her eyes burned but she kept that smile firmly in place, trying to show him she was okay. “I hope you and Allie will be very happy together,” she said, her voice low because if she spoke any louder it would come out shaky. “I want you to be happy.”

She really did want him to be happy. Even though
she
wasn’t.

“Devon.” Her name was a sigh across his lips.

Jackson was sitting there watching them, his eyebrows pinched together. Devon smiled at him too, and he kind of winced. The waitress arrived with their burgers and fries. “Your food’s there,” she said, nodding.

“Uh. Yeah.” Josh hesitated. “Want to join us?”

Her smile started to hurt. “No, I’m done. I’m just leaving. Nice to see you again, Josh.”

Still he looked at her with that funny expression, and then he too smiled and nodded. “You too, Devon. You too.”

She grabbed her bill and hurried to the front to pay it so she could get the hell out of there.

“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to unite this man and this woman in holy matrimony.” The minister’s voice carried through the hushed church as the ceremony began. Reverend Morgan opened his mouth to continue—

“Oh, hell no.”

Every head in St. Mark’s Methodist Church swiveled toward the man striding down the center aisle. Dressed in a hooded sweatshirt and T-shirt over faded jeans, he did not fit in. At all.

Sitting there with the rest of the wedding guests, Devon’s eyes nearly popped out of her head. Was that Gavin Montgomery, unshaven and shaggy-haired? She almost didn’t recognize him.

Hayley Stone, sitting next to Devon, leaped to her feet. Devon frowned as a small twig and a leaf fell from Hayley’s hair at her abrupt movement.

“
Gavin
?” The bride’s shocked question rose above the gasps, whispers and creaking pews in the church.

Jeebus Crust, had Allie invited both her
and
Josh’s exes to their wedding? That took guts. Except…what was Gavin doing?

“This is
Gavin
?” Josh glanced incredulously at Allie. He turned back to Gavin and took a step toward him, frowning. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

Oh yeah. The entire congregation wanted to know the answer to that question, including Devon.

“I’m here to talk to Allie,” Gavin said.

Josh shoved his way between him and Allie. “We’re kind of in the middle of something.”

Devon watched Josh step so protectively in front of his fiancée.
His fiancée
. An ache developed behind her breastbone and she pressed a hand there.

“Yeah, this can’t wait.” Gavin looked past Josh to Allie. “I need to talk to you. Now.”

Allie’s face blanched and her eyes went wide. Devon almost jumped up to go to her, thinking she might be about to pass out. Greta, Josh’s sister and Allie’s matron of honor, stepped closer. Something twinged inside Devon that might have been…jealousy. She’d always thought
she
would be Allie’s maid of honor. Not that she wanted to be. Not at
this
wedding.

Gavin started to move toward Allie, but Josh blocked him. “I don’t think so, Gavin.”

The church was completely silent. The man in front of Devon had his phone out and was snapping pictures, for god’s sake. He’d probably be posting them on Facebook next. Devon leaned forward. “Stop that!” she hissed.

“Listen, I can do this here in front of the whole town.” Gavin said. “I don’t mind. I’m leaving here with Allie one way or another. But I think keeping some of this private might be appropriate.” He leaned around Josh to look at Allie. “I have some things I need to say before you say I do to another man, Al.”

Josh sighed, stepped closer and lowered his voice. Open-mouthed, Devon strained to hear his words. “Don’t do this, Gavin. Haven’t you messed with her enough? Just let her be happy.”

“That’s exactly what I want to do,” Gavin said, his voice firm. “Is that what
you
want?”

“I’m standing next to her in a tux in front of a minister. What do you think?”

Devon stared at Josh, his short, dark brown hair combed so neatly back from his face, his square jaw clean-shaven and—right now—clenched tight. Yes, he was standing there in a tux, so elegant and handsome, ready to marry another woman. He didn’t look happy about this interruption. Good god, how humiliating to have another man interrupt your wedding vows! Devon again resisted the urge to leap to her feet and this time rush to
his
side. Her hands gripped the back of the pew in front of her as she slid to the edge of the seat.

“I think that if you don’t let her talk to me, you know that she’ll always wonder. You don’t want that, do you? To have your wife wondering about another man?”

Josh blew out a long breath and shoved his hand through his hair. Then he half turned to his bride. “Allie?”

“What would I wonder?” Allie asked, looking at Gavin.

“You’d wonder what I had to say to you so badly that I would fly over four thousand miles so I could rush in here to stop your wedding.”

Allie stared at Gavin. There wasn’t a sound in the church as time stretched out.

Devon could not believe this. Wide-eyed, she gazed at the scene unfolding, waiting along with everyone else in the church for Allie’s response. It was as if the entire congregation held their collective breath.

“Allie,” Gavin said again, breaking the silence.

Allie pressed her lips together and shook her head. “You’re too late,” she whispered.

Devon exhaled slowly. But in the candlelit sanctuary, tears gleamed in Allie’s eyes. Why was she crying? She should be pissed at Gavin for doing this, interrupting their wedding. Devon’s gaze shifted to Josh. Now
he
looked pissed. Oh god. If he really loved Allie, this would be breaking his heart. Her own heart constricted for him, and she lifted a hand to her throat.

“Bullshit,” Gavin said. He stepped forward, bent his knees and lifted Allie into his arms. He headed for the side door of the church. A murmur swept through the congregation.

“Gavin!” Allie kicked the skirt of her wedding dress tangled around her legs, but he didn’t stop.

“Just a damn minute—” Josh started.

