Page 121 of Love on the Run

A crystal chandelier hung in the center of the ballroom where men in suits and women in elegant gowns mingled around high tables.

The Christmas gala was Heart Springs Pregnancy Resource Center’s biggest charity event of the year, bringing in hundreds of thousands of dollars from wealthy donors from all throughout the state.

Anna had been attending since her teen years and always made a sizable donation to the non-profit that provided prenatal care to women, as well as help and supplies for struggling families with young children.

Anna’s phone vibrated in her clutch, and she pulled it out to read the message.

Brittany: Hey. What are you doing?

Anna released Beau’s arm to type out a quick reply. Things had returned to normal after Brittany left Blackwater, but Anna stayed on high-alert. The last thing she wanted to do was cause Brittany to worry enough to show up for another visit.

Anna: Hey. I’m at a charity event right now.

She slid the phone back into her clutch and looked up at Beau. He was already watching her with a silent question in his eyes.

“Brittany,” Anna explained.

Beau’s jaw tensed. Camille and Anna had delved into a search on Brittany, but their resources hadn’t produced anything alarming. Still, Beau openly didn’t trust Brittany, and Anna kept him in the loop about everything that went on.

There was another message from Brittany a few seconds later.

Brittany: What kind of charity event? Where is it?

Anna turned the phone to show Beau.

She’d been walking a thin line in their conversations lately. If she didn’t respond, Brittany might do something drastic. If Anna did keep up the conversation, she’d spend the evening on her phone instead of enjoying the event.

There was also a warning that stayed front and center in her mind. Every bit of information she gave Brittany felt like an invasion of privacy after the way she’d showed up at random places where Anna just happened to be.

Beau shook his head. “Maybe ask if you can call her when we leave so you can tell her all about it.”

“Good idea.” Anna typed out the message and got a quick response from Brittany.

Brittany: Sounds good.

Okay, that went well. Now she could enjoy the evening with Beau.

But as soon as she pushed the phone back into her clutch, Beau’s hand rested lightly on hers. “Heads-up. Your parents are here.”

Every bit of joy she’d brought with her died. She wanted to see her parents more than anything, but would they want to see her?

She turned slowly, scanning the suits and ball gowns. The sight of her mother in a shimmering gold dress stopped Anna cold.

“Do you want to talk to them?” Beau asked.

Anna ducked her chin before looking up at him. “I’m not sure.”

Chapter 40

Beau

The vulnerable look in Anna’s eyes gutted him. How could her parents live with themselves after the way they’d hurt her? It made Beau physically sick to see her like this.

He rubbed his hands up and down her arms. “I’ll be right beside you, no matter what you decide.”

Her shoulders lifted and relaxed as a smile lit her features. “I know. I can’t thank you enough for that.”

Oh no. She had that glassy look in her eyes. He leaned in and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “You okay? What can I do?”

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