The Magnolia Affair (30 page)

He kissed me behind the ear. “I’ve got that alliance paperwork to look over. Sleep well. Call if you need me.” He paused in the doorway. “God, I love you.”

I stared at him, studying his eyes. The way he adored me. The way he wanted me. My hand rested on the swell of my belly. My skin should have felt cold, but it didn’t. It was blazing.

“Pax?” I called.

“Yeah?” He stepped toward the foot of the bed, carnal desire flaring in his eyes. “Tell me, Audrey.”

“I need you.” I gathered the sheets in my hand, folded them over my body, and waited for my husband.

I looked out of the oval window, the plane picking up speed as we took off. The tarmac black underneath, illuminated by a row of blinking lights. Corinne, already asleep on my shoulder, sighed and I tucked the blanket that had fallen back to her chin.

It could have happened that way. It would have if I had stayed and waited for Pax in the garden. I closed my eyes. He would have said all of that and more, seducing me with excuses and pleas of love. Because he loved me. He believed more than anything that he really loved me.

He would have taken me to our room, knowing we fought through everything in bed, knowing I would need him. I would want my husband to be my husband again. He knew that about me.

My body stiffened. Yes, it probably would have happened like that if I had stayed.

But it didn’t.

When he called and said the conference had been extended another night, I knew it was my only chance. My one night to escape. Take Corinne and run. Save my baby. Save myself.

Escape the darkness. Escape the lie that my life was built upon.

Heavy tears slid down my cheeks. The lies. Years of lies.

See, all those days I spent with Becky, I asked her questions about France. Where she lived, how she created a new life for herself.

She would teach me little bits of French, dotting our conversations with her favorite phrases. I would repeat them, until I could match the accent on the language app on my phone. The walks on the beach gave me time to practice. I thought it was a way to cheer her up when I could talk to her in her favorite language.

I didn’t realize I had made a choice until I heard Corinne recite the baby names for her brother or sister. It was there. My escape plan.

I didn’t know who had given Avery the flash drive. I didn’t care. Those pictures were meant to destroy my marriage, destroy my husband, but what they did was free me. The sick bastard who had kept that information from me could go to hell. I had a copy of the drive in my pocket and the original in my carry on, tucked in a pair of socks. It was possibly the only protection I had.

I didn’t have to pretend anymore. I didn’t have to live with the doubt and the questions. I admitted what I had always suspected, but swore I didn’t want to know. Pax would do anything for me.

It wasn’t that I knew from the beginning he killed Spence, because it wasn’t clear until I saw the pictures, but the shadow followed him. The way he blurred lines. The way he paid people. The way his father handled dirty messes. It was there, and I was so far under, I couldn’t see it. That was, until the flash drive.

I thought about the lies he fed me. I was desperate when Spence died. I wanted to be saved and put back together. I let the grief give me an excuse to be weak. Pax needed me weak. When he said he didn’t kill Spence, I wanted it to be true. So much so that I drowned out any other option. If I shared my body with him, married him, fell in love with him, supported him all the way to the governor’s mansion, then he had to be a good man. A perfect man.

I did exist in a haze after Spence was gone. I lived in Pax’s arms. Let his mouth breathe life into me. Let the nights in his bed convince me there wasn’t anything I could have done.

Because that was the truth, wasn’t it? Paxton Tanner had barreled into my life like a bullet splitting my world into two parts. All the while, I knew which life I wanted, but was too weak to admit it. Too scared to give in fully. I let him choose for me.

Corinne’s innocence fired something in me. It stirred in instinct that had been buried—the need to protect. I wasn’t alone anymore. I had to find a way out for all three of us.

The plane soared over the ocean. I leaned back in my seat, careful not to wake Corinne.

Maybe one day I would wake up and not be afraid. I would look out of my window, and not be stricken with fear that he would find me. It wouldn’t be tomorrow, and it wouldn’t be next week. But it would happen.

Fear was better than acceptance. I couldn’t stay. He would turn me into a woman I couldn’t live with. My stomach recoiled, terrified with the possibility it had already happened.

Running was the only chance to live a normal life. I could raise Corinne the way Becky always wanted. I would find a way to fight the darkness. I would teach my child the beautiful side of life once I found it again.

“Ma’am, can I get you anything?” the flight attendant asked. Her cart was stocked.

“No. We’re ok for now.”

She lifted the kickstand and moved to the next row.

Pax had people. He had money. I had less than eight hours to devise a plan on how I would disappear in Europe. He would know I used my credit card to buy the tickets. He would know the passports were gone. If I were lucky, I had maybe a day, possibly less, before he found me.

I had made two stops on the way to the airport. I cleaned out as much advanced cash as my credit cards would allow. I had packed all the jewelry Pax had given me. My purse was loaded with diamond bracelets and pendants. I had never sold a single shiny trinket in my life, but it was the only thing I could think of that would give us some cash quickly without a digital footprint.

