“Sawyer Jackson, I was talking to Momma and Pops the other day, and they wanted to know if you’d like to stay with them for a few days.” I think now is as good a time as any to discuss this with Sawyer Jackson. I need to know his thoughts on these plans.
“Bud and Nelly want me to stay on the farm with them?” Savannah Mae watches with interest.
“They do. Momma said she has a few new cookie recipes and she needed an expert taster to sample them.”
“I can do that,” he says excitedly.
Savannah Mae smiles. “It’ll be for just a few days, Buddy.”
It dawns on me that maybe Savannah Mae hasn’t been away from her son for more than a day or two at a time. “We’ll be up everyday to see you.”
“Can I take my seashells with me?”
“You can take anything you want with you. But remember, it’s just for a few days.” I plan to put an end to this stalking problem quickly. When people start exiting the plane, I stand. I haven’t seen Maria in a few years, although we talk regularly on the phone. Savannah Mae remains seated with Sawyer Jackson securely on her lap.
“There she is.” I wave and smile slightly. I’m happy to see Maria but not under these circumstances. Savannah Mae stands with Sawyer Jackson by her side. I see only Maria at first, then a man comes into view. She is walking with her arm looped through his. She waves when she sees me.
“Is that her?” Savannah Mae asks.
“It is.”
“Who’s that with her?”
“I have no idea. She didn’t mention bringing anyone with her.”
Savannah Mae smiles and waves. Of course she does. She never said Maria was a threat; she didn’t have to. The guy is tall and muscular. She leans into him as they get closer. Maria releases her hold on him and hugs me before any introductions can be made. She may be my ex, but she will always be my friend.
I stand uncomfortably in front of the unknown man, and smile oddly. “Hi, I’m Blake Landon, Maria’s husband.”
Wait? What? Who? Husband? She’s married? “Nice to meet you, I’m Abel. This is my fiancée Savannah Mae, and our son, Sawyer Jackson.” He’s not my son, but I love him like one.
“Abel Lee didn’t mention that you were married.” Savannah Mae is smiling extremely brightly. My girl had nothing to worry about, but I guess now she sees that.
“It might be because Abel didn’t know. We got married just a few days ago on the cruise we took to the Grand Turks.”
“Congratulations, Maria. If I had known, I wouldn’t have asked you to come up.”
Maria looks at me. “Finding Josh is more important. We honeymooned on the cruise ship.” She leans into Blake and he wraps his arm around her, pulling her closer to him. “I hope it’s okay I brought Blake with me. He didn’t like the idea that I was coming to see my ex.”
Savannah Mae is still smiling. “It’s fine, we’re glad to have you both.”
I’m thrilled that Maria is happy. I never wanted her to be unhappy. But marriage? I thought we were close enough that she would have told me personally. I hate that I’m just now finding out about it.
“I was going to tell you, but it happened so fast. Then when we got back into the states, my focus immediately turned to finding Josh.”
“That’s okay, I’m happy for you both. Do you have luggage we need to get?”
“Nope, we only brought carry-ons.”
Blake says, “We’re not planning on being here long.”
Blake must be on the same mission I’m on. Find Josh and end this.
We drive home in my truck, but we don’t have the uncomfortable silence I thought we might have. Maria and Blake talk to Sawyer Jackson about his vacation and the things we did while we were gone. I’m glad to see that he’s excited about the time we spent away, and I hope he never finds out the real reason behind the unexpected trip.
“Abel, I knew you were a country boy, but I had no idea how country you really were.” Maria looks out the window at all of the farmland. “I’ve always been a city girl. Are there always this many trees in the country?”
They ain’t seen nothing yet. Wait until we get closer to home. “Yeah, I’m pretty country and there’s lots of trees in the country.”
We learn a little about Blake. He’s in construction and Maria met him a couple years ago through a mutual friend. I knew she was seeing someone, I just never realized it was so serious. He proposed one week, and they were married the next.
Maria talks to Savannah Mae about our wedding. “Why don’t you have a date picked out yet?” Maria asks, raising her head so I can see her in the rearview mirror.
“We have other things we’ve been dealing with.”
