“Are you okay Beaux? You don’t seem yourself.”
“I’m fine Jared. This just isn’t a good time.”
Just then a loud sneeze came from the bedroom and Jared’s eyes lit with understanding.
“Oh hell bro, I’m sorry. Call me later,” he said and was out the door before Beaux could respond.
He walked back to the bedroom to find Lacy sitting on the bed with the robe wrapped tightly around her. Neither knew what to say and they sat in silence, each trying to sort out what had almost happened.
Beaux was the one to break the silence. “I don’t know what I’m doing here Lace.”
“That makes two of us,” she replied with a nervous laugh.
“I almost made a huge mistake.” He couldn’t miss the flash of hurt in her eyes when he said that. Somehow, he had to explain or at least try to. “I’ve never had casual sex before. To me it should mean more than that. I guess I’m just a bit old fashioned.”
“Me either. I’ve only been with one person before. And that relationship didn’t turn out so great. So I understand what you’re saying.”
Beaux was momentarily stunned at her frank admission and relieved she understood, but they still had no clarity on where they went from here.
“Your clothes should be dry now. I’ll go get them and we can finish lunch.” Without pausing, he left the room then came back with her clothes in hand. “I’ll wait out on the patio.”
Pulling her clothes on, she sighed and walked outside, carefully choosing a chair on the opposite side from Beaux. She took a sandwich off the plate and nibbled at the bread unable to taste it. The awkwardness that should exist didn’t, only a confusion of what to do now. Since she was thirteen, she had searched for a place to feel at home. Never once did she feel she belonged, until Beaux. Just one day with Beaux had filled a need long neglected in her, but she was afraid to admit that to him.
“Would you think I’m crazy and forward if I said I wanted to explore this attraction between us even though it seems crazy and sudden and our lives are a thousand miles apart?”
Lacy burst out in laughter, relieved to hear Beaux voice the same thoughts she was having. He looked at her confused, not expecting her to laugh in response.
She sobered up then asked “Did Sara ever tell you what happened between our families?”
“No,” Beaux nodded confused at the change of topic but sensed she needed to tell him this.
“Our dads are brothers. They were best friends and business partners. Business was doing well and our lives seemed perfect. Then my dad, Neil, had an affair with her mom. When Uncle Sam found out, he sold his share in the business and went out on his own. Eventually Aunt Liza and he reconciled and he moved his family here to Louisiana. My parents tried to stay together for me, but a year later they divorced. My dad got involved in some shady business dealings that made him a fortune, but created a lot of enemies. Unbeknownst to me they were making threats on my well being. Dad hired a security detail for me but never said a word about it. For years I had no idea there were people following me around. After my parents split, I lost my childhood. My dad rarely let me do things other kids got to do and I was treated like an outcast. I didn’t have many friends and I didn’t realize until years later that most people knew what my dad was doing and I was guilty by association. No one wanted their kids hanging around me.” She paused to collect her thoughts and Beaux moved to sit beside her, taking her hand in his. After a few minutes, she continued on.
“I started college a few years late because my dad was so paranoid. My freshman year of college I met Jeff. He was in every one of my classes and seemed perfect. We studied together, went out together, did everything together. Soon we started dating and I knew something was off, but I was so happy to have someone want me, I ignored that niggling feeling. Last spring I found out Jeff wasn’t really a student at all. He was part of the security detail my dad hired. Sleeping with me was just a job perk. Disbelief clouded my judgment and I couldn’t believe I had been betrayed by the two men I cared most about in the world. I was so mad and hurt that I told my father he no longer owned that title. What father puts money above the safety of his child and continues his dangerous operations even knowing his child was in danger because of them? It was and still is a rough situation for me. I ended up failing a class, thus the summer class I have to take to graduate.”
Beaux held her tighter, angry that any father could treat a child like that, and livid at the creep Jeff was. No wonder she had appeared so frosty yesterday and so hurt he had used her to make Daniella jealous. He felt like a first class jerk and his past with Daniella seemed so minor compared to what Lacy had been through.
“I’m sorry Lacy. I’m sorry your dad can’t see enough of his amazing daughter to put you first. I’m sorry Jeff used you. But most of all, I am sorry I used you yesterday.”
“You’re forgiven. I had to tell you my story so that I can answer your question.” Beaux had been so absorbed in Lacy’s story that he forgot he had even asked a question, but now they were coming full circle. “Since I was thirteen, I’ve wanted a place to belong, a place that feels like home. I shouldn’t trust anyone after what I’ve been through and I certainly shouldn’t trust anyone I’ve only know since yesterday. But while spending time with you today, I had that feeling for the first time in over twelve years. There is something about you and this place that feels like home and it defies all logic and common sense, but to answer your question, yes I want to explore this. I have no idea what will happen or if we can make it work, but I know there is something real between us and it deserves a chance.”
Beaux kissed her forehead. “Then we will have this week and see where it takes us.”
“Beaux? Promise me one thing please.”
“Anything.”
“Sara does not know any of this beyond the affair between our parents. Please don’t tell Justin or her. I’m not ready for them to know yet.”
“Speaking of, I better get you back to her before she thinks I kidnapped you.”
