Crazy Maybe (31 page)

He melts me to my core.

Luke and I walk down the stairs and the sound of someone suddenly pounding on the front door makes me jump.

LUKE

I really wish I could take Andi away from here for a while.  A year or two should do it.  But I know there’s no way in hell she will walk away now.  She never backs down from anything and I can’t expect her to start now. 
Especially not now that she’s shared her story and it’s gone viral on the national news.  She single-handedly made
Andi Morgan
and
Lindsay Blair
household names within the span of a one-hour television show.

While watching the interview with Andi this morning, everything she’s been through kept running through my mind.  But those thoughts were quickly replaced with what’s t
o come in the next few days.  I know it’ll be bad – Rhoades will come after her in one way or another.  I am waiting and watching for him.  He’s already shown up at the club at least once and there’s no doubt he’s stupid enough to do it again.

Andi insists on still competing in the karaoke competition even if it’s only to sing a song that’ll piss Rhoades off.  She said she has the song all planned out and she can’t wait to do it.  She won’t tell me what the song is though.  She must think I’ll try to talk her out of it and she’d be right.  I don’t think this guy needs
to be antagonized any more than the interview’s already done.  But I’ll be beside her when he decides to make his move.

We’re walking down the hall after our long shower together where I thoroughly washed every inch of her body more than once.  Just as we leave the last stair, someone starts beating on the front door and Andi jumps.  In one fluid movement, I grab her and put her behind me, shielding her from whoever has the balls to pound on our door like that. 

“Stay here,” I say as I walk to the door to look through the peep hole.  There’s a man on the front porch and he looks angry.

Without opening the door, I add several octaves of bass to my normal speaking voice, “What the hell do you want?”

“I need to speak with Andi Morgan.  Right now.”  Who the hell does this guy think he is?

“Get off our property.  Now.  I won’t give you another warning,” I say through the door. 

I watch for several seconds and the guy doesn’t budge.  I jerk open the door and take two intimidating steps towards him with my fists balled up.  I wasn’t a street fighter for nothing.  He senses I meant what I said about no further warnings because he takes off running to a news van at the curb.

“Damn reporters,” I say as I close and lock the door back.  “It’s going to be a long day, baby.  They are lined up down the street and they all want to talk to you.”

“No more interviews!  It was hard enough doing the one I did.  We are banking a lot on at least some of his victims coming forward.  I don’t want to scare them off by creating a three-ring media circus everywhere I go,” she takes a breath, narrows her eyes in thought and finishes with, “Except for tomorrow night when I’m singing.”

That gleam in her eyes makes me cringe.

She steps outside the front door and calls out to the waiting news crews, who had already started approaching when she stepped onto the porch.

“Everyone, please listen,” she yells over the questions being yelled at her, “I will not answer any questions today.  Come to The Beta Room tomorrow night and I will answer all your questions. 
Except for
anyone I see parked on my street or following me today – I will have you banned from the club.  Now leave.”

Several walk briskly back to their van and leave while a few waited around in
shock for a minute.  She stops on the front porch and looks pointedly at the stragglers and they quickly leave.  All I could do is smile at her – my girl has style.

“Very nice, my love,” I say as I pull her
to me, wrapping my arms around her waist as hers go around my neck.  I love the feel of her body molded to mine. 

She smiles and kisses me, “Thank you.”

“Now that you got rid of them, what do you want to do today?”

“I need to go by the club later and practice my song onstage, but I’m
all yours
until then.” 

Nice
try, but I’m not falling for that trick.  “You’re not going to the club alone, Andi,” I reply dryly, “but I’ll take you up on that offer to be all mine.”

She gives me her pouty look for a second but finally relents.  She knows I’m not bending on this.
  Besides the fact that I’m not leaving her alone with all these damn nutcases everywhere, she doesn’t want me to know what song she’s singing or what’s in her show.  That makes me want to go with her even more.

