Page 3 of Love on the Run

“Okay, time to go.” Olivia opened the door and stepped to the side. “Have a nice life. Don’t let my foot hit you on the way out.”

Misty took a step closer to Anna. “Thank you.”

Anna held her smile in place and nodded for the woman to leave.

As soon as Misty was out the door, Olivia slammed and locked it.

“Can you believe the nerve of that woman?”

Anna dropped the act and clawed at the neckline of her dress. “Get me out of this.”

Olivia was behind her in a second, ripping the line of buttons apart. When the dress pooled around her legs, Anna fought to breathe.

“Slow that breathing down, babe. I don’t want you to pass out.” Olivia grabbed the cute, white dress Anna had planned to wear for the last part of the reception. “Here. Put this on.”

Anna slipped the silky fabric around her and lifted her hair so Olivia could zip the back.

She led Anna to the chair in front of the vanity. “Sit.” Her friend grabbed the soda and shoved it at Anna. “Drink.”

Olivia was getting a friend promotion. She was the perfect woman to have by Anna’s side at a time like this. “Thanks.”

The electricity coursing through her eased when Olivia wrapped her arms around Anna’s shoulders. Maybe she’d needed a hug instead of a soda all along.

“Don’t worry,” Olivia said, releasing the hug to morph into business mode. “I’m going to handle all of this. Here’s my plan.” She ticked off items on her fingers. “First, I’m going to have Dawson and Travis tie up your mom and hide her in a closet until everything is over. Or forever. Second, I’m going to make sure Dean gets at least one good punch from all of the guys. Third, I’m going to slip you out of here unnoticed.”

Anna shook her head. “All of that sounds good, but I want out of herenow.”

“Okay. Okay.” Olivia patted the sides of her dress. “Dawson has my keys. I’ll be right back. You’ll be okay for a few minutes? I’ll send one of the girls in here as soon as I find them.”

“I’m okay,” Anna said. Oddly enough, the sickness that had been bubbling in her middle all day was starting to ease.

Olivia turned at the door and flashedAnna a tense smile. “I love you, and we’re going to get through this.”

“I know.” Anna nodded. “You’re the best.”

With a wink, Olivia disappeared, leaving Anna alone in a quiet room. Chairs were stacked in the corner of the Sunday School classroom, and a dark-purple stain slashed across the worn carpet.

She couldn’t just sit here. She wasn’t getting married, and she wasn’t a bride.

Shooting to her feet, she paced the small room in the church building where she worshiped every chance she got. She’d welcomed Dean into her life. She’d trusted him. She’d planned a future with him. She’d been prepared to give him everything!

He’d played with her heart and hadn’t cared about the fallout.

Anna stopped pacing and looked in the mirror. She was all done up for her wedding day, but her life was crumbling around her.

She’d been living under other people's thumbs for years, and she was finally free. Dean wouldn’t tell her what to do. Her mom wouldn’t make her feel like she was a bad girlfriend.

No. She was going to live her life for herself. Well, not completely for herself. She would live her life for God first and foremost. All of the joy in her life was because of Him, and she couldn’t forget that.

Maybe this was even a part of His plan. Maybeshe was supposed to reinvent herself and become the woman He wanted her to be.

In the mirror, the woman staring at her was fierce and confident. Her hair was styled, her dress fit perfectly, and she was beautiful without a stitch of makeup on her face. Yes, she could do this. She could do anything. She had a group of friends who loved her. They would help her through this.

And she would never make the same mistake twice.

Slipping her feet into the white tennis shoes she’d worn to the church, she grabbed the small clutch that matched her dress and walked out the door.

Chapter 2

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