The Magnolia Affair (20 page)

Pepper barked at the window. I saw the white sedan pull up in the driveway.

“Hush, boy. Don’t jump on her. That’s the last thing I need today,” I scolded him.

I opened the door before she made it to the top of the stairs. “Mrs. Tanner. Hi, I’m Lyla Voight. So nice to meet you.”

“Come on in, Lyla. I’ve been looking forward to this.” I walked her through the foyer and out onto our screened deck. I liked watching the children play in the surf.

“Your house is beautiful.” She admired the view. “How long have you and Senator Tanner lived here?”

I filled two glasses with ice. “Water? Lemonade? I do have coffee.”

“Lemonade sounds good.”

“Here you go.” I handed her a glass. “Let’s see. We moved in right after we got married. So almost a year.”

“It’s been a busy year for you two. How is newlywed life?”

I laughed. This was my job. Show the intimate side of Pax’s life. Make women want to be married to a man like him. Make men want to be him. “It has been wonderful. I’m very lucky.”

“I haven’t seen any of your wedding photos. Readers might want a glimpse. Was it a private wedding?” she asked.

“It was. It was the second marriage for Paxton and me. We felt it was best to honor our first spouses by keeping it out of the press. We actually were married right here on the deck. It was intimate—very special.”

“By the beach. That must have been nice.”

“It was beautiful.” I walked inside and returned with a framed photo of us.

I wore a muslin dress, with a deep V at my breasts. I fell for the ruffles gathered at the hem even though I had said I wasn’t going to wear anything remotely looking like a wedding dress. It was simple.

Pax had bought an orchid for my hair. It was the only flower I allowed. He fastened it behind my ear.

We waited until sunset, and then hand in hand exchanged vows on the deck. A justice of the peace Pax knew from his time as an attorney performed the ceremony. Pax’s parents were our witnesses.

It was the first time I met Mr. and Mrs. Tanner.

After we exchanged rings and were legally declared husband and wife, we shared a catered dinner with his parents in the dining room. Pax’s mother surprised me with a wedding cake and his father popped two bottles of champagne.

They were welcoming in their own distant way. They seemed to approve of me, and that was all that I cared about. I didn’t have the energy to forge relationships or fight them. Pax swore they were in love with me as he was. He was content with their reaction, and that was enough for me.

I didn’t expect to be happy on my wedding day. I thought the memories of Spence would choke out any chance of joy, but they didn’t. Standing there, promising my life to Pax, I felt peace. I felt relief. Someone else would take care of me. I wouldn’t be left in the dark alone.

I looked at the picture again.

“Your dress was gorgeous.” Lyla admired it.

“Thank you. It spoke to me.” I smiled at her.

“Tell me something about the senator we don’t already know.” Lyla sipped on the lemonade.

I pretended to think of something. “He leaves me little sticky notes all over the house. They’re so sweet. Just little reminders that he’s thinking of me.”

“Aww, that is sweet.”

“He’s a thoughtful husband. A romantic one for sure.”

“What about something annoying? He must do something that drives you nuts. I know my husband does.”

I laughed. “He can’t seem to find the hamper. Really, is it that hard to throw socks in the dirty clothes?”

Lyla found that as amusing as I wanted her to. “Sounds like even the most romantic men can still be messy.”

“Yes, they can.”

“What are some of the things you two like to do together when you’re not on the campaign trail?”

“We’re big movie buffs. We love to watch movies, which is nice because we can do that anywhere.”

“Does the senator have a favorite?” she asked.

“He likes the classics, that’s for sure. Anything John Wayne and you aren’t going to tear him away. Don’t even try.”

Lyla reached into her purse and placed a picture on the table. I studied it for a second. It was a picture of a girl in the snow, a hot-looking guy next to her.

“Is that Paxton?” I asked. I picked up the photo.

“It is.” She studied me carefully. “This was taken during a winter break trip thirteen years ago. I believe it was the senator’s senior year.”

I laid it down. “It looks like they had fun.” I smiled at Lyla.

“I need to ask you, Mrs. Tanner. What do you know about the accusation that your husband cheated on his then-fiancée with this girl, got her pregnant, and then forced her to abort the pregnancy that resulted from the affair?”

“Excuse me?”

She picked up the picture and stuffed it back in her purse. “What is your comment on this story?”

“That it’s exactly that. A story. Something fabricated by my husband’s political adversaries. I don’t have anything else to say on the matter.” The lemonade tasted bitter.

“What if I told you I know where she is?”

My eyes darted to the reporter. Why was she doing this? Didn’t she know the pain I had already been through? I didn’t need evidence of Pax’s past. He had worked hard to close the chapter on the break with Sarah.

“Lyla, you know, I’m not feeling so well. I suffer from migraines that hit me from time to time. I feel one of those coming on right now. I think we need to reschedule our interview.” I stood, indicating our session was over.

“I’m sorry to hear that, Mrs. Tanner.” She slung her purse over her shoulder.

