Southern Storm

by Natasha Madison

  “That’s so gross, Mom,” he says, taking Kallie’s hand. “We have to get it for her since she’s sick,” he says to Kallie, and they walk away.

  “Can we do all the questions once I get to a couch?” I ask them, knowing that more questions are coming.

  “Let’s go,” Jacob says. I walk as fast as I can to the truck, but my body feels like it was run over by a Mack truck. I close my eyes in the truck, and when we get to Beau’s house, he doesn’t even let me walk. Instead, he carries me inside, and I don’t even have the energy to fight with him.

  He walks to the couch and places me down in the corner and then looks over at Jacob. “Grab me a water bottle,” he says.

  “And some whiskey!” I shout at him, and then Beau glares at me. Jacob comes back with the water, and he sits down on the couch facing us. I love this family room. When we were picking out the couches, I didn’t want to get up because it was perfect for this room. “Thank you,” I say, grabbing the water and then looking at them. “Okay, what are you two thinking about?”

  “The bar, the bricks in the house, the phone calls,” Beau starts. “It’s all related.”

  “What phone calls?” Jacob asks, and I roll my eyes.

  “It’s nothing,” I say the same time Beau talks.

  “Started last night, calling and hanging up.” I drink another sip of water, really wishing it was something more.

  Jacob gets his phone out, and he starts typing. “I just texted Casey to start tracing your phone.”

  “Oh my God,” I groan. “It’s fine. It’s all fine.”

  “It’s not fine!” Beau shouts. “None of this is fine. And it all started as soon as I found out that …”

  “Don’t say it.” I point at him. “Don’t you say it.”

  “It could be my brother,” Beau says, his voice almost breaking. “Or better yet, my father.”

  “Your father wouldn’t get his hands dirty,” Jacob says. “But he would order it.”

  “You guys, I think you are overthinking this,” I tell them, not ready to believe that he would actually harm me. I mean, destroy my life, yes, but harm Ethan and me? He wouldn’t … or would he?

  “She needs protection,” Jacob says.

  “She needs more than that,” Beau says, and I look at him. “They won’t touch you if you’re mine,” he says, and I don’t even know if I heard him right or not. “The only way this is going to stop is for us to get married.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  Beau

  “Married.” I don’t even realize the words coming out of my mouth until I hear Savannah gasp. The last couple of day were shitty, with my car windows getting busted, and then my heart stopped when I was in the car with Grady. The whole time we drove to the scene, I was making deals with God about everything. I would tell her how I feel if she was okay. I would take care of her and protect her. Once we arrived at the scene, I was stuck; my legs didn’t move. The sight of two ambulances with their lights on, the fire truck, and then I saw her truck in the ditch with the front end smashed, and it just was like a knife to my stomach.

  “Married?” Savannah whispers.

  “Holy shit.” I hear Jacob, and he leans back into the couch, waiting to see what else I will say.

  “My brother is an asshole,” I start, sitting down. “My father is a fucking coward, but …” I hold up my hands. “No one will mess with you if you have my name.”

  “Married,” she says again, and I don’t know if she is asking me a question or simply just in shock. “To you?” I try not to let it hurt that this idea is probably her worst nightmare.

  “To me,” I say, swallowing down. “Think about it.”

  “It’s not the stupidest idea he’s ever had,” Jacob says. “It will finally get the town to stop fucking talking about you.”

  “Oh, yeah,” Savannah says, turning and wincing when she gets up. “This is going to get them to stop talking about me. Poor Beau, he had no choice but to marry her.”

  “They are not going to say that,” I say, and I hope she isn’t right. “Listen, for as long as they remember, we’ve been friends. We could say that seeing you in the accident jolted something inside me, and I professed my love for you,” I say, trying to convince her without her knowing that this is exactly why I’m doing this. I want her as mine. I want to take care of her and protect her.

  She sits back down. “This is a nightmare,” she says, rubbing her hands over her face. “What about Ethan?”

