Текст книги "I Do"

Автор книги: A. J. Pine

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Текущая страница: 4 (всего у книги 14 страниц)

Chapter Nine

Griffin

When the seat-belt sign finally turned off, everyone stood and stretched. Griffin popped open the overhead bin, but he waited for Noah to take down his and Jordan’s bags before retrieving Maggie’s and his own. Noah gave him a tired half smile, acknowledgment that the truce was still in place, and Griffin let out a long breath.

It was still hard for Griffin to see the change in himself since Aberdeen. Waking up next to Maggie every day was a good reminder. So was going to a job that paid him barely enough to live on yet fulfilled him more than he could have imagined. Being offered the fellowship—he still couldn’t wrap his brain around that. And he still hadn’t told Maggie.

“You okay, Fancy Pants?”

Griffin snapped out of his daze to find both hands gripping the frame of the carry-on bin, yet he hadn’t made a move to actually bring their bags down to their seats. He grabbed Maggie’s first and handed it to her.

“Sorry. Just jet-lagged, I guess.” He slung his bag over his shoulder and across his torso. Then he pulled Maggie close¸ burying his face in her hair as he kissed the top of her head. “And I should be the one checking in on you.”

The passengers in front of them began to move, so Maggie didn’t have a chance to respond. Instead, she threaded her fingers through Griffin’s as they exited the plane, single file. Once out in the open air of the gate, the four of them stopped and waited for Miles. He walked off the jet bridge a few minutes later. But as Miles veered from the stream of passengers who were heading straight to baggage claim, the guy behind him followed him over to the group.

“Hey, guys,” Miles said, and Griffin cleared his throat, nodding just past Miles’s shoulder.

They all watched him turn toward the man who put his hand on Miles’s neck, pulled his head close, and whispered something in his ear.

“I know,” Miles said, loud enough for all of them to hear.

“Miles, sweetie,” Maggie said. “You gonna introduce us to your friend?”

Griffin watched the muscle in Miles’s jaw clench. He was no stranger to that almost inconspicuous tic; it was especially prevalent when Griffin first met Maggie and Miles regarded him as a threat to her happiness—and rightfully so. They were friends now, and Griffin knew the tension Miles was trying to hide was not meant for Maggie.

“Miles,” the stranger said, a grin spreading across his face. “Well, it was nice to meet you, Miles.” And then he kissed him, nodded to the group, and left the five of them standing there, jaws on the floor.

Miles grabbed his rolling carry-on. “Shall we?” he asked, and strode past them all.

They stood at the baggage carousel waiting for the final bag of the group—Jordan’s suitcase.

“It’s because it probably exploded,” she joked.

“Oh shit,” Griffin said as Jordan’s bag finally made its way around. As soon as he’d taken his phone off airplane mode, a voicemail had popped up. He listened to it now.

“What?” she asked him.

“What’s up?” Noah echoed.

“Have either of you turned on your phones yet?”

Jordan and Noah both retrieved their phones, her from her purse and Noah from his pocket.

“Oh shit,” Noah said when he looked at his screen.

“Shit is right,” Jordan replied as she listened to her voicemail that Griffin was sure was from Elaina.

“What’s going on?” Maggie asked.

Miles joined in. “Am I missing something?”

“Duncan’s missing,” Jordan said. “Elaina thinks he’s standing her up.”

Noah shook his head. “I don’t think he is.”

“Me, either,” said Griffin.

Noah handed Jordan his phone so she could read the text.

I’m in the Athens airport. Need your help.

Then Griffin handed her his, letting her listen to his voicemail.

“Oi, mate. I’m in a right mess at the moment and was hoping you could help. Athens airport, security holding cell number one. I owe ya one. I’ll explain when you get here. If you get here. Shite, can you get here?”

Jordan gave the phone back to Griffin, and he glanced at Noah, who nodded in silent agreement.

“Can someone please tell me what the hell is going on here?” Miles asked. “I’d kind of like in on the drama.”

Maggie grabbed his hand. “You gonna tell us about that kiss? Because—hello? Drama?”

Miles rolled his eyes, and Jordan spoke up.

“Duncan is missing, but he’s not standing Elaina up. He’s in some kind of trouble in the Athens airport.”

Griffin kissed Maggie on the cheek and then bit his lip before speaking.

“And Noah and I need to go get him.”

His heart sank as he watched Maggie’s eyes widen.

“You’re leaving?” she asked, and Griffin understood the fear in her voice. Maggie was in a strange place with people she barely knew.

Jordan grabbed Maggie’s free hand. “I’ll take good care of her, Griff. You guys just take care of each other.”

“You’re cool if we go?” Noah asked, and Jordan nodded.

