by Amber Crewes
“I understand,” she insisted.
“This is what happened with David: security footage was pulled from Oxford Street, and we saw him walking past the area where Thelma was murdered. He was there just moments after she was shot.”
“Seriously?” Meghan asked, her heart racing as she imagined David walking down Oxford Street.
He nodded. “The owner of the bar where Thelma had visited that night, reported that David and Thelma had been there together a few days prior to the shooting. He mentioned that their conversation had been an argument, and he had had to ask them to quiet down.”
She shook her head. “Is there anything else?”
“David threatened her,” Doug said. “The bar owner told us that he and some of his customers had overheard David threatening Thelma and telling her not to mess with him.”
“That doesn’t seem too terrible,” she commented.
“The bar owner reported that David’s tone was threatening, and he was standing over Thelma in an intimidating way,” Doug offered. “We received a tip last night, and we arrested him today. We haven’t charged him yet, but we are gathering more information to press charges as soon as possible.”
She gave him a weak smile. “Thanks for the information,” she said. “I’ll see you later.”
Meghan rushed back to the room where her parents and David were. David sat quietly in a corner, his head buried in his hands, and her parents were standing chest to chest in the center of the room.
“You have no right to speak to me like that,” Rebecca screeched as she stared up into her husband’s face. “I was young, and we were not together. You had just broken up with me. What was I supposed to do?”
“Ummm, fill me in on your little life update when we got back together?”
“Oh yeah? Like you filled me in that you and Mipsy Peterson dated while I was gone? Or that you and Vanessa Lawson went to Mexico while I was away? Yeah, I didn’t think so.”
Henry’s mouth fell open. “How did you know about that?”
“I’m not dumb, Henry. I knew you dated around while we were broken up. Vanessa admitted it to me over a glass of Pinot when I got back to town, and Mipsy’s sister called to tell me that when you and I got engaged.”
Henry’s eyes were wide. “Why didn’t you say anything to me?”
“We were back together,” she snapped. “And your dirty little secrets didn’t really matter to me once I had a ring on my finger.”
“Apparently they matter now!”
“Only because you are judging me for going through with my pregnancy. What was I supposed to do?”
“Tell me,” Henry shouted. “Or not rush into the arms of a musician the second we broke up.”
Meghan turned and quietly left the room. Her parents were both upset, and she wanted to give them space. She walked down the hallway, ready to leave the police station, when she spotted a familiar face.
“Cameron Barrington?” she muttered as she saw his cowboy hat and suit from across the room.
She squinted, and she could just make out the smirk on his round face. “What are you doing at the police station, Cameron Barrington?” she muttered to herself as she watched him strut out. “With a look like that on his face, I think he is up to something.”
21
“S
he’s a liar,” Mellie snarled as they pulled into the airport parking lot. “She prances around like she’s Martha Stewart, insists we use the best manners, and judges us on our outfits, and now, we find out she has a love child?”
It was the next morning, and Meghan and Mellie were waiting for Jack’s plane to arrive.
“She wasn’t even going to tell us, either,” Mellie complained. “If this trash hadn’t been all over the newspaper this morning, she would never have told us she has a love child.”
Meghan bit her lip. The previous evening, her parents had decided that it would be best to keep Rebecca’s secret from the family, at least until after Meghan’s wedding. Her parents were still frustrated with each other, but they were determined to have a united front, especially while Cameron Barrington was spreading lies about them.
Their decision, however, had been overridden by Cameron Barrington himself; that morning, in the Peach Tree Grove Gazette, was a story about Rebecca Truman’s connection to David. Rebecca had been forced to explain her secret to the entire family, and the phone had been ringing off the hook since the early morning.
“It’s just shameful,” Mellie fretted, running a hand through her hair. “First, Daddy goes to jail, and now, Mama has a love child? The entire town will think we are trashy. I am so embarrassed.”
Meghan was also embarrassed, but ultimately, she felt terrible for her mother. Rebecca had been mortified to see the newspaper story, and she had wept as she told her family about David.
“I think Mama is really upset,” Meghan told her sister.
“She had better be upset,” Mellie replied haughtily. “She’s ruined her reputation, she’s tarnished the reputation of our family, and now, she and Daddy might get divorced.”
“Did she tell you that?” Meghan asked in alarm. “A divorce?”
“She didn’t say it outright, but I’m sure Daddy is thinking about it,” Mellie sniffed. “You can’t hide a love child from your husband. That’s just wrong.”
Meghan bit her lip. “Mama stuck with Daddy when he went to jail. Surely they’ll stand by each other now?”
Before Mellie could answer, Meghan’s cell phone rang. “Babe?” Jack greeted her as she answered. “I’m here.”
“Perfect,” she replied in relief. “We’re parked in the lot, but we’ll pull around to the front.”
