The Best Laid Plans (Brothers of the Bayou) (14 page)

Lacy didn’t know what was happening to her. Beaux was everything to her, the part of herself she had always been missing, but she couldn’t stop her attitude towards him.  She burst into tears, convincing herself she didn’t deserve him.  He had been perfect to her, seeking out her every need and always there when she needed him.  The tears kept coming and she let them flow unrestrained.  She ached for her mom, longing for a closer relationship with her. Reaching down, she rubbed her stomach, talking to her baby. “I promise you little one that I will always be here for you.  No matter where we are, what we’re doing or how old you are, I will always be here for you.  That is my pledge to you.” 

Beaux needed to exert himself physically before he made himself sick.  Lacy’s words had hurt worse than a kick in the gut.  If only he knew what was happening. She had never shut him out, never shunned his touch or told him to leave.  Pulling out the push mower, he cut the grass, which was long overdue for a trim. His riding mower would have made the job more efficient, but he needed the distraction. July in Louisiana was brutal with the heat and humidity and this day was no exception, but Beaux welcomed it. As he pushed the mower, sweat rolled down his face to his bare chest, clearing his mind from the scene with Lacy.  He finished with the grass and was about to start on the weeds, when he saw Lacy sitting on the patio. She was lost in thought, oblivious to being observed and Beaux could se
e she was hurting. She stood up never acknowledging his presence and walked down to the bayou. Everything in him wanted to wrap himself around her, comforting her as he always had but he held himself back. When she was ready she would come to him.  Continuing on with the yard work, the humidity finally got to him and he sat down in the grass with a bottle of water. 

He saw a shadow approaching and looked up. His heart jumped as Lacy walked towards him, full of uncertainty. 
He patted the ground in invitation and she sat down beside him in the grass. Neither one spoke. Beaux kept his hands perched on his knees afraid to be rejected again. Minutes passed and the torrent of emotion burst free from Lacy.

“I’m sorry Beaux,” she sobbed. “I don’t know what happened to me. You did nothing wrong and I was horrible to you.” Beaux reached out tentatively wiping away a tear from her. “You’re so perfect,” she sniffed. “I don’t deserve you.”

“No ma chère, don’t ever say that.”

She clung to his arm, drawing from his strength. “I love you so much it scares me sometimes.”

“You scared me when you shut me out. I thought you finally had too much on you and had regrets.”

“No, Beaux. I could never regret you.”

He put his arm around her and pulled her close. The afternoon rain came and still they remained sitting in the grass, blissfully unaware of the falling drops, as they made up from their first quarrel.

Chapter 11:

Independence Day arrived on a very hot and very humid day, but the sun was out and not a cloud was in the sky. Lacy was in good spirits after a good night’s sleep and waking up to no morning sickness. She jumped out of bed and snuck to the kitchen to surprise Beaux with breakfast in bed. After yesterday, she wanted to show him in little ways the depth of her feelings. As bacon sizzled in the cast iron pan, she went through the freezer and refrigerator, making a list of what they needed to grab from the store this morning. She was excited to see her cousin and share her news, plus she couldn’t wait to have a few minutes of girl time. Between her week here in May and then having Monica nearby, she became spoiled with girl talk, something she hadn’t experienced much of since she was a young teenager.

Taking the bacon and setting it on a paper towel to absorb the grease, she cracked open two eggs and put some bread in the toaster. She poured a glass of orange juice and arranged the food neatly on a plate.  As an afterthought she went outside and snipped a rose from one of the bushes. She
came back inside, placed it in a bud vase and put everything on a tray.  When she walked into the bedroom, Beaux was sitting up, about to get out of bed.

“I made you breakfast,” she said cheerfully and was rewarded with his devastatingly sexy just woke up smile that she had never been able to resist.

“Mmm, I am hungry,” he said with a devilish gleam in his eye.

