The door opened slowly like the mother was opening a present. Slowly, so she could savor the whole experience.
Chapter 12
Karessa
Karessa had so many emotions swirling around inside her body, she felt like she could easily explode. She was so grateful that Beau had brought her over to her mother’s house, because she didn’t want to be alone, but she didn’t want to talk about why. The love she’d felt for Beau when she was younger that she figured had been smothered by years of neglect seemed to reignite like there had never been an issue. She was so excited to be home with people who didn’t want anything from her but her time and attention. This is the life she wanted. It had taken her to move across the world to figure out that the feeling she was searching for was right where she’d left it…at home.
Karessa looked over at Beau as the door to her mother’s house opened ever so slowly. When it was finally opened Karessa wondered if she were at the right place. The inside of the house was clean and her mother looked healthier than she’d ever seen her before. “Mom?”
Catherine Monroe looked like there were a lot of miles on the speedometer of life, but she looked ready for more, and for that, Karessa was glad. The woman nodded and opened her arms for a hug.
Karessa walked into them for the first time not fearing a smack or something was on the other end of it. She hugged her mother and then pulled away, so she didn’t turn on the full-fledged water works in front of both of them. “You look amazing, Mom. The house looks great, too.”
Catherine looked a bit ashamed as she turned her back toward Beau and faced Karessa. “Thanks, I’ve been dreaming of this day when you’d come back and I’d get to apologize for the woman I was when you graduated and left home.”
“Let me leave you two ladies alone for a bit,” Beau said, trying to back out of the room.
“No,” both Karessa and her mother said in unison, then they chuckled.
“Well, maybe you could get us some tea?” Catherine suggested as she moved Karessa toward the couch, but looked at Beau.
“Will do.” Beau was out of that room as fast as his feet could carry him without looking like he was running.
The two ladies sat on the couch and studied each other in virtual silence for a while and Karessa took a moment to take in the light-yellow walls with white trim. Everything was neat and clean. The full couch they sat on and the two matching chairs made this room feel like a place to be comfortable and…safe. Karessa cleared her throat, trying to remove the lump that had been in place since she arrived, but was growing larger thinking of how her life would have been different if the place looked like this when she’d grown up.
“I’ve felt badly for leaving and not coming to see you more often.” Karessa thought she’d just get this out of the way first, since it’s what was almost always on her mind. The guilt.
“Well, I’ve felt guilty about how I behaved when you were a child, and although I’ve always wanted to reach out to you, I never had the nerve to do it.” Catherine looked at her hands as she spoke and Karessa wrapped her hands around them.
“We’ve both been silly, but it stops now.”
“Words can’t express how proud I am of you, and the fact that you pay my bills and buy groceries every month is a testament to what a good spirit you have.” Catherine looked up from their joined hands. “I don’t deserve you or Beau.”
“Beau?”
“About the time you left, the two of us were in a bad place. I knew he was a boyfriend of yours, but when his brothers showed up on my doorstep one day to help him I was in a place so low I didn’t believe I could be of help to anyone.” Catherine smiled looking off in the distance as she remembered this story.
“What did they want from you?” Karessa sat up a bit, loving to get bits and pieces of the history she’d missed while she’d been gone.
“Well, he was living up in this cabin in the woods and had practically turned himself into a hermit. His brothers were concerned about him and thought if I talked to him, he’d get back to normal.” Catherine looked at the kitchen where Beau had disappeared and then looked back at Karessa. “Now that I’m thinking about this, maybe I shouldn’t tell this story.”
Karessa was so very curious, but she knew how it felt to tell someone else’s business. She didn’t like it either. “Well, maybe just tell me the part where you were affected. Then it’s your story to tell.”
Her mother didn’t look like she thought that was the best thing to do, but she nodded and started talking again, although she was regulating her words very carefully. “When I saw how Beau looked, I told him that I needed his help now that you were gone. I’d hoped that we could work together and get me clean for when you got back.”
“Wow! Really?”
“I’m just sorry it took your leaving for me to pull myself together, Karessa. I know it was tough for you growing up, and there isn’t any excuse I can give for allowing you to grow up like that.”
Karessa put her hand up and waved away her mother’s explanation. “I’m not going to say I enjoyed growing up the way I did, but it made me a survivor, and I don’t doubt I could get through practically any and everything.”
“Well, I’ve seen your work and read about your negotiations, so I know you’re one tough cookie. Just the way you fought to get home for this wedding is impressive.”
She smiled at her mother and knew she wasn’t wrong. They weren’t going to “allow” her to leave, and she’d lost her shit on almost everyone in that meeting. They asked her to take pictures while she was here so it could be more of a working meeting. She hadn’t cared. If she had to take a picture of each melon ball or slice of cake, she was going to be there to witness this event.
“Thanks, Mom.” Never in a million years did she think this visit would turn out like this, but after her mother called Beau in with the tea and they talked for a while, it was time to go. She promised to come back more often and to call as well. The hug she shared with her mother was the second in the history book and she couldn’t wait until they were as natural and commonplace as saying hello.
