I shrugged, realizing that I apparently had a thing for men with fine voices. Maybe I did have a type, and voices were it.

  "So leaving the ring at will-call…?" Kayla asked.

  I nodded. "Yeah." I pointed to myself. "Me."

  Ellie shook her head and snapped her fingers. "There goes my in to get him to sing at my wedding."

  I laughed. "You can always get him for a song digitally. His CDs are for sale here. The emcee said so."

  My bruised heart was calming. The tension eased away. Alex wasn't coming back. I wished the crowd would give up.

  Kayla looked at me uncertainly. "Does Dex know about…?" She hitched her thumb toward the stage.

  "About my ex-fiancés? Yes, sure. Of course. About Alex being here today?" I shook my head. "Even we didn't know." I pointed between Carly and me. "I'd appreciate it if you'd let me tell Dex. He'll get a laugh out of it."

  Kayla raised an eyebrow. "Dex? Are we talking about the same person?"

  "Dex isn't the jealous type." I smiled harder. "Mitch. Now Alex." They didn't know about Jesse yet. "I have former fiancés coming out of the woodwork." I laughed, but it was hollow.

  The lights came up. The crowd let out a sigh of disappointment.

  I felt nothing but relief.

  As I turned back to my conversation, the mood in the room changed. There was a sudden buzzing and whispering of nervous anticipation. The emcee came back out on stage.

  The crowd went silent.

  "Ladies and gentlemen—Wellston!" The emcee's voice reverberated through the ballroom.

  Alex ran onto the stage again. He'd thrown off his jacket and tie. His blond hair was tousled. He looked more casual, more like I remembered him looking after a wedding gig, when we used to laugh together and drink the dregs of the champagne that were left and eat the crumbs of wedding cake.

  He held the mic to his lips. "I wrote this song for you, babe." His gaze travelled in the direction of my booth.

  With the lights on, there was nowhere to hide. People turned their heads, trying to see who Alex was looking at and calling out. I would have been fine, just a face in the crowd, if the other bridal biz people hadn't turned toward me too.

  I froze.

  "I wrote it after you left me. When I hoped I could still get you back. I've carried your ring with me every day, everywhere, on every gig I've done, hoping to see your face in the crowd. Hoping you'd come back to me."

  I swallowed hard. My mouth was dry. My heart raced. His gaze found mine.

  He sang a few verses of a song, releasing his hold on me to play to the crowd, flirty again. Finally, his gaze landed in my direction again. "You're still here. You didn't run. I gave you plenty of time. Why do you think I waited so long to come out for the encore?"

  No, Alex. No.

  "It's a sign. Babe, this is no coincidence that I've debuted my new songs here, among our friends and colleagues. Here, where I hoped you'd be."

  He left the stage, jumping down into the aisle, agile as a panther.

  My heart stopped. I was his prey in the headlights, frozen from my heart to my feet.

  He walked down the aisle toward me, leaving a swath of women fanning themselves in his wake, paying scant attention to the women fawning over him. His destination was clear. He was heading very intentionally toward my booth and me.

  I thought about making a break for it. But I held my ground. The crowd would never forgive me. They might even hold me prisoner for him. He had them that enthralled. But I had no reason to run and nothing to run from. I was over him. Over. Him.

  "What's he doing?" Carly whispered frantically to me. "He can't mean to—"

  He reached us, still crooning, seduction in a hot body and deep voice, a love song personified. He was Eros without wings. He had a voice instead. Whatever the case, he was here to wreak havoc with my love life.

  A flash of the past came back to me—Alex's angry voicemail after he'd gotten my ring back from will-call. I still had the message on my phone. I hadn't listened to it in over a year. I didn't know why I hadn't just deleted it. It was the last thing he'd said to me. Maybe I'd kept it to remind myself things were really over. He'd said he'd never forgive me.

  Stepping past Ellie and Kayla, he came around to the back of the booth, still singing about love.

  You damn ham, I thought. Not to be upstaged, I grabbed one of Carly's chocolate desire cupcakes and slowly peeled the wrapper back. I held it out to him on the tips of my fingers, like a bride delicately offering her groom a bite of wedding cake. He couldn't intimidate me. "Sample?"

