Chapter 2

CHAPTER TWO

PAISLEIGH

For as long as I can remember, I dreamed of my wedding day. I planned every detail before I turned sixteen, from the dress to the flowers, even the song list for the band. But in all my dreams, I never imagined I’d run out of the church before I said I do or that I’d steal a car and take off while a storm raged on the western side of the state. Then again, the groom of my dreams was a lot different than the one standing at the altar waiting for me to pledge my life to him.

“Oh God,” I whisper, squinting as I peer out the windshield. The windshield wipers are having a difficult time keeping up with the speed of the rain, and the road is becoming harder and harder to see.

Note to self: Check the windshield wipers on the car before you steal it.

Or maybe don’t fucking steal a car to begin with.

It seemed like a logical thought at the time, but I also thought marrying a man I didn’t love would work out too. From the minute I accepted Gary’s proposal, I kept telling myself it would be fine, that I’d eventually fall in love with him. After all, he was a good guy. Great on paper. Financially responsible, with a ten-year plan, who couldn’t wait to start a family with me. He didn’t come with any baggage. No generational trauma to make peace with.

Any other woman would’ve considered herself lucky that he chose her and would’ve skipped down the aisle to marry him. But as I stood in the back of the church all dressed in white, all I could think of was the man of my dreams.

Broken.

Lonely.

Lost.

I wanted to hate him in that moment more than anything, but a deeper force washed over me. I couldn’t pretend anymore. My heart wouldn’t catch up when it was stuck on a mountain, tied to a man who didn’t think he was worthy of life’s simple pleasures.

Suddenly, I was a woman on a mission.

A crazed woman in a wedding dress.

With no explanation, I fled. I didn’t bother to grab my belongings or tell anyone where I was going. I knew Gary’s uncle kept the keys to his beat-up truck in the ignition because it always got stuck and headed straight for it, closing the train of my dress in the door before I took off like a bat out of Hell.

Unfortunately for me, Uncle Jonah didn’t leave his cell phone in the cab of the truck. That would be helpful right now, considering I can’t see shit.

I contemplate pulling over, but I can’t even make out where the shoulder is. The storm wasn’t supposed to start for another couple of hours, at least that’s what the weather report said last time I checked.

Bracing both my hands on the steering wheel, I try to focus. Maybe if I just wait it out a little, the rain will let up some and I’ll be able to see where the fuck I am. I mean, I’ve been driving on this same road for a damn long time. Rhett’s cabin can’t be too far from here.

Thoughts of Rhett immediately fill my head.

I don’t even know what I’m going to say to him.

What if he doesn’t even answer the door? No, he wouldn’t do that.

But what if he’s not home ? That’s unlikely.

The man has made it his life’s goal to become a recluse over the last couple of years, only leaving his cabin to go to work. Occasionally, he’ll break his own rules and spend time with Cade, but that’s become more and more rare according to my brother.

“He’s going to be home,” I whisper out loud, my eyes drifting back to the windshield where the storm continues to rage. “Please, God, I know I’m not your favorite person right now, but please let him be home.”

But what if he is home, and not alone?

My stomach rolls at the thought.

No, no, no. I will not go there. Not today.

I’m about to take my foot off the brake when thunder booms outside. The wind howls angrily, and the truck starts to shake.

Another note to self: When stealing a truck, make sure you steal one that’s not twenty years old and, on its way out.

My knuckles whiten around the wheel, and my breath hitches. I try to remain calm but fail miserably when a tree comes crashing down in front of the truck. A scream erupts from the back of my throat, and before I realize what I’m doing, I put the truck into park. I open the driver’s side door, and tumble out into the storm, the heels of my Betsy Johnson shoes sliding deep into the mud as I stare at the tall oak tree blocking the road.

There is probably something to be said about a woman who has no regrets when it comes to leaving her fiancé at the altar but suddenly questions her decision to drive through a terrible storm.

The rain soaks me as I try to figure my next move. I’m not even sure I’m on the right road. Since Uncle Jonah’s truck doesn’t have GPS, I’ve been winging it since I worked up the nerve to drive to Rhett’s cabin, and now I’m fucked.

Deciding my best bet is to take cover and ride out the storm, I move to the driver’s side door. I’m about to reach for the handle when a pair of headlights shine from the other side of the tree. Paralyzed by fear, all I can do is stare at the lights. A door slams and I jump. I bring my hand up to shield the rain from my eyes as a tall figure crosses in front of the headlights. A scream catches in my throat and the figure moves forward, climbing over the tree.

That’s when I catch sight of his face.

Rhett.

Thick scruff lines his strong jaw, and his dark brows pinch together as he scowls at me. I swallow past the lump in my throat as he takes another step closer and holds out his hand.

Broken.

Lost.

Lonely.

And angry as all hell.