Then Came Alexandra (Southern Love #1) (3 page)

“You came all the way from New York to go to school?” Hannah asked incredulously.

Alexandra shrugged. “It’s a nice place.”

“Alex, do you have a boyfriend?” Lana drank from her water.

“No,” Alexandra said immediately.

“That’s surprising,” Hannah said. “You’re so pretty.”

“Oh.” Alexandra wasn’t expecting the compliment. “Thank you…”

“You kinda look like Martha,” Lana said, staring at her face. “You have the same green eyes.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” Alexandra said.

Hannah played with the braid over her shoulder. “So, why did you pick English?”

Alexandra stilled for a moment. “It’s safe.”

“Safe?” Lana asked. “Aren’t writing jobs hard to come by?”

“Uh, I guess.” Alexandra wanted to change the subject. “What are you guys going to school for?”

“I’m trying to find a boyfriend,” Hannah said.

Alexandra tried not to laugh. “But what’s your major?”

“Kinesiology.”

“Do you want to be a physical therapist?” Alexandra said.

“P.E. teacher,” Hannah said.

“Oh, cool,” Alexandra said. “What about you, Lana?”

“I’ve changed my major four times. Right now, it’s biology.” Lana twirled her hair in her fingertips. “Cole is going to get half of the biggest cotton producer in the state. Hopefully I won’t even have to finish college.”

“Who’s Cole?” Alexandra asked.

“My boyfriend,” Lana said with a smile. “And he’s really fine.”

Alexandra didn’t know what to say to that. She would never consider the idea of a man taking care of her. There was no guarantee that he’d always be there. If things went wrong, she’d be left with nothing. She was too independent to ever let that happen. Perhaps that was why Paul was always so irritated with her.

Hannah turned to Alexandra. “Are you excited to start school?”

“A little,” she said. “But I’m a little nervous.”

“Don’t worry,” Lana said. “You have two friends with you. If you get lost, we’ll help you out.”

“Thanks,” Alexandra said.

“And we’re going to the cornfield party this weekend,” Hannah said. “You should come.”

Alexandra didn’t care for parties. It was never her scene. But she was desperate for company. “Sure. Thanks for the invite.”

Lana clapped. “We have a new girl in our circle.”

“I hope I’m worthy of that circle,” Alexandra said.

“Of course you are, Alex,” Lana said. “If you’re related to Martha, you’re automatically in. She’s so cool.”

Alexandra smiled. “She is pretty awesome.”

“After everything she’s been through, she’s so strong,” Hannah said. “It was devastating when she lost Mike. She was torn apart but she still took care of her fields and kept going, moving on.”

Alexandra remembered when her uncle died. He’d been hit by a drunk driver. Two of his passengers died in the crash as well. Aunt Martha wasn’t there because she was too sick to go out. It could have claimed her life as well.

“Well, we should get going,” Lana said. “I can take you home.”

“Thanks,” Alexandra said.

They said goodbye to Hannah before they climbed into her pickup. It was red with dirt smudged over the doors. Alexandra sat beside her and felt the truck shake slightly as they drove down the road.

“You don’t have a car yet?” Lana asked.

“I need to save up some cash.”

“Make sure you get a truck. Otherwise, you won’t survive.”

“I barely know how to drive a car,” Alexandra said with a laugh. “And I haven’t driven a car in almost five years.”

“That’s right,” Lana said. “New Yorkers walk everywhere. That’s probably why you’re in such good shape.”

Alexandra felt her cheeks redden from the compliment. She didn’t respond.

When they pulled up to the yard, the dogs came running out. They weren’t barking, just moving toward the door.

“Hey, Tommy,” Lana said as she rolled down the window.

The dog licked her hand.

“They aren’t very good protectors,” Alexandra said with a smile.

“Protectors?” she asked. “They know me. They would never hurt me. Plus, I usually bring them treats.”

“That’s a good way to win favor with them.”

“I guess I’ll see you later.”

“Thanks for the ride,” Alexandra said.

“Anytime.”

She walked into the house and saw the note on the refrigerator. Her dinner was inside. Alexandra took it out and reheated it before she went outside and ate on the porch. Her aunt had already gone to bed even though it wasn’t even midnight. But since she got up so early, Alexandra understood why she was so tired.

