Southern Hearts (Southern Love Series)

by Thorn, Ava

  "You okay?" Shane asked again. Looking over at her, he could tell she was fighting the urge to vomit.

  "Yeah," she said in an effort to clear her throat.

  Farrah eyed Shane's cell phone. Temptation told her to call Austin. Just to hear his voice. She wished she could turn her emotions off so she wouldn't feel the pain of losing the man she loved. She thought she would be fine by now. Sighing, she shook off the feeling of missing Austin. It would probably take forever to get over him, but eventually she would.

  "Wow!" she said excitedly as the wind whipped wildly around them; they had finally made it to the coast.

  The Natural Pool was utterly breathtaking; as waves crashed over the rocks, she understood why people said it was one of Aruba's gems. This was a part of heaven, a hidden pool surrounded by volcanic rocks. Farrah immediately took out her camera and snapped pictures of the rocks and the pool. She turned her attention to Shane, who stood before her wearing swim trunks.

  "Enjoying the view?" Shane smirked and took the camera away from Farrah.

  "Hey, I wasn't finished," Farrah said.

  As they continued checking out their surroundings, it was evident that she had been caught staring at Shane's physique.

  "Well, I'll be damned, the lady is blushing," Shane said, stepping closer to Farrah.

  "No, I'm actually shielding my eyes from the sun, which is so blasted bright," she lied.

  She moved past him and took off her sarong, revealing a two-piece bathing suit in snake print metallic.

  "Close your mouth before a fly gets in there," she said, laughing.

  "Welcome to Cura di Tortuga, or as us native people like to call it, Conchi," a voice with an islander accent said.

  Farrah saw an old woman standing next to them wearing a huge, bright yellow sun hat. "Hi. I'm Farrah, and this is Shane," Farrah said with a smile.

  "I'm Pala. I live over there. I'm here every day greeting tourists who venture to the pool." Pala paused and looked at Farrah strangely. "I also read auras."

  "Oh. Okay." Farrah chuckled uneasily; the last thing she needed was to be around some crazy, eccentric island woman.

  "I can sense your hesitation." Pala clucked her tongue. "I'm going to let you guys enjoy the pool, but I will wait here to read you."

  "Yeah. Thanks." Shane placed his hand at the small of Farrah's back and guided her to the back of the jeep, where he took out their snorkeling gear. "Farrah, are you sure about this?"

  "Shane," Farrah grumbled, taking her gear from him.

  Last night, she had emailed her doctor in Dallas to get permission to go snorkeling, which he said was perfectly fine.

  With her mask and rubber fins in hand, she made her way down to the pool. Shane came up beside her; they made their way down gingerly. Shane and Farrah spent an hour in the pool checking out the awesome, colorful marine life in the basin.

  Sitting on the edge of the pool, Farrah watched as Shane climbed a cliff and jumped into the water. "I'll give him a ten," the woman said.

  Farrah shielded her eyes from the light and looked up; Pala was standing over her.

  "I think you are right." Farrah made room for the older woman to sit next to her on the bench. "You're heartbroken," Pala said softly.

  Farrah's body tensed up as she looked at the woman next to her.

  "I'm sorry, dear. I don't mean to shock you." Pala took Farrah's hand into hers. "He loves you, but he's confused, because being together will only complicate things. Let him come to you."

  "Umm, okay." Farrah didn't really understand the lady; she could be a complete wacko. "You believe in soul mates, right?" Pala asked. "Yes," Farrah said truthfully.

  "The man you love is your soul mate. This baby you carry in your womb is from him and your love. A child made of pure love."

  Farrah put her hand to her stomach; for some reason, she felt like she could talk to Pala. These times had been rough on her, especially since she didn't have a mother to call upon. "Love is not supposed to hurt."

  "Dear, it takes two to love. Love is a choice." Pala smiled. "True love is what you are experiencing; it's that unconditional love. You're hurting right now, but I guarantee you that he is hurting ten times more than you."

  "Maybe," Farrah sighed.

  Pala clicked her tongue and took Farrah's hand into hers. "Give him time. Let him come to you."