I can see when the realization hits her. “I’m sorry,” she mouths.
I nod. “We hope to have a date chosen in a week or two.”
As we get closer to Rose Farm, I call Pops and let him know we are almost there. Sawyer Jackson is excited about spending some time on the farm with Momma and Pops. We go straight to the farm, and Mia, Levi, and Harley are also there.
Of course, Momma has dinner ready for everyone. We pull up enough chairs for everyone to sit around the dining room table. It’s a tight fit, but Momma likes a crowded dinner table. In the beginning Blake seems to be uncomfortable, but he soon relaxes. My family has that effect on people.
After dinner Mia sits on the floor with Harley sitting between her legs leaning against her for support. Sawyer Jackson is sitting right there beside them. When Levi removes a puppy from a kennel, Harley squeals and Sawyer Jackson’s eyes light up with excitement.
“Meet Adrie, the newest member of our family,” Mia says.
Savannah Mae and Maria are also excited. “I thought you didn’t want a house dog?” I ask.
“I didn’t…” Levi begins to say when Mia interrupts.
“But research says that puppies and dogs are a wonderful benefit for children like Harley.”
I watch as the puppy interacts with Harley and Sawyer Jackson, and how they interact with Adrie. Must be true.
We walk back into the kitchen, and Pops and Momma tell Maria how sorry they are to hear about what happened back when we were in college. “Thank you, but you don’t need to apologize. It wasn’t your fault or Abel’s fault.”
“We just recently found out about it, and I honestly can’t tell you how sad I was to hear what you went through.” Momma wipes a tear as she speaks right from her heart.
Maria hugs her and says, “Mrs. Kennedy, really, it’s all right. I’m fine now. It was a very unfortunate incident and it was a very long time ago.”
We talk briefly before heading home.
Savannah Mae
When I saw how beautiful Maria was in the airport, my heart dropped to my stomach. I knew she would be pretty, but I wasn’t expectin’ her to be stunnin’. Even in a hoodie and yoga pants, she was gorgeous. I was hopin’ she would be cute at best. I knew she and Abel Lee’s relationship was in the past, but I still felt like it was a bit of a competition between her and me. I hate feelin’ like that.
And then Blake came into view and my heart jumped into a big pool of soft, warm, soothin’ joy. I welcomed them both. I wasn’t expectin’ an extra person in my house, but I didn’t care. Maria’s married and her husband came with her. I’ll find room for them both. Four adults sharin’ one bathroom, it’ll be worth it for me. I hate feelin’ insecure when it comes to her or anyone else. She’s been through a lot, and Abel Lee did his best to help her. I know he still feels responsible for everything that happened to her. The photo of her beaten body flashes through my head, and I try to dismiss it. She looks nothin’ like the person in the photo. Other than a small scar under her right eye, there are no other indications that she had suffered such a traumatic event. Well, none visible anyway. I’m sure she suffers emotional scars.
I hug Sawyer Jackson, and I make sure it’s okay that he stays with Bud and Nelly. Bud and Nelly speak with enthusiasm about the things they have pla
nned for him. I feel better knowin’ this is something they want to do and not something they have to do. Sawyer Jackson will have a great time stayin’ with them. He’ll love the attention that they’ll give him. Mia tells me that Harley will also be spendin’ the night. I look at Harley and he’s wavin’ at the puppy with excitement. I think Adrie likes him and Harley likes her.
In the car on the way home, Blake says, “Abel, you have a very down-to-earth family.”
“Thank you, I think you’ll see that a lot around here.”
“Is everyone as kind and receptive as your parents?”
“I think so, yes. It’s a very close-knit community.”
We pull up to the house, and Abel Lee unlocks the door and holds it open for everyone. I’m thankful that we have a sofa bed that will accommodate two adults. “You can keep your suitcases in Sawyer Jackson’s bedroom. I’m sorry I don’t have better sleepin’ arrangements for you both.” My house is clean and comfortable, but it’s nothin’ fancy.
“This will be fine, thank you, Savannah Mae.”
“The only restroom is here, and as soon as we get groceries, you can help yourself to whatever you want, whenever you want.”
