Then Came Absolution (Southern Love #3)

by E. L. Todd

  “That never crossed my mind,” he said simply. “I trust you, Alex. And if you wanted to be with him, you would have left me by now.”

  “I’m glad you trust me.”

  “Of course I do.” He kissed her hand. “All I care about is you being safe. I’m willing to put aside my differences with Blaise as long as he protects you. But what would make me really happy is if you didn’t go at all.”

  “I can’t do that, Paul…”

  He sighed. “I’ll try to wrap up my case as quickly as possible so I can join you.”

  “Concentrate on work,” she said. “Your family has been through a lot.”

  “You are my family.” He looked into her eyes and gave her a serious expression.

  “You’re my family too.”

  Paul pressed his forehead against hers. “Please be safe.”

  “I will. I promise.”

  “Because if you get hurt, imagine what I’ll do to him.”

  “I would rather not…”

  “And I want you to tell Blaise about Gabe.”

  “What?” she said. “Why?”

  “He needs to know the truth. That way he’ll keep an eye on him.”

  “But Blaise will kill him.”

  “Even better,” Paul said. “That piece of shit deserves to die.”

  “Paul…”

  “Tell him or I will,” Paul said. “I don’t want you being alone with Gabe.”

  She sighed. “You’re being so controlling.”

  “I have to be,” he said simply. “If I can’t be there to protect you, I need to make sure your temporary guardian has all the facts. I trust him with your life, but only because I know he loves you.”

  “You think he does?”

  He stared at her. “I know he does. And you know it too.” He lay down and pulled her to his chest. “I’ll have to enjoy my last moments with you while I can.”

  “I won’t be gone long.”

  “I suspect we’ll have to figure out Martha’s arrangements. That might take up more time.”

  “Unfortunately…”

  “We can always get a bigger apartment and have her stay with us. I really wouldn’t mind.”

  She hugged him tightly. “You’re so sweet.”

  “No,” he said. “I’m just sweet to you.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  When she said goodbye to Paul at the airport, it was heartbreaking.

  “Please be safe.” He was practically begging. “I need you to be safe.”

  “I will.” She pressed her forehead to his.

  “Is there something I can say to convince you to stay?”

  She shook her head. “I’m sorry.”

  He sighed. “Please keep me updated all the time. I won’t be able to do anything because I’ll be so worried.”

  “Don’t be,” she said. “Evan won’t even know I’m there. I just want to see Martha.”

  He pulled her into his arms and held her close. “I just got you back. I don’t want to lose you again.”

  “You won’t, Paul.”

  He kissed her forehead. “I’ll come out as soon as I can.”

  She grabbed his face and kissed him. “I love you.”

  “God, I love you too.” He kissed her passionately, resting his hand on her neck and the other on her hip. “You make me feel whole, Alex. You are the other part of me, the part that can’t live without you.”

  She fought back her tears even though it was difficult. “Paul, I promise I’ll be okay. Blaise will take care of me.”

  “He better.”

  She kissed him again. “I need to leave.”

  He sighed. “Call me when you land, when you go anywhere, when you go to bed….call me all the time.”

  “I will.”

  “I love you with my whole heart, Alex.”

  “And I you.”

  He kissed her once more before he dropped his arms. The look of sadness on his face broke her heart. She hated leaving him, but she couldn’t abandon her aunt. Nothing would stop her from being reunited with her family.

  After she got on the plane, she texted Paul.

  I’m on the plane.

  Keep it up.

  She put her phone away then waited for the plane to take off. She stared out the window as they left the gate and headed to the runway. Leaving Paul behind was difficult but she didn’t have a choice. There was no other way.

  After she arrived at the airport, Blaise was waiting for her at the gate. When she saw him, her heart clenched painfully. It didn’t matter how long they were apart or how upset they were with each other. There was always an unspoken connection.

  When she approached him, he grabbed her bags.

  “How was your flight?” he asked quietly.

  “It was fine,” she said. “How’s Martha?”

  “The surgery went well. Now she’s home and resting. But she’ll need time to recover. The doctors say they are optimistic.”

  “What does that mean?” she asked immediately. “That she may never walk again?”

  “It’s a possibility, but unlikely,” he said simply. “As long as she completes her physical therapy, she’ll be okay. And you know Martha. There’s no reason why she won’t walk again.”

  She smiled then followed him to his truck. He threw everything in the back with Kane.

  “Hey, boy,” she said as she approached him.

  He wagged his tail then tried to lick her face.

  “I missed you too,” she whispered.

  He barked then tried to reach her. When his leash held him back, he whined.

  “We’ll hang out soon.” She scratched him behind the ear. When she looked up, she saw Blaise staring at her. “What?”

  “Nothing.” He got inside the truck then shut the door.

  She sat in the passenger seat then buckled her safety belt. Blaise immediately reached over and checked it. When it was secure, he took off.

  The awkwardness and tension elevated the longer they drove to his house. She expected Blaise to mention their relationship but he never did. When she tried to think of something to say, she rejected the idea and tried to find a new topic.

