Page 62 of Alliance

“I’ll take care of it,” John answers.

“Go.” Madi nudges her head in the direction of the door.

John looks at the gold watch on his wrist. “You need to do this now, Lana.”

I spin for her to unzip the dress and she does. She tosses me my leggings and grabs a shirt from her bag. John turns as I slide the clothes up my body, pulling the sneakers onto my feet.

“Hold on,” I say before John opens the door. I pull both of my cousins into my arms, squeezing them, knowing that this might be the last time I see them. “I hope we meet again,” I whisper, and then John opens the door and I’m running.

Running through the entryway of the church, my sneakers pounding against the floor with a steady beat that matches the thrumming of my heart.

The church entryway seems empty, we were minutes from starting the wedding. I imagine the pews are filled with patrons that came here to celebrate this day. Congressmen and government officials coming here to wish Davis a happy marriage. I can’t help but smile at the embarrassment that he’ll feel when I don’t walk down the aisle. What will his face look like when he sees my wedding dress in a heap in the dressing room?

It brings a smile to my cheeks and I can’t stop it.

I can’t prevent the rush of joy that fills my body, the tingling sensation as I let all of the emotions come rushing back in.

For a moment, I think Lily is running with me, a huge smile etched across her cheeks and she shoutswe fucking made it out alive.

My skin is on fire as I see the car, the black Escape staring at me like a beacon of hope.

Naz swings open the car door from inside, and I jump in, my body nearly flying into his from the momentum. I want to kiss him, to hold him, to feel my skin against his but I know we don’t have time for that. Not yet.

Before I even close the door, his foot is on the pedal and we’re moving.

I feel like we’re flying, but it’s just my adrenaline. Behind us I see the wedding planner standing on the street waving her hands. Trying to flag us down, trying to stop what’s about to happen, but there’s no turning back now. She’ll call my parents first, I’m sure.

But I don’t care.

I look at Naz’s face for the first time. Scruff covers his jaw line and he’s dressed in all black with a baseball cap.

“Stealing the bride?” I joke.

Laughter bubbles from his throat. “She never belonged to the groom,” he says.

My heart melts a little. He’s right though, I never belonged to Davis. My heart has always been my own, and I choose who gets my love.

“I love you, Ignazio,” I tell him for the first time and the words feel like the first bit of truth I’ve spoken in years.

A red flush rises on his cheeks and he smiles at me as he navigates the car onto the freeway.

“I love you more, Lana."

Chapter Twenty-Five

Ten Months Later

IT’S COLD IN NEW YORKCity. The kind of chill I’d never experienced in New Orleans. At first, I didn’t care, because the snow was mesmerizing. I could sit by the window and stare at the white flurry as it descended on the city.

But then I had to go outside, and the white slush soaked through my boots and the wind tunnel between the buildings made my ears bright red and numb. After that, I decided that I hated winter in New York.

Naz loves it on the other hand. Even now, as we tread through the slush, he has a child-like smile spread on his face as he stares up to the white sky. Snowflakes stick to his dark lashes and his tongue darts from his mouth to catch the falling flakes. I can’t help but to laugh at the sight, regardless of how cold my toes are.

We have an apartment, the thing about the size of my room back home, but it has tall windows and brick walls. In the morning we sit at the island counter, drinking our coffee and being thankful for the mundane days we spend together.

I hadn’t realized how badly I craved boring. I wanted a routine, the same thing every day. Waking up to a snoring man with ruffled hair and morning breath. I wanted the feeling of binging Netflix together. The second we finish dinner and we land on the IKEA sofa.

It’s mundane.

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