Page 53 of He Loves Me Knot

Liddy’s face fell. She rose from her seat, her eyes misting, and then nodded. “Thanks for trying.”

Then she slipped past him and hurried out of the church.

Callum’s hands balled into fists.

And that was that.

Any hope of getting the dress back was gone, and even though she had to help him for the rest of the trip, she still had to tell Elle the dress was lost. As time went on, she’d probably hate him for putting her in that position, and then any tenuous truce they’d made would be over.

Not that I blame her.

Callum turned and looked over his shoulder back toward the altar. On the ceiling above, a lamb holding a cross with a flag was painted into a dome.

He closed his eyes for a second, his jaw clenched.Please.

Shaking his head, he almost laughed at himself.Why does this even matter to me?

He turned to go, and his foot slid back on a paper on the floor. Bending down to pick it up, he scanned it. Not just a paper, an invitation.

An invitation for a baptism.

Callum’s heart rate ticked up a notch as he scanned the invitation.

Outside, the wind was stirring, and he waited as cars and buses crossed the street, scanning the park for Liddy.

She was by the car, arms crossed, defeat written on her face.

Crossing the street, he hurried toward her. She wrinkled her nose as he got closer. “Why do you look happy?”

“Because.” He lifted the invitation. “Because I not only have the name of the people who were having the baptism, I know where they’re holding a party for it. At the church salon, a couple of blocks from here.”

Liddy scanned his face, light filling her eyes. A smattering of rain didn’t seem to dampen her joy, and she stepped closer to him. “Are you saying there’s a chance we still might find him?”

He nodded. “But we should go over there right away.”

Liddy squealed, then threw her arms around his neck.

She probably had only intended it to be a quick, celebratory embrace, but as her body collided with his, his arm curled around her waist, and he hugged her back.

The rain started in earnest then, but neither of them let go. Liddy’s face tucked in against his neck, the soft butterfly touch of her lips grazing his collarbone.

Callum closed his eyes, nestling his cheek against the top of her head. Her hair smelled like coconut shampoo, and her body curved against his perfectly. His heart pounded, his pulse in his ears as he ignored the raindrops that wet the back of his shirt, collecting in his hair.

Holding her feels . . . right.

But she pulled away. “We should probably get out of the rain,” she said with a sheepish smile.

He nodded and unlocked the door. She slipped inside and into the car, and he paused as he closed her door, raising his face to the sky as the rain trickled down his face. Between Isla’s mention of giving head and having Liddy’s arms around him, he needed a cold shower.

But this isn’t quite what I meant.

ChapterThirteen

Liddy shivered in the car,waiting for Callum to come back outside from the church salon.

He’d gone in by himself for two reasons. He was the only one who could speak Spanish and, this way, Liddy could watch the door in case Sergio somehow spotted Callum before Callum saw him.

Not that she wanted to confront the creep herself.