| |
Madeline clutched her hands to the wooden arms of the old chair. “I don’t know what the truth is anymore,” she said. “Evan and I dated all through high school and college.” She shrugged. “I thought he was the one.”
Sam gave her a black scowl of a stare. “And you never noticed he’s a real piece of work?”
“He partied a lot,” she said, ignoring Sam’s simmering eyes. “We both did. We had some good times and I loved him. Our families were close and ... it just made sense that we’d get married one day.”
Sam’s derisive snort only humiliated her even more. “Sometimes the things that make sense are the worst kind of things for us.”
“Yes,” she said. “Like me thinking I’d get through this weekend with you and not be changed forever.”
The look in his eyes went from angry to accepting. He held her gaze with a heat that had her breaking out in a cold sweat.
“That’s over now. We’re done. I appreciate you helping me write the toast, but tonight had nothing to do with our deal. I came to your defense tonight because he was treating you like a piece of trash. You’re too good and strong to let anyone treat you like that. The rest is up to you.”
His brutal words slapped at Madeline, stinging her with pain. “Thank you for coming to my defense,” she said. “But he won’t be happy being left out there to deal with the sheriff.”
“Not my concern.” He leaned forward. “And it shouldn’t be yours, now, either.”
“I was concerned that he’d kill himself or someone else,” she said, hating the defensiveness in her words.
“So you protected him and enabled him when you were married, right?”
“I tried to keep our marriage together.”
“Call it what you want,” he said, getting up to stare out the window. “But it’s the same thing I watched my mama do with my daddy. And what did she get for her efforts? An early grave.”
Madeline swallowed the bile rising in her throat. “I’m sorry for what you went through, Sam. And ... I’m sorry that I tried to cover for Evan so many times. But I did finally come to my senses.”
“What was the final straw for you?” he asked. “What finally made you see the light of day?”
Madeline shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. I ended it.”
“But I need to know,” he said, his head slanted to one side. “I need to understand.”
Madeline got up. “I’m feeling better now,” she said. “I should get home. We’ve got a big day tomorrow.”
Sam blocked the door. “So you don’t want to talk about this, right?”
“Right,” she said. “You said we’re done. You have your best man wedding toast written and ready to go and I think we’ve done a number on Evan. No more games.”
“No more games,” Sam said, nodding. “But ... what about the truth?”
“What do you want to hear, Sam?” she finally said. “That I loved my husband to the point of overlooking his flaws. That I believed him when he got drunk and told me that I’d never find anyone else to love me? That I wanted the perfect marriage, the perfect life, or that I tried to be the wife he needed?”
Stopping, she stared up at Sam, all the horrible memories coming back. “Well, there you have it. I covered for him and made excuses for him. I drove into Shreveport so many nights, telling my parents and friends we were having a romantic time in the city, when really, I had to make sure we got a hotel room so he wouldn’t drive the forty miles to get home.”
Wiping at her eyes, she said, “I’m not proud but ... I was beat down and criticized and humiliated so much that I just kept trying to fix things. Of course, things couldn’t be fixed.”
She tried to leave again, but this time Sam stopped her with a gentle tug and pulled her into his arms. “Did he tell you that you weren’t desirable? Did he tell you that the things you did were awful? Did he tell you that he left you because you just didn’t make him happy anymore?”
She bobbed her head, too embarrassed to look at him.
“I know all those tricks, Maddie,” he whispered in her ear.
Madeline finally looked up at him, understanding in her whisper. “Did you father do that your mother?”
He shook his head. “No, darlin’. The woman I thought I loved did that. To me. I thought she loved me. But she was a drunk and a drug user and she used me, too, and then told me to get lost when I tried to help her.”
Then he leaned down, his face inches from hers. “You see, I followed in my mother’s footsteps. Enabling was all I knew. So that’s what I did—because I thought it equaled love.”
Madeline couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “You loved someone in the same way I did? In the wrong way?”
He nodded. “I bought her booze and I covered for her when she didn’t show up at work. I even stood watch when she met up with her dealer. I used to hate how my mother acted with my daddy, but I became that same person. The caretaker, the enabler, the one who tried to be perfect to compensate for the sick one.”
Madeline could see it all there between them. She lost all hope in ever having any kind of future with Sam. “And I asked you to do the same thing when I tried to get back at Evan. No drugs or alcohol involved, but you still felt used.”
“Yes. But I thought I could deal with it. I can’t. I won’t be anybody’s enabler again.” He moved out of her way. “And I’m not sure you’re ready to stop covering for him. Even now. So I have to end this before it ever begins. I won’t go through that again with anyone, no matter where I’m standing, no matter what I see right in front of me. After the wedding, I’m leaving. And really, we both knew going in that this could never become anything more than a fun weekend.”
Madeline saw the resolve in his eyes.
He loathed her kind. He didn’t believe in weakness and that’s what he saw in her. A weakness that might not be cured, no matter what. That’s what he’d been running from inside himself. No wonder he became a warrior. He was fighting a battle with himself and the world.
“I’m sorry, Sam,” she said. Then she wiped her eyes and walked out of the cabin.
But she wanted to turn around and tell him that he was wrong. So wrong. Because she’d let him pull her away from Evan’s hold over her. He’d done that for her. He’d changed her and made her see what her sisters had tried to tell her.
She had to let go of the past and what might have been.
And she had to start by being completely honest with all the people she loved. Including the amazing man she’d met only a few days ago.
Madeline woke with a start the next morning.
She’d overslept so now she was late to help with setting up for the reception at her parents’ house. The memory of Sam’s reaction to what she’d done last night still pierced her like a thorn in her side. But really, it was better to have the truth out in the open with him than to go on with so much baggage weighing her down. They’d never had a chance anyway. This had just been a misguided weekend diversion.