  He set his mic aside on the counter, grabbed my wrist, and took a bite of the cupcake from my fingers, licking the frosting from around his lips sensuously. "Damn, I've missed you."

  He grabbed me around the waist, pulled me to him, crushed me against him, cupped the back of my head, and bruised my lips with a brutal, hungry, open-mouthed kiss.

  I struggled against him, but he was too strong. I couldn't break free. At least he tasted like dark chocolate cake with raspberry filling.

  When I finally twisted free of his kiss, the audience sighed and applauded.

  "You returned my ring, but you wouldn't return my call." His voice was smooth and sexy as I struggled against him.

  "You could have been more persistent." I was breathing hard.

  "I never beg, babe." He let me go, grabbed my hand, reached into his pocket, fell to one knee, and pulled out a ring box. "Until now. Marry me, Shel. I'm begging you—don't break my heart again."

  Was he still mic'ed?

  He seemed to be. Everyone was holding their breath.

  My eyes went wide. Before I could refuse, or pull my hand away, he was shoving a ring on my finger. I tried to pull my hand away, but he hung on tightly. He rose to his feet and scooped me into his arms. He hauled me, struggling, pressed tightly against his chest, down the aisle, which, with all the vendors' booths decorated to show off their work, looked suspiciously like an aisle at a wedding, through the throngs of brides-to-be and bridal parties. He carried me backstage to the applause and romantic sighs of the crowd.

  Chapter Seven

  Don't Pull Your Love

  Shelby (Stolen wedding letterer. Sputtering kidnappee. Again.)

  He carried me to a dressing room backstage, closed the door behind us with his foot, and finally set me down.

  I was sputtering, so angry I could barely speak. "What kind of a stunt was that? Am I your prisoner now?"

  Alex grinned. "That was genius PR. No one will ever forget the sight of me proposing and carrying you down the aisle, Shelby. I've just made both of our careers."

  "You…you…" I couldn't think of a name bad enough for him. Even calling him the devil seemed like a compliment. I pulled his ring off my finger and pressed it into his hand, wrapping his fingers stiffly around it. He was lucky I hadn't hurled it at him. "Wait until your adoring fans find out that this was all a stunt—"

  "Is that what you think?" He looked bemused as he stared at the ring in his hand. "I love you, babe. I didn't realize how much until you left me. I thought I wanted something different—"

  "You did. You absolutely did—"

  "No. You're my muse. I only realized it after—"

  "After what?" I took a deep breath. "Two years of silence, Alex. You told me that domesticity and happiness were stifling your creativity. What could I do? Hold you back? I did the only decent thing. I set you free to pursue your dream—"

  "And I've come back—"

  "And I've moved on. What happened to the screamo? Did you lose your passion for that, too?"

  "Screamo's gone. It will never come back. You took the luck of my screamo career with me when you caught that pick at the last gig you came to."

  "I still have the pick." I hated admitting that. "You can have it, and your luck, back for all I care. Though do I have to tell you that you're way too superstitious?"

  "Screaming was ruining my vocal cords. If I'd continued down that path, I would have lost my voice altogether—"

  "So that's what this return to crooning is all about? A forced career course change? An also-ran—"

  "No. No, babe. A second chance. A happy consequence of a near-tragedy." He was still hanging on to the ring, looking stunned it was back in his possession. "The change in circumstances made me realize where my true strengths lie. Once I disbanded the band, a whole string of tunes just spilled out of me. Everything you heard today. And more. Everything was about you. And us. I realized that you're my inspiration. I need you, Shel." His voice broke.

  I frowned, pursing my lips like a pouting child. It took everything I had to hang on to my anger before it turned into a nuclear explosion. "It's too late. I have a boyfriend now. I'm happy."

  Alex shook his head. "A boyfriend? Really, Shel?" He lifted an eyebrow almost comically, certainly cynically. "How serious can it be? You go through fiancés like water. What is it now? Three, counting me?"

  If only he knew. He was off by two.

