Page 11 of Love on the Run

Now, Dawson and Olivia were being made to wait for a child to grow their family, and they were handling it well because they trusted God.

Why couldn’t Anna be that patient?

Anna wiped her face, grateful that she hadn’t put on a ton of makeup before Dean’s secret came out. “How many men do I have to share my favorite color with before I find my person?”

Olivia’s lips pressed together in a thin line. “I don’t know.”

“That was a joke. You were supposed to laugh and tell me something encouraging.”

“Oh, I’ll be encouraging, but I think you need something a little different. You’ve always wanted to find love and live happily ever after, but what else do you want?”

Anna narrowed her eyes at Olivia. “What do you mean?”

“You’ve been so focused on finding someone and making sure they’re happy enough with you to stay that you might have lost sight of what makesyouhappy.”

Anna swallowed. What made her happy? It wasn’t Dean. She hadn’t been truly happy in their relationship for a while. Hindsight was 20/20.

She loved her job, but it wasn’t always fulfilling. Clients at the law firm rarely thanked her for the things she did for them. Sure, she earned plenty of money, but what was she even doing with it?

Her fashion vlog was definitely a passion project, but that could all fall apart when her wedding sponsors found out she wouldn’t be wearing and featuring the custom gowns they made for her.

She’d have to pay them back. That was one thing she’d be doing with her money.

“Maybe you’re right,” Anna admitted.

Heels clicked rapidly down the hallway seconds before Hadley and Lyric entered wearing their navy bridesmaid gowns.

“Are you okay?” Hadley asked as she greeted Anna with open arms.

Sinking into the embrace, Anna took a stinging breath past the tightness in her chest. “I’m okay. Thanks for all your help today.”

“Don’t mention it. It was our pleasure,” Lyric said as she rubbed a hand over Anna’s back.

“Yeah. I’m so sorry you’re having to go through this, but I really enjoyed seeing Dean getting put in his place,” Hadley said.

“We’re here for you, Anna. Anything you need,” Lyric added.

“The other ladies are too,” Hadley said. “Everly Lawson stepped in and took over as your wedding coordinator. That other lady was still taking orders from your mom, and Everly spoke up for you and put her foot down on a lot of things.”

“I wanted to hire her in the first place. Mom wanted someone else, and Everly was already busy planning weddings at Wolf Creek Ranch.”

Lyric continued rubbing Anna’s back. “We all pitched in to wrap things up. Everly told the guests to stay and eat since the food was already paid for.”

“Good. I wouldn’t want it to go to waste,” Anna said, relaxing a little with her friends around her.

Hadley gasped. “Wait. What about your honeymoon? You should totally still go!”

“Definitely,” Lyric said. “You spent as much time planning the trip as you did the wedding. You deserve it.”

Anna’s spirits fell. Not only had she been planning the trip to Freedom, Colorado for months, she’d booked a bunch of extras she’d always wanted to do. She called it her bucket list. “My honeymoon? I can’t go on my honeymoon alone.”

“Bring someone with you,” Lyric said. “It’s within driving distance, so it’s not like they’ll need a passport or anything.”

That was one of Anna’s stipulations. Her crippling fear of flying had kept her from traveling with Dean. Maybe she’d have discovered his affair sooner if she’d been able to spend more time with him, but knowing she was afraid of flying hadn’t stopped Dean from jet-setting without her.

Now that the idea was in her head, missing out on the perfect trip she’d planned for their honeymoon would just be another crack in her breaking heart.

Anna threw her hands in the air. “Why would I bring someone with me? Because misery loves company?”

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