She started the car and drove to the arrival parking section. Her heart pounded furiously as Jack walked outside dressed in a gray suit; he looked more handsome than she had ever seen him, and she could not wait to kiss him.
She put the car in park and jumped out, racing over to Jack and throwing herself in his arms. “Jack,” she cried as she buried her face in his chest.
“My bride-to-be,” he murmured before kissing her hard on the lips.
“You’re here,” she gushed as she inhaled the musky scent of his cologne. “Finally.”
He returned her to the ground, and she took him by the hand and led him to the car. “You’re looking dapper,” she complimented as she opened the trunk for him to put his bag inside.
“I wanted to impress my in-laws,” he smiled. “What do you think?”
“New suit?” she asked, and he nodded.
“It was on clearance, but it fits well, and I thought it would be a good look to start the trip.”
She glanced around. “The dogs? Are they okay?”
His face fell. “Dash and Siesta had a bad case of… well, you don’t want to know,” he told her.
“They’re at the vet right now, but Pamela and Trudy are going to bring the dogs down when they arrive. Don’t worry.”
She frowned. “I was looking forward to seeing them.”
He kissed her forehead. “But now, you get to see me.”
Meghan opened the door to the backseat. “Hop on in.”
She closed the door behind him and walked back to the driver’s door, getting in and buckling her seatbelt.
Mellie turned to greet Jack. “How do you do, Jack?”
He grinned. “I’m great, Sis. How are you?”
“We aren’t quite brother and sister yet,” she corrected him. “Though, it seems you aren’t the only brother in this family now…”
Jack raised a blonde eyebrow. “What?”
Meghan exhaled loudly. She hadn’t yet explained the situation with David and her mother to Jack yet, but it seemed like Mellie was ready to tell him everything.
“There’s another Truman,” Mellie said flatly. “Well, not a Truman.”
Jack looked at Meghan. “What is she talking about?”
Mellie handed him a copy of the Peach Tree Grove Gazette. Jack gasped. “Babe
? What is this?”
“Before our parents were married, my mom had a son,” she told him matter-of-factly. “He was put up for adoption, and it turns out that they reconnected a few years ago.”
Jack’s blue eyes grew large. “Are you serious? What does your dad think? Why is this in the local newspaper?”
Meghan sighed. “My dad is angry that my mom didn’t tell him. It’s in the newspaper because there was a murder in town, and my parents’ name is being dragged into the situation by the deceased’s husband.”
“Meghan, why didn’t you tell me any of this?” Jack asked in horror.
“I couldn’t reach you,” she said in exasperation. “You weren’t answering my calls or responding to my texts. What was I supposed to do?”
Jack gave her an angry look. “You could have called Chief Nunan and asked for me. There’s always a way to get in touch.”
She shrugged. “I’ve had a lot going on down here,” she hissed. “My family, this giant wedding…”
“Giant wedding? We agreed it would be a small wedding, Meghan. What are you talking about?”
Mellie interjected. “Don’t be silly,” she laughed. “My parents wouldn’t let my sister have a small wedding. It will be huge. Mama said we are expecting over six hundred people.”
Jack’s face paled. “Meghan, we talked about this.”
Mellie shook her head. “Jack, you don’t understand what weddings mean to our family,” she chastised him. “And it’s selfish if you don’t let Meghan have the fairytale wedding of her dreams.”
“It isn’t my dream,” Meghan insisted, but Mellie cut her off.
“The band will be lively, the champagne will be endless, and the caterers are doing a ten-course meal. What else can you ask for? Only the best for our Meghan,” Mellie announced proudly.
Jack stared at her. “Only the best...”
He was quiet the rest of the drive, and Meghan could feel the tension growing in the car. When they arrived at the house, Jack wouldn’t speak to her, and she crossed her arms over her chest as she walked inside.
“Daddy? Mama? Jack is here,” she called out as they entered the foyer.
“Where is everyone?” Mellie asked. “Why is it so quiet in here? It sounds like a morgue.”
Meghan peered around. Her sisters were nowhere in sight. “Mama? Daddy?”
Rebecca appeared at the top of the stairs. She was dressed in peach pajamas and a matching bathrobe. Her greasy hair was piled atop her head in a messy bun, and she had dark circles beneath her eyes. “What, Meghan?”
Mellie gasped. “Mama? Are you okay?”
Rebecca frowned. “What do you think?”
Meghan cleared her throat. “Jack is here,” she told her mother. “Don’t you want to come down and say hello?”
“Why is he here?” Rebecca asked rudely.
“The wedding, Mama? Our wedding?”
Rebecca cackled. “Oh, silly Meghan,” she began. “You have to be joking.”
“Joking?”
Rebecca narrowed her eyes. “There isn’t going to be a wedding, Meghan.”
