As the buff men carried Meridee up the red carpet to her
premier, the crowd followed her to the dance floor where the party took off.
Meridee was at the center table wearing a tiara and signing autographs. Everyone
was laughing and the Buff Boys were waiting on her like boy toys.
Harry was working the room like it was a political fundraiser.
He split his time between glancing at me and smiling at Dallas. I think he was
just watching me to see if I was looking at him and not Sonny. I was looking at
Sonny.
As I glanced in a mirror to check that my makeup was still in
place, my eyes caught the reflection of a man in silver, wire-framed glasses
just behind me. I formed my mouth to scream when he caught me and pressed his
index finger to his lips. “Shhhh,” he insisted, shaking his head. “No.”
It was Lewis.
My stomach had dropped. I turned to look at Vivi, then darted
my eyes quickly back at Lewis. He was gone. The spot where he stood held other
faces. Bodies moving about.
Was he really ever
there?
My cell phone buzzed with a text. It read:
TAKE VIVI OUTSIDE.
I did not even think. I
immediately leaned into Vivi and said over the loud music, “Hey, I need some
air. Come outside with me a sec.”
“Oh, Blake, the party is just starting! Really?”
“Vivi Ann McFadden, if I have to carry you on my back, you are
going out now!”
“Okay! My God! You must be ’bout to suffocate! I’m comin’, I’m
comin’.”
We followed the red carpet outside. Little trees had been set
all around the parking lot covered in little white lights. In the now darkened
lot, the lights cast an amber glow.
“It’s so pretty, isn’t it?” she said.
“Yeah,” I answered, barely paying attention, looking for Lewis.
My breath had not come back from thinking I had seen him.
Okay, Lewis,
I thought,
where the hell are
you?
Just then I saw him. He was larger than life after all this
time. He was in perfect blue jeans and a whiter-than-white starched oxford
shirt, untucked—a gentler, more relaxed version of his older brother. He was
behind one of the lighted trees.
Lewis walked over to me, quietly gesturing for me to be silent.
He moved up behind Vivi, who was staring up at the bright moon and wispy clouds.
I smiled and stepped back and we traded places. Her back was to him and so I
knew he hadn’t yet seen the telltale roundness that was starting to show under
her clingy pantsuit. They were both about to give each other the shock of a
lifetime. I realized in that flash of a second that I was going to get to
witness this unbelievable moment firsthand. I had front-row tickets to the event
of the year!
Lewis moved right up to Vivi. Then, pushing gently, he pressed
his mouth to her ear from behind.
“Hey, Red,” he whispered.
Vivi turned around and for one moment she was speechless.
Lewis saw her belly as she faced him and was also silent.
It took about three full seconds before both of them began
hollering, “Oh, my God! Oh, my good God in heaven!” simultaneously.
All the screaming was followed by a huge embrace. Then more
oh-my-Gods and then another long embrace.
“You!”
she said.
“Yes! You?” he said back to her, looking at her belly.
“Us! Ours!” she exclaimed, laughing and crying at the same
time.
“Well, my God!” she said. They held each other tightly, talking
in one-word sentences.
I felt so lucky as I watched them bubbling over with emotion
and couldn’t help a few tears of my own.
“Come over here, Blake. Can you freakin’ believe this
shit?”
Lewis was laughing and crying, too.
“No, I can’t,” I said, wiping tears and walking over to them.
“Now, Lewis!” I said, grabbing him and hugging him tight. “What the hell!”
“I know, Blake. I am so sorry.”
God, I had to admit, it was really good hearing that deep
voice. I breathed for the first time in minutes.
Lewis was home. It was all gonna be okay.
“What in the hell has been going on? Where have you been?” Vivi
said.
“I’m so sorry, baby,” he said to Vivi as he hugged me. “I
didn’t know what else to do. I was gonna tell you that day at the Fountain Mist.
That’s what I met you there to do. But I lost all train of thought just knowing
I was gonna see you. You make me so crazy. So then I thought I would tell you
afterward. But then I realized that if you knew everything, Harry would browbeat
you till you told him. I thought he’d use Blake against you and I just couldn’t
put you in that position. The more I thought about it the more I…”
Vivi put her finger to his lips. “Shh,” she said. “It’s okay.
You’re here now. I already cussed your name and had several hissy fits. Blake
and Meridee helped me see why there was no other way. I know you did what you
thought you had to at the time. Just don’t you ever freakin’ do it again!”
“I’m so sorry,” he said. “I will make it up to you. I promise
you. I have a big surprise for you, Vivi.” He was holding her face in his
hands.
“I think I had one for you, too,” she said, laughing.
“You sure did! I’m gonna tell you my secret, baby, and you’ll
see there really may be such a thing as Happily Ever After.”
“What?” Vivi asked, her face growing more curious.
Just as he began to speak, Meridee appeared at the front door
of the bar.
“Hey,” she yelled, “get over here and give your partner a hug.
This is my damn party, after all.”
Lewis walked over to her at a clip and enveloped her in a bear
hug that lifted her off the ground.