“
While I have you……,” I start tentatively because I’m not sure how to finish this sentence. 

“Yes?”  She draws out as she answers, prompting me to continue.

“We should talk about our wedding date.  Have you thought about what kind of wedding you want?  And where?  And when you’d want it?”

Don’t all girls plan this shit in their head from the time they’re little?  Just tell me where to show up and what to wear, I’ll be there.  Open bar?  Even better.

“Oh.  Ummm.  I’m not sure, Luke,” the hesitancy in her voice is palpable.  There’s a little bit of nervousness in it, too.

“Have you changed your mind, Andi?”  I ask in all seriousness.

“No!  No, of course not.  I just…I thought we’d have a long engagement and figure that out over time.  I’m just not prepared to answer all that right now.”  She’s looking around the room, looking for something to put her focus into and buy herself some time.

“OK, baby.  If that’s what you want, I will wait for you however long you need.”  I mean it from the bottom of my heart.  I lost her once and I’ll be damned if I’ll go through that shit again.  She
now looks visibly relieved and I can’t believe how much that bothers me.  I’m legitimately concerned that she doesn’t really want to be my wife. 

She wraps her arms around me to reassure me.  “Stop thinking that, Luke.”

“What?”  I ask innocently, even though we both know exactly what.

“I love you and I do want to marry you.  I just want this behind us before we start planning our life together.  I don’t want it in the way at all.  OK?”

“OK, baby.”

I fucking love her.

ANDI

The promo commercials leading up to my interview airing created a lot of media buzz for me and for MaxMorgan Music, some good and some bad, but all of this has really made me think about our life together.  I don’t want to start it with this black cloud hanging over us – always waiting to rain on our parade.  I just want a clean slate when I walk down the aisle and become Mrs. Lucas Woods.

  Even though Travis Malone is supporting me,
the bastard
and
the bitch
upped their smear campaign immediately after the first promo aired in their preemptive strike and they have plenty of people to help them.  The attacks on my character increased yesterday immediately after the Lindsay Blair show ended.  The big national stations began airing several "
biographical exposé
" segments - also known as complete loads of bullshit - that were aired by journalists no one has ever heard of before. 

In one form or another, every one of the exposés portrayed me as a complete liar who was constantly seeking attention and love because my parents died at a young age.  They also portrayed my foster families as the most wonderful people who just tried to give me a loving home but in return I lashed out at them in anger and didn't appreciate their generosity.  Most of the stories were just entertaining fiction but some were blatant attempts to sway public opinion against me. 

I don't normally care what others think of me, but this particular fight isn't for me.  One story was particularly upsetting because it included a brief interview with the family who gave me all these scars.  They talked about how impossible it was to control me and how I lied about everything.  The doctor who treated me also briefly appeared to verify their story.  He looked very unhappy with being forced to blatantly lie and say that I lied about my claim of being physically abused. 

If I was a vengeful person, I would look into the legal aspects of that doctor breaching the confidentiality laws by talking about my medical information.  IF.

Luke and I have talked a lot about what has been reported over the last few days.  With each report that came out, I’ve corrected the "mistakes" the reporter made in the storyline.  Local journalists got in on the action and started airing stories about Pop, Shane and of course, Luke.  By the time this is over, it'll take
Lisa Renee Jones
to figure out all the twists and turns.  

We also
end up having another conversation about who should protect whom and I gave in to him again when he kissed me.  With Luke settled on why I want to wait to set a date and with him being the protector, we settle on the couch to watch a little television and just spend some time together doing nothing.

Imagine my surprise, as Luke is flipping through the channels, he stops when he sees a familiar face being interviewed about me.  Funny thing is,
the story on the national network news isn't slander against me this time. Lindsay Blair is being interviewed on CNN right now.  She is explaining why she pursued the interview with me.

"To be honest, at first I wanted to skewer Andi Morgan.  I saw a spoiled little rich girl who didn't already have enough fame and attention. I saw a young woman who just inherited her father's kingdom and reportedly sold it for billions of dollars, but that wasn't enough for her.  I wanted to be the one to expose her for what she really is. 