Gavin turned. “Give me a chance,” Gavin said to Josh. “Let me talk to her. Let me tell her what I came here to say. Then if she wants to come back, I’ll walk her down the aisle myself.”

Gavin turned back to the door, bending his head to say something to Allie. She gazed up at him and whispered something back. Mrs. Gurney, the pianist, sprang to open the door, and Gavin stepped out into the June sunshine with Josh’s bride in his arms.

Devon’s mouth dropped open again. Oh dear god. Devon looked back at Josh, at the grim line of his mouth, his eyebrows drawn down over his beautiful amber eyes. And then, as he turned to look at the crowded church, her eye caught his. And held. Heat burst inside her, and she once again nearly leaped to her feet to go to him.

Then he turned and strode to the door to follow them outside. Sunlight filled the church as the door opened, then closed behind him, leaving a stunned crowd sitting there amid the scent of beeswax and flowers. Holy fishsticks.

This time she couldn’t stop herself. She rose and began to squeeze past the others in the pew. “Excuse me,” she whispered. “Excuse me. Oh, sorry! Excuse me.”

People had started to whisper and buzz, and she hurried over to the side door Josh had just walked out of. She blinked in the sun, then focused on Josh, who stood on the sidewalk, yelling, “Wait!”

Gavin stopped and turned, still holding a big poof of white wedding dress that was Allie.

“What the fuck, Allie?” Josh demanded. “Are you leaving with him?”

Gavin gave Josh a direct look. “Allie called me last night,” he said.

Josh froze. “You did?”

Allie opened her mouth to reply, blinking rapidly, but no words came out.

“She called and told me that she’d always love me,” Gavin added.

In Gavin’s arms, Allie groaned and closed her eyes.

“Allie? Is this true?”

Finally she said softly, “Well…”

Gavin smirked.

Josh’s hands curled into fists. He shook his head. “Jesus Christ. Were you drunk?”

Her eyes shifted away from his. “Maybe a little.”

Meep. Devon recalled that Josh had been more than a little toasted last night too.

“You called Gavin the night before our wedding and told him you’d always love him?”

“Not exactly,” she said. “I didn’t tell him to come or anything. I didn’t
say
that I loved him.”

Josh pinched the bridge of his nose. “Allie. We’re getting married. You don’t just change your mind at the last second about something like this.”

“I’m sorry,” she whispered.

Josh continued to stand there, his shoulders rigid.

Oh my god. This was really happening. Devon’s heart knocked against her breastbone.

Allie looked up at Gavin and nodded. “That’s all I needed to hear,” he said, and turned and marched to his vehicle, parked at an angle in the loading zone in front of the church as if he’d raced up at sixty miles an hour.

Josh rubbed the back of his neck and looked down at his shoes, then turned. Leaning against the church door, Devon’s eyes met his. “Devon,” he murmured.

“Is she really leaving with him?” she demanded.

He nodded.

“Shnikes. Are you okay?”

“Yeah.” He scowled. “I’m pissed as hell but I’m okay. What the fuck, Dev? I just got left at the altar.”

“I can’t believe that.” She studied his face. He definitely seemed more angry than heartbroken.

“I know! I can’t believe that asshole just stormed in there like that.”

“What a shitty thing to do.”

“And I can’t believe she left with him. Jesus fucking Christ.” He rubbed the back of his head. “When you give someone your word and say you’re going to do it, you fucking well
do
it.”

“Yes.” She gave him a sad smile. “You do.” Oh yeah. That was Josh, all right. A man of his word.

He shook his head. “What the hell am I supposed to do now? There’s a whole church full of people sitting in there. This is unbelievable.”

Her heart ached for him. “I guess you better go in and tell them the wedding’s off.”

“Fuck.” He closed his eyes and leaned his head back for a moment. “Yeah. I guess I’d better.”

Chapter Four

His mother had insisted that they have the reception, but she’d also insisted that Josh should be going after Allie. And he was starting to think so too. He leaned against the bar in the banquet room of the Promise Harbor Inn, a beer in his hand, watching the guests mingle, drinking champagne and eating hors d’oeuvres.

Jesus, Allie was crazy to go off with that guy! What kind of douche bag walked into someone’s wedding and practically kidnapped the bride?

His eyes fell on Police Detective Hayley Stone, talking to Jackson. Apparently she’d come as his date. How the hell that had happened, Josh had no clue. As of yesterday, Jackson had been fighting off puck bunnies and planning to attend the wedding alone. For a moment Josh contemplated going over to Hayley and asking her to get involved. Maybe they should send the cops after Allie and Gavin. The guy must be deranged and possibly dangerous.

But where would he be taking her? Josh pulled out his cell phone, thumbed through his contacts to find Allie’s number and pressed the button to call her one more time. Still no answer. “Shit.”

“You okay?”

He turned to once again see Devon. Her chestnut hair glinted red in the light of the chandeliers, and her tilted, almond-shaped eyes were shadowed with concern.

“I’m okay,” he muttered. “But I’m worried about Allie.”

“Really?” She lifted an eyebrow. “She just jilted you in front of all these people, and you’re worried about her?” Then she laughed and shook her head. “What am I saying? Of course you are.”

He scowled. “Who knows what Gavin’s doing with her,” he growled. “He could be baked as a cake, on drugs or something, knowing him.”

Devon choked on a laugh. “I don’t think he’s that bad.” She laid a hand on his arm and gave a gentle squeeze through the fabric of his tux jacket.

Huh. He looked down at her hand on his arm and swallowed. “I should go after her,” he said. “Except I have no idea where they went.”