Everything was going as planned for the rehearsal.

Evan was pacing and looking at his watch. What was he worried about? Ginger looked around. Ben was here, and so was Sam. She didn’t see Nathan. Maybe that’s what had Evan worried.

The wedding planner who her mother and Mrs. Gregory hired, was clapping his hands. “Attention, everyone, gather around. We’re going to start now that the musicians are here. Grooms, you’re up here with the pastor.” The guy put the pastor in the middle with Evan on his left and Mitchell on his right. “Ladies, do you see your groom? I want you to walk down the aisle to your groom. Fathers, you’ll flip the veils before they step up here. Brides and fathers inside until you hear the music. Questions?”

Everyone went to his or her designated spot. As soon as the music started, the girls walked out on their father’s arms. As they passed the edge of the house, something caught Ginger’s attention, and she looked up. There stood the man she saw in the drugstore.

“Evan! It’s him!” she screamed with her hand over her heart.

Evan turned, jumped off the platform and took off in a full sprint. Within seconds, Evan had tackled the man as Mitchell, Sam, Ben, and Mr. Monroe followed. Ginger saw headlights turn into the driveway as she hurried toward the huddled men.

When Ginger got close enough, Evan had the man penned on the ground with his body. The man’s collar was in one hand while he punched the man’s face with the other. The sound of bone cracking caused her stomach to lurch.

“Who gave you permission to come on this property?” Evan yelled with his chest heaving.

“Call him off! Gingersnap, call him off!”

“What did you say?” Ginger asked.

Evan flipped the man on his stomach and reached out for someone to give him a set of cuffs. The man struggled to get free. “Get my glasses. Ginger, it’s me.”

“How the fuck do you know her name?” Evan asked.

“Because I’m her brother! I’m Grayson,” the man said while he still tried to get Evan off him.

“What the hell is going on?” Nathan said as he ran up with papers in his hand. “I’ve found the stalker.”

“Who is it?” Evan asked.

“You’re sitting on him, Mayson Grooner.”

“I thought you said you were Grayson.”

“Take off my glasses. Ginger, look in my eyes. The eyes are the window to your soul, remember?”

Ginger walked around the men as Evan lifted the man. Blood trickled from his mouth. With a shaky voice, she said, “Evan, please.”

“Mitchell, you and Nathan hold this asshole,” Evan said as he walked toward Ginger. Once his arms were wrapped around her, he said, “Okay. Take them off.”

Ginger removed the glasses and gasped. “Oh, God. It’s you. It’s really you,” she said with tears rolling down her face.

A big smile spread across Grayson’s. “Yeah, Gingersnap, it’s me.”

“Grayson?”

“Dad!”

“Where the hell have you been?” Mr. Monroe asked.

“I’ll explain everything,” Grayson said as the joy left his eyes and he reached out for Ginger. Her legs gave out from under her as she slowly fell toward the ground.

“Shit,” Evan said as he caught her.

* * *

Evan picked her up and started toward the house. “Thomas!” Evan yelled.

“What happened?” Thomas said as he flung the doors open.

“That asshole,” Evan said as he jerked his head toward Grayson.

As Evan laid Ginger on one of the sofas in the living room, Thomas nudged him out of his way while holding Ginger’s wrist to feel for a pulse. “Her pulse is good. What happened?”

“He said he’s her brother. She hasn’t seen him in over two years. She didn’t recognize him until she saw his eyes.”

“She’s not far enough along to hear the baby’s heartbeat. The only thing we can do is take her to the hospital for an internal ultrasound,” Thomas said just as Ginger was starting to stir. “She wasn’t out long, but it may still be a good idea.” Thomas looked up at Evan. “If she were my wife, I’d insist on it.”

Evan nodded. “Do we need to call an ambulance, or can she ride in a car?”

“If we call an ambulance, I can ride with her and keep watch on her vitals,” Thomas said.

“Make the call,” Evan replied as he walked outside. He no sooner cleared the door when he saw Mitchell, Nathan, and Grayson. Evan charged and pinned Grayson against the wall. “You better pray to God nothing happens to her or the baby from the stress you’ve put her under, because so help me, I’ll fucking kill you,” Evan said through gritted teeth before Mitchell pulled him off the man.

“Baby? She’s pregnant?” Grayson asked with incredulity in his voice.

“Yes, you moron,” Evan said as he jerked out of Mitchell’s grip.

“Man, I didn’t know,” Grayson said barely above a whisper.

“You knew everything else. How the hell didn’t you know that?” Evan pointed at Grayson before he turned to go back to Ginger.

“Can I see her?” Grayson asked.

Evan stopped in his tracks. “If she so much as breathes funny because of him, you better take him out,” Evan said to Nathan and Mitchell.

“Bro, they won’t find the body,” Mitchell said.

“Or the shovel,” Nathan added.

When the men walked in, Ginger was sitting up sipping orange juice. Evan walked straight to her and knelt at her feet. He ran his hands over her face then cupped it with both hands to force her to meet his eyes.

“Darlin’, you gave me a scare,” Evan said with a small smile. His gaze dropped to her belly before he moved a hand there. “Please be okay, little one.”

“I’ve already called the ambulance, Evan. They’ll be here shortly,” Thomas said as he pulled Evan to the side. “Look, she said she didn’t eat today. I think that could be most of the issue, but the shock of her brother knocked her over the cliff. I believe everything is okay, but I want to be sure.”

Evan cut his eyes to Ginger. “She knows to eat. Dammit.”

“Don’t make it worse by fussing at her,” Thomas warned. “I’m sure with the excitement of the day, she just forgot.”

Evan nodded. “I won’t.” He moved for the EMTs to get to Ginger and saw that Nathan had removed the cuffs from Grayson who was talking with his parents, but Nathan stood between them and the door.

Good man.