“Do I have to remind you we have a cook out to prepare for? A cook out that was your idea,” she teased, wanting nothing more than to go along with his plan for breakfast.

“They can wait,” he murmured, pulling her down to him.

Their grocery store visit was rushed in order to get the preparations done in time.  They would not allow themselves to be lulled into a false security again, but they had a positive outlook today, convinced that nothing could draw them apart.  Lacy was slicing tomatoes when Justin and Sara arrived. Justin stayed at the grill with Beaux and Sara hurried inside to her best friend.
Again, they squealed as though a lifetime had passed since they last saw one another.

“Look at your little bump!” Lacy exclaimed, noticing that Sarah was now showing at twelve weeks. She unconsciously patted her own stomach.

They talked as sisters, catching up on the last four and half weeks. Their promises to email everyday had floundered and only a few brief phone calls had happened as they were both ignoring the elephant in the room.  Both kept with the illusions neither knew what was going on and for now they were okay with that.

“What’s the latest with Beaux and you? Are you moving in together or will you
find your own place for awhile?” Sara asked. Only someone so close, could ask such a question without offending.

“Moving in.”

“Ahhh! I knew it!” Sara squealed. “Didn’t I tell you? Will we be hearing wedding bells soon?”

Lacy blushed. “It’s pretty soon for that. You know how the song goes, ‘first comes baby in the carriage,
and then comes marriage.”

Sara laughed. “No, I think you have that backwards Lacy.” She paused as she realized what Lacy was trying to tell her.
“No way!”

“Yes way,” Lacy replied in teen vernacular.

They hugged again and Sara bubbled with excitement. “The babies will be about two months apart just like us! And we get to be pregnant together.  I can’t believe it!”

“I wish I could enjoy your enthusiasm about being pregnant. Don’t get me wrong, we were completely shocked, and we are happy, but the actual being pregnant part sucks, Sara. This is the first day in a week I haven’t been sick and yesterday I got pissed at Beaux for no reason at all.”

Sara just laughed in empathy. “Don’t feel bad Lace. A few weeks ago, I chewed Justin out for helping me get a glass out of the cupboard.”

“Wow, I hope I don’t get that bad.”

“Trust me, the hormones get the better of you and things just happen.  Fortunately, we have two pretty awesome men who can take the hormonal mood swings.”     

Lacy wasn’t sure if that made her feel better or worse. They finished cutting vegetables and took the trays outside to the tables set up then returned for the salads. Other people were beginning to show up, a few whom Lacy didn’t recognize. Some she could place as the bar staff and a few she assumed were the security for Sara and Justin. She saw her own security around dressed in plain clothes, interacting like they were old friends.

Beaux caught her eye and waved her to the grill. She walked over to him slipping her arm through his, missing his contact. He was telling her something Justin said when a breeze passed, blowing the smell of the grilling meat directly to her nostrils. The now familiar queasiness welled in her stomach and before she could help herself, her breakfast landed on Beaux’s feet. Horrified, she froze in place praying no one else had seen. Beaux took her arm and led her to the house.

“I’m so sorry Beaux.”

“Chère, you need to stop apologizing.  If throwing up on my boots makes your stomach feel better than that’s a price I’m willing to pay.” He flashed her that smile and she perked up. They cleaned up and went back to their guests.

Everyone, minus Lacy whom still was feeling queasy, grabbed plates and filled them hot dogs, hamburgers, potato and macaroni salads and vegetables. A game of volleyball had just begun when a large SUV arrived. Out stepped a man Lacy recognized from South Carolina and two other men she did not. The man she recognized walked towards Beaux and Lacy clenched her fist around his arm.

“Mr. Chauvin. I understand I may find a Mrs. Sara Broussard here. Could you direct me to her please?”

There was no need as Sara and Justin had been standing directly beside Lacy and Beaux.  She stepped forward with Justin at her side.

“I am Sara Broussard,” she said, her voice cracking, belying her strong stance.

