Then Came Indecision (Southern Love #2) (12 page)

“It’s not the same thing.”

“If you say so…Blaise doesn’t know Paul is here, does he?”

“Uh, we haven’t really talked.”

“Are you going to tell him?”

“Um…I don’t know. It’s not any of his business.”

“Well, I’m sure he’ll find out anyway. You may as well be proactive about it. And I don’t think the best way is for Blaise to show up here and see you two in bed together.”
              “We aren’t sleeping together!”

“Shh!
” Martha said. “You’ll wake your man.”

“He’s not my man,” she whispered.

“You seem confused, dear.”

“Well, I’m not. Blaise is…in the past. I really like Paul. We’ve had our differences but we can work them out. It makes more sense to be with him than hope Blaise is the wonderful man he says he is.”

“Make more sense or is just easier?” Martha said, eyeing her. “Because love isn’t easy. I’m not sure what gave you the impression it was.”

“But you trust each other.”

“Do you trust Paul?”

Alexandra thought for a moment. “Yeah. I think he just made a mistake and he regrets it.
”

“Do you trust Blaise?”

She shook her head.

“Well, do you love Paul?”

“Of course I do. Love has never been the problem.”

Martha stared at the table for a moment before she looked at her niece. “It sounds like you made your decision.”

That didn’t make Alexandra feel any better. The entire situation was unfortunate. It seemed like everyone was getting their heart broken. No one came out a winner. “Yeah…”

Alexandra drank her water then stood up. “I should get to work.”

“I’ll help.”

She turned and saw Paul walk toward the door, fully dressed.

Aunt Martha smiled but didn’t speak.

She felt alarmed when she saw him. She wondered if he heard everything. “Okay…”

They walked outside then headed to the field. The sun was bright, and it illuminated the fields of cotton. It was still slightly cold, the dew sticking to the leaves of the plants. The dirt was slightly damp. They said nothing as they walked side by side.

Alexandra waited for him to mention the conversation that just took place. “You don’t need to help me.”

“It’s okay, baby. I want to.”

She turned the irrigation pump and he helped her. “Did you hear our conversation?”

He smiled. “I did.”

She stared at him.

“But it wasn’t anything I didn’t know before.” He moved to the next pump and turned the handle. She watched him for a moment, seeing the outline of his back. The first day she met Blaise came to her mind. The sight of his face on that summer morning was still ingrained in her mind. Even in that moment, she knew there was an unusual connection between them. But that didn’t matter anymore. The person standing in that field was Paul, not Blaise. Blaise was living his life with Danielle, being in the relationship he had been in for the past year. Alexandra was a leaf on the wind that came into his life then disappeared shortly afterwards. The knowledge made her sad. Because Blaise wasn’t a passerby. He was the mighty oak that stood tall and proud for generations, outliving most. But she had to forget about that—forever.

Chapter Fifteen

“It’ll help, but I can’t guarantee it will save your fields.” Don touched the leaves of the plant Blaise then dropped his hand. “I’m sorry there isn’t more I can do for you. If I weren’t out of town, it may have been different. And by the time you return, I suspect your crops will be withered.”

Blaise sighed. “What are you suggesting?”

“You can use the treatment and hope it works, but there’s a good chance the quality will be nowhere where it was before. Or you can start over immediately.”

“That’s costly,” Blaise said.

“Either way, it’ll cost you a lot. And since there was so much pesticide, you’ll need new soil as well. I’m sorry.”

“Great,” Blaise said in annoyance.

“I’m sorry there isn’t more I can do.”

“Thank you for your time.” He shook his hand then left the building, heading to the airport immediately. Now he had to start over. It was the worse case scenario. He pulled out his phone and called Connor.

“Sir?”

“We are replanting.”

“It didn’t go well, I take it?”

“Nope.”

“What do you need?”

“Everything, including fresh soil.”

“I’ll round up some workers,” he said. “But I suspect most of the ones we had won’t return after the incident.”

“I don’t blame them,” he said with a sigh. “I’m just glad no one was seriously ill. That could have been bad and gave Cunnings Cotton a bad reputation.”

“I’ve tried to keep it out of the media. Hopefully, it stays that way.”

“Yeah.”

“Did you find out who was responsible, sir?”

“Connor, just call me Blaise.”

“Oh, sorry,” he said quickly. “I’m just used to calling your father that.”

“I know,” he said. “And it’s either my brother or uncle. I can’t think of anyone else.”

“Have you confronted them?”

“No,” Blaise said. “But I will.”
He hung up then got onto the plane. When he sat in his seat by the window, he thought about Alexandra. His fields required his undivided attention at the moment. He needed to bust his ass if he wanted to make it by the harvest season but he desperately needed to talk to Alexandra and fix their relationship. He missed her like crazy.

When he finally arrived in Georgia it was two in the morning. He wanted to drive to Alexandra’s but he thought that would be a bad idea. She was grouchy when she didn’t get her sleep. Instead he went home and walked into his office. He had to make sure everything was prepared for the following morning. Unable to stay awake, he fell asleep on his desk.

The next morning, he went onto the fields with all the workers he could find. With the tractors, they pulled all the dead crops from the soil and made room for the new dirt to be brought in. Time was of the essence so Blaise worked alongside everyone else, not taking a break even when everyone else did.

He still needed to talk to his uncle and strangle him but he didn’t have time for that either. When the workers finally left in the evening, he showered then grabbed his phone, ready to call Alexandra. Before he could dial, his phone lit up. It was Danielle. He
debated answering it for a long time.

“What?” he snapped.

“He’s here,” she whispered.

His heart raced. “Evan?”

