Love, Alabama (Alabama Series Book 2) Read online

  Matthew laughed. “Dude, do you really consider this a problem?”

  Ben’s expression was anxious and comical. “You have no idea. I can’t go to the bathroom without some aggressive female suggesting we find a more private place to get better acquainted. Some want to hookup and some want to get married on the spot. If you weren’t dating my sister, I’d beg you to help me out.”

  “We’re going to have to start a herpes rumor, honey. Maybe that’ll keep them at bay for a little while.” Maeve suggested.

  Everyone laughed except Ben. “Don’t you dare. That could hurt my business.”

  “Just trying to help, little brother.” She patted his hand.

  He scowled, his too-handsome features not quite pulling it off. Emma was enjoying this family time. Everyone’s lives had become so busy lately that it was rare to spend time with her siblings just enjoying a wonderful evening. Having such a handsome date was a bonus.

  She glanced beside her at Matthew. He was staring at her intently, his gaze smoldering. Oh, my. It was a good thing she was sitting down, or her knees would have certainly buckled.

  *

  “Oh, dear. This can’t be good.” Jo Jo said from the other end of the table.

  But it didn’t quite register for Emma until she heard Tad’s slurring bellow.

  “You! You think you’re going to come to my town and show me up. Who the hell do you think you are? Nobody makes a fool of Tad Beaumont.”

  Except Tad Beaumont, apparently. Tad swayed, obviously stinking drunk. His tie hung, his shirt was halfway untucked, and his hair stood straight up on one side. He was a mess. And he was clearly out of control.

  Sadie tried to step in. “Tad, honey, I know the good people don’t want to see you yelling in public.” She tried to speak in a loud hissing whisper that he would hear but low enough not to be heard by everyone.

  The music stopped. The crowd hushed.

  But Tad wasn’t to be quieted. He shoved Sadie away, causing her to lose her balance in her high heels and stumble on the flagstone patio. Fortunately, someone caught her before she actually bit the concrete. Matthew stood. Emma stood right beside him.

  “You know I used to date Emma Laroux. Isn’t she beautiful?” A kind of goofy smile kind of slid into place, transforming his angry visage into a kind of adoring, puppy dog one. Matthew put his arm around her in a proprietary gesture, or maybe a protective one, she wasn’t sure.

  Emma spoke. “Tad, please go home. You’re drunk.”

  His face hardened. “Yes. I’m drunk. But not too drunk to tell you something, to tell everybody something. I loved you back then. You were perfect—hell, you were Miss Alabama and were destined to be Miss America. But you screwed it all up, didn’t you? And him”—he pointed directly at Matthew—“I remember him.”

  “That’s enough.” Matthew, quick as lightening came over the table and punched Tad in the jaw.

  It put him down on the ground, but it didn’t knock him out.

  Tad struggled to get up and spat the words at her. “If you’d stayed put that night after I gave you that drink and not gone out wandering around, everything would have been fine. That’s why I broke up with you, you know? Because you screwed it all up—”

  Before he could say any more, Junior, Ben, and Matthew had him dragged around the side of the house. Emma was standing, open-mouthed, not quite able to process what she’d heard.

  Mom and Howard arrived as Tad was being escorted out, not quite on his feet. “Oh, dear. What just happened?” Mom noticed Emma’s obviously pale face and distressed expression then. “Heavens, what did that young man say to you, Emma?”

  “I—I’m not sure. But something he said or didn’t say makes me think I don’t know everything about what happened ten years ago between us.”

  “Come over here and sit.” Her mother led her toward the nearest chair.

  The crowd was murmuring. The excitement of Mayor Tad getting shit-faced, losing his cool, and professing his lost love for Emma Laroux had been as titillating a bit of scandal that would furnish the gossips enough fodder to last at least a week.

  “Oh, Mom, this is your wedding day. I’m so sorry about all this.”

  “Nonsense. Something was bound to happen. You can’t gather this many folks together and booze them up without such goings-on.” Her mother dismissed the issue with a wave of her hand.

