Grace Under Fire (Buchanan-Renard 14)

She could barely catch her breath as she made her way over to him. She saw the astonished look on Damon’s face and stopped. Michael was furious and he wasn’t making any sense.

“You can’t marry her. She doesn’t love you. She loves me.”

Confused now, Damon asked, “She loves you? Did she tell you she loves you?”

“No, not yet, but I know she does. You’re not going to marry her. Got that?”

“Do you love her?”

“Of course I do. Do you think I would be standing here yelling at you if I didn’t?”

“Michael, what are you talking about?” Isabel asked.

Michael looked relieved to see her. He almost smiled, but then remembered he was angry. No doubt about it, Isabel had made him crazy. “For the love of God, Isabel, what were you thinking?” He tilted his head toward Damon. “This guy says he’s going to propose, and you drop everything and fly out here so he can ask you? He can’t even come to you? And keep your damn phone turned on.”

“What... ,” Isabel began. She was so discombobulated she didn’t know what to say.

Michael glared at her. “You belong with me.” He was going to add, And I belong with you, but Damon demanded his attention.

“Listen here,” Damon said. “I don’t know what your problem is—”

Michael resisted the urge to grab Damon by the neck. “I told you what my problem is. You’re not going to marry her. Understand?”

Isabel moved to stand in front of Michael, and he immediately put his arm around her. His whole body relaxed. He had her now and he wasn’t going to let go.

“Damon, he thinks you proposed to me,” Isabel explained.

Mia chose that moment to join them. “Is everything all right? Damon, your face is red. Is it too warm in here?”

Damon shook his head and then laughed. Mia moved into his arms.

“Let me make the introductions,” Isabel said. “Mia and Damon, I’d like you to meet the usually intelligent Michael Buchanan. Michael, these are my friends Damon and Mia. Damon asked Mia to marry him, and she said yes.”

Michael let out a long sigh before he spoke again. “Yeah, I got that.” He kept his left arm around Isabel but put his right hand out to shake Damon’s. “I guess I owe you an apology.”

“You guess?” Isabel whispered.

Michael wasn’t used to apologizing, and it was difficult for him, but he managed a sincere one. His behavior had been appalling. It was unlike him to turn into a hothead. When Dylan had told him that Damon was going to propose, Michael instantly remembered the look on Damon’s face in that video when he was watching Isabel sing. He’d looked entranced. Now Michael realized pretty much every man who watched her perform wore a similar expression.

He also thought that, as soon as he had time, he was going to kill Dylan. His brother had deliberately left out an important bit of information.

Damon’s gaze bounced back and forth between Michael and Isabel. “Michael, did you tell me that Isabel loves you?”

“Yes.”

“And did you also tell me that you love her?”

“Yes.”

Damon laughed. The look on Isabel’s face was priceless.

Isabel was immediately angry... and ecstatic at the same time. It was going to take an auditorium full of therapists to figure this one out. She pushed Michael’s arm away, but then he took hold of her hand and wouldn’t let go. Ignoring him, she thanked Damon and Mia.

“It was a great party. Thank you for inviting me. I’ll call both of you tomorrow.”

Since Michael was holding on to her, she couldn’t hug Damon and Mia. She kissed both of them on their cheeks and said, “Tell everyone good-bye for me,” before pushing Michael out the door.

Jones was waiting for her outside the ballroom. He barely glanced at Michael, his attention fully directed on a large group of teenagers running down the escalator. Another group was rushing toward Isabel from the corridor. Their number was growing exponentially.