CHAPTER 6 DANNY
One trip to Target plus some chicken from El Pollo Loco, and we’re ready to disguise ourselves for the next nine days.
I’ve never had so much fun at a Target before.
But I’ve also never gone to one with Alexis, and I’ve never been to one when I was on the run from the father and would-be husband of the woman I love.
What a fucked up situation.
Alexis makes everything more fun, and she also makes everything an adventure—and this adventure is one I definitely wasn’t expecting when I got out of bed this morning.
But here we are, on the run for the next nine days, and I don’t know if I’ve ever seen her more joyful. I don’t know if I have ever been more joyful, either.
This is all really working for me.
We’ve never had this much time together. We got lucky in the house when we filmed that commercial, but never nine whole days of unlimited time together.
Never nine whole days where we aren’t both booked up with tons of other obligations.
I don’t know if this will ever happen again, either. Between my long season and her tours and movies, we lucked out that the wedding was set to take place right before the holidays when everything seems to shut down.
I’ll take it.
It feels like a long time stretching out before us, but I know it’ll be over before I even blink my eyes.
I don’t want it to be over.
I want to find a way to stretch this into forever.
I check the map as I eat my chicken and see a place about two and a half hours up the road that I’ve always heard great things about as an idea forms in my head. We could go there. We could stay in a house where nobody will see us.
We can spend the next nine days naked if we want.
And I definitely want to…but I also want to do a few other things with her.
And we don’t have to limit ourselves to staying inside. We could disguise ourselves and go out. Tour the town. Live life. Be normal—just like she wants.
I’ll need my mom’s help, though. Not with the naked part. I’ve got that under control. But with booking a place and some of the other details…we may need some help there.
And so once we’re back on the highway, I say, “I have an idea of somewhere we can go, but I think we’ll need my mom’s help to pull it off.”
“Let’s do it,” she says. “Give her a call. I can’t wait to talk to her.”
The thought that they’re already close warms my heart.
I dial her up on the car system, and we both hear her voice through the Bluetooth a minute later.
“Danny!” she answers cheerfully. “Thank God you called me back. I’ve been so worried about you!”
I roll my eyes, and Alexis chuckles softly.
“Well, I have some news,” I say. “And I’m not alone.”
“You’re not alone?”
“Hi Tracy,” Alexis says.
“Oh!” my mom squeaks. “Alexis, honey. Are you okay?”
“I’ve never been better,” she says, and she catches my eye.
I grin.
“What happened?” my mom asks, and I realize I haven’t actually heard the entire story yet myself. It’s been sort of a whirlwind of a day.
“Well, all I could think about all morning was Danny, and I was just going through the motions. Hair, make-up, dress. None of it was what I wanted. But then I was in the bridal suite getting ready to walk down the aisle, and my dad came by. He said he was proud of me for doing the right thing, and maybe I’d even change my mind about Brooks.
Something inside me snapped as I realized I was doing the right thing for him, and maybe for Brooks, but not for me.
I haven’t changed my mind about Brooks in the four years we’ve been pretending to be together, so I’m sure as hell not going to change my mind now. ”
“There’s our girl,” my mom breathes.
I reach over and rest my hand on her thigh as I accelerate down the highway. I want to just fucking get there even though I don’t have an exact destination in mind yet.
“Danny had texted me where he was, and Gregory was supposed to help me get down the aisle,” she continues.
“He told me it was time, and I looked to the door where Brooks was waiting, and then I looked to the door that would give me my freedom. I didn’t care about the consequences.
I only cared about being with Danny. So I took Gregory’s keys and ran. ”
“Oh, honey. That must have been so hard for you. Won’t they be looking for you?” she asks.
“They already are. They tracked me to the hotel where Danny was, but we managed to dodge them before they caught us,” she says.
“And now we’re just driving,” I finish.
“What can I do to help you two?” she asks, and it’s exactly what I was hoping she’d ask.
“I had an idea for somewhere I wanted to land for the next few days, but we need your help booking a rental. I was thinking a Vrbo so we’d have privacy, but if I put it on my credit card, it’ll be traceable.”
“Consider it done,” she says. “Where, how long, budget?”
“Carmel, on the beach with a big balcony and a view, single family home, tonight through…” I trail off and glance over at Alexis, who shrugs.
“Forever?”
I laugh. “Let’s do five nights. If we have to bolt early, so be it. No budget.”
“You got it,” my mom says. “I’ll text you the details when I have them, including the code to get in.”
“Thanks, Mom. You’re the best,” I say.
“I love you. Both of you,” she says. “You take care of yourselves and be safe. Call me if you need anything.”
“Can you text Gregory to let him know we’re safe but no other details?” Alexis asks.
“Of course, honey. Anything else?”
“Can you text me your credit card info so I can order some groceries?” I ask. “I’m sorry to even ask, and I promise I’ll pay you back for everything.”
“On it,” she says.
We say our goodbyes and hang up, and Alexis breathes out a sigh of what seems to be relief.
“You okay?” I ask.
She nods. “Carmel is one place I’ve always wanted to visit, but I’ve never been to.”
I look over at her with a smile. “In about two and a half hours, all that changes.”
She nods, leans back against the headrest, closes her eyes, and she’s never looked more relaxed or content to me in all the time I’ve known her.