What I wasn't prepared for was the complete life story of Andi Morgan. What I didn't consider was how many years she suffered - first at losing her family at such a young age, being turned away by a blood relative and finally the long line of abuse at the hands of her foster families.  But what blew me away was how selflessly she devotes her life to helping others - both the younger girls who lived with the Rhoades and the youth center she funds here in Atlanta. 

She has never publicly announced that and I hope I'm not betraying her confidence by
revealing it, but her involvement with the youth center is being unjustly scrutinized.   The kids are the ones who will suffer if the parents keep them away from Andi," Lindsay quickly wipes away a tear and takes a breath to give the anchor a chance to ask another question.

"Would you allow her around your children, Lindsay?"

"Absolutely.  I would consider it an honor if she spent time with my children."

"Lindsay, as I understand it, the local station is changing their programming lineup for you to do a
live
show today.  Tell us a little about that," the anchor prompts.

Lindsay's smile is knowing and confident, "Elle, that is correct.  I am doing a live show this evening and I appreciate being able to comment on it.  Immediately after my interview with Andi Morgan was taped, I tracked down other children who have been in the Rhoades' foster care over the years.  Several of those who are now young adults have agreed to appear on my show to give their account of life in Speaker Rhoades' care.  It will air at
four o'clock Eastern today."

"Will they corroborate Ms. Morgan's version?" the anchor challenges.  She's trying to get the scoop but Lindsay is too shrewd to answer that outright.

"Their revelations will definitely be something you'll want to hear.  I will also have a couple of surprise guests," Lindsay answers.

"We will all be waiting with baited breath.  Thank you for joining us today, Lindsay," the anchor responds before starting the next story.

I am completely amazed and surprised at this turn of events.  "I can't believe she found some of their former foster kids.  I wonder who it is." 

Part of me worries that it is Maria and that she resents me for not protecting her when she needed me the most.  I wonder if she hates me for leaving her when they sent me off to the psychiatric hospital.  I'm afraid I'm the last person she would ever want see - besides the Rhoades he- and she-devils, anyway.

Luke rubs up and down my arm as he continues to stare at the TV without speaking.  I've noticed he does this when he's contemplating the best way to protect me.  He doesn't think I've noticed this.  I love the little acts of love he shows me without saying it.  I secretly love how protective he is of me and how he wants to be the king of the jungle.  I love my complex, alpha-male/street brawler/counselor/fiancé.

"Luke, you ok?"  I ask, smiling and a hint of teasing in my voice.

"Uh, yeah.  Lindsay's been busy, hasn't she? You didn't know about any of this?"  The concern in his voice is blatant.  But the suspicion that I was actually a part of it is a little more disguised.

"No.  I didn't know anything about it, Luke."  I'm not disguising the pissed-off glint in my tone.

He squeezes my hand in response - his way of apologizing for his minor offenses.  He's well aware that he was about to cross the line.   No reason for me to bring it up though. 

“Are you nervous about seeing it?”  Luke asks me, genuinely concerned.

“A little.  I really don’t know what to expect.  But I can’t help but think that since Lindsay has been so supportive of me, she’s found someone who will speak out against him.  That’s what I’m hoping for anyway.”

The next thing he says completely shocks me but it also makes sense.

“This may not be the best time to talk about this but there’s something I want you to know.”

“OK,” I respond in a drawn out manner.

“I submitted an application to have my psychologist license reinstated.  I think I want to go back into practice, but with the kids at the youth center instead of adults.”

My jaw droops and I
don’t know if I want to scream or hug him, but either way I’m so shocked by his admission that I can’t make a sound.  I’m beyond stunned at this.

“What about boxing?”  I ask, waiting to gauge his reaction.  I remember how serious he was about it when he walked in the gym.  Watching him in his street match that night was intense.  I never told him this, but he really was awesome to see in the ring.