  “I had some respect for Paula at one point,” he said. “But now I have none.”

  “What are you talking about?” she asked.

  “I would never let you come out here by yourself.”

  “He’s a lawyer—he can’t just leave a case.”

  “You’re right. A good lawyer shouldn’t. But you should be more important.”

  “That isn’t fair,” she said. “I insisted on going. And the fact you’re looking after me is what convinced him.”

  “I would never trust someone else to protect my girl.” He gripped the steering wheel and stared at the road.

  “Paul would have come if he could.”

  Blaise turned up the music and ended their conversation. When they returned to the house, Blaise carried her luggage inside then placed them in the guestroom. “It has a bathroom so you should have plenty of space.”

  She didn’t care about the room. “Where’s Martha?”

  “She’s sleeping in her room,” he said. “All the medications haven’t worn off yet.”

  “Can I see her?” she asked.

  “The doctor told me we should limit her exposure as much as possible to reduce the odds of infection.”

  “Oh…”

  “Which is why you shouldn’t have came down here.”

  She glared at him.

  “I’ll be around if you need me.” He turned down the hallway.

  “Wait.”

  “What?” he said with a sigh. He acted like she was the most annoying person in the world.

  “I need you to give me a ride to my truck.”

  “No you don’t.”

  She raised an eyebrow. “Yes, I do. Now take me.”

  “I’ll accompany you wherever you go. Another vehicle is unnecessary.”

  “Just take me, Blaise. If not, I’ll call some
one else.”

  He marched back to her, pressing his face close to hers. “You will not call anyone else. Your presence should be kept a secret as much as possible.”

  “I want to see Hannah and Lisa,” she said.

  “Absolutely not,” he snapped.

  “They can come here.”

  “No.”

  She sighed. “I need to get the dogs. There’s no one there to feed them.”

  “Okay,” he said. “I’ll go get them.”

  “Just take me to my truck!”

  “Keep your voice down,” he hissed. “I need Martha to rest. It’s the most important part of recovery.”

  “I’m a nurse,” Alexandra said. “I know that.”

  “Are you or are you not?” He stared her down. “Because the last time I checked, you were too much of a coward to step up.”

  She felt the anger ignite. “How dare you say that to me?”

  “It’s true.” He walked down the hallway.

  Alexandra chased after him. “Pissing me off isn’t going to make this situation any easier. You can’t push me away like that.”

  He grabbed his keys and headed to the door. “Then let’s go.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Yeah.”

  They walked to his truck and got inside. When Blaise was on the main road, he turned down the music. “Did you tell Paul I came to the city?”

  “I tell him everything.”

  He nodded. “How’s his dad?”

  “Do you really care?”

  “I may not like the guy because of our—situation—but I don’t want his family to die.”

  “He’s doing a lot better,” she said.

  “That’s good,” he said quietly.

  “So, are you going to see that girl again?”

  “What girl?” he asked.

  “The one you went on a date with.”

  He shook his head. “My personal life is none of your business, Alex.”

  She turned to him. “What did you just call me?”

  “Alex. It’s your name, right?”

  “You never call me that.”

  “But now I’m just like everyone else. I don’t deserve to call you any thing else.”

  Alexandra wasn’t sure why, but those words cut her deeply. It was something Blaise always did. Whenever he said her name, it made her spine shiver. Her heart slowed down for an instant in time. “Did you sleep with her?”

  He locked his gaze with hers. “Did you sleep with Paul?”

  Alexandra couldn’t hold the intensity of his gaze. She looked out the window and broke the connection between them. Neither one of them answered the question. Alexandra didn’t want him to know she couldn’t be intimate with Paul. It would be a dead giveaway of her true emotions.

  Blaise pulled up to the house then walked toward the dogs. “Up!” They all got to their feet and started wagging their tails. Alexandra petted them then smiled. Blaise opened her tailgate and the dogs jumped inside. “I’ll follow you back.”

  “Thank you for taking me,” she said quietly.

  “Don’t go anywhere without telling me.” He returned to his truck.

  When Alexandra got inside her old Chevy, she saw Blaise in her rearview mirror. He was so different she hardly recognized him. He really had given up on their relationship. It was exactly what she wanted, but it still hurt. And she couldn’t believe she asked him about his date. It just flew out of her mouth. But the idea of him being with anyone else made her sick. If he slept with someone else, she’d never recover from the pain.

  When they returned to the house, Blaise walked inside without waiting for her. She let the dogs out then gave them food and water. Kane was happy to be joined by his friends. They barked at each other then sprinted around the property, chasing each other.

  Alexandra walked inside then approached Martha’s room. She pressed her ear to the door and listened. The only sound was steady breathing. Martha was still asleep. She sighed then walked into the living room.

  Blaise was in the kitchen, cooking on the stove.

  “You know how to cook?” she blurted.

  “Why is that surprising?” He grilled the chicken in the skillet then turned the raw meat over. The grease sizzled in the pan.

  “I don’t know…”

  He moved to another pan and stirred the asparagus. “I just went grocery shopping. Since I have guests, I thought it would be rude if there was no food in the house.”