  Howard hovered, obviously concerned. “Can I get someone champagne? Water?” He asked, clearly uncertain of how to handle distressed females.

  Emma appreciated his need to help. “Water, if you don’t mind, Howard. And, thanks.” She gave him a small smile.

  He saluted as if he were performing a lifesaving mission on foreign soil. That had been his specialty in a previous life.

  “Okay, what happened?” Mom asked.

  “Tad started yelling at Matthew for out-dancing him and showing him up in his town, like some jealous teenager. Then, he told everyone how much he used to love me and how I screwed it all up.” Emma didn’t wish to drag up all the confusing past stuff that she’d never really explained to her family.

  They’d pressed, but since she’d never really known exactly what had happened that night, she’d given excuses and vague reasons instead of hard facts. Tad had mentioned a drink that night. She had no memory of him giving her a drink that night. But it had been a long time ago.

  “Tad always seems so polite and controlled in his actions. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him behave that way,” Mom said.

  “Me either. I’m not sure why he’s been acting so weird about Matthew either,” Emma said.

  “Clearly, he feels threatened. Tad does have a pretty huge ego, there’s no denying that,” her mother said.

  “Clearly. But he was so pissed. And so drunk.”

  “Should I clear everyone out?” Howard asked as he handed Emma the water.

  “Emma?” Her mother looked to her.

  “Absolutely not. I don’t want to give his behavior any more importance than it deserves. And it doesn’t deserve any.”

  Howard grinned proudly. “You’re a strong girl, aren’t you? Just like your mother.”

  Matthew, Ben, and Junior returned then.

  “What happened?” Emma asked.

  “We put him in the back seat. Sadie said she would leave him there to sleep it off if he couldn’t make it inside by himself when they get home,” Ben said.

  “Do you think he would get physically violent with Sadie?” she asked.

  Emma hadn’t ever known Tad to be violent, but his behavior lately had been odd, and bordering on bizarre.

  “We asked her and she said, ‘no,’” Ben answered.

  “I don’t know what’s gotten into him lately,” Emma said. “He’s never behaved like this.”

  “He’s always been a bit of a dick, Emma. You just prefer to ignore him. And we all know he’s been less than supportive when you’ve dated men in the past,” Ben said.

  “What do you mean?” she asked her brother.

  Her thoughts from earlier in the evening, beginning to resurface.

  “Why do you think everyone you’ve ever dated has mysteriously broken it off or things just haven’t worked out?” He asked.

  “I guess I haven’t looked at it that hard. I really wasn’t that interested in a relationship with any of those guys, so I didn’t worry too much about it.”

  Ben shook his head. “Because maybe you didn’t think you deserved to be happy or expected things to go wrong?”

  She sighed. “Maybe.”

  Ben took the bossy brother tone with her. “Look, Emma. As big of a pain as your family has been, we’ve noticed your lack of effort when it’s come to dating. And I, for one, also noticed that things, for whatever reason, always conveniently end after a date or two. I’m putting two and two together. I believe Tad is behind your not having any long-term dating relationships.”

  Emma wasn’t sure how to respond or react. “I’ve never thought much about it. Thing
s have always ended so conveniently. People’s jobs ended, or they were transferred someplace else. Or their old girlfriends showed up. I’m seeing the pattern.”

  *

  Matthew had been silent all this time. Tad had mentioned recognizing him to Emma. She hadn’t said anything about that yet. There was so much happening right now that she likely hadn’t processed that yet. But she would. Of course, he still had to tell her they’d met before. Suddenly, she was vulnerable after Tad’s bringing up the past and throwing it in her face. With Ben now forcing her to question Tad’s machinations in her life over the last ten years, Emma would need to come to terms with a lot of anger toward Tad.

  Discovering Matthew’s deception might be more than she was ready to deal with right now. He knew for a fact he wasn’t ready to face that music, and with the non-celebratory family reunion looming next weekend, he preferred to slip away without added worry. Maybe his leaving town for a few days was good—cowardly, but best for them to deal with what they each needed to face.

