Page 62 of Love on the Run

He stopped at the door and lowered her to her feet, continuing to hold her close as he pulled out his key card. Once the door was open, he picked her up again.

“This isn’t necessary,” Anna said.

“I don’t care,” was Beau’s quick response.

He lowered her to the couch, and she missed the loss immediately. Everything inside her wanted to reach for him and never let go.

Beau turned around, grabbed a binder off thetable and handed it to her. “What do you want to eat?”

She took the binder and opened it to the menu for The Liberty Grill. If he wanted to revert back to his old stoic self, good for him. It would be easier to squash her feelings for him now before they got out of hand.

Who was she kidding? Things were already out of hand. Even when he sounded cold and uncaring, he was still carrying her and trying to feed her.

She rattled off her order and handed him the binder. While he called for room service, Anna checked her phone for the first time in hours.

Dozens of missed calls, texts, and emails waited. It was the same as every other day, except each one would deliver a tiny stab into her chest.

She’d gotten used to the encouraging messages from women who followed her fashion vlog and matter-of-fact emails from work. Now, she had to wade through speculation, assumptions, and opinions about her personal life.

She went for the texts from Olivia first.

Olivia: Are you okay? Beau texted and said you passed out. Call me!

Olivia: Beau said not to bother you, but I love you and I’m praying.

Olivia: Also, does Beau get brownie points for this?

The last message made her chuckle, but the others sucked all the fleetingjoy away.

Anna: I’m fine. Beau has been taking good care of me. He gets all the brownie points.

Mom: I can’t believe what you’ve done. Dean is trying to get in touch with you. If you had any sense, you’d beg his forgiveness.

So much for tiny stabs. Her mom always knew how to cut to the core.

Dean: Answer your phone. We have a lot to talk about.

No thanks. Could she skip to the part where Dean moved on and left her alone?

She clicked over to social media and skipped over any messages that looked even remotely aggressive, clicking on the one that promised some kindness.

Brittany: That’s awful. Where are you now?

Anna rested her head back against the couch. Brittany was one of the kindest people Anna had met online. Brittany had been following the vlog since its early days, and she’d become a genuine friend.

After rehashing the story late last night, Anna had fallen asleep before reading Brittany’s response.

Anna: I went on my honeymoon. I just needed some time away to wrap my head around things.

A response came immediately.

Brittany: What are you going to do with the dresses?

That was weird. Of course Anna had called each boutique and explained why she wouldn’t befeaturing the dresses they’d sent with the promise to return them in perfect condition. They hadn’t been pleased, but she couldn’t follow through with her end of the arrangement without a wedding.

Brittany knew a lot about how Anna handled her fashion vlog, but why would that be one of the first things she asked?

Anna: I sent the dresses back to them and recommended a few other influencers who might be able to feature the pieces.

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