22
M eghan’s jaw dropped. “What do you mean?”
Rebecca reached into her robe and pulled out a copy of the Peach Tree Grove Gazette and waved it about. “Meghan, we can’t hold a wedding with this going on. We are the laughingstock of the town. The wedding is off.”
“But Mama…”
“No buts,” Rebecca ordered. “If you hadn’t gone poking around in this…”
Meghan’s face grew red with anger. “This isn’t my fault,” she insisted. “Don’t blame this on me, Mama. That isn’t fair.”
Rebecca narrowed her eyes at her daughter. “Don’t tell me about fair,” she screeched. “What isn’t fair is that your father dumped me when I moved to Peach Tree Grove for him after college. What isn’t fair is that I got pregnant because I was sad and lonely. What isn’t fair is that I had to give my baby to be raised by strangers. What isn’t fair is that my secret is now out there in the open. What isn’t fair is that my ungrateful daughter didn’t want the beautiful wedding we were going to host for her.”
Meghan opened her mouth to speak, but Jack interrupted. “Mrs. Truman,” he said softly. “We can still have the wedding. We can still get married here. We can do something small and private. It will be the simple wedding we wanted all along.”
Rebecca turned to look at Jack. “Small and private? A simple wedding? I don’t think so.”
Meghan bit her lip. “Mama…”
Rebecca shook her head. “Don’t, Meghan. All I wanted to do was host a gorgeous wedding and reception for you, and all I’ve heard was complaining. You are so ungrateful, and it makes me sick. Why can’t you let me do something nice for you? WHY?”
Mellie raced up the stairs and took her mother by the elbow. “Mama, let’s go to your room,” she said softly. “I think you need a break…”
Jack stared as Rebecca was led away by Mellie. “It’s crazier around here than I thought,” he drawled. “I’m sorry I was frustrated in the car, Meghan. I love you. I want to help you when things are crazy. I wish you had let me know about your mother and what’s going on.”
He opened his arms, and she fell into them. “I love you,” she whispered as he stroked her wavy hair.
“I love you too,” he told her as he gently took her face in his hands and gave her a long kiss.
“Meghan? Someone is here to see you,” one of the housekeepers called out as she bellowed into the room.
“Who?” Meghan asked in surprise. “A wedding guest?”
“Close,” she told her. “Pastor Winston stopped by while you were gone. He was here consoling Mama before Miss Mellie took her upstairs. He’s in the kitchen eating a scone.”
Meghan’s face brightened. “You’ll love him,” she assured Jack. “He will officiate the ceremony.”
She pulled on his arm and led him into the kitchen. “Pastor! It’s so good to see you.”
He hugged Meghan. “I am so sorry to hear about the situation with your Mama,” he told her. “What a shame. Rebecca Truman is a good woman, and past mistakes don’t define us. It’s just unfortunate that this has become public news.”
She hung her head. “I feel so bad for Mama.”
“Me too,” he offered. “But, I’m here to talk with you now. Is this your lucky man?”
Jack reached out his right hand. “Jack Irvin. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
The Pastor smiled from ear to ear. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Jack. Meghan is such a special young woman, and I am so pleased to officiate your wedding.”
Meghan’s smile disappeared. “Mama insists the wedding is off,” she told him sadly. “She doesn’t want to host a grand party with everything going on.”
Pastor Winston wrinkled his nose. “Let’s take a walk outside, shall we?”
They left the kitchen and ventured to the gardens, wandering through a small grove featuring a section of perfectly arranged tulips and roses. “These gardens are like Heaven on Earth,” Pastor Winston commented as he leaned down to sniff a white rose.
“I love it out here,” Meghan agreed.
Pastor Winston smiled. “I thought you would say that,” he told her. “And I have an idea.”
“What is it?” Meghan asked.
The Pastor glanced around the grove. “Marriage is like gardening,” he commented as he plucked a pink tulip from a bush and handed it to Meghan. “In a marriage, you have to plant seeds and tend to them constantly. If you don’t, they won’t grow or flourish, and you’ll only have weeds. If you tend to your marriage and give it care, attention, and nurturing, you will have a beautiful, colorful, unforgettable relationship.”
Meghan clutched her heart. “That was beautiful,” she praised. “I never thought about marriage like that.”
He smiled. “What did you think, Jack?”
Jack nodded. “I agree,” he told the Pastor. “My parents are deeply in love, and t
hey have put in the work to have a great marriage. That’s what I want.”
“Marriage is about sacrifice, commitment, laughter, and truth. Is that something you are prepared to promise each other?”
“Yes,” Meghan and Jack answered in unison.
The Pastor’s eyes twinkled. “That’s what I hoped you both would say. I have an idea. What if you married here in this grove? This is a small area in the garden, but it’s lovely, and both of your families would be able to stand here and watch you be wed.”
