Edward leaned down, pressing his lips over mine, prying them open with his tongue, searching for mine. I gave back as good as I got, matching his intensity, until we found ourselves once again making love in the light of the burning embers.
It was late and I had to get home so Edward drove the few minutes to my house, where he pulled into the driveway. I turned to face him before opening the car door. “I forgot to ask you something. Cecilia, Perry and I are hosting a Christmas party on December twenty-third. I’d like you to come, but Weston will be there. I didn’t want to keep this from you. I’m through with ever being deceitful. But I don’t expect you to be there, so don’t feel obligated. It could be an uncomfortable situation for you.”
“Don’t worry about me, Brandy. I can handle myself, and I’m sure Weston will be civil to me. I don’t expect him to be my newest BFF.” He grinned.
“I knew you’d inject your own personal brand of humor into the situation. I’ll talk to you before the party.” I leaned over and kissed him goodbye then jumped out of the car and ran into the house.
It was past midnight, and Stephanie was studying at the dining room table. I quickly paid her and sent her off to hitch a ride home from Edward. I had a lot to think about after tonight.
Chapter 41
The next day I phoned Weston at work, expecting to leave a message on his voice mail, and was surprised when he answered after the first ring.
“Brandy, it’s good to hear from you. I hope you called to tell me…something.”
“Actually, I’m phoning about the Christmas party. I know Perry already told you about it. He said you’re coming, right?”
“I wouldn’t miss it. Are you free for dinner before then?”
I paused for a few seconds and took a deep breath. “I’ll be completely up front with you, West. I need more time to think about you and me, and about Edward and his involvement in Jessica’s life and my life. Right now, I need to be alone. I’m trusting you’ll support me in this and not be upset about it.”
“Of course I support you. And I understand. I won’t bug you about it. When you’re ready to talk, can I trust that you’ll discuss your decision with me?” His tone seemed friendly and upbeat and I was relieved I wouldn’t have to argue with him about my decision to be left alone.
“Yes, I promise. And Weston? It’s only fair you know Edward’s coming to the party.”
A beat of silence ensued. “I wasn’t expecting that.”
“I’ll understand if you don’t want to attend. I told him the same thing and he still wants to come.”
“If he’s okay with it, I’m okay with it.”
Weston had manifested a “macho” side of his personality a few times since I’d known him, but I’d never been in a situation in which two men were vying for my attention—one of them my husband, the other the father of my child. And I wasn’t sure how Weston would react given this particular scenario. However, he’d agreed to come to the Christmas party anyway, and I’d just have to deal with my feeling uncomfortable about it.
“All right. I’ve gotta go, Weston. Take care of yourself.” And we said our goodbyes. This could be the most unusual Christmas party ever.
Cecilia and I talked on the phone almost every day. She was enjoying motherhood and Amylynn was a healthy, happy baby. I’d explained everything that had happened between Weston and me, and Edward and me too. She enjoyed hearing about my personal drama. It reminded her of the soap operas she watched while nursing Amylynn! I didn’t know whether to take it as a compliment or not. At times, it seemed I was living the life of one of those characters too.
All the hustle and bustle preparing for our party didn’t leave me much free time to think about my predicament. But I’d made myself a promise, my own personal deadline. I’d make a decision by my birthday, February fifth: Weston or Edward. I couldn’t continue to see them both. It was like riding an emotional roller coaster. I had a husband I still loved but when I needed him and the chips were down he’d run away. At a time of marital crisis he’d let me down and now I couldn’t trust him. And I also loved Edward, the father of my child, who’d been there when I had no one else to turn to and had stuck by me ever since.
As the days went by the murky curtain inside my brain became more transparent, my thoughts and feelings distinct. My head began to clear.
The night of our party, the weather was crisp and clear, no rain in sight. Our neighbors, Angeline and Roger Morris, and their two children, Erik and Lauren, were the first to arrive. They were a great family, always waved to me when I saw them, helped me out numerous times when my faucet leaked or my heater malfunctioned.
Then there was Michael, the only single guy on our street, who arrived with his girlfriend, Lani. Our most talkative neighbor, Michael was constantly on the lookout when I stepped into the front yard. He’d rush across the street and tell me about his newest job endeavor which would invariably not pan out. His intentions were well meaning, but he didn’t have the drive needed to stick it out to the end, always searching for the next new opportunity.
Nicole and Jamie came over right after Michael and Lani. They were a cute couple, just married, in their early twenties, whose only child, Sidney, was a golden retriever on whom they lavished all their attention. They could always be seen either on a walk to the dog park, or washing Sidney on their front lawn with a bucket of soapy water and a hose.
Cecilia and Perry Saxton were just walking up to the front door, Amylynn in her stroller, when I heard Edward’s Porsche round the corner. He was parking in one of the few spots left on the block when I noticed Weston’s truck coming down the street. Wouldn’t you know they’d arrive at the same time! I’d hoped to keep them separated, but I guess that wouldn’t happen now.
