Page 105 of Love on the Run

“What do you mean?” Anna asked.

“I feel like this is my fault. If I hadn’t been there, she wouldn’t have told you to leave. I don’t want to cause any more problems between you and your family.”

Anna raised her head and cradled his face in herhands. Beau might have a masculine look about him, but there was a vulnerability in his words she’d never heard before.

“Newsflash, Mom and I had problems before you came along. Beau, this is not your fault. Well, actually, it is. You’re the one who believed in me and made me believe I could do it.”

His arms tightened around her. “I’m really proud of you. I just hope you did it for you and not me.”

Her heart still pounded hard and fast, but the fear had disappeared. There was a peace about what happened with her mother, and she had to believe that was a sign.

Anna slowly dragged her fingernails through his short beard, and he closed his eyes at her touch. He was so calm and steady—he was the rock they’d always said he was.

“I did it for both of us. Do you have any idea what you did to me on that trip?” she asked.

Beau slowly shook his head, never breaking eye contact with her.

“I was a mess after the wedding, but I didn’t stay that way. I was looking for myself, and I found you.”

“I don’t want?—”

Anna pressed her lips to his in a quick kiss. “I’m not finished. What I mean is, you showed me how to be myself. You gave me hope and courage. You can’t possibly know what that means to me.”

Beau nuzzled his head into the crook of her neck,and she held him close. Last week, he was an acquaintance—her best friend’s brother. This week, he was her confidant and teammate.

“What do you want me to do? How can I help?” he asked.

“You’ve already done it. You stood beside me.”

He raised his head and set his jaw. She was used to his stern demeanor, but this wasn’t the grumpy attitude so many of their friends teased him about. This was bold determination, and it was all in defense of her.

He brushed a hand over her cheek and into her hair. “I told you I’d always be here for you, and part of standing beside you means guarding your heart when someone tries to hurt you. So when you need me to, I’ll stand in front of you and take the hits if it means you get to be safe and happy.”

A lump sat heavy in Anna’s throat, and she tried and failed to swallow it. “Thank you,” she whispered.

He pulled her head toward him until her forehead touched his. As her eyes closed, she took her first healing breath.

Beau’s hand fisted in the hair at the nape of her neck. “I don’t want to cause you any more problems, but I will fight for you. All you have to do is ask.”

Chapter 34

Anna

Anna pulled a blush sweater dress from the pile on the bed and hung it in the closet of Dawson and Olivia’s guest room. The clothes were the only things left to put away after two days of moving everything Anna owned from her parents’ guest house.

It hadn’t even been her home in name, but all the work she’d put into making the small cottage into the place she loved was a wash now. She’d stayed close to her parents at their request, but looking back, they’d actually ordered her to stay. She’d just agreed without protest.

How different would her life be now if she’d moved away when she wanted to the way her brother Drake had? She’d tried to please them, and she’d ended up failing anyway. She’d stuck aroundso they could push her away when she refused to bend to their will.

Olivia shuffled into the room carrying a mound of Anna’s clothes draped over her arms. “Good grief. Are you sure these had to come?”

Anna rushed to take them from her friend. “Sorry. They just arrived, and I have to take photos before I can donate them.”

Olivia propped her hands on her hips and huffed out a breath. “Have I told you lately that you have a strange job?”

“Which one? Both are a little weird.”

“The one where businesses send you free clothes and you take photos of yourself wearing them, post them on the internet, and get paid to do it.”

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