  “What about him?” I ask. “I love him like he is my own, regardless of anything.” My voice goes low, and she reaches over to grab my hand.

  “I know that,” she says, “but don’t you think this will confuse him?”

  “I don’t think so,” Jacob finally says. “It’s not like he’s a stranger. It’s Beau.”

  “This is crazy,” she says. Her phone rings, and I look up to Jacob who looks at me as we share a look.

  “Who is it?” I ask, and she grabs the phone.

  “It’s Chase,” she says, and my stomach burns. “He probably heard about the accident,” she says as she answers the phone. She gets up and walks out of the room to go talk to him.

  “Nice,” Jacob says when he hears her voice coming from the other room.

  I rub my hands over my face. “It’s like the words were coming out, and there was no way I could stop them,” I say, looking over my shoulder to make sure she can’t hear me.

  “You’re right, though,” Jacob says. “This smells like your father.”

  “I know,” I admit. “But would he actually hurt Ethan?” Jacob just looks at me. “It’s his flesh and blood.”

  Jacob leans in a bit. “Listen, I hate to be the one to tell you this, but your father is the shadiest fucking person I know.” I watch him. “He’s done shit being mayor that is unethical and morally wrong. I was just waiting for him to cross a line, but he’s smart.”

  “It could be Liam,” I say. “He is dumb as fuck, but now that I found out and the secret is out of the bag …”

  “I caught him,” Jacob says. “After she left your office during the party, I caught him trying to manhandle her.”

  “That fucking …” I start to say, and Savannah walks back into the room. “What did Chase want?” I ask her.

  “He heard about my house and about the accident, and he wanted to make sure I was okay and to offer me a place to stay.”

  I scoff. “Yeah, right.” She looks at me and folds her arms over her chest. “You wouldn’t stay there with Ethan, and you know it.”

  “I wouldn’t stay there because I don’t want to stay there,” she says. “And I don’t want to play games with his feelings.”

  “Well, now that you’re engaged,” Jacob says, “that shouldn’t be a problem.”

  She’s about to say something when the front door opens, and we all hear Ethan yell, “Mom!”

  “In here!” Jacob shouts, and Ethan comes into the room with a bouquet in his hands.

  “What is that?” Savannah asks as he walks over to her.

  “This is to make you feel better,” he says. She sits down on the couch in front of him. “I know you feel bad about the accident and because you broke the windows in the house.”

  “This is …” she starts to say, and the tears come out. Scooting next to her, I put my hands around her shoulders and pull her to me. She looks up at me. “He bought me flowers.”

  I nod. “Yeah, he did.”

  “And pineapple pizza,” Ethan cuts in. “Kallie said we had to, but we also got a meat lovers.” He smiles. “And Ms. Charlotte sent over cake.”

  “Really?” Savannah says almost like it’s the most unfathomable thing in the world.

  “My mother bakes when she gets nervous,” Kallie says, walking to the couch and sitting next to Jacob. “So when I called her about Ethan and the accident, she went a bit overboard and made sure that she made him his favorite everything.”

  “She did,” Ethan says. “Apple pie.”

>   “You have to share that,” Jacob says, and he just moans. I get up and hold my hand out for Savannah, who actually takes it. Kallie and Jacob get up also and walk to the kitchen with Ethan following them.

  She waits for Ethan to be out of earshot before she puts a hand to her mouth and sobs. I take her in my arms, crushing the flowers between us. “Shh,” I say softly, and she wraps one arm around my waist. “It’s okay.”

  “They could have hurt him,” she whispers. “Didn’t even cross their mind that he was in the truck with me.” I don’t know what to say; the only thing I can think of is to hold her.

  “I’ll get to the bottom of this,” I say. “And if I find out that it’s them, I’ll make them pay.”

  “Don’t,” she whispers. “You don’t know what they’re capable of.”

  “No,” I say, and I make sure she is looking at me when I say the rest. “They don’t know what I’m capable of.”

  “Are you two coming?” Jacob asks, and we both look up at him. “See, you already look like lovebirds,” he jokes, and I shake my head.

