Chapter 36
36
T he limousine ride to the chapel was the longest in Dylan’s entire life.
He barely listened to Peter’s small talk, his mind fixed on the image of Sam in a bridal gown being joined in matrimony to old Max, whose name he’d finally remembered.
The thought made him physically ill and he downed several whiskeys Peter handed him, before he realised he needed to be sober to convince Sam she’d be making the biggest mistake of her life marrying Max.
The limo barely pulled up when Dylan threw open the door and sprinted for the chapel.
“Hey, what’s the hurry? There’s plenty of time for you two to talk after the ceremony,” Peter yelled, only serving to fuel Dylan’s urgency.
Had Peter lost his mind? After the ceremony would be too late and Dylan would be damned if he let the best thing to ever happen to him slip through his fingers.
Guests stared at him as he ran through the grounds and burst into the chapel. Thankfully, Sam wasn’t standing at the altar as he’d envisaged, though his relief was short-lived as a minister strolled down the aisle toward him.
“You’re looking for the bride?”
Dylan nodded, swallowing the bitterness that rose at the thought of Sam taking her place in front of that altar without him. “Is she here?”
The minister pointed to a small room near the entrance. “She’s in there, looking absolutely radiant. I’ve seen a few brides in my time, but this one—“
“Thanks.”
Dylan left the minister gaping as he ran toward the heavy mahogany door and pushed it open without knocking.
His heart clenched at the sight of the woman in a beautiful wedding dress, though the sunlight streaming through the stained glass window blinded him for a moment.
“Sam, we need to talk.” He strode into the room, determined to make her see sense and stop this farcical wedding.
“Well, you won’t find her here. She’s taking a walk by the river.”
Dylan’s jaw dropped as the woman by the window turned and walked toward him.
“Ebony? What the hell are you doing, dressed up like that?”
Ebony rolled her eyes. “I’m getting married, stupid. And this is what brides wear.”
“ You’re getting married too?” Dylan stared at her as if she’d lost her mind. “But what about Sam? And Max?”
“What about them?”
The corner’s of Ebony’s mouth twitched, leaving Dylan flummoxed. What the hell was going on here?
“Peter led me to believe Sam was getting married today…” he trailed off, wondering if he’d jumped to conclusions yet again.
He’d acted like a madman when confronting Peter, and now that he thought about it, at no stage did Sam’s brother say the bride was his sister. Dylan had assumed, and been crazy at the thought of losing the woman he loved that he hadn’t stopped to rationalise.
“I’m an idiot,” he muttered, shaking his head.
Ebony’s smirk softened to a smile as she led him to the door and gave him a none-too-gentle shove.
“Why don’t you go find Sam? I think you two need to talk.”
He nodded, filled with a wild, unrestrained hope that maybe he could salvage their relationship.
Following a winding path to the river, he spotted Sam sitting on a bench. His eyes drank in the sight of her like a thirst-starved man; she looked incredible, wearing a soft-flowing pink halter gown that accentuated her delicate blonde colouring, her curls loose around her shoulders and blowing gently in the breeze.
His reaction, instantaneous and visceral, left him winded. He wanted this woman—he needed this woman—more than he’d ever needed anyone before.
He wouldn’t leave here without her.