The car ride over to the rehearsal and the rehearsal dinner was quiet as Karessa thought of ways to put the whole puzzle that was Beau together. So, he had a box of unmentionables that he had semi-hidden in his hat box, and the luxury lotions and soaps he said he didn’t purchase recently…this man had lots of pieces to his puzzle, and she wanted to see the whole damn thing.
Before she could think of a way to phrase her question, they arrived at the church and it was time to get out. Karessa ran around to the front of the car and caught Beau by the arm.
“Yes?” His eyes were puzzled, and she tried to remember that she wasn’t going to be here long enough to figure this whole thing out, especially if she was the only one who was curious. Maybe he just didn’t care that much?
She gave him a smile and let his arm go. “It’s nothing.”
“With you it’s never nothing. Your mind has been spinning since we left your mother’s house. Let me know what’s bothering you,” Beau said, looking into her face like he was really trying to figure out a way to help her.
“It’s nothing really. Probably just nerves since I’m not in a wedding every day.”
His narrowed eyes said he didn’t really believe that, but he didn’t say anything else as he led her into the large church.
“It’s beautiful in here.” She twirled around when they got inside, and she stood in the isles that had been decorated for the next day.
“It is,” he agreed but didn’t seem to be taking his eyes off her to look at the beauty of the church.
When they opened the doors to the chapel, it was empty except for one woman standing in the front of the church setting up colored sand in two different containers.
“Is this where the rehearsal is supposed to be?” Beau asked the woman when they moved closer to her.
She looked up at the two of them and then put down her sand bag with a sigh. “I�
��m guessing that you two are Karessa Monroe and Beau Haught?”
“Yes, ma’am, we are.” Karessa looked at Beau and wondered what was going on.
“Well, you are ninety minutes late. The wedding party is in the restaurant next door eating dinner.”
Beau whipped out his phone and looked at it. He scrolled down and shook his head.
“I’m sorry for our absence. It was entirely my fault.” Beau turned the charm on the event planner, and she couldn’t help but smile at him.
“It’s okay. Tomorrow just follow the men.” She turned to Karessa and said, “You get behind Rosalyn, and you’ll be fine. The stairs are out those doors and to the left, then out the side door. I’m sure you’ll hear them as soon as you get into the restaurant.”
“Thank you,” Beau said to the planner as he walked Karessa out with his hand on her lower back, and for whatever reason, that just seemed so intimate.
The planner was right, and they had no problem hearing their boisterous group. Beau stopped right before they opened the door and gave her a quick kiss. She didn’t know what it was for, but it bolstered her for walking in there.
When they walked in, the rest of the group cheered, and it was great being greeted by happy, spirited people.
“You guys are late,” Alec said, pointing to his watch. He was sitting next to Maryse, and Karessa looked to find where her friend True was and she spotted her at the opposite end of the table.
“Yes, we are, but we’re so smart we got the short list version of what we are supposed to do, and we’re ready,” Beau joked with his brothers. Alec stood up and called the waitress over to the table.
“Can I sit down here?” Karessa sat in the seat next to True, not waiting for her to respond. “Why do you look so glum?”
“I’m not glum. Just tired.” True looked tired, but not like she’d not had enough rest, she looked plain fed up.
“Is there something I can do?”
True looked over at Karessa and put her hand on her cheek. “No. I’m just glad you came back. It’s good to see you.”
“Thank you, True. How much have you had to drink?” Karessa picked up her friend’s glass and took a whiff. “This thing smells strong.”
“I think it is. It’s the drink of the night, Adios Motherfucker.” True plucked the glass out of Karessa’s hand and tipped the beverage to her mouth.
“That’s about enough for you.” Karessa took the glass and waited for the waitress to come over, then she ordered some food and water for them both. When the orders were placed, the laughing and joking up and down the table consumed the whole restaurant, but she and True seemed like they were in a world of their own. “Can I ask you a question?”
True turned toward her and put her eyebrow up. That was the closest she got to getting a yes, so she took it.
“What happened when I left? I mean with Beau. I heard about him staying at the cabin, but I found out today that my mother helped get him down.”
True looked down the table at Beau before turning back toward her. “Did he tell you that?”
“My mother told me a little bit, but now I’m dying to know what happened. You know how I was when I left, but I had no idea he was even close to how upset I was. Maybe you could, this once, tell me something about him that I really want to know.” Karessa knew she was just on this side of begging, but she didn’t care. She had to know.
True looked at her and shook her head. “Sure. I’ll tell you. He’s never asked for a vow of silence from me, so I guess it’s fair game.”
Karessa was so happy she didn’t know what to do. Now, she had to get the story out of True before someone came down here to interrupt their conversation. “Okay…go on.”
“You really want to know, huh?” True looked down the table to where the Haught boys sat before she turned her attention back to Karessa.
“So much…” Karessa put her hands together like she was praying.