  “Did you mean it?” she asks softly. “When you said we should get married?”

  I try to get my words right, knowing I have one shot to actually convince her. “I would do anything for you,” I say. “I would do anything for Ethan.” I look in her eyes now, and I’m ready to get lost in them. “I would do whatever I have to do to protect you.” I’m hoping she can read my eyes.

  “Mom!” Ethan yells for her to come and get her pizza.

  “We should get in there,” I say to her, and she nods. “I don’t think anyone would eat your pizza, but the meat lovers one …” She throws her head back and winces, putting one hand on her neck.

  “That pizza is awesome, and you know it.” She smiles, and my whole chest feels like it’s going to expand. She walks away from me and stops, then turns back. “I’m sorry I’m dragging you into this mess.” The smile is now gone from her face. “I’m sorry that my nightmare has just become yours, too.” She walks out, and I answer her again under my breath.

  “Your nightmare is my dream come true.” I stand here in the living room that she picked out. She doesn’t even realize that this whole house is everything she’s picked out. I wanted her to have her dream home. I wanted to give her that, and now I’m going to have my chance.

  “Hey,” Jacob says, coming into the room. “Are you coming?”

  “She thinks marrying her is a nightmare,” I say, my chest getting tight again.

  “You need to tell her how you feel,” Jacob says, grabbing my shoulder with his hand and squeezing it. “Take it from me. The minute you say the words to her, this whole weight will be lifted off you.”

  I shake my head. “You heard her. Marrying me is her nightmare.”

  “That’s because she doesn’t know how you feel,” he says, and I just look down. “You have to tell her.” He turns and walks out of the room, and I follow him this time. I try to get involved with the chatter around the table, but the only thing that I can think of is what I blurted out.

  Jacob and Kallie leave as soon as the apple pie is eaten. “Come on, buddy,” I tell Ethan. “I’ll set the shower for you so Mom can rest.” He nods and walks toward the stairs. “Do you want me to carry you upstairs?”

  “No,” she says, “I can walk.” I wait for her and walk up the stairs with her. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

  “You know that I’ve helped him shower before,” I remind her. “Four nights a week.”

  “Yeah, I know. Cool Uncle Beau lets me set my own water.” She mimics Ethan. “Cool Uncle Beau doesn’t stand in the bathroom and make sure I’m okay.”

  I laugh now. “Go lie down.” Turning, I walk to the bathroom and hear the water running, so I stick my head in. “You okay?”

  “Yeah, Uncle Beau,” he says, so I turn to go and get his bed ready. Another thing that I did was make a room for him at my house. For the times that I would watch him while Savannah was at work or Jacob was working overnight and Cristine, Jacob’s mom, couldn’t watch him. I grab a pair of pjs that he left here the last time and walk back to the shower. “Buddy, I put your pjs here for you.” I lay them on the counter. “Remember to brush your teeth.”

  “Okay, Uncle Beau,” he says and opens the door. “Do you have any of your body wash?” he asks, and I look at him. “This is bubble gum, and I’m a growing boy.” I roll my lips and nod at him.

  “I’ll get you some,” I say, shaking my head and walking to my bathroom to get him mine. I don’t see her standing there when I walk out of my bedroom. “Are you okay?”

  “What are you doing?” she asks, pointing at the soap in my hand.

  “Well, Ethan is a growing boy,” I say. “And he doesn’t want bubble gum soap anymore.”

  “So he asked you for yours?” She smiles, and I see tears in her eyes. “He really loves you.”

  “Well, I love him just as much,” I say.

  “If things turn bad between us.” She wipes a tear away, and I walk to her. “He …”

  “He will never lose me,” I say. “Never. Neither of you will ever lose me.”

  “Okay,” she whispers, and my heart speeds up faster and faster.

  I look at her. “Okay?” My voice almost cracks.

