Secrets Gone South (Crimson Romance) by Alicia Hunter Pace Page A

happen. She wasn’t going to stand up and lie in front of more people than absolutely necessary. That meant the family and Susie, who’d worked for her family ever since her parents had married.
    “Brantley can play the piano,” Lucy said with a wry smile, “
if
you don’t mind a few sour notes.”
    She needed to shut the roller coaster down. “I hadn’t thought to have music—” Arabelle said.
    “I’ll be glad to go to Birmingham with you to shop for a dress,” Missy said. “I’m a great shopper. I’ll have you fixed up in no time.”
    Arabelle’s mouth went dry and her scalp tingled. Music? Dress? Food? “Oh, now,” she said. “I know you all have more to do on a cold January day than to bother with all this. We hadn’t planned on anything elaborate.”
    All of the women at the table laughed.
    “Don’t worry, Arabelle,” Lanie said. “We put Tolly’s wedding together in two weeks. Just tell us what you want. We’ll make it happen—within reason, of course.”
    “I don’t think—”
    “And you don’t have to.” Lucy patted her arm. “I understand. You’re in love and you just want to get married. Relax. We’ll get together with your mother and make it nice.”
    “Yes!” came the chorus, the Greek Chorus.
    • • •
    Arabelle almost tripped over Will on the way to Avery’s crib.
    What the hell was he doing lying on the floor? She gave him a cursory look to ascertain if he was dead. No. Still breathing. So asleep or passed out. She’d figure out which in a minute but right now she was more interested in Avery.
    She stepped around Will and bent over the crib. All seemed well enough. He was sound asleep, with Jiffy nearby. Pacifier in his mouth, another still clutched in his hand. He’d drop it later. She moved the blanket. Will had put him in pajamas that were too small, but to be fair, she’d left a stack of outgrown clothes folded on the dresser. It was reasonable to think they were just waiting to be put away. On closer inspection, she realized Will had not gotten the inside leg snaps of his pajamas fastened right but that could be tricky.
    Okay. She had to concede things must have gone fine. But why was Will on the floor? Time to check that out. She stroked Avery’s hair and pressed a kiss to his temple. Then she covered him, turned, and knelt down on the rug.
    Will was on his back, his head on a pillow he’d brought in from the sofa. So he had planned to go to sleep though it wasn’t that late. Still that was better news than finding him passed out. Like Avery, he had something clutched in his right hand, but not a pacifier. What was that? A pill bottle? She managed to ease the bottle out without waking him.
    It was the pain pills she had prescribed for his hand. His hand! She had forgotten—it seemed such a long time ago. It made sense that he would need a pain pill after roughhousing and lifting Avery. His bandaged hand lay on his chest.
    She bent to get a better look. Damn. A spot of blood had seeped through. He’d probably ripped a stitch.
    She shook his shoulder. “Will. Wake up.”
    “What!?!” He sprung up like a jack-in-the-box and looked around like he didn’t know where he was. Then panic washed over his face and he began searching around on the floor. “My pain pills! They’re gone! Did Avery—?” He jumped up and looked in the crib.
    “Relax, Will.” She held up the bottle. And he’d accused her of being over protective.
    “Oh. He didn’t get them?”
    “No. He can’t get out of the crib—or at least he never has.”
    “I didn’t know that.” He rubbed his eyes. “They were in my pocket. I didn’t plan to take one but I lay down on the floor so I’d be sure to hear him if he woke up. Then my hand started to hurt so I took one. I was going to put them back in my pocket but I guess I went to sleep.”
    She handed him the bottle. “The bottle has a child safe cap. Even if he had gotten them, he couldn’t get them open. Still, putting them