“Groceries? We forgot about milk and bread, didn’t we?” Abel Lee says, lookin’ over my shoulder.
“We did. I think the milk we have is probably spoiled.”
After we get situated, we sit at the kitchen table and talk about the reason that brought us all together. Abel Lee spreads the notes and pictures on the dinin’ room table. Blake picks up the picture of Maria’s battered body. His jaw clenches and he balls his hand into a fist.
“So, tell me why you think that the murderer is Josh,” Maria asks and Blake clenches his jaw again.
“I’m not sure it is. It’s just that everything started after I returned home for the holidays.” Abel Lee sits a little taller in his chair.
Blake asks, “And you knew the victims?”
“One of the girls was an old family friend.” Abel Lee holds my hand. I don’t tell them she is my ex-husband’s ex.
I can see the sadness in Maria’s eyes. “I’m sorry.”
“Thank you,” I whisper.
“And the other girl was someone you knew, too?” Blake asks.
“I just met her the night I arrived in town,” Abel Lee says. “I stopped at a local bar on my way into town, and she was murdered that night.”
“I hate to be a prick.” Blake lifts his chin and squares his shoulders. “But after looking at these photos, I can see why Josh would be out for blood.”
Maria raises her voice. “Abel was drugged, Blake. He never would have hurt me otherwise.”
“That may be, but it doesn’t make looking at these pictures any easier.”
She looks at me and says, “These are the pictures that were sent to you?”
I lean over and collect the last note and picture that was sent to me the night of my birthday party. “This is what I got last.”
“If it is Josh, I think when Josh sees you with Abel Lee, he’ll want to come to your rescue,” Blake says. He looks at Maria. “I don’t think he’s the killer, I think that’s something totally different. There’s no possible way the two are linked.”
“Blake’s right, Abel. There’s no way Josh is the killer. It’s bad enough he may be stalking and harassing you and Savannah Mae.” She pauses and takes a deep breath. “I wish I knew what to say or do to make this better, to make this disappear.”
Abel Lee stands and looks out the window. “I’m sure you’re right.”
Abel Lee says those words, but I know he doesn’t believe them. He doesn’t know what to believe. I’m sure for Maria’s sake, he wants it to be true. He wants to believe that Maria’s brother isn’t involved with Heather Sue’s or Megan Rose’s deaths. Maria’s family has been through enough.
We talk a few more minutes and plan that tomorrow, Abel Lee and Maria will start being seen around town. More so in the neighborhood. Rose Farm is so small that it is the neighborhood.
Abel Lee and I get the pull-out sofa ready for our guests. It isn’t much, but I’m grateful to have it. We go to bed, and I pray that tomorrow will bring closure.
Maria
I snuggle into Blake and he wraps his arms securely around me.
“It’ll be okay, Maria.”
“I wish I could believe you. I don’t know how this can end well for my brother.”
“Josh needs help, and we’ll make sure he gets it.”
“I hope so.”
I concentrate on Blake’s breathing in hopes that it’ll help me relax. It’s hard to sleep in an unfamiliar place, and it’s really hard to sleep knowing that your only brother might be causing pain to such a sweet girl.
“C’mon, Maria, or we’ll be late.”
“I want to look nice for you. Just give me one more minute.” I adjust my mini skirt and my white blouse. When I turn around to do one last check, Abel is standing in the doorway, watching me.
“You wearing that?”
“Yes. Do you think I should change?” I turn around so I am face to face with him.
“Are you going with me?” Abel asks with hooded eyes.
He knows I’m going with him; that’s why he’s here, so we can go together. “I am.”
He smirks. “Then no, you shouldn’t change.” He stalks closer to me almost like a predator stalking his prey. I get butterflies low in my belly. I’ve been seeing Abel for almost a year, and I think I love him. When we’re not in bed together, we’re studying, or we’re in class. I love him, but I’m waiting for him to tell me first. I don’t want to scare him off. He slowly wraps his arms around me, and pulls me close to him.
“I have something important to tell you tomorrow,” I whisper.