  "Farrah, are you okay?" Shane asked as he walked towards them. Farrah noticed he was eyeing Pala suspiciously.

  "Yeah," Farrah said after a while as she continued to watch Pala.

  "Here, son, help me up, would you?" Pala extended her hands to Shane.

  Shane easily helped Pala back onto her feet.

  "Shane, I think you know it's time to let go." Pala paused. "Your aura is deep red."

  "What does that mean?" he asked, looking around them like he was looking for a red light. Farrah laughed; she could tell that Shane wasn't buying what the old woman was saying. Pala and Shane both looked at Farrah.

  "Sorry." She watched the two people attentively.

  "You have a strong will. You are survival oriented, but—" Pala started to say. "But what?" he interrupted.

  "Farrah has a white sparkle surrounding her that represents her pregnancy, and there is also one surrounding you."

  Farrah couldn't control her laughter as she watched Shane's face drop in horror. "Are you serious?" he asked.

  "I wouldn't lie, son. You must have a child on the way." Pala tapped his arm before hiking up the hill.

  "Oh my," Farrah said as she tried to keep a straight face.

  "The old loon is probably crazy," Shane said after a while.

  "Is she, Shane?" Farrah teased. "When was the last time you had sex?"

  Shane dragged his hand down his face. "I'm not telling you the last time I had sex," he said in disbelief.

  "I guess we're in the same boat." She shrugged. "I wonder who's having your baby," she sang.

  Farrah laughed harder when she saw the way Shane cringed as they walked to the jeep.

  Chapter Eleven

  Austin checked his watch for the fourth time. Rebecca was beyond late for their meeting, not to mention she missed the doctor appointment that his assistant, Megan, made for her. Something wasn't right with this picture.

  She is not pregnant echoed in his head; it was what Shane had told him before he'd left with Farrah. Grabbing the picture of Farrah off his desk, he looked it over. He missed watching her cook and listening to her laugh. He cared about, respected, and loved Farrah deeply. He now understood what his mother was preaching to him for so long before she died. He didn't just want to tell Farrah he loved her; he wanted to show her.

  Austin knew he had a lot of making up to do with Farrah, if she would only allow him to show her that he could indeed be the man she wanted in her life. He needed to make amends for his misjudgments. A relationship with Farrah was what he wanted. He wanted to make her his wife and share a lifetime loving, supporting, caring about, and learning from one another.

  Headlights bounced off the walls. Austin peered out of the window to see Rebecca's Mercedes pulling up in the circular driveway. Leaving his office, he went to the living room to wait for Rebecca and the argument that was surely about to happen.

  "I'm here—" Rebecca looked down at the suitcase on the floor.

  "Rebecca, come have a seat," he said.

  "I will stand," she said dryly.

  Austin threw his hands in the air. "Have it your way. There is no easy way for me to say this, Rebecca, but I'm not going through with this wedding."

  "What about me and the baby? We're supposed to raise our child in a two-parent household!" she cried.

  Austin's eyes went to Rebecca's small stomach, which didn't show any signs of being pregnant. He missed her first pregnancy check-up due to a concert, but the one time that he was geared up to go, she said the appointment had been canceled.

  Walking over to the table, Austin picked up the small brown paper bag.

  "Rebec
ca, if you are pregnant with my child, I will take care of it, but I will not waste another moment being away from the woman I love."

  Rebecca put her hand on her stomach. "You loved me before she came into the picture. Maybe we should take a trip and get back to the way we used to be. Let's postpone the wedding and just go away for a while," Rebecca begged.

  "Rebecca." Austin tossed the brown bag to her. "In the bag there's a home pregnancy test." Austin registered shock on Rebecca's face.

  "You want me to take a freaking test?" she shouted.

  "Yes." Austin sat there on the sofa and watched Rebecca weigh her options.

  "Fine," she said, rushing off to the bathroom.

  Austin folded his fingers and thought about what Megan had told him when he asked his assistant if she thought Rebecca was pregnant.