One thing she knew. She was done with Evan Parker. Done with trying to get even with him. Done. Period. Over.
Her cell rang and she jumped straight up when she saw Evan’s caller ID. Did she dare answer?
She didn’t, but Evan left a message:
“You think you’re so cute, don’t you?” He called her a few choice names. “I spent the night in the parish jail thanks to you. But I’m having the last laugh. I’ve got people over at your parents’ house right now, removing my tent and tables. You figure out how to deal with that, since you’re so smart.”
Madeline bolted out of bed. Her daddy wouldn’t allow this.
But her dad was probably already aware if he’d stayed home from church to get everything in place before the reception tonight. They’d set up the big, open tent and the tables and chairs yesterday. Today was all about finishing the decorations and adding the last minute touches.
Throwing on her clothes, Madeline didn’t even bother with her car. She ran down the street to her parents’ house and sure enough, there sat a Parker Enterprises truck and two burly men were loading it with the tables and chairs they’d brought here yesterday.
“Stop,” she said. “You can’t move this stuff. We have a wedding reception here tonight.”
“Not anymore,” one of the men said as he pushed past her. “I have my orders to remove our setup.”
Her dad came stomping out the back door. “I don’t know what’s going on, but they’re taking everything.”
“I’ll handle this, Daddy.” Madeline hit Evan’s name in her phone.
“I guess that got your attention,” he shouted into the phone. “If you have me thrown in jail, I have to take back my stuff. And I want my car keys, too, by the way.”
“We rented this stuff, Evan. Don’t let what I did ruin Michelle’s wedding.”
“I don’t give a flip about Michelle’s precious wedding,” he said. “I only came back for Mardi Gras. I never planned on being at the wedding. Why would I want to sit through that?”
Madeline’s sense of regret increased two-fold. “But you did plan on tormenting me, didn’t you?”
“Hey, you had your chance last night. Looks like you have some kind of protector. I hear he’s the best man. Well, you and he can figure out what to do next.”
“I have figured it out,” Madeline shouted into the phone. “I’m calling your competition. Mr. Tatum will be glad to help me.”
“Are you sure about that?”
“Very sure,” Madeline said. “You won’t get away with this. Michelle and Brodie will have their reception whether you like it or not.”
“Whatever,” Evan said. “But you’ll still get my bill.”
“Bring it,” Madeline said. “You’ll never do business in this town again.”
She ended the call before Evan could retaliate. She didn’t care anymore what he did or didn’t do. Then she hit the number for Majestic Tents and Events. She’d done everything to make this wedding a good one for her sister, and she wasn’t about to stop now.
She just wished her stupidity hadn’t ruined this and ... how Sam felt about her. He’d never forget last night and he’d never forget what she’d brought out between them.
And he probably couldn’t forgive himself for even thinking about getting involved with her.
Two hours later, the entire Sonnier clan moved back and forth from the truck, full of tables and chairs that Mr. Tatum had personally brought, to the house. While they did that, Madeline’s daddy and Uncle Jaybo helped Mr. Tatum set up the big, open tent that would cover the reception area.
Brodie had shown up earlier to help and Michelle had wanted to come, too, but Madeline had told her to stay in and get ready for her wedding. “We’ve got it under control.”
Now, Madeline was issuing orders to anyone who would listen, her head booming with a tension headache.
“If we get all of this done, I can put out the decorations I brought over yesterday,” Madeline told Melissa. “Thanks for coming to help.”
“I wouldn’t miss this,” Melissa said. “I knew Evan would find a way to make you suffer. What a jerk.”
Madeline agreed, but she didn’t want to talk about Evan. She wondered where Sam was. Surely he hadn’t left. He would probably stay out of sight until the last minute.
“Good thing we kept this simple,” Ruby said as she brought out buckets of baby’s breath, roses, and lilies the florist had dropped off yesterday. “Maddie, don’t worry. It’s all going to work out.”
After arguing with the men who’d come to load up the rental equipment, her parents had scanned the empty yard and listened to Madeline sitting on a bench making frantic phone calls.
They’d looked at each other and then at her.
“Maddie, what happened?” her dad asked after she finished her calls.
“Evan and I had words last night,” she said. “Because he’s an alcoholic and he called me when he was too drunk to drive. He wanted to get back together—or rather—cheat on his new wife with me, but I said no and he got mad. He’s had a drinking problem for years and I tried to cover it up. But last night, I let the sheriff deal with him. I’m done with all that. He’s angry because the sheriff took him to jail, so he sent people to remove everything we’d rented from him. I’ve called in reinforcements. We can talk about it later.”
No one had bothered her after that. Her mom and dad had immediately starting working on getting things right again. They had about six hours.
She’d held it together so far on caffeine and sheer willpower. But when she looked up and saw Sam strolling toward her, carrying an electric heater to keep them warm tonight, tears pricked at Madeline’s eyes.
Melissa glanced from her to Sam. “This is about more than just Evan being a moron, isn’t it?”
Madeline nodded but she couldn’t speak. “My life is a mess,” she whispered, her gaze on Sam. “And I didn’t even see that until I met him.”
Melissa gave her a commiserating glance. “Well, now you can fix it.”
Madeline doubted that. “No, right now we have to get Michelle married to Brodie. After that, I plan to collapse into a ball and have myself a good cry.”
Melissa patted Madeline on the back. “I feel your pain. In fact, I just might join you.”
Madeline hugged her little sister close. “That’d be good.”
She glanced over to where Sam was setting up the space heater. He turned and caught her staring at him. Then he started walking toward her.