“You won’t regret this.” He turned and walked out of the door without looking back.
Funny, but James was already regretting it. His brother was a loose cannon and he damn well knew it, but letting him out of this room was the lesser of two evils. He had to take a chance, no matter how much he didn’t like it. After a few minutes, he left the cell and made his way up to his room. Another glance at his phone showed just as few calls as it had last time. Carrigan was probably still at the rehearsal, or the dinner that had undoubtedly been thrown afterward. She wasn’t going to call.
He was damn fool for wanting her to.
Tomorrow was Teague’s wedding. He mulled that over while he showered, scrubbing down his body. He’d gotten an invite only as courtesy and he damn well knew it. They didn’t want him there. The strained friendship he and Teague had shared over the years had finally broken under the events of the last few months, and he didn’t blame the man for the desire to punch the shit out of James that was written all over his face every time they were forced to interact. Ironically, Callista Sheridan didn’t seem to hold his taking her captive against him.
But then, she had shot and killed his older brother. That kind of made it hard to stand on a pedestal.
He ducked under the shower spray, as if something as simple as water could wash away all his sins. Going to Teague’s wedding was asking for trouble—trouble he couldn’t afford. The peace between the three families was precarious at best, and doing something that might jeopardize it was the height of stupidity.
If he had a brain in his head, he’d leave town tomorrow and avoid the temptation the whole fiasco offered. James shut off the water, knowing damn well that he wasn’t going to do it. He craved the sight of Carrigan, and adding more distance between them, even for a limited time, wasn’t a goddamn option.
Fuck. Looked like he was going to a wedding tomorrow.
Carrigan didn’t cry. Especially at weddings. Especially at weddings whose planning had been a giant pain in her ass for the last few months and had been arranged by her parents.
But the second Callie started down the aisle in her gorgeous white dress, its train like something out of a fairy tale, and Teague’s eyes shone, Carrigan damn near lost it. He’s so happy. That’s all I ever wanted for him. None of her problems mattered today. They could wait. Teague and Callie’s happiness took priority, and she was more than happy to temporarily shelve her own baggage for a while.
She clutched her miniature bouquet while Callie’s father handed her off to Teague and the priest began to talk about love and Christ and marriage. It couldn’t be more obvious that neither of the two people at the altar gave two fucks about his words. They only had eyes for each other.
Even Carrigan could admit that the wedding was gorgeous. Her mother had gone all out, and all the headaches and badgering had resulted in a picture-perfect ceremony. The bridesmaids all wore long blue gowns the same color as Callie’s eyes, and they all had lily bouquets instead of the traditional roses, which complemented Callie’s lily and rose bouquet. All Carrigan’s remaining brothers were there, polished within an inch of their lives, and they all looked genuinely happy for the first time in longer than she cared to remember.
It seemed like she wasn’t the only one putting aside her baggage for Teague’s big day.
Teague and Callie exchanged their vows and were announced as Mr. and Mrs. Teague O’Malley. No one seemed to care that they’d already been married for several months—including them. And then they were down the aisle and disappearing through the huge doors, and Aiden was there, offering his arm to Carrigan. “You managed to be on time, I see.”
“Don’t be a dick.” She spoke through teeth clenched into a smile. Aiden’s attitude might stem from legitimate worry about her, but that didn’t mean she was going to roll over and play dead for him. He wasn’t the one being forced into a marriage he didn’t want. Oh, she knew their father had his eye on several candidates for her older brother, but the sad truth was that ultimately it’d be Aiden’s decision on both the time and the person. Carrigan didn’t have that luxury. I’m not worrying about it today.
Easier said than done.
They made it to the end of the aisle, and Carrigan walked over to hug Teague. “I’m so happy for you. For both of you.”
“Thank you.”
And then their mother was there, ushering them all out of the church and into the waiting limo. It was a squeeze with all of them, but they managed. Carrigan ended up sandwiched between Keira and Aiden. He frowned at their younger sister. “Have you been drinking?”