  "Rebecca said the doctor appointment was canceled," Megan said as she walked into the office carrying the planner that had his schedule.

  "How many weeks is she supposed to be?" Austin asked.

  "I think ten weeks, or something. I will talk to Rebecca about the next appointment," Megan said before walking out of the office.

  "Do you think she is really pregnant?" Austin asked.

  "Honestly…" She paused, staring at him. "No. Some women will say any and everything to keep a man," Megan said as she left the room.

  Rebecca came back into the living room without the pregnancy test. Getting on her knees, she kneeled in front of him. "I love you so much," she sobbed.

  Austin had to hand it to Rebecca; her acting right now could win her an Oscar.

  "Where is the test?" He frowned.

  Rebecca put her hand on her stomach. "Please don't do this, Austin."

  "Why?" he shouted. "Is it because your dad disowned you and divorced your mother? Is that why you lied about a baby?"

  Rebecca's face turned red, and her hands started to tremble. "I love you," she cried.

  "You don't know what love is, Rebecca!" he shouted as he moved away from her.

  Rebecca snickered. "I don't know what love is? You ran around with that woman, parading her around New York like some prize."

  "How did you know she was in New York?" Austin watched as Rebecca tried to think of a lie.

  "What?" she stuttered.

  "How do you know she was in New York with me?" he said through clenched teeth as he took a step towards her.

  "TMZ," she answered.

  Austin knew Rebecca was lying; she had a bad habit of twirling her hair when she lied.

  "You had me followed. You concocted this fake pregnancy."

  "I did it to keep you." Rebecca wiped her tears. "Is that what you wanted to hear?"

  "No, Rebecca, all I wanted was the truth," he said softly. "I tried to walk away from you with dignity and respect."

  "Walk away from me? Dignity and respect?" she huffed. "Canceling our wedding because you couldn't keep your dick in your pants!"

  Austin lost the last bit of patience he had with Rebecca. "Look! I wasn't even intimate with Farrah before I knew that marrying you would be a bad mistake. Someone told me that people are only in your life for a reason, just like me and you. I found my anchor, and hopefully one day you will find yours."

  "I'm not done yet." Rebecca slapped him across the face.

  "Get out!" he yelled. "The New York apartment locks will change. There is a cab outside to take you to wherever you want to go."

  "Fuck you!" Rebecca screamed as she pulled her suitcase out of the house.

  Austin cringed as Rebecca slammed the front door on her way out.

  Picking up the phone, Austin called Shane. For the past week, he had been calling him to check on Farrah. During their conversations, he could feel that Shane was keeping something from him. When he called Shane's phone and there was no answer, Austin tried Farrah's phone, but realized at the last moment that Farrah had changed her phone number. He didn't expect her to relay her new number to him, especially with everything that happened between them.

  Austin always wanted to keep his personal life private. However, he knew that now, with the breakup with Rebecca, it would be anything but possible. He decided at that moment that he wouldn't lie or back down to other people's opinions. Picking up the phone, he dialed Samuel's number.

  "I want to release a statement regarding my breakup with Rebecca and my affair with Farrah."

  "Are you sure? This could be a career ending move for you." Austin rolled his eyes at Samuel's theatrics.

  "I don't care, I will not live a lie, nor will I allow people to treat Farrah harshly because we love one another."

  "Austin, I need you to think about this."

  "No, I made my decision. Also, I want to do magazine interviews to get the word out that my engagement with Rebecca is off."

  "I will have a statement sent to your e-mail within five minutes. I also have GQ and People magazines on standby."

  Austin chuckled and ran his hand through his hair. "You knew this was coming?"

  "I knew that you were in love with Ms. Rue when you walked into my office and started to demand I help her. Not to mention that your eyes do this weird thing when you say her name."

  Austin laughed. "God, I probably have it bad."

  "You bought the woman a ranch in Tennessee, not to mention giving her your mother's horse."

  "I love her," he said simply. "I can't picture my life without her."