I walked her to the front door, and then locked the deadbolt behind her. I pulled out my phone to call Pax. I got his voicemail. That was happening a lot lately.

I was waiting on the deck for him when he got home. I was halfway through the bottle of wine. It had to be midnight.

“There you are. I looked for you upstairs.” He planted a kiss on my cheek. “How did the interview go?”

“I tried to call you. I called three times.” I liked how the waves sounded as they crashed against the sand.

“I’m sorry. It was meeting after meeting. Every time I stopped to call, I would get interrupted and pulled into another meeting. Why? Did something happen?”

He sat next to me, stretching his legs in the lounge chair.

“It wasn’t a feature piece.”

“Oh, did she start digging into my platform? You know my take on everything. I’m sure you handled it.”

“No, Pax. She ambushed me with a picture of you and that girl from the ski trip.”

He looked at me. “What picture?”

“You two were on the slopes. The picture was innocent enough. However, she asked me for my comment on the affair. She said you cheated on your fiancée and the same thing about the abortion.”

“How did this come back up? We got rid of that story.” He ran his fingers through his hair. I could see his furrowed brow in the shadows. “It’s been buried six feet under.”

A chill ran over my arms. “Were you engaged to Sarah when you went to the resort? You told me you were on a break from dating.”

He exhaled. “Look, we weren’t in a good place. Her dad made me propose to her—that’s a long story between our families. But I couldn’t really take it. I needed some space. I was twenty-two for Christ’s sake. I had no business getting engaged and I didn’t want someone else telling me what I had to do.”

“You lied to me about it?”

“It wasn’t a lie. I just—we had other problems at that time, if you remember. I was trying to protect you from the photos of us being leaked. I don’t know what I said about the ski trip.”

“I remember, Pax. You told me you were on a break and that the pregnancy was a concocted lie.”

“Right. I did say that. I know it sounds like I’m making excuses now, but I was worried about you. You needed me, Audrey. We first talked about it the night—”

“I know what night it was,” I said, cutting him off.

“Then, you remember I had a lot to deal with. My only intent was to protect you from all of it.”

“Are you saying it was ok that you tweaked the truth?” I asked. The wine wasn’t enough. I needed more. I filled the glass to the top.

“We all tweak the truth.” His eyes blazed.

“Tell me the rest of the story isn’t true.”

“It’s not true. I swear.”

The wine worked its magic. I felt loose. Calm. The waves were lulling me. I didn’t want to hold anger in my blood. “All right.”

“All right? We’re good? That’s it?” His finger ran along my arm. My body reacted quickly to him. It always did.

“I might be a little angry,” I warned.

His hand moved to my neck, massaging it down to my shoulder. “That feels good, Pax.” I took another sip of wine. “You’re changing my mind.” My head rolled to the side, catching his eyes.

There was more. I could see it.

He inhaled sharply. “I have something else I need to talk to you about.”

“What’s that?”

He sighed. “I don’t know how you’re going to take this, but Hughes’s attorney has found a loophole. The charges against him were dropped this morning.”

I hadn’t seen the news today.

“That’s not possible. He did it. There was evidence.”

“I know. I know. But, without a location on the gun, we always knew it would be a loose case. The attorney filed grievances against the department. It’s a long story, but the case was dropped.”

“I-I don’t believe it. They can’t do that. I testified in court. I gave the police that flash drive. It was all there.”

“I know. You did everything right. Everything you could to find justice.”

“Can’t we appeal?” I didn’t feel as safe as I had five minutes ago.

“It wasn’t a civil case. It was brought by the state.” He took my hand. “If the judge saw merit in the defense’s findings, we have to let it go.”

“Let it go? Because of a technicality?”

“Yes. Put it behind us. Let’s look toward the future we have. The plans we’re making.” Pax sounded as if he had moved on. Spence’s death wasn’t haunting him like it did me. I wondered if someone had killed Sarah if it would have been so easy.

I stood from the chaise. “I don’t think I can do that.”

He grabbed my wrist as I walked past him. “You have to.”

I twisted out of his grip, shaking the circulation back to my arm. “What was that for?” I snapped at him.

“I’m sorry. I grabbed a little too tightly. You need to let this go. Nothing good can come from going after Hughes. You know that.” Paxton stood, towering over me. “I don’t want you holding on to this.”

“I know that the man who killed Spence is walking free. If we don’t do something, how can I be sure he won’t come after us again? What if he hurts you this time?” I threw myself at Pax. “Oh, God. Now that you’re running for governor, he’s going to come after you.”

I felt the ground shifting under me.

“Shh…shh.” He stroked my hair. “I’m not scared of Hughes anymore. He’s done with politics. His career is over. I’m not fearful, and I don’t want you to be either. We have the best security system on the house. I can hire protection for you if that makes you feel better.” He turned my chin upward. “He won’t hurt you.”

His words quieted the fear that had suddenly sprung. I had been tossed out to sea again, and Pax had anchored me back to safety.

“Thank you,” I whispered.

“I’ll always keep you safe, Audrey. Always.”