She felt, in fact, overdressed in her warm winter wear, and she was sweating lightly by the time they reached Henry’s—the restaurant where Stuart and the others were already waiting. She’d been outside this place before on her first night, when she’d run away from Maddie’s weird behavior. As it had been that night, the restaurant was incredibly busy despite the relatively early hour. She managed to hide herself behind Jai’s enormous back and shoulders, and the crowd helped conceal her. She heard Stuart call Jai’s name and stayed as hidden as she could, hoping that if she couldn’t see Stuart, he couldn’t see her. Jai finally stopped, and she almost collided into his back.

“Where the hell have you been?” Stuart asked.

“I had to pick someone up at the airport,” Jai said.

“What? Who? I thought everyone was getting here Friday or this weekend.”

Jai stepped out of the way, revealing her, and Stuart and the others he was with were also revealed to her—Erin, Darcy, and, of course, Maddie. Ryann realized then that she should have anticipated seeing her tonight, but it was clearly a shock to them both. Her eyes locked with Maddie’s, who didn’t look happy to see her. No, if anything, her surprise seemed to border on anger. Her eyes were smoldering, dark, her brow and lips creased.

But Stuart shrieked and leapt forward, pulling her into a dancing, jumping hug. She laughed along with him, grateful, suddenly, to have someone else to focus on.

“You came back!” he finally said, almost screaming. Several people nearby glanced their way, but their curiosity seemed friendly, not annoyed.

“Of course I did, you ninny,” she said. They’d spun in circles so many times her back was now to Erin, Darcy, Jai, and Maddie at the little corner table they were sitting at, and she could almost sense Maddie’s dark-blue eyes burning holes in the back of her cashmere coat.

“I can’t believe it!” he said. “I’d convinced myself I wouldn’t see you until next Tuesday—that you’d show up just as we said ‘I do.’”

She grinned. “I told you I’d get back as soon as I could, and here I am.”

“Yeah, but gosh! It’s like you just left. Did you really go to London and back since I saw you ?”

“I sure did. And I made a multi-million-dollar deal while I was at it.”

He shrieked in triumph again and jumped up and down. With any other person, she might have thought he’d had a few too many, but she’d seen him excited and overjoyed like this a few times before. The feeling was catching. She was suddenly thrilled to be here again with him, happy tears prickling the corners of her eyes, like his.