Page 63 of Like You Love Me

“As a wife, it’s my job to stand by my husband and support him. What’s the saying… what happens in a marriage stays within the marriage? No airing your dirty laundry for the world to see.”

He nodded. Their father had taught them that.

“And yet everyone knew where to find my husband on any given night. But I know you would never do anything to intentionally hurt our family or me. So, no, I don’t think you had anything to do with hitting my husband and leaving him on the side of the road.” Her lip quivered, and tears filled her eyes again. “But somebody hit him and left him there.” Mona Lisa stopped talking and dropped her head. London held her hands that were shaking—feeling guilty again. If only he had just brought Caleb home. Maybe things would have been different.

“You know… he often told me he was worth more to me dead than alive.”

“Is that true?” London asked.

She shook her head. “Not even close. Even through the drinking and gambling addiction, I knew my husband’s heart. And the part that saddens me more than anything else is that little girl in the other room. Now she will grow up without both her mother and father.”

“No, she won’t; she’s got you.” But he knew what she meant. Because they both had experienced what it was like growing up without a mother. And he couldn’t bear the thought if their father had not been there for them all those years. “She’s got all of us. And we’ll do everything we can to help fill that void. You know I will.”

“Yeah, Gabriella loves Uncle London.”

“And we all love her.” London studied her. “Is there anything I can do for you?”

His sister’s lips quivered as she replied, “Yeah. Stay out of jail. That’s what you can do for me.”

And then London cradled Mona Lisa close while she wept.

Chapter 15

As in most small towns, news traveled fast, and the residents knew London had been brought in for questioning in the hit-and-run death of his brother-in-law, Caleb Nelson. Even though he hadn’t been charged, London saw the suspicious looks and the whispers. He also knew there were those members of the community who respected him and would advocate to make sure he was not falsely accused. Roger Beaumont had met with the mayor and stuck out his neck, trying to protect his family and make sure his son-in-law stayed out of jail. The Hummer was returned after the police couldn’t find any evidence of London hitting anything other than a deer. As he remembered the smug looks on their faces when he was handed his keys, as if to say “my bad” London slammed his fist down against his desk.

His eyes traveled over to a photograph of Bianca, that was taken shortly after they were married, and he exhaled a long breath, releasing some of the tension. He was thankful for his wife, sisters and the strong community ties of the Beaumont family that supported him because he didn’t know what he would have done without all of them. As long as there was an active investigation and no other suspects, there was nothing anyone could do but wait, but at least he didn’t have to do it alone. He hoped the police would quit wasting time investigating him and find out who was responsible for killing Caleb.

London picked up his phone and dialed Bianca at her office, and she answered on the first ring. “Hey babe, how’s your day going?”

“The same as yesterday,” she replied with a weary sigh. “Reporters have been calling the hotel all day for a comment.”

“Same here.” He also saw reporters outside the restaurant and the news van parked at the end of the street. “How about we still go away for a couple of days?”

“Do you think that’s a good idea?”

There was a moment of silence, and neither wanted to respond because so far, London was the only person of interest in Caleb’s death.

“What about your family coming to town?”

“My aunt and uncle will arrive tomorrow, and while they are smothering Mona Lisa and Gabriella, we can take a few days away from all the media attention to think and breathe. I already spoke to Mona Lisa, and she even agrees that getting away for a few days might help the drama die down in this town.”

“Okay,” Bianca said, and he could hear the relief in her voice. She, too, knew they needed a getaway, and after all the events since the beginning of the year, they needed a moment for life to slow down just for a little bit.” The coroner’s office hadn’t released Caleb’s body. Mona Lisa reported that it might be another week, so this would be a chance to relax before his funeral stirred up a new round of emotions and reporters.

“How about we head to Baytown as planned?” The small town was not far from the Chesapeake Bay Bridge that took visitors into Virginia Beach. To him, Baytown was the best-kept secret with beautiful views in a small, quaint town with everything you needed without the congestion of tourists.

“I like the idea. We’ll still be close enough to get back immediately if needed.” Baytown was less than three hours away. Just a short car ride. “We haven’t been to the house since Camille renovated, and I’m curious to see what she’s done.” Camille was an interior designer. She worked with real estate agencies staging homes for quick sales. She had been working with one of the largest firms in the area and was considering branching off and starting her own business. “When do you want to leave?”

“Immediately.” There was a hearty chuckle before London sobered and said, “As soon as we can pack and get out of here without anybody noticing.”

“That might be a problem since the media has been outside the hotel all day.”

The muscle at London’s jaw tensed at the thought of his wife being harassed with something he was being accused. “I hope. This will all be over soon. But meantime, I’d like just to have forty-eight hours of peace. Do you think Sierra would like to go?”

“Probably not. She won’t want to miss play practice. Besides, I’d love to be alone with my husband.”

“I like the sound of that.” London ended the call wearing a grin.

Bianca notified Mary she would be out of the office for a couple of days, then reached for the phone and sent her brothers a text message. By the time she packed up and made her way down to the lobby, she could still see the TV station van parked across the street. She drew a heavy sigh and wished they would just go away.

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