Asking for Trouble (Line of Duty #4)(53)

Her halted speech on the boardwalk in Atlantic City had come back to him in startling clarity. He didn’t have to take me in. I kind of owe him for everything, you know? Even if it sometimes means I have to do things that are…difficult.

Not this. Never this. His Hayden married to the man who’d refused to take no for an answer that night in the kitchen? His vision went red all over again. He needed to get to her. No matter what it took, he wouldn’t let it happen. Jesus, if he’d even made it on time.

Matt and Daniel caught up with him at the entrance, thankfully having the presence of mind to flash their badges at the security guard. The guard eyed Brent warily and he knew he had to look like a man possessed. He felt like it, too. His heart pounded so loudly, he couldn’t think straight. All he could see was Hayden with someone else’s ring on her finger. In someone else’s bed. Having someone else’s children.

That thought chilled him to the bone. He increased the pace of his run, somehow processing the room number Matt shouted behind him. He rounded the corner and saw the massive, wooden double doors with the words City Clerk stenciled above them. They were closed. When he reached them, he yanked on the knob, shaking the doors on their hinges, but they were locked. Keeping him from Hayden. He searched around, frantically looking for a security guard.

“Open it!” all three men shouted at the same time, badges out, when they spotted one.

The tall, skinny guard went white, as if he’d just glimpsed hell. “I-I’m supposed to leave it locked during ceremonies.” He dropped his key ring on the ground with a clatter and stooped to retrieve them, hands shaking. “They’re almost done, though. Just another few minutes…”

Brent roared Hayden’s name and began pounding on the door with heavy fists. A few minutes left? At this very moment, Hayden could already be gone from him forever. No, she couldn’t be. He wouldn’t accept it. Knowing Daniel and Matt were working on getting the guard to open the door, he did the only thing he could do. He tried to stop the wedding through the door.

“Hayden Winstead! Don’t you dare! Don’t you dare marry someone else. We will fix this, do you understand me? If it means I have to work ten jobs. Your family will be fine. You don’t have to do this. Please, please don’t do this.” He banged his head against the door, grateful for the pain somewhere besides his heart. “I know I’m an * but I’m working on it. I’m sorry for what I said. So sorry. Hurting you…it might be the worst thing I’ve ever done, but I don’t deserve this. You don’t deserve this. If you marry him, Hayden, I won’t recover. I only got to spend one night holding you, but it was enough to know I have to hold you every single night.”

Brent waited for a moment, to see if he could hear anything on the other side of the door, but only silence greeted him. He felt a hand on his shoulder, but he shrugged it off. Couldn’t focus on anything but getting through to her. “What do I need to do, baby? Do you want me to sing ‘Wind Beneath My Wings’? I’ll do it. I’ll deafen everyone in this building if that’s what you want.” When the silence remained, Brent’s head dropped against the door with a curse. “You’re really going to make me do this, aren’t you?”

Then he gave Bette Midler a run for her money.

…

Hayden stood stock-still, flanked by her mother and father, watching in fascination as Brent belted out the Beaches classic at the city clerk’s door. The one she’d ran out of five minutes ago. Halfway through his impassioned speech, from which her pulse still raced like crazy, the security guard had relented and stepped forward to unlock the door. Matt, however, finally noticing her standing ten yards away, had held him off with a look, allowing her to stand there while Brent poured his heart out.

Seconds after Story’s needless, yet effective, intervention, her father had come bursting through the chamber door. He’d actually managed to pull off a deal with a foreign investor to keep the company afloat. Her mother, realizing Hayden’s marriage to Stuart was now unnecessary, had fessed up to her father and told him about Hayden’s plan for the afternoon. Thank goodness she’d already decided not to marry Stuart or they might have been too late with the news. And she would be hearing this perfectly, beautifully, uniquely Brent speech from the wrong side of the door.

Her heart thumped so hard, she put her hands on her chest as though she could keep it from bursting free. This rough-edged, dirty-talking, wisecracking giant was singing to her as though his life depended on it and she’d almost given up the chance to be with him. Relief, powerful and encompassing, rolled through her in waves, accompanied by regret. If she’d believed for one minute that Brent had married someone else, she’d be devastated. Hayden could only imagine how he felt at that moment, thinking she’d discarded him without a word. Guilt poked holes in her relief. She needed his arms around her. It’s the only thing that would calm the riot of emotions. Reassure her that she’d avoided catastrophe.

“Brent.” Her voice came out sounding like a croak, so she tried again. “Brent.”

He spun around, eyes moving over her in a panic. “Oh God. I’m too late,” he said dazedly, then slumped hard against the door.

Pain twisted in her chest, her throat constricted. “No, you’re not too late. I couldn’t do it.”

Brent’s head jerked up. He looked as though he wanted to believe her, but was unable to see past his fear just yet. “Why? Why couldn’t you do it?”