  "Look. Sorry." He got that punished puppy-dog look he was so good at. "I didn't mean to sound snarky. I know you had another fiancé before me. And then one after. You left him practically at the altar. I saw the video. You don't think I didn't realize that was because of me? You and I will never get over each other. Our love is like the lyrics from an old-fashioned love song—destined to be heard, inescapable."

  I pointed a finger at him. "You are dead wrong, Alex. I left Mitch because I realized he wasn't right for me. But my boyfriend now—"

  We were interrupted by Alex's phone.

  He glanced at it. "Hold on. It's my manager. I have to take this."

  I frowned. Yeah, things had really changed. As I eavesdropped on his end of the conversation, I got a series of texts from Carly. From Ellie. From Kayla.

  All hell had broken loose in the ballroom. It was a beehive of gossip. Alex carrying me off was apparently the most dramatic, and romantic, thing to have ever happened in the history of bridal fairs. I mean, a singing marriage proposal—wow. The ultimate.

  Alex's CDs sold out in minutes. And the photographer/videographer in the booth next door to ours had caught Alex's entire marriage proposal on film. It was now playing in an endless loop on the Jumbotron in the ballroom.

  Our booth had been immediately swamped. We were out of cake and stickers and business cards. Brides and friends were posing for pictures in front of our booth in the spot where Alex had gone down on one knee for me. Reporters were swarming and asking all kinds of nosy questions, including whether I'd broken up with Dex.

  Was I okay? Carly wondered—had anyone told Dex? Because this kind of thing couldn't be kept under a lid for long…

  On Alex's end of his call, he was grinning broadly. "We've already made the evening shows? You're sure? You Left My Heart at Will-Call number one on the Apple Music charts within ten minutes…"

  Dex! As I was about to bring up his number, my phone rang in my hand. He was calling.

  "Thank God," he said when I picked up. "You're alive. And still in the country, I hope? The fiend hasn't carried you across the Canadian border or something?

  "Still stateside."

  "Good, because those Canadian border officials can be hell to deal with. Just try sneaking an apple across. And getting through the Peace Arch, there's always a backup."

  I couldn't help laughing. It was so true.

  "Seriously. Are you okay? Do I need to send in the national guard or my top-level security team to extract you?"

  "It's good to hear your voice." I nearly cried. I was so relieved that Dex was keeping a sense of humor about all this. He sounded relieved and amused. "You heard the news?"

  "Are you kidding? You think Lala and Ellie could keep that drama secret? Yeah. They called me immediately. I don't know what they expected me to do from here. Send in a SWAT team, I guess. Really, Shel, these ex-fiancés, when they come out of the woodwork, they really mess shit up."

  "You're telling me."

  "All this kidnapping crap and these dramatic, public marriage proposals. I didn't know I was engaged to bridal industry version of Helen of Troy."

  "A face that launched a thousand rebound marriage proposals, that's me." I loved him all the more for his calm.

  "How many more exes are there? I'm losing count."

  "One more. But seriously, he won't be a problem."

  "So you say. Forgive me if I don't believe you." There was a definite grin in his voice. "Back to being serious—where are you?"

  "I'm backstage with Alex. I gave him back his ring. I think this was just a PR stunt. But it's going to cause problems for me in my industry. He's talking to his agent or manager or something right now. Apparently, the videographer in the next booth caught the entire singing wedding proposal and subsequent carting off on film. I think he sold it to the news. Alex is talking about us being on the evening shows."

  "Yeah, well, sure. Because who can resist a woman being hauled off forcibly after a romantic singing marriage proposal? Romance at its finest." Dex swore beneath his breath. "Great. That will really make a good impression on my parents."

  "Sorry?" I bit my lip. I hadn't had time to process and consider that possibility.

  "Not your fault. We'll deal with it. We have a few hours to figure something out." He paused. "Is this ex certifiably crazy? Homicidal? Seriously, do I need to come rescue you? I can get a puppy-sitter here in minutes."

  I glanced at Alex. "No. Stay with the puppies. Alex can't keep me here forever. The bridal fair closes at four. I'm sure security will kick us out by then."