“I hope she rested well. She tried to hide it yesterday, but that scare took a lot out of her.”
“Justin called me this morning and warned me to play nice today. He is worried too and didn’t want us upsetting Sara. I had made it pretty obvious I wasn’t too happy about this arrangement and then I saw Daniella Saturday night. I acted pretty shitty yesterday so I guess he had reason to give me an earful this morning.”
“I’m sorry I caused trouble between you two.”
“No worries, you weren’t the problem. Justin and I go way back and if one of us is being an ass we have no problem calling it out. I needed to hear what he said.”
The question burned in the back of her head and she didn’t want to ask a question she may not like the answer to, but she had to know.
“What happened with Daniella?” She saw him flinch but without the spark of anger that had flashed right before he kissed her yesterday.
“Can we save that for another day?”
No, she wanted to yell, I just bared my soul to you and now you can’t even return the same?
Detecting her stillness, he elaborated. “The entire ordeal with Daniella was never as bad as I made it in my head. I see that now. Give me time and I will tell you the whole story tomorrow. We don’t have much time left together today and I’d rather not waste it talking about her.”
Lacy lightened up and nodded in agreement.
“Let’s take a walk down by the bayou for a few minutes before I take you back.” He wanted to restore them to before Lacy’s question about Daniella. While it was true he didn’t want to spend these last few minutes talking about her, the wound still hurt even if he realized marrying her would have been the biggest mistake of his life. He had already made himself vulnerable to his limits today and didn’t want to reopen the wound just as it was beginning to heal. They walked by the water as he pointed out various species of trees and they smiled at a turtle lounging about. Lacy
took it all in, letting the tranquility of it wash over her.
Four o’clock came and they knew they had to leave. Lacy had promised Sara she would make dinner tonight and she was determined to make this week full of rest and relaxation for her.
“Will you stay for dinner?” she asked as they climbed into the truck.
“I don’t want to intrude on your time with her. The two of you have years of catching up to do.” He wanted nothing more than to stay by her side but didn’t want to overwhelm her. Sara and she needed this time together to reconnect and family meant too much to interfere with that.
Lacy understood and though her heart was conflicted, was thankful he understood. “How about I call you once Sara is in bed and we can plan out tomorrow?”
He nodded then suddenly turned the truck onto an old dirt road. Turning to face Lacy his eyes filled with heat and following his cue she slid next to him and they became a tangled, beautiful mess of fire and ice. Stopping themselves before they reached the point of no return, they separated, catching their breath.
“Well that was a pleasant but unexpected detour.”
“I couldn’t stand the thought of not touching you until the morning.” Beaux winked then gave her that lazy smile and she knew then and there she was his for the taking. Somehow, the thought of giving herself to another man didn’t scare her like it would have two days prior.
Justin was still in the driveway when they pulled in. This was one hell of a situation. There was no way Beaux could get out of the truck without Justin knowing something was happening and he didn’t want to be rude and just ignore him. Lacy looked at him with a knowing smile and reached into her purse. The next thing he knew his phone was ringing and he looked down to see Lacy’s number.
“Now you don’t have to pretend again” she said full of mischief and jumped out of the truck. So she knew he lied last night. At least she gave him a reason to not get out of the truck right away. He spoke into a dead line until his pants were no long the tell-tale heart. Clicking the end button he went over and talked to Justin for a few minutes before leaving. Unable to resist, he glanced back at the house and was rewarded with Lacy staring out the window after him. She blew him a subtle kiss than turned back around to whatever it was she was doing.
He drove home and normally he welcomed the solitude his house offered him, but tonight it just felt suffocating. Remembering he had to call Jared back, he grabbed his phone and called him. Maybe he could talk him into going out for a drink even if it meant some ribbing about what had happened earlier. Jared answered on the second ring and gladly accepted the invitation. He went to the bedroom to change his clothes and the setting sun coming through the window reflected a shiny package on this floor. Remembering the scene from earlier that ended all too soon, he decided a cold shower was needed before going out.
Beaux sat at the bar with his favorite draft in hand. Jared was running late so he was sitting alone with the exception of an occasional acquaintance coming up to chat. He took another swig of his beer when he felt two distinctly female hands rub his shoulders. Without turning around, he knew the owner of the two hands, goodness knows he had felt pleasure from those hands countless nights before, but tonight they only brought revulsion. Almost choking as he swallowed his drink, he tried to guess her game. Without turning to see her he asked, “Why are you here Daniella?”
“Aren’t you happy to see me?” she purred. Had her voice always sounded so fake and whiny?
“Where’s your husband?”
“This has nothing to do with him.”
Bile rose making him almost vomit as he finally turned to face his ex-fiancé. “Damn it Daniella, this has everything to do with him. I’m asking you one more time, why are you here.”
“I had to see you.”
“No you didn’t. You haven’t seen me once in two years and you sure as hell never seemed to care before.”
“Please Beaux, just give me a few minutes. That’s all I ask.”
“No.”
He turned back to his beer staring straight ahead and Daniella sat down next to him. She never could take no for an answer.
“I’m getting a divorce.”
