Page 50 of The Runaway Bride's Vow

“I am.”

“What about the ring?”

Dylan held up his hand with Logan’s grandmother’s antique wedding band. It was a family heirloom he wanted her to have. He just wished his grandmother was here to see them get married.

“You’re good to go.” Dylan’s voice had a note of confidence.

Together, they made their way to the front of the church. All the while Logan’s pulse accelerated. He would be fine once he saw Brooke. When she was standing up here next to him, he would focus solely on her. He loved her so much.

At precisely one o’clock the pianist began to play the wedding march. This was the moment. A door at the back of the chapel opened, but it wasn’t his bride who walked down the aisle. Instead, it was Clara, their wedding planner.

Her gaze didn’t meet his as she made her way to the front of the chapel. What was going on? It was supposed to be Selena who walked down the aisle and then Brooke. It was how they’d rehearsed it the night before.

The closer Clara got, he was able to see the worried lines on her face. She glanced toward the pianist and signaled for her to stop. A hushed silence fell over the chapel.

“What’s going on?” He stepped toward her. “Where’s Brooke?” His mind whirled with all of the different scenarios that could keep her from their wedding. A most worrisome thought had his heart clench. “Is she ill?”

Clara lowered her voice as she leaned in close. “I don’t know. She’s not here. And she’s not answering her phone.”

“Something happened to her. I have to find her.” He didn’t think; he just acted as he rushed out of the chapel amongst a bunch of gasps.

As he started down the steps outside, he heard Clara in the background telling everyone that there would be a slight delay. He hoped she was right. Brooke just had to be okay. He couldn’t imagine what he’d do if something had happened to her.

He jumped into his pickup and fired it up. She could be hurt and need him. As he drove out of the parking lot, he wasn’t sure which way to go.

“Think,” he ordered himself, as though it would silence the whirl of worries and allow him to focus. “Where was she this morning?” he muttered to himself.

A moment passed as he struggled to recall their last conversation. Suddenly, it came to him. She had been closing her apartment and turning in the key.

He knew where he was going. On the way, he tried calling her. It went straight to voicemail. “Brooke, where are you? What happened? Call me.”

He drove to her apartment. All the while, he scanned the sides of the road in case she’d had a flat tire or accident. There was no sign of her.

Once he reached her apartment building, he looked around for her car. It wasn’t anywhere in sight. He rushed into the building and went straight to her door.

He knocked. “Brooke? Brooke, are you in there?”

He tried the handle. It easily turned. He pushed open the door and stepped inside. He was struck by the emptiness of the place. He knew she’d been working on selling her furniture, but he hadn’t stopped by since she’d emptied the place. They’d been spending the bulk of their time at his place.

He walked through each room, just to be sure she hadn’t passed out or something. There wasn’t a sign of her. Where was she?

“Who’s in here?” a male voice called out.

Logan stepped out of the empty bedroom and entered the living room. “Who are you?”

“The building manager.” He arched a brow as he took in Logan’s wedding clothes. “Who are you?”

“I’m supposed to marry the woman that lives here, um, lived here. Do you know where Brooke is?”

The man hesitated.

“This is important.” He didn’t have time to play games. “Do you know?” When the man reluctantly shook his head, Logan asked, “Have you seen her today?”

“No. When I saw the door open, I thought you were her. I need her key. I want to start showing the apartment next week.”

Ding.

Logan pulled his phone out of his pocket. He hoped it was a message letting him know Brooke was waiting for him at the chapel.

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