  “Can I help?” she asked.

  He stared at the stove then looked at her. “You know what would help me? If you stayed away from me as much as possible.” The venom in his voice dripped with anger.

  She was caught of guard by the ferocity in his voice. “Blaise, it doesn’t have to be this way.”

  “Did you ever love me?” he blurted.

  She sighed. “I can’t have this conversation again.”

  “I’m not,” he snapped. “I don’t care about our relationship anymore. If I have to work that hard to convince the woman I love that I’m a good man, then she isn’t worth it. I’m done with you, Alexandra. Don’t worry about that.”

  Alexandra was speechless. His rejection was a new cut, deep and tender.

  “But if you ever loved me, you wouldn’t have come here. I told you Evan wants to hurt you. Why would you risk yourself? Risk me?”

  “I’m not going to live in fear,” she said simply. “If he comes after me, I’ll handle it.”

  “How?” he snapped. “If I weren’t here, you’d be screwed. I wish I had pictures of Danielle to show you.”

  “Nothing is going to stop me from seeing Martha. She needs me.”

  “No she doesn’t.” He flipped the chicken then turned off the stove. “I should have listened to her when she told me not to call you.”

  “No, you did the right thing,” she said.

  “It won’t seem that way if Evan hurts you.”

  She crossed her arms over her chest. “Blaise, I know you would never let anything happen to me. I’m not worried or scared.”

  He held her gaze for a long time. “At least you know something about me.” He placed the food on the plates then carried it to the table. There was some left in the pan for Martha whenever she woke up. Blaise grabbed a beer and gave her a water.

  Alexandra sat down at the table then looked at Blaise. He picked up his fork and ate without looking at her. She sipped her water then cut into her chicken. After she chewed it, she was impressed. “It’s good.”

  “I can do more than grow cotton.”

  “I can see that,” she said quietly. Her phone went off in her pocket, and the guilt set in. She never called Paul when she landed. She answered it. “Hey, I’m sorry I forgot to call.”

  “Don’t let it happen again,” he said with an angry voice. Alexandra knew she was in trouble.

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine.”

  “What are you doing?”

  “Eating dinner.”

  “How’s Martha?” he asked.

  “She’s still asleep,” she said with a sigh.

  “Let me know how she is when she wakes up.”

  “I will,” she said.

  “And how’s Blaise?”

  “He’s being an asshole, but it’s nothing I can’t put up with.”

  Blaise eyed her from across the table and continued eating.

  “Is he watching you?” Paul asked.

  “He said I can’t go anywhere without him.”

  “Then I don’t care if he’s being an ass to you.”

  Alexandra stabbed a piece of asparagus with her fork. “I’ll talk to you later, Paul. I’m eating dinner.”

  “Okay. Call me when you go to bed.”

  “I will.”

  “I love you.”

  She looked at Blaise then lowered her voice. “I love you too.”

  Blaise didn’t react and kept eating.

  Alexandra hung up then r
eturned the phone to her pocket.

  Blaise acted like the phone call didn’t bother him.

  Alexandra remembered what Paul asked her to do. But it was something she wasn’t looking forward to. She knew how upset Blaise would be, especially since she kept it from him. Alexandra decided to wait until her dinner was finished.

  When their plates were clean, Blaise sipped his beer. He stared at his bottle, looking at anything but her.

  “Thank you for dinner,” she said.

  “Yeah.”

  “When do you think Martha will wake up?”

  He shrugged. “She may sleep through the whole night.”

  Alexandra sighed. She was impatient to talk to her aunt. “Blaise, there’s something I need to tell you. But I want you to stay calm.”

  He stared at her and pushed his beer away. “I can tell I’m not going to like this.”

  “No you won’t…”

  “Spit it out.”

  She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “I’m only telling you this because Paul told me to.”

  He raised his hand. “If it has something to do with your relationship with him, I don’t want to know. In fact, I’d rather not talk about anything related to that.”

  “It’s not that…”

  “Then what?”

  “Well, when you were gone, I went to a party with some of my friends. Gabe was there, but he was drinking. And when I ran into him he was already drunk. Wasted, actually.” Blaise stared at her, hanging on to her every word. “We were standing away from everyone else, and…”

  “And what?” he snapped.

  “He tried to force himself on me…he ripped my clothes away, kissed me, and pinned me down. Paul came to the party because I left my phone in the car. He was the one who saved me.”

  The explosion inside Blaise’s eyes told her he snapped. The controlled fury below his exterior was gone. All that was left was anger and vengeance. He stood up so quickly, he knocked his chair back.

  “Wait,” she said.

  “What?”

  “Paul wanted me to tell you this so you would protect me from him. He doesn’t want me to be alone with him.”

  Blaise closed his eyes and gripped the table between them. His knuckles started to pop as he controlled his fury. His breathing slowed down, so Alexandra assumed he had regained his calm. But she was wrong. He flipped the table over, crashing the plates and the beer bottle on the floor.

  Alexandra was glued to her chair, in shock.