The Substitute
Page 33
Anger spread across Knickers’ face when she realized she’d been duped.
“Josh,” Jay said with a sneer. “Were you screwing him while we were together?”
“What?” she asked in horror, then her fear gave way to anger and she glared at him. “No, Jay. I’m not a cheating bastard like you are!”
“We broke up six weeks ago, Megan, and you’re marrying this—” he waved his hand toward Josh, “—this shithead. You’re telling me you weren’t sleeping with him all along?” He jerked on her arm again and she winced in pain.
Josh had about reached his limit. “If you care about her at all, let her go.”
“You mean care about her like you do?” He released a bitter laugh.
“I love her.” Josh held up his hands, pulling loose from Noah’s hold. “I wouldn’t dream of hurting her, but you’re hurting her now. So let her go, and we’ll talk about this like adults.”
Jay shook his head, seeming to just notice the others who’d trailed after them. “This doesn’t concern the rest of you of you. Everyone leave, but you.” He pointed at Josh.
Knickers’ face twisted with rage. “You are manhandling my daughter, you miscreant. Let go of her now.” She was a force to behold.
Jay’s gaze turned to Megan’s mother, and his grip loosened as if by instinct.
Megan took the opportunity to stomp on his foot and elbow him in stomach. Releasing her arm with an angry shout, Jay reached up to hit her.
Josh didn’t waste a second. He lunged for Jay, knocking him to the ground as Noah pulled Megan out of harm’s way.
“You son of a bitch! Keep your hands off my wife!” He swung at Jay, connecting with his jaw. “You never deserved her!” Jay pushed Josh away from him, then got to his feet and punched Josh in the stomach.
“Jay!” Megan shouted. “Leave him alone!” She tried to lunge for them, but Noah held her back.
Josh got two more punches in before the men broke apart and leered at each other.
“What do you want, Connors?” Josh asked, breathless. “Do you want her to say she cheated on you? Why? So you won’t feel like such a fool for letting her go?” He clenched his fist then flexed it. “That’s why you’re here in Kansas City, right? Because you realized what a complete idiot you were to cheat on her? Now she’s moved on, and you can’t accept responsibility for that, so it’s easier to blame her.” He stepped closer and jabbed his finger at Jay’s chest. “But that’s on you! You had two years to treat her right, but you were too stupid to see what you had.”
Jay’s face hardened. “She’s not yours.”
“We’re married. Deal with it.”
Jay swung at him again and Josh stepped backward and out of the way.
Hundreds of sprays of water suddenly shot straight up from the ground in a twenty-foot diameter. They pulsed, spraying on and off, completely drenching the two men.
So that explained the concrete pad.
Jay swung at him again and Josh took another step back, evading his fist.
“Enough!” Megan’s mother shouted, the authority in her voice unmistakable.
Both of them stopped and turned to face her, still standing in the oscillating water sprays.
“Jay Connors, you have five seconds to leave my sight. Never contact my daughter again.” Her eyes narrowed “And if you do, I will hunt you down all the way to the Pacific West and chop off important parts of you that you’d probably prefer to keep.”
His gaze shifted to Megan, a question in his eyes.
“We’re done, Jay,” she said without hesitation. “Go.”
Nicole’s voice was icy. “Your time starts now, Mr. Connors.”
“You’ll regret this someday, Megan,” he shouted.
“You keep telling yourself that.”
He stomped up the steps and toward the entrance to the gardens.
Bart appeared at the edge of the group, panting. “What happened?”
Knickers ignored her husband and turned her attention to Josh. “Mr. McMillan.”
He lifted his chin, shivering in his wet suit and trying not to feel like a grade school boy sent to the principal’s office. “Yes, Ma’am.”
“How long have you known my daughter?”
“Four days.”
“Four days?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“You met on the plane?”
“Yes.”
“And you just got married?”
“Yes.”
Megan pulled free from Noah’s hold. “Mom, I can explain.”
“You can explain why you told me this man was Jay Connors.”
She hesitated, looking over at Josh. He nodded his encouragement.
Taking a deep breath, Megan turned toward her mother. “I broke up with Jay six weeks ago, and I was afraid to tell you.”
“Why?” her mother demanded. “Do you really think I would want you to marry a man who would cheat on you?”