The dogs sat beside her, eyeing the plate in her hands. They didn’t reach for it. Alexandra stared into the darkness, thinking about her new life in the south. It wasn’t as bad as she thought it would be. Nothing here reminded her of New York. Paul was in her mind but she pushed him away.

At least she made two friends today, enrolled in school, and applied for her first job. She desperately needed something. It was rude of her to drop in on her aunt without giving her any notice. And she felt guilty for eating her food, especially when her aunt said she barely got by on her profits.

Alexandra sighed as she thought about the weight on her shoulders. She was twenty-two and needed to get her life together. She had already messed up irrevocably and she mourned for a long time, but feeling guilty wouldn’t change anything. She had to move on.

4

Blaise walked into the living room and sighed. The ice cream carton sitting on the table had melted. Now the liquid was seeping over the sides, spilling across the wood. An open bag of popcorn and a coke bottle were sitting beside it. Danielle was watching TV, oblivious to all of this.

“Could you please not make a mess?” He kept his voice down, but the annoyance escaped his lips.

“What?” she asked, not looking at him. Her favorite reality TV show was on. And that meant he didn’t exist.

He grabbed the carton. “It’s getting everywhere, Danielle.”

“Oh,” she said, glancing at it. “Sorry.”

“Pick it up. I’m not your mom.”

“I’ll do it later.”

That just pissed him off even more. “No, you’ll do it now.”

“Just go away,” she snapped. “You’re being so annoying right now. It’s just a small mess.”

He clenched his fists in frustration. “This is my house.”

“I live here too!”

“I want you out.”

She rolled her eyes. “Shut up, Blaise.”

That just pissed him off even more. “I mean it. Get the fuck out of my house. I’m done with you.”

She sighed then picked up her mess. “Okay. I’m sorry.” She carried it into the kitchen and threw it away.

“Now get your shit.”

“What?” She stared at him like he was crazy.

“This doesn’t change anything. I can’t do this anymore, Danielle. We’re over.”

The fear came into her face, stretching her eyes. “What…?”

He looked away, unable to see the hurt on her face. “This relationship is over. It’s been over for a long time. There’s no point in dragging it out any longer.”

“But, I love you, Blaise.”

“No, you don’t,” he snapped.

“Yes, I do!” She came to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. “I do.”

He pushed her away. “We don’t even have sex anymore.”

“Let’s do it now.”

“No,” he said quickly. “That’s not what I’m implying. There’s nothing here.”

She held her hands together, clenching them tightly.

Blaise avoided her gaze, unable to look at her. He asked her to move in after he knocked her up. It was the right thing to do and he knew he needed to take care of her. But after she had a miscarriage, it changed everything. The relationship was meaningless, just a mistake. He had to get rid of her.

“I’ll change,” she whispered. “I’m sorry.”

“Danielle, nothing you say will change anything. I want you out in the morning.”

The tears fell down her face like a waterfall. She sobbed deeply, her wails echoing throughout the house. “I’m scared. You’re the only one who can protect me. If I leave…he’ll find me.”

He sighed, hating listening to her cry.

“I don’t have anywhere to go. I’ll be homeless…” She sniffed loudly. “And Evan will hurt me the first chance he gets. You’re the only reason why he stays away. He’s scared of you.”

“Stay with your girlfriends.”

“I can’t do that,” she said through her tears. “He’ll come in the middle of the night. No one cares about me. I have no one to look out for me.”

Blaise gripped his hair. Her psycho ex-boyfriend had it out for her. Blaise already beat the shit out of him once, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t attack Danielle again as soon as she moved out. Like last time, he would beat her, putting her in the hospital. Danielle slept with Blaise when they were still together. And Evan was still pissed about it. But Blaise had to be strong. He couldn’t let Danielle ruin his life forever. “You can stay here until you get a job and get your own place.”

The volume of her tears died down at his words. “Please don’t do this to me. He’ll kill me!”

Blaise crossed his arms over his chest then looked around the room, at anything but her. He hated living with her, seeing her every day, but he couldn’t leave her vulnerable. He was a man and he needed to protect her. His father would be disappointed if he did anything else. “I won’t let him hurt you.”

