Page 90 of Operation Annulment
“No.” I sink down onto a nearby step, recalling what I said to her during the rehearsal the night before. Why did I take it upon myself to warn her not to go through with the marriage just because she was pregnant?
Maybe she didn’t run—perhaps she’s still in the building.
“Wait, is Jeremy here? He can track her phone, right?”
Zane pulls me up and propels me toward the exit, telling the confused guests, “Hey, we’re having a slight technical difficulty. Excuse us for a moment.”
“We’re gonna find her, and everything will be good. It will be?—”
“What. Did. You. Say. To. Her?” he demands. “She wasn’t right after your little chat last night.”
I swallow nervously. “Um… I just wanted to ensure she was getting married for the right reasons and not because she’s pregnant?—”
Zane’s fist collides with the brick wall above me. I yelp and try to squirm out of reach.
“Found her,” Jeremy announces, holding up his laptop. I wonder if he takes it everywhere. I can’t recall ever seeing him without it. “Her phone’s pinging near the gym.”
“I’ll do it,” I declare when they begin bickering over who should go.
Zane snorts. “Sure, so you can convince her to leave town and change her name? You ruined what was supposed to be the best day of our lives.”
I place a hand on his arm, pleading, “Let me fix this, please!”
“Fine. Thirty minutes, and then I’m coming after her on my own.”
“I won’t let you down,” I promise.
thirty-five
COMMANDMENT #36: THOU SHALT APPROACH YOUR PARTNER WITH CONFIDENCE
On the way to the gym, I try to come up with a list of reasons Dakota needs to marry Zane. Most lead back to the fact that he looks like Thor. One is because I don’t want him to kill me.
Dakota stands near a leg press machine in full wedding attire.
“It took you long enough to get here,” she says when she sees me, her lips curving into a wide grin.
I ignore the sinking feeling in my gut at seeing her so happy, knowing there’s a good chance she won’t be coming back with me.
“Why aren’t you at the event center?” I ask tentatively. “You know, getting married?”
“I’ve got plenty of time to kill,” she says with a careless shrug. “Thought I’d round up all the guests who hadn’t RSVP-ed yet. You know how rude that is.”
It’s a Friday night and New Year’s Eve, so the gym is deserted. Most people are probably out partying.
I open my mouth and then immediately close it, unsure if it’s even worth asking.
Her satin skirt swishes as she walks over. “Remember when I told you Nate was your Bucky?”
I nod, more than a little thrown off by the change in topic. “Yeah, and you said I was Black Widow. But then Grey said I was Spider-Man, which just confused everything. You might have to reiterate your point.”
“Spider-Man?” she blurts, her nose crinkling in disgust. You aren’t even a good climber! No, you’re definitely Black Widow. So, Bucky and Natasha trained as assassins but were then brainwashed and used as weapons for years.”
She pauses to acknowledge my raised hand. “Uh, I’ve never been used to kill people, so…”
“Maybe not,” she agrees with a grin. “But you’re pretty dang uptight. I think it’s because you’re afraid—afraid to fall in love and lose control. I get it. I do. But what is it you always say? Fear is just a blanket?—”
“Don’t you dare psychoanalyze me, Dakota Mae,” I bite out, ignoring the tears pooling in my eyes. “It was never going to work out between me and Nate. We’re just too different.”