Megan looked torn. “You kept telling me how much the wedding cost and that you couldn’t get refunds.”
The fury in her mother’s face dissolved into sorrow and her shoulders sagged. “You really think I’m that much of a monster?”
Megan started to say something, but kept her mouth shut.
“So you chose to marry a stranger rather than tell me your fiancé cheated on you?”
“We’re not married. It wasn’t real.”
Josh cringed. Things were about to get uglier. As if that were possible. He took several steps toward her and out of the fountain, water dripping from his hair onto his face. “Meggie, we are.”
Confusion wrinkled her brow. “We are what?”
His eyes pleaded with hers. “We’re married.”
She blinked. “What?”
“The marriage license got mailed in. We can’t get it back.”
“What? How?”
Libby raised her hand, a sheepish look washing over her face. “Me.”
“And me.” Noah stepped up next to her, as if presenting himself for punishment.
Libby stepped up beside him. “Josh didn’t know anything about it. We had just told him when Jay showed up.”
Josh knew he had to take control. “It doesn’t matter. As far as I’m concerned, this wedding couldn’t be any more real. I’m glad they mailed it in, but they should have consulted us first.” He searched Megan’s face, hoping to get a read on how she felt, but it remained expressionless. He decided to go for broke and took several steps toward Knickers, his hand extended as he presented his case. “I love her. I’ve never met anyone like her before, and I know it’s crazy. I know it. But it’s right too.”
Knickers watched him for several second before turning to Megan. “We can get this annulled.”
“What?” Josh asked in panic. Noah and Libby voiced their own protests too, but he was too distraught to register what they said.
Megan gasped. “You would do that?”
“Of course, I would do that.” Her no-nonsense countenance had returned, and she was ready to take charge once again. “You’re not stuck with this. I’ll take care of it.”
Megan looked between Josh and her mother and took a deep breath. “What if I want to be stuck with this?”
Josh leaned over his knees, weak from relief. “Oh, thank God,” he mumbled under his breath.
Knickers eyes widened. “Why on earth would you want that, Megan?”
“Because I love him.”
“How? You hardly know him.”
“I don’t know. I just do.”
“So you’re married to Josh McMillan?”
She gave him a bright smile that sucked his breath away. “Yes, I suppose I am.”
Epilogue
Two months later, Megan McMillan pushed open her apartment door, terrified she was too late. “Josh!”
“In the bedroom.”
She shut the door behind her and dropped her purse on the entry table before she hurried down the hall. Josh was bent over a suitcase, zip
ping it closed. “I got tied up at work, and I thought I missed you.” Her voice broke and she felt ridiculous. He might be flying to Kansas City, but she’d see him in two days.
Josh stood upright and turned to her, the look in his eyes making her tingle from head to toe. How could he always look at her with such wonder, as though he were seeing her for the first time?
He pulled her into his arms and kissed her. When he lifted his head, he smoothed the hair back from her face, searching her eyes. “I think I should postpone my trip and leave when you can get away on Wednesday.”
“No, don’t be ridiculous,” she said, more for her benefit than his. “You have to be there tomorrow for the big meeting with the new investor. It was your idea to merge your business with my father’s. You have to be there to oversee everything.”
“You’re more important than some business meeting, Megan. Besides, Noah can take care of it.”
She snorted. “Noah? He can barely feed and clothe himself.”
“He’ll be there anyway. He’s flying with me.”
That was news to her. “Why? He hates business meetings.”
“I have a feeling it has something to do with Libby.”
“What? But she’s still with Mitch.”
He kissed her again, taking her breath away, along with all thoughts of Noah and Libby. Her knees weakened and he wrapped an arm around her back, holding her to his chest. “I really think I should postpone this trip,” he whispered huskily into her ear. “I’m not sure I can be away from you for two days. The longest we’ve been apart is twelve hours.”
She looked up at him and forced a smile. “Some people like Blair would find that nauseating.”
“Good thing we’re not like that.”
She looked down at his chest and smoothed several imaginary wrinkles from his shirt. “No.” She forced her voice to sound firm. “You need to go, and I can’t come with you today because of my meeting tomorrow. I’ll fly in on Wednesday for Blair’s wedding weekend like we planned.”
He sighed and placed a lingering kiss on her lips. “Being responsible sucks.”
