Page 2 of Love on the Run

There was one thing Anna knew for sure—whoever was on the other side of the door wasn’t her mother. Catherine Harris would have barged right in.

Olivia opened the door but not enough that Anna could see the visitor. “Can I help you?”

“Can I see the bride?” a woman asked.

Olivia glanced at Anna who pasted on her signature smile. “It’s okay.”

Olivia moved to the side, and a beautiful woman with dark hair stepped into the room. Her cream sweater and jeans complimented her dark hair and skin. The mystery woman was beautiful, but she wasn’t dressed to attend a wedding.

Twisting her fingers, she raked her gaze over Anna’s dress before tucking her chin again. “I know you don’t know me, but I’m Misty.”

When Misty paused, Anna lifted the skirt of herdress and stepped forward to extend a hand. “I’m Anna. It’s nice to meet you, Misty.”

Instead of taking Anna’s hand, Misty shook her head. “I’m here because I couldn’t let you marry Dean without knowing about us.” She lifted her chin, channeling a resolve that had her shoulders shaking. “We’ve been seeing each other for months, and I’m sorry for that. But… I’m not really.”

All of the air in Anna’s lungs was sucked away. Her chest ached as she tried to breathe through the kick she’d just taken.

Of course. Dean would be interested in Misty. She was gorgeous. But that wasn’t where things ended. He’d been seeing another woman for months. It wasn’t a fling or something that happened once.

“You what?” Olivia shouted.

Misty jerked away from Olivia. Her hand shook as she wiped her cheek. “I–I–”

Olivia took a step toward Misty. “Get out.”

“No.” Anna lifted a hand. After a shaking breath that tore her insides, she managed to speak. “I want to know more.”

“Anna, you don’t have to listen to this,” Olivia reminded her.

“I need to hear it.” The pain was already spreading. Why not let it consume her?

Misty held her hands out as if pleading. “I lovehim, and he says he loves me. I just know that if you marry him today, he’ll never be mine.”

“Oh, you can have him,” Olivia spat. “He’s a lying jerk, and you deserve each other.”

Misty ignored Olivia and stared into Anna’s eyes. “Please. I can’t live without him. I love him.”

Olivia turned and threw her hands in the air. “He’s not going to be around to love you back because I’m going to tear his limbs off and feed him to my chickens.”

“Wait!” Anna stopped Olivia on her way to the door. “Just wait a minute.”

“You’d better hurry,” Olivia said, crossing her arms with a huff. “I have friends to round up. They’ll want to take their shot at Dean too.”

Anna looked back to Misty. “How long have you been together?”

Misty sniffed, clearly upset at the thought of losing her one true love. “Nine months.”

The pulling in her chest deepened. He’d been seeing another woman when he asked Anna to be his wife.

Flipping through her moments with Dean, she filtered them through the new information. A carousel of memories flashed, and she wanted nothing more than to jump off the ride.

Everything had been innocent until now. Now she was on the verge of sickness as the memories turned to internal screams.

“Are we done here?” Olivia asked. The sass in her tone meant she was ready to claw Misty’s skin off if she hung around much longer.

Anna raised her chin and channeled the smile that protected her heart. “Don’t worry. I won’t be marrying Dean. Now or ever.”

Misty covered her face with her hands and sobbed. If only Anna could taste just a little bit of that relief.

---