She wiped her tears away then came to him, her arms outstretched.

Blaise pushed her away. “I mean it, Danielle. We’re done.” He tried to break up with her so many times, but she never accepted the end of their relationship. He wasn’t going to let it happen again. She might still live there, but that didn’t mean they were still together. Initially, he stayed in the relationship because it was more convenient. If he was going to live with her, he may as well be getting sex out of it. But his loathing had increased to a breaking point.

“But you love me.”

“I thought I did but I was wrong.”

“Don’t be cold.” She stared at him with her blue eyes, wide with tears.

“I’m not,” he said. “I’m just being firm.” He walked into the spare bedroom then shut the door. When they were separated, he took a deep breath and ran his fingers through his hair. He wasn’t sure how he got himself into this mess. Somehow he got her pregnant and their relationship became serious. Then her ex stalked her, beat her, and even after that, he tried to come after her again. His baby’s life was on the line and he did what he had to do to protect it. But now he still protected Danielle. He hated her, couldn’t stand her, but he couldn’t let her get hurt. He kept Danielle’s presence a secret so no one would know she was there. It was important that they kept up the charade. Only his closest friends knew Danielle was there, and in order to protect her, Blaise had to pretend they were still together. If Evan knew there was no love between them, he would take advantage of that immediately. But if Evan did figure it out, Blaise had no problem ripping his head off if he came to the house. He stripped his clothes away then got into bed.

He stared at the ceiling for a long time, thinking about the memories of his past. Something was missing in his life, something wasn’t right. When he felt his lids grow heavy, he closed his eyes and fell into a light sleep. When he felt the covers pull away and a warm mouth press against his groin, his eyes snapped open.

“Danielle, stop it!” He pulled her off him by the arm.

She wiped her mouth and gave him a frightened expression.

“Get out of my room.”

“But—”

“Giving me a blowjob isn’t going to keep me around. If you really wanted to please me, you wouldn’t do it just when I’m upset with you. Now get out.”

“Blaise—”

“Get out of my room or I’ll kick you out of my house. I don’t care if Evan finds you.”

She left the bedroom and slammed the door closed. Blaise locked the handle then returned to bed, trying to forget about the headache that was forming behind his eyes.

5

Blaise woke up early the next morning and attended to his fields. They were planting the cotton seeds and it required a lot of work. His workers pulled the machines out of the warehouse and started the drill.

He met with the biologist and watched him examine the soil. “It’s a little low on nitrogen,” he said, running a test in his briefcase.

“Should I plant more manure?” Blaise asked.

“You need something stronger.”

“So the expensive stuff?” Blaise asked.

He nodded. “If you want the best cotton, you need the best supplies.”

Blaise sighed in annoyance. Farming wasn’t his expertise. He helped his father every planting season but he never enjoyed it. He only did it to help. And now that his father was gone, it was his responsibility to keep the legacy going. If it was important to his father, it was important to him. His dreams could wait. “I’ll order it.”

“You need to get it into the soil soon.”

“Thank you for your time, professor.”

“Of course.” He grabbed his belongings then left the property.

Blaise pulled out his phone and made a few calls. The manure would be there in a few hours.

“Baby!”

Blaise turned toward the porch of the house.

Danielle was smiling at him. “Are you hungry for breakfast?”

He glared at her.

She kept a straight face. “Come on. I cooked for you.”

Blaise knew she was playing nice, in the hope he wouldn’t leave her. “Give it to the dogs.” He got into his truck without looking at her. He had his backpack in the seat and he drove to campus.

When he arrived for his class, he sat in the front row with his computer on the desk. He only had time to take one class a semester and he took it very seriously. Since he wasn’t weighed by other courses, there was no reason why he shouldn’t get an A. It was an economics class so he was interested most of the time. A girl next to him kept glancing his way but he ignored her. He already couldn’t get rid of one girl in his life. He didn’t need another one.

After his class was finished, he drove to Rob’s Bar and Grill and sat in a booth. Ray joined him a second later, looking equally tried.

“What are you doing in town?” Ray asked.