She laughed. “I couldn’t agree more.”
“I’ll stay with your parents until I pick you up from the airport, then we’re staying in a hotel. Because after being away from you two nights, I can’t promise to be quiet in bed.”
He kissed her again, making her wish she had time to strip off both their clothes.
“Do me a favor,” he murmured against her lips.
“Anything,” she sighed.
“If some man sits by you on the plane and offers to stand in as my proxy, refuse.”
She gave him an ornery grin. “I don’t recall having any say in the matter the first time.” She laughed. “But I couldn’t imagine my life any other way.”
“Nether can I, Meggie.” He placed a soft kiss on her lips, filling her with love and contentment. “Neither can I.”
*****
The Player (The Wedding Pact #2)
Blair’s wedding
June 2, 2015
Acknowledgements
The Substitute was supposed to be a short contemporary romance. I came up with the concept nearly a year and a half before I started writing The Substitute. The series idea evolved over the course of that year, finally settling on its current form. I knew it would be funny—a good blend with my Rose Gardner Mystery series. And I’d been looking forward to writing it for months.
Only I hadn’t expected it to be so hard.
This book would have never been completed if it weren’t for my developmental and line editor, Angela Polidoro. She’s more than my editor. She’s my cheerleader, supporter, sometimes psychologist, and I’m happy to add: my friend. The first version I sent to her was not only god-awful but unfinished. I was beyond embarrassed to send it to her, but if I had to send my mess to anyone, she would always be my first choice. She acknowledged what I already knew—it was a hot mess. But her unwavering belief that I could make a decent book out of the rubble was the inspiration I needed to get started, then keep going. She gets my stories. She gets my characters and voice. She gets me. I’m so incredibly blessed and grateful that David Pomerico from 47North assigned her to me back in the spring of 2013. I’ve used her for every project since.
I’d also like to thank Shannon Page, who is not only an amazing copy editor, but accommodates my wacky schedule.
To my poor, sweet (mostly) children, who have forgotten that Mommy actually knows how to cook. Thank you for letting Mommy live her dream. And I dare say that they finally understand what I’m doing when I’m at my desk in my office, and they are scattered around me doing homework. I’ll try not to sacrifice too much of our time.
And to my readers: Thank you. I can never say it enough. There are almost two million books out there and you read mine. I’m honored and humbled, and for those of you who are my loyal readers, I hope I never let you down.
About the Author
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Denise Grover Swank was born in Kansas City, Missouri, and lived in the area until she was nineteen. Then she became a nomadic gypsy, living in five cities, four states and ten houses over the course of ten years before she moved back to her roots. She speaks English and a smattering of Spanish and Chinese which she learned through an intensive Nick Jr. immersion period. Her hobbies include witty Facebook comments (in her own mind) and dancing in her kitchen with her children. (Quite badly if you believe her offspring.) Hidden talents include the gift of justification and the ability to drink massive amounts of caffeine and still fall asleep within two minutes. Her lack of the sense of smell allows her to perform many unspeakable tasks. She has six children and hasn’t lost her sanity. Or so she leads you to believe.
You can find out more about Denise and her other books at www.denisegroverswank.com or you can email her at denisegroverswank@gmail.com
Don’t miss out on Denise’s newest releases! Join her mailing list: http://denisegroverswank.com/mailing-list/
Other books by Denise Grover Swank
Rose Gardner Mysteries
(Humorous Southern mysteries)
TWENTY-EIGHT AND A HALF WISHES
TWENTY-NINE AND A HALF REASONS
THIRTY AND A HALF EXCUSES
FALLING TO PIECES (novella)
THIRTY-ONE AND A HALF REGRETS
THIRTY-TWO AND A HALF COMPLICATIONS
THIRTY-THREE AND A HALF SHENANIGANS
Chosen Series
(Paranormal thriller/Urban fantasy)
CHOSEN
HUNTED
SACRIFICE
REDEMPTION
On the Otherside Series
(Young adult science fiction/romance)
HERE
THERE
The Curse Keepers
(Adult urban fantasy)
THE CURSE KEEPERS
THE CURSE BREAKERS
THE CURSE DEFIERS
New Adult Contemporary Romance
AFTER MATH
REDESIGNED
BUSINESS AS USUAL
The Wedding Pact Series
THE SUBSTITUTE