  Matthew had no intention of exposing Emma to his mother anytime soon, that was for damn sure; mainly because there was no way of controlling what flew out of Mom’s mouth at any given moment.

  “Oh, my Lord, y’all, what in the world happened with Sadie and Tad? I couldn’t get through the crowd on my scooter. I even tried honking my horn, but nobody paid me any mind.” Judith pushed a button, which indeed resulted in an obnoxious Model T aar-u-u-ugah horn sound, cutting short the frustrating train of Matthew’s thoughts.

  Emma turned toward her and appeared uncertain about how much information to share. “Tad had way too much to drink, Judith. I’m not sure why he was so angry though. He wasn’t making a lot of sense.”

  Judith narrowed her eyes. “He’s jealous. You know he’s so used to being top dog around here that he hates it when anybody gets attention besides him. He thinks he’s some kind of stud or something.” Judith batted her lashes at Matthew. “We’ve got a few studs around here these days, now, don’t we?” Judith laughed and fanned herself with her hand like a character straight out of Gone With the Wind. “Sadie can fill me in when Tad’s not around tomorrow. I’ll let you know if there’s anything you need to know.” She winked at Matthew, then wheeled her scooter around like a NASCAR driver, causing a few guests to jump quickly out of the way, lest they lose a toe or two. “Toodles, y’all.”

  Emma shook her head. “I was going to ask how she was feeling, but I guess I got my answer.”

  “It’s a good thing the two of you are friends now. I wouldn’t want to be on her list of enemies, that’s for sure,” Matthew said.

  “Tell me about it. One of my more inspired decisions,” Emma said.

  The rest of the evening proved to be far less mired in drama, thankfully. Matthew’s hand was currently resting in a cup of shaved ice after the punch he’d delivered to Tad’s deceptively solid jaw.

  “Are you ready to head out?” Emma asked.

  “Sure. Do you need to help your mother with anything else?”

  “She suggested we get going. The cleaning crew will arrive early in the morning to get things back in order. I’ll go say my goodbyes if you want to get the car.”

  Matthew resisted shaking hands with Junior on the way out just in case his hand had a slight fracture. A clean break might be the result should he do so. The family were all gathering their things and saying goodbyes. He was hugged, kissed, and pretty much treated like one of them as he made his way toward the exit to retrieve the car.

  Emma sighed once she was inside, closing her eyes. “I don’t even know how to feel right now.”

  “You don’t have to put it into words. Sometimes you can’t name it,” he said, fully understanding what she meant.

  She reached over and covered his hand with hers. “Can you drop me at my house? I think I need to be alone with all this tonight.” She made a rotating motion around her head, indicating her brain.

  “Of course. I had a really great time, up until I punched the mayor.”

  She smiled. “I’m okay with your punching him. He needed punching a long time ago. Everyone is afraid to piss him off. Afraid he’ll get them fired or stopped by the police and given a bogus ticket. But nobody ever says it out loud. Maybe I’m imagining it, but my eyes are beginning to open with regards to him even more than before. I wonder what else he’s been responsible for around here.”

  “Probably whatever he’s wanted to be.”

  Matthew pulled up in front of her house, killed the engine, and came around to open her door.

  She’d taken her shoes off at some point and carried them in her hand. “Thank you.”

  “I’ll be walking you to the door, if that’s alright.”

  She laughed. “Of course. I hope you understand why I need a little space tonight.”

  He turned her toward him when they reached her front door. “I understand. Just like you understood my panic attack. Sometimes we have to work things out. But, Emma, I hope you know how much I like you, and that you can trust me.”

  “I do trust you, Matthew. And that’s saying something for me.” She stood on her tiptoes and gently kissed his lips. “Goodnight, Matthew.”

