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“I can’t marry him.” Her shoulder, donned in a single slim strap, shrugs.
I close the gap, grabbing Nova’s waist, and pulling her into my chest. As much as I want to, I don’t kiss her. Not while she’s wearing the dress she planned on marrying another man in, and not while I don’t know her feelings. Today isn’t about me. This is about being there for Nova.
I draw back, cradling her jaw. “Damn. You are so beautiful, Nova. I’m stunned.” And only feel a little guilty Anders will never see her like this.
Her cheeks flush as she lifts a soft smile. “You have the keys?”
“Why? You want to drive, Spitfire?”
“Nah, I trust you,” her carefully styled curls brush her shoulder as she looks back at the church, “but we better go before we can’t.”
After tossing her bag into the backseat, I help Nova into the car, shoving her white dress inside before closing the door. As I hustle around the hood, I hop into the driver’s side.
“Are we really doing this?”
“Just drive.” Nova’s eyes twinkle before glancing out the passenger side window. And then my stare catches on a man in a black suit standing at the top of the steps Nova just rushed down. Mr. Pratt. His face is creased with concern, his hands paused mid-air like he’s stopping his momentum from running down the stairs.
With my hand on the keys in the ignition, I pause. I can’t see Nova’s face, but I know she sees him, too. She lifts her hand in a reluctant wave as she whispers, “I’m sorry.” Though his eyes are plagued with worry, he offers one approving nod before placing a hand over his heart.
“Go. Please go,” she says, and I no longer hesitate, peeling out of the church parking lot.
* * *
Since Nova is confined to her wedding dress and doesn’t want to be seen, we drive until we’re outside Burlington city limits. She doesn’t appear ready to talk yet, so I do what we know how to do. I keep my foot on the gas. I drive a rambling route around Essex and north toward Colchester, but Nova’s too lost in her head to notice we’re circling town.
After an hour, Nova cuts the radio off. “Can we find a hotel? I just want to go somewhere no one can find me.”
“Whatever you want.”
By the time I turn onto Roosevelt Highway and pull into the first commercial chain hotel we come across, we’re just north of Burlington, and I pray she doesn’t flip out at our proximity to the wedding she left behind. Leaving Nova in the car, I pay for a room with two queen beds. Even though I wouldn’t complain about sharing, now is not the time to lay groundwork for any assumptions.
After procuring our hotel keys, I lead her through the back of the building so she doesn’t have to walk through the lobby. As luck would have it, we don’t pass a single soul before arriving at our room.
Nova kicks off her heels and sits on the edge of one of the beds, staring at the striped wallpapered wall. “I can’t believe I just did that.”
I lean against the TV stand in front of her, crossing my arms and ankles. “Stupid question, but are you all right?”
Her shoulders sag. “I feel an odd sense of relief, with a side of guilt. But more relief than anything. Does that make me terrible?” Hopeful eyes find me.
“Not if this was the right decision for you. You’d have been worse off marrying him and realizing the mistake later. Much harder to fix.”
“Oh god. Anders. I need to call him.” She bends, digging in the bag I dropped at her feet. “What am I going to say to him? He’ll never forgive me.”
“You did this for him, too, Nova.” Every instinct draws me to her side, but I remain standing, giving her space. “If you weren’t going to be happy, neither was he. I know you’re feeling guilty, and it’s understandable, but as long as you feel good about your decision, you made the right choice.”
Her glossy eyes lift as she pulls the phone out against her chest. “And Claire? She was so excited for us to be sisters. I can kiss that friendship goodbye. This is going to create such a wedge between our families. My poor parents.”
I can’t restrict my impulses any longer. I sidle beside her, tugging her into my side as I wrap my arm around her shoulders. “Take a breath. Don’t think about them right now. Don’t think about any of them. From the look on your dad’s face, I guarantee he wants nothing but for you to be happy. And if that means not marrying Anders, he won’t care about anything else.”
Nova’s gaze roves around my face, blinking back tears. We’re close, our noses inches apart. A lone tear escapes, and I catch it with my thumb, brushing away the wetness.
When her eyes drop to my mouth, she clears her throat. “I better go call Anders.”
I remove my arm as she gets up and closes herself in the bathroom. In such close quarters, and with the echo down the short hall, I hear Nova’s voice clear as day after a minute.
“I’m safe. I just… I’m so sorry, Anders. I can’t do this.” There’s a long pause before she says through cries, “Believe me, I never wanted to hurt you. I didn’t do this to humiliate you.”
To give her privacy and save me from storming in there to provide him with a piece of my mind, I step out into the hall and shoot off a quick text to Willa.