“Of course. I just don’t get why he didn’t call Elaina. Her first couple of messages were really frantic, but then the last two were eerily calm, saying stuff about accepting his choice but wanting him to see what he’s missing.”

Noah ran a hand through his hair and laughed.

“What’s so funny?” Jordan asked.

“Brooks, do you remember when you introduced me to Elaina?” She nodded. “Look, I love her and everything, but she threatened to kill me in my sleep if I hurt you.”

Griffin chuckled. “Why do you think I drank her Turkish coffee? I was more afraid of the consequences of not drinking it than what it would taste like.”

“She’s scary, Brooks. And I think Duncan’s scared that he fucked this all up.”

Noah pulled her from the group and wrapped her in a hug.

Griffin cupped Maggie’s face in his palms, and she held tight to his wrists, cutting him off before he could speak.

“I’m okay, Fancy Pants.”

He sighed, leaning down to press his forehead against hers.

“This wasn’t the plan, you know,” he said. “To drag you thousands of miles from home and then abandon you.”

Maggie chuckled. “You’ll be gone a few hours, right? I promise I won’t break that quickly.”

He loved her for reassuring him, but it was also because he loved her that he could hear the slight waver in her voice, the tiny bit of worry she couldn’t hide, and it made saying good-bye to her all that much harder.

“You’ve got your meds?” he asked, and Maggie stepped back, rolling her eyes.

“I’m a big girl, Griffin. I can take care of myself. Been doing it for years.” She nodded toward Miles. “Plus, you’re not leaving me alone. I’ve got him.”

Griffin groaned. He didn’t mean to sound like a parent leaving a child home alone for the first time. Of course she could take care of herself, but he was on new ground here, not sure how to proceed. Things were supposed to go off without a hitch—a great trip that would buoy his confidence enough to tell Maggie that he applied for a fellowship, won said fellowship, and was expected to move to Washington, D.C., this fall. No big deal.

Shit. Every time he thought about telling her, something got in the way. Or maybe he let things get in the way because, right now, avoiding the inevitable was preferable to the inevitable itself.

He was an idiot.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I’m an asshole. I know you’ll be fine. I just—I wasn’t expecting to have to leave you, you know?”

He grabbed her hand and pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her waist.

“I know,” Maggie said with a sigh. “It’s okay. I love you for worrying about me. I just wish you didn’t have to.”

She wrapped her arms around his neck and stood on her toes to kiss him, and he sank into her, his shoulders relaxing as he tried to drink his fill. He might be an idiot, but he wasn’t stupid. He’d never have enough of Maggie, would never grow tired of the wholeness he felt only when he was with her.

D.C. wouldn’t happen without her. It couldn’t.

“I love you,” he whispered.

“Love you, too,” she said.

He heard a throat clear and turned to see Jordan and Noah.

“Uh, sorry,” Noah said. “But if we want to catch the next flight to Athens, we need to go now.”

“I like this,” Jordan said, looking at the two men. “You guys are like partners or something. No, you’re like Athos and Porthos going to save Aramis!”

“Excuse me?” Griffin said.

Noah chuckled. “The Three Musketeers.”

“You two seem different,” Maggie said, pointing back and forth between Griffin and Noah.

“Yeah,” Jordan agreed, crossing her arms. “What happened with you two when Maggie and I—uh—went to the bathroom?”

Griffin maintained his poker face and shrugged. “Already told ya. We got stuck behind the drink cart.”

Noah nodded slowly. “What he said.”

“Well,” Jordan continued, “whatever’s going on with you two, it’s really sweet what you’re doing, saving the groom and all.”

“Guess we’re off to book a flight,” Griffin said. “Athens is only an hour away. We can get there for a hundred bucks each and hopefully get Duncan on the next flight out.”

“Elaina is only about twenty minutes from here. The three of us will hop in a taxi and help her salvage the rest of the day,” Jordan told them.

“And we’ll be back in time for the rehearsal dinner,” Noah said.

“Did you say Elaina lived by her family’s restaurant?” Miles asked, and Jordan nodded.

“Apartment right above it, why?”

“Just curious,” he added.

“I feel like we need to do an official huddle or something,” Maggie said.

And just like that, they all thrust a hand into the center of the circle in which they already stood.

“Operation Save the Groom is on, starting…now!” Griffin said, and each one of them threw their hand in the air.

“You know what they say about the best-laid plans?” Miles asked before the group dispersed.

“What’s that?” Jordan asked.

He shook his head. “Fuck the planning, because it always comes back to bite you in the ass.”

Maggie giggled. “And you thought you weren’t part of the drama, Miles.”

Griffin expelled a sigh of relief. Maggie would be fine. They’d all be fine.