“You get her all put to bed?” Meridee asked.
Clearly she knew more than we did.
“And tucked in with a kiss.” He winked at her.
“Good for you, honey! Now, let’s go spread the news.” With
that, Meridee held Lewis’s hand and reached back for Vivi with the other hand.
“Here we go,” she announced.
“I guess we’ll all find out together,” I said, looking at Vivi
with a shrug.
We headed inside the Bayou. The music hit us as we walked
inside. People were everywhere and the drinks were flowing. Sonny was standing
at the door. I slipped my hand into his. He looked over and his eyes caught
Lewis.
“Oh, my God!” he said. “Finally. This should be good. We’re
gonna get our answers.”
“Yes,” I said. “I think right now.”
Meridee took the mic from the DJ and interrupted the music and
dancing. She tapped the microphone and it made the usual popping noises.
“Excuse this interruption of your fabulous time, but the Disco
Queen has a very important announcement. Y’all please make room for the
media.”
Dallas made her way to the front, her camera crew following
her. Meridee was always for the underdog and no one could argue that Dallas and
Lewis weren’t the underdogs. While I still just hated her on so many levels, I
was starting to see Dallas through Meridee’s eyes. Scrappy, trying to better
herself. I still knew I would never be friends with her.
That’s what Lewis was doing, too. Trying to be better. Meridee
was just drawn to dedicated people like them. She knew she could help them. And
that made her happy. That was at the core of who Meridee was, a helper, a
problem solver. Kitty was like that, too, to a point. And so was I. I had to
help Vivi. And she had to help me. I smiled and realized that it wasn’t really
our attitude that defined us, but our love and dedication to each other—that’s
what made us real Sassy Belles.
Lewis was behind Meridee, with Vivi holding on to him for dear
life, as though she’d never let him out of her sight ever again.
Meridee began. “Do I have your undivided attention? I’d like to
introduce someone to you. Y’all have known him for years, but not in this
capacity. I’d like to introduce to you the new owner and CEO of WCTR,
Tuscaloosa’s brand-new radio station, the Crimson Tide Roll. Everyone, please
give a warm welcome to Lewis Heart, the brand-new 50,000-watt Voice of the
Crimson Tide.
All Tide, All The Time.
”
Gasps, oh-my-Gods and applause and mumbling filled the entire
bar.
“Yes,” little Meridee interrupted. “A shock, I know. WCTR’s
virgin broadcast will premier just in time as the Tide kicks off their season.
Lewis, take the floor, baby.” She handed the mic to Lewis and silence quickly
muffled the room.
“Hi, y’all,” he said. “I guess you’ve been wondering where I’ve
been. Well, I have been a little busy.”
Everyone laughed.
“I know, it wasn’t right of me to take off without a word of
warning. But I had to handle this with no interference so we could hit the
broadcast in time for the Tide’s kickoff. And I couldn’t have done it without
the help of my partner here.” Lewis draped his arm over Meridee’s shoulder.
Everyone gasped again. Meridee spoke into the mic, grabbing it
from Lewis. “Yes! I damn well helped him. It’s my birthday present to myself!”
Then she handed the mic back to Lewis.
“I have always, for as long as I can remember, dreamed of
owning my own radio station. This time, with Miss Meridee by my side, it will be
a huge success. I want to say a very public thank-you to Miss Meridee,
especially for believing in me when no one else would. Thank you for seeing my
dream and knowing it could be a reality. For knowing it could be successful. We
are partners for life on this. The station is going to be located in a place
near and dear to our hearts right in the center of town so everyone can come and
visit and take tours. Did anyone see this morning’s paper? Well, I am very proud
to announce I am the new owner of the Brooks Mansion.”
Spontaneous applause broke out at this amazing
announcement.
“Oh, my Lord have mercy!” Vivi said.
“Lewis is wonderful! You were right all along. Oh, my God, I
could kiss him,” I said to her.
“I have always wanted to make everyone proud and give back to
the city and its citizens who have done so much for me,” Lewis continued. “Y’all
stood behind me no matter what—and you kicked up a search when you thought I was
missing—and this makes me very proud. The mansion is being restored and will be
ready by the end of summer, just in time for kickoff.”
More applause broke out and whistles and everyone was chanting
Crimson Tide cheers.
Then he turned to Sonny and continued. “To the police and the
citizens of Tuscaloosa, I am prepared to pay any fines or answer any charges for
faking my disappearance. But it’s the only way this station could ever become a
reality, and I wanted to give it to the city I love and the team that I
adore.”
Lewis was emotional and there wasn’t a dry eye in the room. It
was what he’d always dreamed of, to do something wonderful, respectable. To be
better than Harry. He had outdone himself and had come up the hero for all of
us, saving the beloved old mansion and giving us all a radio station to be proud
of. He wanted people to know his heart. And now they did. Lewis showed an
integrity and a substance that only Vivi could see before. Well, Vivi and of
course, Meridee. He was really something unexpected. I was so proud of him and
for him. He turned to Vivi next.