“Yeah,” she snapped. “Get down here. He keeps talking me. I’m scared…”

“Where are you? At home?”

“I’m at Rob’s.”

“Fuck,” he said. “I’m on my way.”

“Blaise?”

“What!”

“He said he heard rumors about you and that other girl. I told him we are still together but he thinks I’m lying.”

“I’m on my way.” He hung up then got into his truck as fast as he could. He sped through the country roads, making the dust fly through the air. Both hands gripped the wheel as he made it into town. He pulled into the parking lot and did a horrible job staying in the lines.

When he stormed inside, he didn’t pay attention to anyone around him. He just searched for Danielle, his heart pounding against his ribs. His hands automatically formed fists. It really got under his skin when men beat women. It made him insane. He bumped into a brunette as he moved through the room.

“Blaise?”

He ignored her and kept going. When he found Danielle in the corner, Evan blocking her in, he marched over.

“Get the fuck away from her.” Blaise stepped in front of Danielle, blocking her from view.

Evan stepped back and glared at him. “And here’s the watchdog to the rescue.”

“I’ll kill you,” Blaise snapped. “I don’t give a s
hit if we’re in a public place.”

Evan smiled. “It’s good thing we’re in a room full of witnesses.”

“You think I care?”

“I think your cotton might.”

Blaise narrowed his eyes.

“I heard you’re
with some new girl.” He stared him down. “Danielle seems to be unencumbered.”

“Danielle is my girlfriend. And whether she was or not, I would kill
you if you touched her. Now back off.”

Evan st
epped closer to Blaise, clearly unafraid. “I think you’re full of shit. And I’ll make that bitch pay for what she did to me. I couldn’t even take back the ring.”

“Get over it!” Blaise snapped. “You’re acting like a pathetic little girl.”

“I loved her!”

“That’s too fucking bad!” Blaise clenched his fists again.

“Now that you’re out of the picture, I’ll get her. And there won’t be any witnesses, believe me.”

“We are together,” Danielle said, grabbing his hand.

Blaise didn’t pull away even though his skin screamed in agony from touching her.

“Sure…”

Danielle moved next to Blaise, pressing her breasts against his stomach and her lips near his chin.

Blaise wanted to vomit. “Leave me and my girlfriend alone. If you don’t, I’ll come in the middle of night and slit your throat with a knife.”

“I’ll call your bluff, Cunnings. Maybe I’ll hurt someone you really care about, like that cute little new girl.”

Blaise wanted to break a bottle and stab the shards through his jugular vein. The threat against Alexandra made him want to explode. But he had to keep his cool. If Evan knew he was madly in love with her, it would only give him a reason t hurt her.
“The only woman in my heart is Danielle.” He had to force the words out. He grabbed her face and kissed her. He held the embrace for a moment, trying not to gag, then pulled away. “You touch her, you’ll regret it.”

Evan eyed them. “You can’t watch her forever.”

Blaise pushed him back. “I’m sick of this. Let’s go outside.”

Evan raised his hands in the air. “Someone call the cops.”

“You fucking pussy!” Blaise said.

Evan looked at Danielle one more time before he left the bar.

Blaise sighed in relief when he was gone.

Danielle came into his arms and started crying. He held her to his chest, rubbing her back. Even though he had no resp
ect for her, he hated seeing how scared she was. She didn’t deserve to be treated that way. It was unfair that she had to live in fear all the time. “It’s okay. You’re safe now.”

“Thank you so much,” she said through her tears. “I don’t know what I would be without you.”

“It’s alright,” he said gently. He rubbed her back and held her in his arms. The crowd started to disperse now that the confrontation was over. He pulled away and looked at her. “Call me if he bothers you again. I may have to kill him though.”

“I would love that,” she said as she wiped he tears away.

He sighed. “Do you want me to take you home? I have somewhere I need to be.”

She nodded then grabbed his hand.

Since she was so shaken up, he didn’t pull away. “Let’s go.”

When he turned toward the door, he saw Alexandra standing there, tears streaming down her face.
Lisa and Hannah were standing beside her, looking vicious. Lisa’s eyes were bright with raging flames. Hannah looked like she would push him down an elevator shaft. But Alexandra had the most painful look. She turned from the bar and ran.

Chapter Sixteen

Alexandra had never been in so much pain in her life. But she also felt incredibly stupid. How could she ever think that Blaise might be telling the truth? She was filled with self-loathing. When it came to important decisions, she always chose the wrong one. Blaise was the biggest mistake of all. She had horrible judgment of people. Perhaps that was why her patient had died.

She wiped her tears away as she ran to her truck. With shaky hands, she put the keys in the lock and turned it.

“Alexandra!”

His voice made her hasten.

“STOP!”

She opened the door but he slammed it closed.

“It’s not what you think!”

Alexandra took a deep breath and stilled the tears coming down her face. “Blaise, get away from me.”

“No, let me explain.”

Alexandra was tired of hearing people’s excuses for their actions. Gabe claimed he was sorry for what he did,
but he was just sorry that he’d been unsuccessful and gotten his ass beat. Blaise was the same way. “NO! Fuck you, Blaise. Get the hell away from me. I don’t care what excuse you have. I don’t care what you have to say. I mean it.”

“Danielle isn’t my girlfriend. It’s a long story. I’ll tell you everything. Just listen.”

She gripped her scalp. “I’ve never been this upset in my life.” She took a deep breath. “I don’t want to listen to you.” Her voice was high and hysterical, her emotion and desperation escaping her lips. She hated how she was acting. “Please leave me alone. You and I both belong elsewhere.” She opened the door but he slammed it closed again.