He watched as Miles and Maggie helped Jordan grab Griffin’s and Noah’s checked bags to take with them to Elaina’s, and he and Noah were off, headed toward the ticketing counter while the others made their way outside.

No more excuses. Griffin didn’t want anything coming back to bite him in the ass, so he made himself a promise to come clean with Maggie tonight.

Chapter Ten

Duncan

Airport Security Officer Kostas left the room to fetch a coffee for each of his alleged transgressors. He may have been shite in the crime-solving department, but at least he had the decency to offer Duncan and the arsehole refreshments.

Duncan splayed his hands on the table in front of him and stared hard at the real culprit across from him.

“It’s mine, ya right bawbag. You ken it is. Just give it to me, and let me get to my wedding.”

The guy he’d spent the flight from Scotland to Athens with finally spoke.

“I was just protecting myself, aye. You’d have done the same if someone chased you through an airport.”

Duncan growled. The bloke was Scottish as well, and Duncan hated him even more because of it. He could have been kin. Shite, what if he was? His mum could have invited a cousin or two he didn’t know.

He shook the thought away. “I was protecting what belongs to me.”

Duncan’s cheek throbbed. His head ached. For fuck’s sake, he was not the kind of bloke who got into a fight unless he was too piss-drunk to realize it, and that only happened once. Okay, twice if you count the time he and his cousin Ewan were so drunk they decided to box for sport and Duncan cracked a knuckle on Ewan’s jaw. But shite, who gets clotheslined in an airport on the way to his own wedding?

Duncan did, and Elaina would never forgive him for it. His only hope of righting the situation was getting his damned bag back. Then she’d understand.

“Maybe it is yours,” the arse said. “But maybe I thought it was mine, and got scared, and—” The guy paused. “Where’s my legal aide? I shouldn’t be talking any more without an aide.”

“Just shut it,” Duncan said through gritted teeth, and the man leaned back in his chair, looking patient as could be. Now that he had shut up, though, the silence roared in the tiny room, or maybe that was just Duncan’s pulse.

Kostas walked back in with two small Styrofoam cups and handed one to each of the men at the table.

“Wha’ about the bolt cutter? Better yet, can I take my bag and go now?” Duncan asked, just to annoy the kid whose answer was already clear.

“I’m sorry, Mr. McAllister,” he said in accented English. “I saw you assail this man and he defend himself. While your version of the story makes sense as well, I know what I saw. So until we can open the bag, I have to detain you both. I’m just waiting on my manager to find something we can use to cut the lock. Or we could just cut open the bag.”

“No!” Duncan yelled. “Christ. I asked you to cut off the bloody lock, not ruin the bag and most likely what’s inside it.” He rolled his eyes. This wanker thought he was playing out an episode of Law & Order. And as much as he’d kept his gift for Elaina safe, he hadn’t thought to put it in a box. The only thing separating the gift from a pair of scissors was the tissue it was wrapped in, and at this point, he wasn’t sure where in the bag the gift was.

Duncan wondered if the other two people in the room could hear the silent screams of rage inside his head.

“Ya do see how ridiculous this is, don’t you? I have no bag, no identification, because it’s right there in front of you. The arsehole showed you his passport.”

“His name’s Stephen, actually,” Kostas said, and Duncan’s jaw clenched.

“I don’t bloody care what his name is. Don’t you find it the least bit odd he’s not even arguing? That he’s asking for legal aide?” Duncan stood and reached across the table toward Stephen’s shirt collar. “It’s my bloody wedding, for fuck’s sake!”

Kostas was strong for the lanky git he was, wrenching Duncan’s hand from the other guy’s shirt.

“Please, Mr. McAllister. I don’t want to write you up for assault as well.”

Duncan slammed his hands down on the table, taking small pleasure in watching Stephen and Kostas flinch. Then he sat again.

He scrubbed a hand over his face, wincing as he touched his bruised cheek. He’d had everything planned perfectly, right down to his arriving with enough time to still have the entire day with both his and Elaina’s families. And he had the perfect wedding gift for Elaina, one that would show her how much he loved her. He wasn’t the best with words, but when he wanted to show her what she meant to him, he was a right genius, if he did say so himself. Asking for Elaina’s hand in marriage more than a year before he proposed? Check. Learning enough Greek to properly ask her father for permission? Check again. Researching as much as he could about the ceremony of a Greek wedding to ensure the gift he presented to his wife spoke volumes as to how important she was to him—check. Almost. Because the item that said more than Duncan could articulate was not in his possession at the moment. It was being detained along with himself and the man who’d stolen it.

The door flew open, and Duncan had to do a double take to believe what he was seeing.

Kostas startled at the flurry of movement as Griffin and Noah strode into the room. The arse still sat with his arms calmly crossed over his chest. Hopefully, that was about to change.