“I love it.  I really do.  I’m not sure about making it my sole career choice though.  I’m not Shane when it comes to the ring.”

“Don’t doubt yourself, Luke.  You’re really impressive in the ring.  I’m not trying to persuade you one way or another.  I will support you in whatever you decide.  But you should know that you have real potential.”

He inclines his head slightly towards me, his eyes are locked intently on mine and he considers me for a moment before answering.  “Thank you, Andi.  I’ll keep that in mind.  Speaking of, it’s time for me to get to the gym anyway.”

LUKE

Showered, shaved and dressed, I head out to the gym but I can't get that damn interview with Lindsay Blair off my mind.  She dug up old skeletons in Rhoades' closet - skeletons he's went to great lengths to hide.  There will be hell for Andi to pay for that, I'm sure.  I just don't know yet what he will do or how desperate he will be for Andi to recant her story and take up for him.  Does he even think he can convince her of that now?

Mack and Shane are at the gym when I arrive.  They've probably already been at it for hours.  I planned on getting here much earlier but Andi and I slept late this morning.  Then we were busy and I enjoyed that time with her way too much to regret not leaving sooner.  Shane's on the punching bag and Will is hitting the weights hard.

"How's Andi taking all this?" Mack asks me.

"Pretty well, actually.  She has no idea who Lindsay Blair has found. I'm more concerned about this shit than she is," I answer dryly.

Mack nods his head knowingly, "She always was headstrong.  Don't know where she gets it from."

I laugh heartily.  "I know exactly where she gets it from."

He beams with fatherly pride.  He may not be her biological father, but he is her father nonetheless.

"Y'all set a date yet?" It's a question but he doesn't intend it to be taken that way.  It's a command to make the commitment to our marriage and I know it.  I know him well enough to understand that.

"Not yet.  Andi wants to wait until this is all settled before picking a date."

Mack only grunts in response but it’s not an approving tone.  I know how he feels.

I finish my work-out and get back home in time to quickly shower off and watch the live feed of
The Lindsay Blair Show
with Andi.  I can tell she’s a nervous wreck.  She keeps wringing her hands and biting her bottom lip.  She’s being so rough on it that I can’t resist leaning in and kissing it softly. 

She smiles her sweet smile, “What was that for?”

“I felt sorry for your bottom lip.  You’re about to bite it off.  Thought it needed some tenderness.”

She busts out laughing at this, leans in to rest her head on my chest, and wraps her arm around me.  “Thank you for that.  You can always make me smile and laugh just when I need it the most.”

I know exactly what she means.  My arm is around her and she adjusts her position to draw her feet up on the couch and put her head in the crook of my shoulder.  This is when I’m the most content – just sharing the normal, everyday moments with her.  Much like my parents have been my whole life.  Nothing like Andi has any real memories of anyone in her life doing.

I’m about to comment on this when the show comes on and Andi sits up, her back straight as a rod and every muscle in her body tensed.  This is going to be hard on her and I’m not sure what type of support to give her.  So I try to watch her and the television both as much as I can.

“Good afternoon and welcome to
The Lindsay Blair Show
.  We’re doing a special, live show today after the heart wrenching interview I did with Andi Morgan.  As you know, Andi is the sole beneficiary of the late music mogul, Max Morgan.  After Mr. and Mrs. Morgan were killed in a car wreck, Andi was eventually placed in foster care where she claims her former foster father, Speaker Jackson Rhoades, molested and raped young girls in his house.  AND, she also claims that Mrs. Rhoades was aware and even
encouraged
Speaker Rhoades to engage in these atrocious acts.

Our producers received an
overwhelming response from the studio audience to validate Ms. Morgan’s claims immediately after the show was taped.  If Speaker Rhoades is guilty, the audience demands he be held accountable for his actions.  If he’s innocent, they want Ms. Morgan to be held accountable for
her
actions.