  She looks down at the floor, and I can tell that she’s nervous because she is wringing her hands, and her voice comes out almost in a whisper. “I’ll marry you.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  Savannah

  I don’t even know I’m saying the words even though they are coming out of my mouth. Marry him. “I’ll marry you,” I repeat it again so I can hear it again. His eyes open wide as if he’s in shock that I would agree to marry him. When he doesn’t say anything, my heart starts to speed up and my legs start to shake. Maybe he changed his mind. “I mean, if the offer is still on the table,” I say nervously while I wring my hands in front of me.

  “Yeah.” He looks down, and when he looks up, a smile covers his face. “The offer is still on the table.”

  My whole body finally releases the tension that it was holding. I’m about to say something else when he steps into me, closer than he was before. So close our chests almost touch. “We’re getting married,” I say, trying to break the tension that has somehow built between us. My chest rises and falls when he steps in just a touch more.

  I look at him. “We’re getting married,” I repeat, and he leans in just a little bit more. I can taste the kiss; I can feel his heat on me. It’s finally going to happen.

  “Beau!” Ethan yells his name, making us both take a step back.

  “I should bring him this.” He holds up the body wash. “I think we should tell him before we tell anyone else.”

  “I agree.” Nodding my head, he turns to walk back to the bathroom but stops five steps in and turns around, looking at me.

  “Married.” He smiles, but he doesn’t give me a chance to say anything before he goes into the bathroom. I put out my hand to hold the wall, my knees suddenly buckling under me.

  “What the fuck did you do?” I ask myself. “How could you drag him into this?” I walk back to the bedroom and sit on the bed, wiping a tear away from my eye. Forget the fact that I want to marry him. Forget the fact that it’s going to be a sham of a wedding, and I always said I was never going to get married. Okay, fine, I said it because there was no one but Beau who I wanted to be married to.

  He stands there in the doorway, watching me. “It’s not that bad.” He tries to joke, but the look on his face says that he’s not joking at all. His eyes almost look angry. He’s probably pissed that he has to marry me, putting an end to all the extra activities he does.

  “Um,” I say. “I know that it’s going to be a marriage of convenience at this point.” I try to swallow, but it feels like I have a lump in my throat. “But the other women …”

  “What other women?” He folds his arms over his chest.

  I roll my eyes now. “You don’t have to prete
nd, Beau.” My thumb taps my index finger. “I’m a bartender. Do you know that means I’m almost a shrink? I serve people alcohol, and with that, they tell me their problems, or their secrets, depending on who it is.”

  “Okay,” he says, not getting where I’m going.

  “You’re …” I point at him. “Well, you’re active with women.” His eyebrows pinch together. “I’ve heard it in detail.”

  “You heard in detail that I was active with women?” He asks the most awkward question he’s ever asked me.

  “I mean, I’ve heard a couple of stories.” My legs starts to move up and down, and he sees it. “I never ask. I wouldn’t do that. It’s your private business.”

  “From who?” he asks, crossing his ankles.

  I look out the window now, blinking away the stinging of tears that are threatening to come out. I’m about to answer him when the bathroom door opens, and Ethan comes out, walking to us with a towel wrapped around his waist. “Mom.” He calls my name, walking past Beau, not even realizing that he just saved me. “Smell me.” He puts his neck next to my nose. “I smell like Uncle Beau.” I smile at him. “Can you buy me this from now on?”

  “Aren’t you a bit too young for that?” I look at him, and he smirks.

  “Mom, I’m going to be ten soon,” he says.

  “In two years, buddy,” I remind him, and he looks defeated.

  “Why don’t you go get dressed?” Beau says. “Your mom and I want to talk to you about something.”

  “Okay.” He turns, walking out of the room.

  “We are going to have maybe two minutes before he’s dressed,” Beau says. “So we are going to have to table this discussion.”

  “I would rather not continue it,” I say, and he shakes his head.

  “That isn’t an option.” I know just by his tone it isn’t a suggestion. “Things need to be said.” He walks away now.

  My stomach rumbles, and I have to put my hand to it. “This should be fun.”