  Why had he said that? Why had he pushed her to admit her trust for him? For him, the one who was currently withholding truth? What he should have done was encourage her to guard herself against him and maintain her historical belief that men weren’t worth the time and effort, because they would eventually let her down. Because, in the end, he was going to hurt her and let her down, wasn’t he? It was unavoidable now. Even if he figured out a way to explain why he hadn’t told her who he was at the farmhouse on that first day the instant he’d recognized her. But he’d hesitated, then he’d waited until a better opportunity presented itself. Frankly, he’d been terrified to bring it up. There wouldn’t ever be a good time to broach the subject of that fateful night ten years ago, because the more he’d gotten to know Emma, the more he understood the reality of what that night had meant to her.

  It had been a turning point in her life. She hadn’t said as much, but after being around her family, listening and absorbing the things they’d said in bits of conversation with her and about her, it was clear. That night had changed everything for Emma Laroux. In a very extreme and destructive way. It had made her doubt herself as a woman.

  Whatever occurred just before he’d whisked her away that night, away from Tad, he now knew after plugging in the timeline from fragments of information, her life had changed course. Like a young river suddenly dammed up and forced to flow in an unexpected direction, she’d been trying to navigate a new course that hadn’t ever really gotten back on track. Had Matthew made a mistake in removing her from the situation back then? Or had he gotten there too late?

  She seemed haunted in some way. And judging by her reaction to Tad’s drunken accusations, there was something she needed to figure out about that night they’d all been present for ten years ago. A mystery that needed solving.

  Chapter Eleven

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  Tad was determined to rid his town of the scourge that was Matthew Pope. First, he would figure out where he’d seen him or met him before. The guy had attended Auburn back around the time he’d been at Alabama. He was certain they’d overlapped someplace in the past? Had Pope been in a fraternity? Tad was fortunate enough in his many contacts and position of power that a background check and an inquiry through certain channels might just yield the information he sought.

  If nothing turned up, which he doubted, then he would figure out a way to get Matthew replaced by his network, or, as a last result, pull the plug on the filming of Cammie’s show. That would be too bad because the show had put their little town on the map lately. There’d been an increase in tourism in the past couple months, and that was a shot in the arm for everyone. He wouldn’t let it be said that Mayor Tad Beaumont didn’t have the best interests of Ministry, Alabama as his first priority—just so long as he could get rid of Matthew Pop
e in the process.

  He was doing the right thing, here, looking out for Emma. She had no business getting so cozy with this guy. He was sleazy, and obviously hiding something. It hadn’t gone beyond Tad’s notice how the guy nearly wet his pants when Tad said he’d recognized him from someplace. His expression was dead-busted guilty. Too bad Emma hadn’t noticed. So now, Tad just needed to get to the bottom of who Matthew really was, or more accurately, who he used to be. Sure, he was a bona fide TV guy now, but Tad never forgot a face or a name. And it was rare that he couldn’t put the two together. He’d been called a dog with a bone when he couldn’t figure something out. And he would figure this out.

  Last night hadn’t gone so well with Sadie. It wasn’t like him to drink so much and behave badly. So far as his sweet wife was concerned, he was a model husband and father—because he was. No one knew about the time he spent thinking about Emma and wishing things had gone differently between them. His self-control was commendable, he believed. As much as he still admired her, he kept his distance. He was careful to spend his private time with her photos. As much as he would like to touch her again—he refrained.

  Seeing her with Matthew Pope’s hands all over her body made him want to retch, in fact, his stomach was currently roiling just remembering last night’s fiasco. Or, maybe it was the large amounts of scotch he’d consumed. Either way, he would have to make this up to Sadie. Apparently, he’d been a brute and nearly knocked her to the ground. That was unacceptable behavior. Fortunately, his townsfolk were loyal to him and would support him, just as he’d so generously led them these past years as their humble public servant.

  Feeling a bit more cheerful after his personal pep-talk, he figured he would need to woo his wife back into a starry-eyed stupor. She wouldn’t question him once she understood that he was just human and was bound to make a mistake from time-to-time. That would be his angle, anyway.

  He picked up the phone to make a quick call to his police chief. Might as well get the ball rolling on solving the Matthew mystery.