His warm breath on my neck lights a flame inside my core. “Can you tell me now?” Another soft kiss to my neck. I move my head so he has easier access.
I want the time to be perfect when I tell him my news. “No, you have to wait until tomorrow.” I try to whisper, but I make more of a moan.
He whispers, “Are you sure you’d rather go to the party?” He kisses me ever so softly. I wanted to go, now I’m not so sure. I wrap my arms around his neck and he kisses me eagerly.
His pocket vibrates next to my hip and I giggle. He groans as he removes his phone from his front pocket, never taking his mouth off mine. He slowly and expertly backs me up until the mattress is against my legs. Just as he lays me on the bed, his phone rings. Another groan escapes his mouth. He answers it on speaker. “Slade, it better be important.” Another soft kiss to my lips and to my neck. He slowly moves to the soft spot behind my ear. I moan.
“Dude, you’re late. This party’s hoppin’. Get Maria and get your asses over here.”
“We’re coming,” Abel says and there’s a double meaning to his words. He kisses me again.
I giggle. “Hell, no,” Slade says.”Get up off your girl. There’s time for that later. Maria, if you guys don’t come, I’m blaming you.”
“Okay, Okay, we’re on our way.” I say loud enough for Slade to hear me through the speaker phone. Abel looks down at me as he lifts his weight off of me.
Slade starts to say something and Abel disconnects the call. “We’ll go, we’ll make an appearance, and then we’re outta there.”
“Okay, sounds good.” I raise my head and kiss him again. Abel has the softest, sweetest kisses ever. He’s big and strong, but he’s also tender and sweet.
We pull up at the frat house where red Solo cups litter the yard. Slade, Chase, and Jett are waiting for us on the front porch. “I’m regretting this, already,” Abel groans.
“C’mon, Abel, it’ll be fun.” I take his hand and lead him down the driveway and up to the large front porch. Slade, Chase, and Jett are all single. Although they date and sleep around a lot, Abel and I are the only exclusive couple. I wish they had a steady date. It would make our relationship so much easier for me. It’s not easy being the only girl h
anging out with Abel’s single friends. The guys want Abel to party with them, and sometimes, most of the time, he just wants to hang out with me.
“‘bout time, the party’s almost over.” Jett slaps Abel on his shoulder in a friendly gesture.
We peek inside the large house and the party is in full swing. “Yeah, looks pretty dead in there.”
“C’mon, drinks are on me,” Chase teases.
I toss and turn in my sleep, and my breathing’s labored.
We walk in and some guys are immediately being inappropriate towards me. Abel squares his shoulders and holds me close. Chase, Jett, Slade, I, and then Abel walk through the crowd to the kitchen where the drinks are. We dance, drink, and talk. I feel like I’m being watched, but when I scan the room, I don’t see anyone. I dismiss it and blame it on the alcohol.
I remember drinks, and music, and dancing. I remember cat calls, inappropriate remarks, and hands where they shouldn’t be. I remember fuzzy thoughts, blurred visions, and mumbled laughter.
I toss, and turn, and whimper.
I remember a fight with Abel, with yelling and screaming. We were fighting. We never fight. Why were we fighting? Guys are waiting and watching. Why are they waiting and watching? Did I want to leave? Did I want to stay at the party? Abel was mean. I remember drinks, lots and lots of drinks. I remember blood, and sirens, and sterile rooms. I remember… pain, excruciating pain.
“No!” I scream.
I raise up in bed blinking rapidly. Where am I? My heart is racing. My hair is stuck to my tears on my cheeks and the sweat on my neck. Standing in the doorway is a terrified-looking, blonde-haired girl clutching her robe closed in front of her. Abel is standing next to her, looking broken. Arms wrap around me and I jump.
Blake. My husband. I’m safe. It’s a nightmare. The night Abel hurt me, haunts me. I don’t talk about it, I can’t. I pull the covers up to my chest and try to get my breathing under control. Blake moves my hair from my face and neck. Abel holds Savannah Mae close. He knows. He knows what my nightmare was about. They all do.
“I’m sorry, I had a dream. I didn’t mean to…”
Rose Farm Trilogy Boxset Page 40