“Good morning, everyone,” Griffin said, a charming-as-shit grin plastered across his face. Noah just nodded at the three men in the room—the strong, silent partner. Duncan filled with hope. “I’m Griffin Reed, and this is my associate, Mr. Keating.”

Duncan watched as Noah stifled a laugh, but Kostas didn’t seem to catch it. He was eating this shite up. He shook Griffin’s hand and then Noah’s.

“I’m afraid you’ve inappropriately detained my client, Mr. McAllister.”

Duncan’s eyes widened, and Griffin gave him a little shrug. He was making this up as he went along, and it fucking seemed to be working.

“Mr. Reed, there was an altercation, and your…uh…client attacked this man and tried to steal—”

“Attacked?” Duncan kicked his chair out from behind him, and he was up again. “I should be phoning Scotland Yard—or whatever you call your police service here!”

“Hellenic Police,” Kostas informed him, but Duncan just growled. That seemed to be his preferred form of speech today.

“Right. Enough already. I’m taking my bag, and I’m walking out that door, ya daft knob. Ya don’t even ken what you’re doin’.”

Kostas held Duncan’s bag in his hands and backed against the door, pushing it shut as he did.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t let anyone leave until we’ve figured out who this belongs to.”

“Did you tell him what was in it?” Noah asked.

“Nice one,” Griffin said.

“Thanks, man,” Noah remarked.

“I could name everything in the bag,” Duncan said. “But the lock is busted. I swear it was our wedding date.”

“Jesus, Duncan,” Griffin said. “Did you try another date?”

Duncan turned to the wall behind him and punched it once. Then twice. He went for a third, but Noah caught his hand.

“I tried the date in reverse order,” Duncan said. He squeezed his eyes shut and rubbed the back of his head, the two pills he’d swallowed doing nothing to ease the pain or clear his thoughts. He had to regain control, so he leaned against the wall, waiting for his breathing to slow, and tried to remember.

Shite. “I’m the daft knob,” he mumbled. “I changed my mind. Last night when I bought the lock, my first thought was our wedding date, but then I got superstitious, aye. Using the wedding date before the wedding happened. That could be bad luck.” He shook his head. Looked like bad luck came for him anyway. “So I switched it.” He let out a long breath. “It’s Elaina’s birthday. Her bloody birthday, but my head is a mess, mates. I can’t think straight.”

Griffin took a step closer. “Hey, Duncan. Everything’s going to be okay,” he said.

“No,” Duncan said louder, his voice firm. “It’s not. Fuck, I never should have let go of the bag in the first place, but I was doing exactly what Elaina thinks I’m probably doing right now. I was freaking out.”

Griffin put a palm on Duncan’s shoulder, but nothing would soothe him.

“It just—it all hit me when I stepped off that plane and realized Scotland wasn’t home anymore. And I—I couldn’t catch my breath. I thought it was the jumper I was wearing, so I let go of the bag and took the fucking thing off.”

All eyes were on Duncan, even the arse’s. He could see the worry in his stare because Duncan was about to exonerate himself, but first he had to admit to someone why this had happened in the first place.

“I freaked out, mates. I fucking freaked out, and then this guy knocked me out cold, and since then everything is swimming in here.” Duncan pointed to his head. “So I couldn’t even think straight enough to remember the combination, tell A Levels over here that in the bag is a scarf trimmed in the McAllister red and green tartan, and then open the damn thing and show it to him. I could have been out of here more than an hour ago if I was bloody fucking conscious. Because the only thing that matters now is getting to Elaina.”

Duncan removed the lock with the correct combination, and Kostas opened the bag and pulled out the scarf, nodding in recognition.

“You had this made for your wife? For the red scarf ritual?” he asked.

Duncan nodded. Of course he did. He was fine with having a traditional Greek wedding. It was important to Elaina, so that made it important to him. But aside from wearing his tartan on his kilt, he wanted to connect Elaina’s Greek tradition with his own.

“I’m sorry, Mr. McAllister,” he said. “You’re free to go.” He handed Duncan the tartan scarf, his phone, and the bag. Then he glanced at the other man at the table, the real assailant. “But I’m going to have to ask you to fill out a report and decide if you want to move forward with legal proceedings…”

Griffin motioned for the door, and Kostas stepped aside.

“You can email him the report. You’ve taken up enough of his time. Mr. McAllister has a wedding to get to.”

Kostas nodded. “Of course, sir. Thermá synchari̱tí̱ria. Congratulations. And my apologies…”

Duncan didn’t wait to hear the rest. He pushed through the door as Griffin and Noah followed. He had a wedding to get to—and lots of explaining to do.