Beaux kept silent knowing any answers he could give would only encourage her warped ploy.
“I still love you Beaux. I never stopped. Leaving you was the worst decision I’ve ever made.”
Was this how everyone saw him the last two years as he pined for her? It’s a wonder he had any friends left because this was pure pathetic and he had to stop it.
“It’s too late Daniella. We’ve both moved on. Go home to your husband and thank your lucky stars you found someone who will put up with your shit, because I’m over it.”
“It’s that whore I saw you with last night isn’t it? Do you really think she’ll stay with you once she find out you have no ambition in life, that you’ll always be a nothing stuck here in these swamps?” her voice dripped acid as she realized she couldn’t sway him.
Beaux clenched his teeth, clinging to everything he was ever taught about not striking a female.
“You have exactly ten seconds to get out of here before I have security throw you out on your ass. And in case you think you can play your feminine wiles on them, I’ll remind you that I own half of this bar and they answer to me.”
Knowing defeat she played the last card in her deck. “Fine, but next time you’re with her, remember what you could have had.” She reached up and kissed him full on the lips locking her hands behind his head. He broke away but not before seeing Jared staring wide-eyed at the scene before him.
“Go! Now!” he roared and Daniella ran off shaken, never having been turned down before.
Jared still stood standing with his mouth gaped open.
“What the hell was that? Please tell me that bitch wasn’t who was sharing your bed today.” When he finally found his voice, he hadn’t meant to sound so accusing, but damn it, his brother should have more sense than that. Daniella was trouble and always had been, but Beaux had always seen her with rose colored glasses.
“Damn it Jared, do you really think I’m that dumb. She’s married and even if I still felt anything for her, which I don’t, I wouldn’t mess with someone else’s wife.”
“Right, Mr. Moral Authority would never have a lapse in judgment but seriously, what the hell was that about?” Normally, Beaux wouldn’t mind his brother teasing him about his “high standards” as Jared called them because it was all in brotherly love. Jared lived life in the fast lane and didn’t understand why Beaux wasn’t out living it up but they accepted their differences. Tonight though, it just grated on his nerves after dealing with Daniella.
“You better have a drink first.”
They sat at the bar with beers in hands, two brothers different as night and day, but tied together through a blood bond that couldn’t be broken. Beaux spilled out the story, starting with seeing Daniella at Robineaux’s on Saturday night and ending with the scene that had just transpired. Of course, there were certain details about Lacy that he kept to himself. Some things a man just didn’t want to share.
“So let me get this straight; you see Daniella and her new husband, get pissed off and jealous which make you treat Sara’s cousin like an ass, then you just about have sex with her less than twenty-four hours after meeting her, now you can’t stop thinking about her but then your ex returns wanting you back claiming she’s still in love with you?”
“That about sums it up.”
Jared contemplated it all for a minute then leaned back in his chair letting out a deep laugh.
“Mais, little brother, welcome to my world. Quite a day you have had, yeah?” He pat Beaux’s shoulder in a brotherly gesture before returning to his beer for another drink. “This Lacy, you think she’s something special?”
“She is. I always thought chemistry was some kind of mumbo jumbo, but we definitely have it. The only problem is her life is in South Carolina.”
“Don’t give up on
it Beaux. Normally I would tell you don’t rush in because you haven’t been with anyone since Daniella, but if this girl can affect you like this and make you see Daniella’s true colors, then I say hold tight and don’t ever let her go.”
Beaux had no intentions of giving up on the best thing he had ever found, but he kept silent on that. “Was Daniella really that obvious to everyone else?”
“Yes Beaux she was.” Jared got uncharacteristically serious for a bit. “She controlled you from the start and always had her sights set on something higher. You could have handed her the moon and she would want more. Mom must have spent hours down on her knees praying for you. When Daniella left, we all hated seeing your pain, but we’re relieved she had left.”
The revelation should have stung, but instead he was just grateful he had been spared.
“So Sara and Justin are going to be parents? I guess we won’t be seeing him out with us anymore, no?” Jared changed the topic, not accustomed to emotional conversation for long periods of time.
“If I know Sara, she’ll be kicking him out of the house for a moment’s peace for herself before long,” replied Beaux and they both laughed. They continued in easy conversation the rest of the night until Jared had to leave.
When he got in his truck he saw a missed call from Lacy and immediately returned the call before starting his truck.
“Hi,” she answered entirely too energetic for eleven o’clock at night.
“How was girl time?”
“We had fun. Not as much fun as we had earlier.” Her seductive innuendo was anything but subtle.
Beaux moaned into the phone. “I need to see you. Can you meet me outside in ten minutes?”
Chapter 3:
Beaux parked his truck a little ways down the road so the loud diesel engine wouldn’t wake Justin or Sara and walked the rest of the way. Sure enough, Lacy was waiting by the mailbox for him. He wasted no time getting to her and wrapping his arms around her. His need for her touch could not be sated and they walked to his truck with their arms snugly around each other. Lacy sat beside him on the bench seat resting her hand firmly on his thigh, putting her complete trust in him and where they were going.
The Best Laid Plans (Brothers of the Bayou) Page 3