  Dex hesitated. "Damn. You're trending on social media now. I just got another text from Lala. It's a mob scene on the main floor. Everyone is looking for you. If you take a step out there, you'll be surrounded.

  "I'm coming for you. I know a secret exit out the back. Jus and I have used it a time or two when we needed to dodge the media. I'll text you when I get there."

  "You'll need a ticket to get in," I said. "We're sold out. You'll never get in."

  "Leave me a pass at will-call." He snickered.

  "You are such a little snot."

  "What? It's a great song. It has a good beat. You might even be able to dance to it." He laughed. "I'll meet you in the parking garage. I know some guys in security at the convention center. I'll send one for you. He'll escort you out the back. I'll text you when I arrive. I've already got a sitter on his way. I love you."

  I hung up just as Alex got off the phone. "Great news. My proposal is going to be aired on all the evening magazine shows. We're hot news. The video of us has gone viral. And 'Left My Love at Will-Call' just shot to number one on the Apple Music charts as we were speaking."

  He was still holding the ring. He held it out to me again.

  I shook my head. "My boyfriend wouldn't approve."

  "Don't be so damned stubborn, Shelby." He waved the ring at me. "This is going to be on your finger again sooner or later. You know it is."

  I sighed and held up my hand to silence him.

  He gave up, put my old engagement ring back in the ring box, and slipped it into his pocket. "For now."

  I texted the girls to let them know Dex was coming for me and that I would be sneaking out soon. Carly said she'd close up for me, pack up my stuff, and send my purse back with a security guard. They all warned me not to come out.

  Alex looked at his phone too. "Look at this." He flashed his phone at me. There was the video of him proposing and carting me off.

  Compared to the video quality of me running away from my final dress fitting for my wedding to Mitch, Mitch carting me off over his shoulder from the Hudson/Kangley wedding with Dex chasing us with a drone, and Jesse proposing when Dex arrived in a helicopter, this one was decent. Not as great as filmography as the Gold Digger crew's work. But the lighting was flattering. I was glad I'd dressed up and taken extra care with my makeup this morning.

  Unfortunately, this video looked like it was going to be just as sensational as the others. I was becoming a wedding disaster celebrity. A weird, fickle sort of runaway bride character in my own life story.

  "Nice," I said. "I hope you're not planning to hold me hostage in here for long. I have dinner plans."

  Alex actually laughed. "I'd never hold you against your will. But if you're smart, you won't venture out into that crowd."

  "I called a ride. As soon as he's here, I'm out of here."

  Just then, there was a knock on the door. "Security here for Ms. Hudson."

  "Coming!" I turned to Alex. "There's my escort." I slapped him on the shoulder. "I loved you once. I really did. But you bruised my heart badly. It felt dead for a long time. I did a lot of stupid stuff trying to get over you. Had a couple of bad rebound relationships. Why would I trust you with it again?

  "I'm good now. Back on track. It's been nice seeing you again and catching up. Let's not do it again anytime soon."

  "This isn't over, Shel. Not by a long shot. I love you. Don't take your love from me."

  Again with the pitiful hangdog expression? Alex had always been part actor. I shot him a final look over my shoulder and opened the door.

  The security guy on the other side handed me my purse. "Good call to make a quiet escape. It's a zoo out there."

  I followed him through a labyrinth of hallways and staircases. Just as we came to a locked exit door, the security guy and I got a group text from Dex announcing his arrival and telling us he had the car waiting.

  The sign on heavy exit door said it was armed and would sound if anyone tried to exit.

  "Don't worry about that," the security guy said. He did something on his phone and shoved the door open for me. Quiet as a snowfall in the forest. "Have a good evening, Ms. Hudson."

  I didn't know about good, but it was sure to be interesting. "Thank you. You too."

  Dex was waiting for me in his sleek black sports car. It was totally not incognito. If he'd been smart, he would have shown up in my compact SUV. Whatever. Dex liked cars and hated to drive anything he found inferior. It was one of his few flaws.

  I dashed to the car, hiding my face for good measure. Dex opened the door for me from the inside.