“To Vivi Ann McFadden, I love you. I always have. I’m sorry for
all the incredible hell I put you through.”
“I understand completely now,” Vivi answered and tiptoed up to
kiss his cheek.
Lewis looked down at her. “I wanted to save this for later, but
now really is the best moment.” Lewis dropped to one knee and pulled out a
sparkling square-cut diamond in an antique silver filigreed setting.
“Vivi Ann McFadden, I have loved you for as long as I can
remember. You make me happy like no one else ever has. You are the spice in my
life, all my fun and my whole heart. I want to share my life with you forever.
Please do me the honor of sharing my life with me. It will be all the gift I
will ever need. I love you and will always love you—till I am done in this life
and then forever after that. Will you marry me?” Lewis was smiling that dimpled
grin and his eyes were misty as he looked softly at Vivi.
“I absolutely will! Yes! Yes! Yes!” Vivi squealed.
Sonny squeezed me into him. It was such a beautiful, happy,
romantic moment. Vivi had found the perfect man for her, and I knew Sonny was
the man I wanted. I had wanted him for as long as I could remember.
Vivi thinks I saved her but actually I think she saved me. I
really had been saved by a belle. A belle named Vivi. And my cop? I guess Harry
had
always been right. He always said I should
have just married my cop. I smiled to myself at the thought. I had changed so
much in a month’s time—or maybe I had just simply come back home. Vivi was a new
woman herself, a mother- and wife-to-be. She was calmer, maybe even a tad less
needy. Being pregnant was already bringing out the best in her. It was the Vivi
I had always known was there. And it was so good to see her like this.
Lewis rose and held Vivi’s face and kissed her long and soft
and sweetly in front of everyone—including the media, who went wild snapping
pictures and rolling tape. Dallas stood front and center with her film crew
getting footage for the ten o’clock news.
Mic in hand, she gave one of her trademark smiles to the camera
as she announced, “The town of Tuscaloosa has three whole months before the
kickoff of the new season, and it looks like the Voice of the Crimson Tide has a
busy summer ahead.”
* * * * *
Acknowledgments
I am so grateful to:
My fairy godmother and beloved agent, Elizabeth Pomada, for
believing in me and always saying the right thing, my favorite of which is,
“Don’t worry, Beth. Just write.” Much more than my agent, you are also one of my
dearest friends.
Everyone at Larsen-Pomada Literary Agents: Michael Larsen, you
are the best coach! Clare Cavanaugh, for providing me a gentle crash course on
writing.
My family at Harlequin MIRA: the design team of Michael Rehder
and Quinn Banting, for making my cover sexy, fun and oh-so-Southern. Sheree
Yoon, Melanie Dulose, I am so lucky to have you both in my corner. Michelle
Venditti, for fantastic ideas and for being the binding that keeps us all on the
same page. My editor, Valerie Gray, for believing in me and helping my story
blossom like a magnolia. Underneath, I am sure you’re wearing a cape. You are my
superhero.
My mother, Betty, an original Sassy Belle, for being the most
stubborn person I know and never letting me quit—pushing me over the finish
line.
Brooks, my son, for giving me constant love and support and a
shoulder to cry on (which I did a lot), for your patience and for helping me
make my computer work when I was ready to toss it. I love you more than life
itself. You are forever my sweetheart and the center of my universe.
Ted, my husband, best friend and source of the passionate love
scene. You are the most patient soul on the planet. You always make it all
better.
My brother, Bruce. I am so lucky to have a former
tackle-football player running block for me. My stepfather, Richard, for
supporting me unconditionally. My in-laws, Dr. Margaret Bosse and Dr. Richard
Ishler, Dr. Ann Ishler and Dr. Richard Bosse, for all of the encouragement.
My Sassy Belle sisters, Lynn Watts Zegarelli, Susan Sexton
DePappa and Joyce Albright. For providing me with so much laughter and “bless
her heart” moments. Joyce, for the suitcase full of green tomatoes you brought
with you to L.A.! Susan, for providing the margarita slumber parties every time
I was home. Lynn, for all the best ideas and for reading the book as many times
as I did. Full of Southern sass, a part of each of you lives on these pages.
My “brother” Steve Philips, for suffering through the first
draft and encouraging me with gentle statements like, “How does this make any
sense? Maybe it’s just ’cause I’m a guy.”
Connie Hunnicutt Stringer for helping me spread the word in
social media. Trace Neighbors, for so much inspiration. Greg Dawson, for making
me believe I really could. David Thompson, my high school debate coach, for
pushing me on so many levels. I am the best me because of you.
My family in heaven: Daddy, for being my guardian angel and for
parenting me from the other side. My grandfather, Frank, former play-by-play
announcer for the Alabama Crimson Tide, for all the inspiration. My Grandma
Albright and my grandmother, Nanny, two very Sassy Belles. Nanny, your yellow
kitchen table was the center of my childhood happiness. I felt you on my
shoulder every single day as I wrote this.
And to all my friends and family in my precious hometown of
Tuscaloosa, Alabama. I love Tuscaloosa like no place else. I hope I have made
y’all proud.