“May we speak to you in private?”

“My husband, cousin and Mr. Chauvin can come with us,” she stated firmly, leaving no room for negotiations as to their presence.

Beaux ushered them inside his house and they sat around the dining room table.

“Mrs. Broussard, I am sorry to inform you that your father has been shot. He was transported to the hospital, but did not survive his wounds. We have not been able to locate your mother.”

Sara trembled losing the stoic composure she had so desperately wanted to maintain.  Deep down, the moment Justin confided in her
about his suspicions when he had to tell her about security, she knew that something very bad would happen.  She had prepared herself, mentally building her defenses and hollowing that part of her heart that held her parents with love.  For so long, she had allowed herself to live in denial, vehemently denying and excusing the conversations she had heard as a child into her teen years, when her parents thought she had been out of hearing range.  Her constant denial turned to a solid belief that she did in fact have two loving parents who were upstanding citizens of the community and would always be there for her. Now she prayed that her denial would not lead to the harm of those she loved and her unborn baby.

She saw her cousin visibly crying, mourning the uncle she had seen as the innocent party. They reached out holding on to each other, each grieving for a different reason.  Justin rest his hands on her, and Beaux’s on Lacy, occasionally squeezing shoulders offering support, but allowing the two cousins their connection in grieving. 

The other guests formed two distinct huddles outside.  One group was quiet having been alerted to the news already and were focusing on their job.  The second group speculated about what was happening and were concerned for a long time friend. In time, Beaux went outside to inform them of the tragic news and they would have to end the party early. They gave their condolences and hurriedly cleaned up. The first group lingered as the others left and then took their positions.

Sara and Lacy remained at the dining room table, having not moved in two hours.  Gone were the tears and they had retreated to their thirteen year old selves when the world held no perils.

“Remember our eighth birthday parties? We begged and begged for a petting zoo, so our parents finally agreed?” Sara asked.

“Yes, and then Jess Adams showed up even though we swore we wouldn’t invite her because she pulled my hair right in front of
Ethan when she knew I liked him.  The nerve of her showing up uninvited!”

“I have a confession Lacy. I was the one who invited her.”

“No! How come?”

“I was going to
trip her and make her fall in front of everyone as payback for embarrassing you, but then the goat started eating Mindy’s skirt and I never got the chance.”

“You were so bad!”

Peals of laughter followed. 

“I
have a confession to make also,” Lacy said still laughing.  “I went to my junior prom with Ethan and eight years later, I couldn’t help rub it in to Jess.  She never changed you know, and had the hugest crush on Ethan all throughout high school.  I didn’t like Ethan at all, but when he asked me to prom I couldn’t help but say yes. There were no boys I liked at the time so why not. Jess went with Buck Teeth Bobby and I made sure Ethan and I danced by Bobby and her plenty of times.”

“Lacy Landon, I never would have thought you had what it took to be so bitchy,” Sara laughed.

If the men were surprised by their woman’s behavior following such grievous news, they didn’t show it. Convinced the women were coping in the only way they knew, they quietly moved to the living room where they could have their own conversation while remaining in sight of the women they loved.

“Where do you think Sara’s mom is?” Beaux asked.

“It’s hard to say. Mrs. Landon has been flighty the last few years. There have been several times she has up and left for several weeks without telling anyone.” Justin answered.

“Do you think this is one of those times, despite the news of her husband’s murder?”

Justin shook his head sadly. “No, but for Sara’s sake I am hoping it is.”

“Me too.  This mess feels like it will never be cleaned up. I am so afraid someone will come after Lacy again.  I just want to start a life with her and we can’t do that until this is over.”

“Is is that serious already?”

“I was going to propose that night Jeff attacked her.”

“Talk about bad timing. I’m glad you and Lacy hit it off.  For years Sara has been telling me the two of you were meant for each other. Once she knew for sure Lacy was coming for a visit, she wouldn’t let it rest”