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.“Didn’t you pay the man?” John asked.Melanie inwardly cringed.Please make him go away, she prayed, or at least make Carter’s Uncle John keep believing that was exactly why her daddy was here.“I know you’re in there, sugar,” Louis shouted.“Don’t take him back.I know we had words, but I didn’t mean it.C’mon and give me another chance.”“Another what?” John asked, his face turning dark.“Oh, God,” Melanie whispered, looking down at her plate.Her face had to be red as a firecracker.“I’m leaving you, John,” Raylene announced, placing her fork on the table.“For him?” John jerked his thumb at the window.Raylene slowly rose to her feet.“I’m not happy here, John.Not with you or him.” She took a deep breath.“I want out of this marriage and this town.”“Raylene,” Louis shouted again, and Carter’s aunt shook her head, stomping out of the room.John followed her, the door slamming behind him.“Roast anyone?” Leah asked, a bright smile on her face.“No, thank you,” everyone seemed to say at once.Carter’s mother stood.“I need to get…well, something.”“I’ll come with you, Mrs.Ambrose.” April hurried after her.Oh goody, Melanie thought with a grim smile.Now the two of them would spend the next thirty minutes talking about her and her daddy, with lots of bless their hearts thrown in.“I’ll go check on Dad.”“Me, too.”As soon as his sisters were out of sight, Carter turned to Melanie.“You knew about this?” Carter asked, his tone more than accusing.He sounded downright pissed.She nodded.“Why didn’t you tell me?”“I didn’t think it was anyone’s business.” And she’d been ashamed as hell.He threw his napkin down.“Your dad is messing around with my aunt, my married aunt, and somehow that’s not anyone in this room’s business?” Leaning back in his chair, his jaw worked.“What was I supposed to say? Pass me the gravy and oh by the way, my dad’s been sleeping with your married aunt.Besides, he didn’t mess around with Raylene all by his lonesome.From what I understand she’s a willing partner in all this,” Melanie snapped.She hated this, hated defending her dad.Especially to Carter of all people.“You shouldn’t have lied to me.”“I didn’t lie to you,” she said, smacking her hand on the table.“I didn’t tell you.”“Lie by omission is still a lie,” he reminded her.“It’s the one thing I’d thought you’d never do to me.Ever.That’s a deal breaker for me, Melanie, and you know it.”Melanie choked back a sob of fury and helplessness, wishing she were anywhere but here.Wishing she hadn’t gone with him to Charlotte, wishing she’d never tried to make Carter see her as anything but his sister’s pain the ass best friend.At least if she had, then she would always wonder what would happen between them, instead of knowing for sure.And for sure, this was it for them.“How could you help break up a marriage, Melanie?” April cried as she walked back in the dining room, with Leah hot on her heels.Now that witch got her name right? “I give up; you tell me how I helped,” Melanie snapped.“Wasn’t it enough that you’re keeping the father of my child from marrying me?” Melanie noticed how silent Carter stayed.How he didn’t say a dang thing while April kept running her mouth.His silence was damning.Leah let out a gasp, dramatic as usual, but this time Melanie couldn’t blame her.“Carter Mason Ambrose, how could you keep this from me?”“Because it’s not true.”“He speaks,” Melanie muttered, crossing her arms over her chest.“What other magic trick can you perform?”Carter gave her a look, then turned his attention back to the two women staring at her accusingly.Leah looked from April to Carter, the back at April.“So you’re not pregnant?”“Oh, she’s pregnant all right, but it’s not his,” Melanie said.No way in hell would she let that poor excuse of a woman try to pin anything on her or Carter.No matter how mad she was at him right at this moment.Tears filled April’s eyes and Melanie struggled not to roll hers.The woman was a better actress than the one who’d won an Oscar last year.“You actually believed him?” April asked on a sob.Melanie blinked.“Why wouldn’t I?”“Tell her the truth, Carter,” April demanded.Carter looked at Melanie.Anger made his eyes dark, almost black in the light.She wasn’t sure if his anger was only directed at her or at the two women who had lied to him.“She’s pregnant, and I’m not the father.”A little high-pitched sob left April’s mouth.“Why would you lie?”“Dear Lord, I need to call a prayer circle.” Leah placed a hand on her forehead and started for the kitchen.“Come get me when y’all figure out if I’m going to be a grandmother or not,” she called over her shoulder.Miraculously, April’s tears dried up and she smirked.“Think that was fun? Just wait until the press finds out.”“There’s these things called paternity tests,” Carter said, leaning forward.“I’m completely willing to take about a hundred of them.”“Maybe so, but in the meantime…” April drew little circles on the tablecloth.“Sure will be hard living in Charlotte with all this hovering over you.Can’t imagine many of daddy’s friends will give you much business.”“The success of my business doesn’t depend on your daddy’s friends,” Carter said, his jaw clenched.“Do you really think I’ll be hanging out with your friends in Charlotte? Give me a break.”April huffed and flounced away.“You’ve decided to move to Charlotte?” Melanie asked, her heart racing.Carter really was leaving and without her.Not that she’d ever thought he’d take her with him.But she’d actually had thought he might stay here, because of her.Dark green eyes swung back to her.“I—”“How did she know and not me?”“April must have overheard my conversation with Jake on Friday night.”Melanie’s eyes widened.“She followed us to Charlotte?”“Apparently, but she does live there.I’d planned on talking to you about that Saturday night, but we got a little sidetracked.” He drilled his fingers on the table.“Now the cat’s out of the bag, I—”“That’s great news.I know you’ve missed it.And your friends.Holland Springs can’t compare, I bet.That’s just great.” Oh God, now she sounded like a rambling fool, but she couldn’t stop herself.“Charlotte will be great for you and your business.” Could she stop saying everything was great, because it wasn’t and someone had taken her fork so she couldn’t stab herself in the hand.Everything was horrible and heartbreaking, and everything she knew it would be.Confusion filled his sexy eyes.“It will?”She shot to her feet, overturning her chair.“I need to go home.” Could this get any more humiliating? As she bent down to right it, Carter stopped her with a hand on her elbow.“I’ll get it,” he said, picking up the chair and sliding it under the table [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]