  Austin thought about what he had just said. It was the truth. He couldn't picture himself living without Farrah. With Rebecca, he couldn't imagine them having a family, his career and life together. She wanted to live separately and didn't want to be part of his career or live at the ranch, which was part of him. If he had married

  Rebecca, it wouldn't have been because he was in love with her; it would have been because it felt right at the moment, or because Rebecca had been there for him when his mother died. But during the wedding planning, Rebecca's behavior—and his own—proved to him that they weren't perfect together.

  Something happened to him when he met Farrah Rue. He couldn't picture himself without her by his side. He couldn't imagine having children with anyone but Farrah. His mother asked him if he could see himself growing old with Rebecca; he used to ignore that question, but now he knew the answer. He couldn't imagine growing old with anyone but Farrah.

  ***

  "Shane, I promise I will be okay." Farrah sat on the bed watching Shane pack. Since Pala had read their auras, she'd watched the well-kept man become nervous and scared that the reading was true. "So, who is she?"

  "Who is who?"

  "The woman you've been trying to reach for the past three days." Farrah tossed him the t-shirt on the floor.

  "Maybe I shouldn't go. You are pregnant with my cousin's baby. I shouldn't leave," he said, looking at her.

  "No," Farrah interrupted. "For three days, I watched you toss and turn. Not to mention you've been staring into space since Pala's revelations regarding your pending fatherhood."

  "Fine." Shane sat down on the bed. "When my wife died a year ago, let's just say a blast from the past was there to comfort and help me during the first anniversary of my wife's death."

  "Who is she?" Farrah asked.

  "Jasmine St. Clair," Shane mumbled and leaned back on the bed. "Her brother is my best friend and partner. One night, when she came to see how I was doing, something happened between us. One thing led to another, and before you know it…"

  "Okay, okay. I understand." Farrah made a face. "Do you think Jasmine is pregnant?"

  "Jasmine won't return my phone calls, nor will she talk to me."

  "Oh." Farrah tossed more clothes into Shane's suitcase.

  "I'm going to Denver."

  Farrah half-listened as Shane rambled off the hotel where he would be staying. "Shane, I will be okay. I'm leaving in a few days."

  "You still have the key to my house?" He zipped up his luggage and looked at her.

  "Yes, Daddy," Farrah teased.

 
"I'm just making sure. I will call every day to check on you," he promised.

  The honk of the horn signaled that the taxi was there to take Shane to the airport.

  "Why don't you call him?" he asked.

  Farrah shook her head. "No."

  "I tried." Shane kissed her forehead and waved goodbye as he got into the taxi.

  One thing Farrah had realized about herself during her stay in Aruba was that she always ran away from her problems instead of approaching them head-on. Sitting in front of her computer, she toyed with the decision to buy a ticket to go back to Louisiana. Rubbing her stomach, Farrah bought the ticket. She needed to see her grandmother even if they were on bad terms. A part of Farrah needed the closure of the past. Some nights she still woke up from nightmares of her father waking her up and telling her that he had killed her momma. She needed to forgive her grandmother and Frederick for the past. In a few months, she would be bringing a son or daughter into this world. Her grandmother was the only family member she had left in the world, and it was time they made amends.

  Chapter Twelve

  "They remain friends and thank their families for their continuous support for all this time. Reports circulated early this month that Austin McBride allegedly had an affair with twenty-seven-year-old chef Farrah Rue, who was the caterer for their wedding."

  Austin swished around the Jack Daniel's in his glass as he watched the breaking news on the entertainment channel regarding his breakup with Rebecca. He knew people were speculating about their breakup, but he didn't care. It felt like a ton of bricks was lifted off him. He looked at his phone for the third time that night. He had to beg and plead with the fire marshal to give him Farrah's number. The man finally gave it to him after Austin gave him his season Dallas Cowboys tickets. He'd called Farrah over ten times, and she wouldn't pick up or call him back. Turning off the TV, he sat in the dark, quiet room, staring absently at his phone's bright screen.

  Picking up his cell phone, he called Shane and was surprised when his cousin answered the phone. "I just want to know how Farrah's doing," he said.

  "Farrah is okay. She needed this vacation to get away from her problems," Shane replied.