Page 57 of The Runaway Bride's Vow

Her father raked his fingers through his hair. “Josh’s father made my life difficult for the longest time. I lost money on my business because his father blamed you for breaking his son’s heart and embarrassing him in front of the town. The man refused to do business with me. And now you’re telling me it was all a lie?”

She nodded. “I’m telling you the truth. Maybe I should have talked about it before, but I had no idea that Josh had lied to everyone.”

For a moment, silence settled over all of them as each came to terms with this new knowledge. She hoped it would help ease the tension.

“And this time,” her father said, “why didn’t you get married? Was it Logan’s choice?”

She shook her head. “It was mine. I… I didn’t want to get married without my family there.”

There was a flicker of emotion in her father’s eyes. He lowered his arms and then stepped around the table until he stood in front of her.

His gaze met hers. “I’ve missed you.”

Immediately, her gaze blurred with happy tears. “I missed you too.”

He enveloped her in his strong arms. She wrapped her arms around his barrel-like chest as she rested her head on him. She had missed his bear hugs more than she realized.

When she pulled back, she swiped at her cheeks. It was a good thing she’d skipped the makeup or else it would be streaked down her face.

“How about we eat before the food gets cold?” Her mother dried her eyes.

Both she and her father took a seat at the table. The tension had evaporated. As they filled their plates with Brooke’s favorite meal, they started to talk. And for the moment, her pain was temporarily pushed to the back of her mind.

The subjects they discussed weren’t anything special. They didn’t have to be. It was just so good to talk to her parents without any discourse.

Her father told her about the latest happenings on the farm. Her mother filled her in on the town gossip. And Brooke told them about her new friends and her job at the Perky Pink Wedding Company.

There was laughter, there were tears, and there was peace. It was the best dinner she’d ever had. And when she finally made her way to her room that night, she couldn’t stop smiling.

The first thing she wanted to do was to tell Logan about the dinner. She reached for her phone. Her finger lingered over the screen, but then she hesitated. The smile slipped from her face.

She couldn’t call him. The familiar pain in her heart thudded. She doubted Logan even wanted to speak to her. Tears pricked the back of her eyes.

He hadn’t responded to her email. A little voice in the back of her mind said he might not have even checked his email. The other voice in her head said that he probably deleted the email without reading it.

Still, it didn’t hurt to keep writing to him. She just hoped something she said would touch him—to help him forgive her. Was it even possible?

She had to believe it was. And so she began writing, telling him everything she’d learned from her parents about her ex and his lies.

Tonight my mother made a special dinner and although it started off with an awkward sort of standoff, it turned into a nice dinner where conversation flowed easily. I wish you could have been there. My parents would love you—just not as much as I love you.

I’m so sorry for how I handled things. You have no idea how much I regret not being honest with myself and talking to you. I should have let you know that I needed more time—that I needed a voice in where we lived.

You were so excited that I couldn’t bring myself to tell you that living in the house where you started a family with your ex didn’t work for me. Instead, I stuffed my reservations down deep inside and ignored them until they all came gushing out at the worst time. It was a total meltdown. I hope someday you’ll be able to forgive me.

xox

B

Chapter Nineteen

Why did she keep writing to him?

And why did he keep reading her messages?

Logan read Brooke’s note again and again. What was he supposed to do with this email? If it was paper, he’d ball it up and toss it into the garbage.

Instead, all he could do was stab at his phone until the email disappeared from the screen. He inwardly groaned. She didn’t pointedly accuse him of anything, but he still felt as though she saw him as having a part in their wedding debacle. And he didn’t. Nope. Not at all.

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