Love Struck (The Taylor Brothers Book 4)

Annalise disconnected the call and stared at the mobile phone with tears in her eyes. How did her phone get switched on? As far as she could remember, she had kept it switched off for the last twenty days. She checked and saw to her utmost surprise around 200 missed calls from Nelson. She closed her eyes thinking about all that he had told her.

Alexis and Aries fist bumped after their plan became a success. At least they could make her talk to him. After twenty days, they had received their mobile which was in their sister's custody. They had quickly messaged Nelson and returned the mobile phone to Annalise. When she was in the washroom, they had switched in her mobile and hid themselves to hear what was going on. They eagerly watched to see what she would do now? Nothing, she hadn't believed a word that he had said.  She had seen him kiss her. That couldn't be a lie. She switched her phone off and went to sleep. Disappointed the twins went back to their room.

"Now what?" Asked Alexis. Aries shrugged.

"We'll think of a new plan tomorrow, " said Aries.

The next whole week the wedding preparations were in full swing. Colton and his family came over nearly everyday and Annalise couldn't stay locked in her room  anymore. With three days to the wedding, Annalise was forced to visit the salon. She decided to take the twins with her to the shopping mall to buy them their wedding stuff.

She picked up the car keys and the three of them drive to the nearby shopping mall but Annalise had  strange sense of being followed. Everytime, she turned around, she didn't see anyone though. Maybe it was just the stress of everything.  She bought the twins clothes with her own money. As they came out of the shop, she met Levi and Carter. She had seen them at Adam's house so she knew them.

"Hey Anna, we need to talk to you," said Levi.

"I don't have anything to say to you. Please leave me alone," said Annalise.

"You're shattering the lives of three people here. One of them is our best friend. How can we leave you alone?" Asked Carter. Then he looked at an inquisitive Alexis and Aries. "Hi kids. I'm Carter and this is Levi. We're Nelson's best friends. So don't be scared okay?" Said Carter gently.

"We aren't scared at all. Anna's wedding is in three days. Why can't you do something?" Asked Alexis while Annalise glared at her.

"Shut up Alex. I'm marrying Colton. That is all," said Annalise stubbornly.

"Does Colton love you like our friend does? Does he cherish you like Nelson does? Will he end his life without you like our friend will?" Asked Carter.

Annalise gaped at him, dumbfounded. "It's difficult to find true love and you're lucky that someone loves you so much yet what are you giving back to him? Distrust even after he explained himself to you? If you really loved him you should have confronted him? You had every right to demand the truth out of him but you didn't. You simply disappeared from his life. Do you have any idea what we're all going through because of you. For the past one month, Nelson, Carter and me have left all our work and our studies and have gone crazy hunting for you. We've not been able to appear for our examinations at college because of you. We'll lose a semester all because of you," said Levi as Annalise stood dumbfounded by his outburst. Levi took out Alanis's written statement from his pocket and handed it to Annalise.

"Here, is this proof enough that our friend is innocent in all this? Is it proof enough to convince you that Nelson was framed by Alanis?" Asked  a furious Levi. Annalise's eyes widened in shock as she read the statement signed by Alanis.

"There's still time, Anna. Call off the wedding. He'll die, I beg of you," said Carter.

Levi walked away towards his car and Carter followed. They drove over to Nelson's house to inform him of the latest happenings. Annalise went to her uncle's house. She and the twins hadn't spoken a word after the boys left. Their words replayed in her head again and again and she felt devastated knowing what she'd done. If only she had talked to Nelson. She repented having disappeared this way from his life. It had broken her heart and had taken all her will power to do so. The rest of the day, she sobbed for what she had lost. Finally, it was dinnertime and she decided what she would do.

Annalise slowly got up from her bed and walked towards the door. Ever since that day of the outburst, she had never set foot outside her room and not seen her uncle, aunt or her cousins even once. Alexis and Aries who were stationed outside her room, ran to hide behind a pillar not knowing what their sister was upto.

She walked down the stairs and everyone looked at her from the dining room where they were having a late dinner. "Erik, can you give me Colton's phone number?" She asked Erik. Erik composed himself from the momentary shock and dictated hod friend's number which Annalise saved on her mobile phone.

"Thanks, " she said, turning to go back to her room.

"Why do you need his number?" Asked her aunt pointedly. Annalise didn't answer her. She wasn't answerable to her.

"She's marrying him for God's sake. Why can't she have his number?" Asked uncle Edward in a pissed off tone. Annalise climbed up the stairs and walked towards her room without giving them a thought. Let them argue to their heart's content. She walked into her room and closed her door. Alexis and Aries stood outside, listening intently.

Annalise punched Colton's number into her mobile phone. He accepted her call after three rings. "Hello, Colton? Annalise here," she said.

"Hey, Anna! how are you now?" Asked Colton. She had called him for the first time and he was already feeling on top of the world.

"I'm better but I have a request to make," said Annalise.

"What? You want to break off the wedding?" Asked Colton.

"Yes, how do you know?" Asked Annalise, puzzled.

"I knew that you couldn't marry me since you love someone else. I was expecting your call. Look Anna, my parents and your uncle and aunt have made all the preparations and they wouldn't accept it. Personally speaking, I wouldn't want to marry someone who loves another man. So the only option left for you is to run away from the wedding. Don't worry about me. I have a friend who loves me and wants to marry me. I'll gladly marry her and nothing will go a waste," said Colton. A smile of relief broke out on Annalise's face.

"Thanks Colton. I wish I had spoken to you before. We could save the heartaches, " said Annalise.

"I'm glad that you finally could decide who you really want, Anna. You saved three lives, " said Colton.

"Yeah, I'm glad too. All the best for your life," said Annalise.

"Thanks, same goes for you too," said Colton. Annalise disconnected the phone and lay down on her bed with a happy smile on her face. Finally she was free now. Free to be with Nelson but how would she escape without getting caught by her aunt? And what about her siblings? She couldn't leave them in this house all alone while she was gone? She dozed off to sleep unable to come up with any plan.

The next morning, before she woke up, Alexis and Aries crept into her room and stole their phone. They texted Nelson.

Two days to go. Please do something. Take her away please.

Nelson was brooding with his friends as they returned from their jog when he received that message. He had waited for Annalise's call yesterday after his friends had updated him but was disappointed when she hadn't called. He excitedly showed the message to his friends.

"I've waited enough. That's it. I'm abducting her. Help me both of you," said Nelson.

"In that case we need a foolproof plan. If you abducting her, you need to marry her first, bro. Her aunt might call the cops on you," said Levi. Nelson nodded.

"One more thing is we have to cover the kids too. We can't leave them in that house if we abduct their sister. The wrath of the family would fall upon them," said Nelson.

"Leave that to me. I'll bring them here till you are able to convince Annalise," offered Carter.

"Done then. I'm calling my friend who owns a log cottage at Mystic Creek, two hours drive away. He'll make arrangements for the wedding. You already have the license. So just ask Alexis and her brother to somehow get Annalise outing the house. We'll abduct all three. You take Annalise and drive off with her. Carter and I'll bring the children here.

Nelson nodded and wrote back to Alexis.

 

Make some excuse and all three of you come out of the house in twenty minutes.