“When you left, this place was a mess because the middle Haught—the one whose theme song is Que Será, Será— flipped his fucking lid. Went up to the mountains and planned to stay there for a bit. I’m not sure how your mother got involved, but she told him something that had him come down.” True shrugged. “I wasn’t really involved in that, so I’m not sure, and everyone is a little closed-lipped about it.”
“Do you know why Beau would have high-end soaps and lotions in his house that were flowery and would in no way be used by the male who lives in that house?” Karessa asked but was getting discouraged because she could practically see True closing up. “You’re not going to tell me are you?”
“Did you ask Beau?” True drank some of the water the waitress had brought over, but it was clear she was getting the return of her senses.
“No. I don’t really want to ask him. We were answering questions last night, and I asked him if he regretted anything, but he shut me down with, ‘It’s getting late.’” Karessa knew that the only way to find out was to confront him, and she was going to do just that. Waiting another eight years wasn’t an option, but would he tell her?
She looked down the table and watched Beau watch her. Did he wonder what she was talking to True about? Did he care? The party was festive, but in a way, Karessa didn’t want to participate. She’d be gone from all of them within the next thirty-six hours, and damn if it didn’t hurt like the first time she left. Maybe even more. There was a method to her not coming home too often. The biggest reason just raised a glass to her, but the rest of the table mattered to her as well. “Last question.”
True turned toward her, but Karessa kept her gaze locked on Beau as she asked the question. “Has Beau ever been to France?”
“Well, shit, even I know better than to answer that question.”
Karessa crossed her arms and thought about all the things she found out over this very enlightening situation that became more curious throughout the trip.
“Was that the question you were sworn not to answer.”
“Abso-freaking-lutely.” True said as she dug into her cheesesteak melt.
Chapter 13
Beau
Dearly Beloved. We are gathered here today…
She was up to something or thought she knew something or wanted to know something. It was a crime to know this much about a person, that just the look on their face clued you in that they wanted something.
The wedding and reception had been so smooth with Karessa, Beau wondered if he was missing something. This was a woman who always wanted an answer for everything and now…she didn’t. He wasn’t sure why that was, but he was going to enjoy it. Standing in front of all the guests in his tuxedo didn’t feel as awful as he thought it would be. He’d been waiting to see Karessa. Then, after seeing her in her dress, and he spent the rest of the day obsessing about her. He’d never been a fan of light purple, but after today it just may be his favorite color.
The night before, they’d left the restaurant and Karessa had turned from the lady in the street to the freak in the sheets as soon as he’d opened the door. It was a wonder that he’d been able to stand in the church and not be struck down from the residual thoughts he continued to have about the naughty, raunchy lingerie maker.
Karessa walked down the aisle looking directly at him and fuck if that didn’t tear him up. For the first time since he returned from France in his botched attempt to win Karessa back, he felt like he really wanted to make a life with this woman, but nothing had changed. Sure, the sex was hotter, and the attraction more intense, but the problems that kept them apart had not changed in the least.
“She looks amazing doesn’t she?” Alec had leaned back a bit and whispered to Beau.
“You’d better be talking about True,” Beau whispered back and watched Alec’s shoulders shake a little with suppressed laughter.
Karessa got to the end of the isle and then walked to where she was supposed to stand. He couldn’t take his eyes off of her. When the bride’s march started, he turned away briefly to ta
ke in Gemmi and her amazing gown. She looked lovely, and he was happy that her day had come through without a hitch.
It had been a good day that lasted well into the night, but today was the day Karessa went back to her regularly scheduled life, and so did he. As a matter of fact, they only had an hour or so before they had to leave for the airport.
They’d torn each other’s clothes off when they stepped inside his condo, and it was hot, messy, and fantastic, but as their bodies cooled and their breathing regulated itself, the fact that they’d soon be almost halfway around the world from each other settled in. They knew their time was limited, and maybe that’s why this round of lovemaking was so damn good. Even better than anything that had come before it.
“Tell me what my mother told you to make you come down off the mountain,” Karessa said so quietly Beau tried to make himself think he didn’t really hear it.
The room was dark and that is probably the only reason he felt he could answer that question. “She told me she needed me, and she wanted to get better so you’d have a good mama to come home to.”
“Did you believe that?” Karessa whispered.
“At the time, it was something that I needed to hear.” He pulled her so she lay across his chest. It felt good, and he knew this wasn’t something that was going to last, so he tried to savor it as much as possible.
Karessa pushed off him, sat up, and turned on the light. He waited because he knew she wasn’t done, but he didn’t know where she was going to go next. Wherever it was, she deserved the full, honest truth.
“Whose stuff is in that box?” Karessa pointed to his bookshelf.
Beau looked over to where she pointed and was almost speechless. It had been over there so long he’d almost forgotten about it. Scratch that, he had forgotten about it, and although he wanted to be honest about each and everything he knew, what was in there would muddy the waters for both of them.
“I’ll talk about anything but what’s in that box.”
Too Haught Page 12