That was what I would have to worry about the most. Electronic transactions and ways he could track my movements. I bought a prepaid phone with cash at the airport. I had left Avery a message to pick up Pepper for me.

The less she knew, the better. But, I couldn’t leave Pepper behind without thinking someone would take care of him. It was the last thing I could do for Spencer.

I had to think like Pax. Think of how he would look for me. I tried to remember our conversations about traveling. I thought through groggy memories of what I told him. My dream list of places to visit.

I bit my lower lip. This was survival.

His finger traced the tender skin on my hipbone. “I am going to take you on a honeymoon, Mrs. Tanner.”

“It’s ok. You have the campaign right now. We can honeymoon later.” I stretched my neck upward, and he held it firmly while he kissed my throat.

“I couldn’t wait for my parents to get out of here. They have to be the rudest wedding guests. It was as if they didn’t know I couldn’t wait to rip this dress off you.”

My dress was heaped in layers on the floor. “You liked it?”

“You were…are the most beautiful bride.” He kissed lower, my skin burned for him. “But, please tell me where I can take you when we get a week to ourselves. There has to be somewhere you want to go. Somewhere we can vacation. Wake up every day like this.” He moved on top of me. I arched my back, anxious to draw him in. “Drink wine at night. Do all that touristy stuff during the day.”

“Hmm…” I pretended to think. “What about somewhere tropical?”

“No, tropical doesn’t suit you.”

“Well, what about that New Zealand trip? I know it’s far, but I’ve always wanted to go. I just couldn’t afford it.”

He kissed my mouth, biting on the lower lip. “New Zealand it is. If that’s what you want, but I think I’ll need to clear my schedule for two weeks.”

“It sounds like a wonderful honeymoon to me.”

“And I’ll charter a jet. We’ll have all that time in the air before we get there.” He kissed behind my ear.

“Mmmhmm.”

“You’re sure about Europe? No B&Bs in the French countryside or what about a Tuscan village?”

I stared at him, his wide shoulders hovered over me. My gorgeous, exquisite husband. “No, I’m positive. Europe is way too ordinary for us.”

He laughed. “I guess that’s true. I love you, Audrey Tanner.”

“I love you, Paxton Tanner.”

I gritted my teeth, not sure what hurt the most, the memories or the loss of what I thought I had. The flight attendant reappeared with a hot towel.

I wiped my hands and face and handed it back to her.

“Thank you.”

“Wow, that’s a gorgeous ring you have.” Her round eyes widened like saucers.

I covered it with my right hand. It was a monstrous rock. “Umm…thanks.”

“Your husband has excellent taste.”

“He does,” I said nervously.

He had chosen me. Handpicked me to be his partner. All the times he complimented my style or the way I spoke to the voters, he was gauging me, testing me for the next level. I was the perfect candidate’s wife. An educated woman, attractive but not a super model. A woman who was a teacher and loved children, but didn’t have any of her own. A woman with opinions, but too meek to share them. Yes, I was exactly what he needed through every step of his journey. I was worth killing for.

I twisted the ring on my finger. I would add it to the pile in my purse.

Europe would be a start. He would think I was heading to New Zealand at some point. Corinne and I would stay in Munich for a day, and then take a train to Switzerland. I could probably travel for a month on the cash I had, but I needed to put down roots. Not only did I have Corinne to worry about, but also I would need prenatal care. We couldn’t travel from town to town for long.

“Ma’am, here are your customs forms.” The flight attendant returned and handed me a pink index card and a pencil.

“Thank you.” I stared at the sheet. It was one more clue in the paper trail I was leaving.

“Let me know if you have any questions.” She turned to the next passenger.

From now on, every encounter would be like this. I would debate what name I could use. How much information to leave. The breadcrumbs would lead him to me. They would always lead him to me.

I felt the plane begin to descend. Corinne opened her eyes. “Are we there, yet?”

“We are, sweetheart. We’ll be in Munich in a few minutes.”

She stretched her arms overhead. “I can’t believe we’re taking a trip without Dad.”

My stomach rolled. “It’s just a girls’ getaway. I thought it would be fun if it was only the two of us.”

Later, I would tell her something. Not the truth, but something.

She shrugged. “It would be cool to see some of my friends. Can we please go to my old town?”

I nodded. “We will. I have to work out the details, but we can do that. France is definitely on the list.”

“Awesome.” She rubbed her eyes.

I collected my purse from under the seat and opened the latch. The velvet boxes were resting inside, along with my cash. My skin prickled.

We were in another country. I had made this choice. My palm smoothed the front of my shirt, and I lingered for a moment over my stomach. I would protect my child, I promised myself.

The door opened to the jet way. “Audrey, come on.” Corinne stood in the aisle, her purple backpack in her hand.

I smiled and slipped the bag over my shoulder. “I’m right behind you.”