After hugging Cecilia and Perry, and nuzzling little Amylynn, I noticed Edward coming up behind them. He gave me a quick kiss on the mouth before coming inside then Weston strode up the pathway a few feet away. He might have seen Edward kissing me, but I made a concerted effort to act nonchalant, greeting him warmly with a hug.
His facial expression said a thousand words. He wasn’t happy, but I told him Cecilia and Perry and a few of the neighbors he knew were in the front room, grabbed his hand, and brought him along with me. Guiding him to where Perry sat with Cecilia, I left him to chat with them.
If I could make it to the end of this party without Weston and Edward getting too close to each other, everything would be fine. Truthfully, I didn’t believe Edward would say or do anything impolite or inappropriate. Given his career as a criminal attorney, having to speak in front of a courtroom filled with jurors and a judge, he was accustomed to holding his emotions in check, not giving away what lurked behind his attorney facade.
Weston, I’d learned from experience at the last party, could be overprotective of what he thought of as “his.” And that would be me. I’d seen him angry several times in the past, when he talked about couples, love, and infidelity. I recalled him getting pretty hot under the collar when he told me the story of a friend of his whose wife had been having an affair. He definitely had hot spots when it came to the women he loved and I hoped everything would go smoothly tonight. However, I had no clue what lay ahead.
Chapter 42
I was in the kitchen pulling a baked Alaska out of the freezer to thaw, when Edward came into the room and grabbed me from behind. Nuzzling my neck, whispering how much he missed me, I suddenly heard Weston’s boots clunking on the kitchen floor. He’d worn those boots since I’d met him years ago, and the sound they made was indelibly etched on my brain.
Both Edward and I glanced up at the same time, caught in a position no explanation could possibly change. I knew exactly what it looked like—a lover’s embrace. Edward stood behind me, his arms wrapped around my body with his hands splayed beneath my navel, his head buried deep in the side of my neck. Oh, did this look bad!
Edward quickly backed away from me, sticking his hands in his pants’ pockets and walked toward
the back door. It all happened so suddenly it was hard for me to explain later to Cecilia, when she asked me what had happened. Weston took two long strides around the island in the middle of the kitchen, fists clenched at his sides. Before Edward could react, Weston’s right arm shot out and he punched him in the face, knocking him backwards into the screen door. Edward rolled head over heels, slamming the door into the railing, flying down the back steps.
I stood rooted to the floor, fingers covering my mouth. “Oh my God, what have you done?” I whispered. Rushing past Weston, I ran down the stairs to find Edward lying on his back at the bottom near the lawn, unconscious.
I had no idea how badly he’d been injured—a concussion, broken neck or back? I’d never been this angry with Weston. He was standing at the top of the stairs, looking down at me. I leaned over Edward, knowing I shouldn’t move him.
“Call 9-1-1!” I yelled, glancing up at Weston, tears coursing down my cheeks. “Call an ambulance!”
I picked up one of Edward’s hands, bringing it to my lips where I laid a kiss on his palm, glaring at Weston, challenging him to act. He squinted at me, his lips set in a tight grimace, hesitated a few seconds, then turned and walked back into the kitchen.
Cecilia and Perry rushed past him down to where I knelt sobbing, holding Edward’s hand, calling to him over and over, hoping he’d wake up. He wasn’t moving, his eyelids weren’t fluttering—nothing.
Cecilia’s voice broke me out of my stunned state. “Brandy, he has a pulse. It’s slow but I can feel it. Listen, I hear the ambulance. It’ll only be a few seconds before they’re here. Don’t worry, honey. Come on, be strong.”
I had to gather my thoughts, get a grip on my emotions. I had a houseful of guests, some of them children, forming a ring around Edward and me, looking terrified, not understanding what was going on.
“Cecilia, can you and Perry herd everyone away from here?”
Cecilia stood up and ushered the children and adults into the front yard while Perry ran up the stairs to explain what was happening to any guests who were still inside. At the periphery of my mind lurked the knowledge the police would ask me what had happened. If I told the truth my house would turn into a crime scene, all of my neighbors would be questioned, statements taken. No one but Weston and me had been privy to what had gone on in the kitchen.
Three paramedics and four firemen jogged around the corner. I immediately stood and backed away, letting them take charge of the situation. I heard murmurings as if in the distance while I watched the paramedics listen to Edward’s heart with a stethoscope.
A voice interrupted my scrambled thoughts. “Mrs. Chambers?”
I turned to face a young looking policeman, holding a small notepad, pencil poised above the blank sheet of paper. “Yes, I’m Brandy Chambers.”
“Could you tell me what went on here?” he said politely.
They placed a brace behind Edward’s neck then carefully moved him onto a gurney. “This man,” I pointed over at Edward. “His name is Edward Barnes.” I paused. I had to make a decision, truth or tale? “I don’t know what happened. You’ll have to ask Mr. Barnes.” I figured if Edward wanted to press charges that would be his decision, not mine.
The paramedics unfolded the gurney to a standing position then rolled it away toward the back gate.
“Was anyone around to see what happened, Mrs. Chambers?”
I shook my head. “I don’t know. Maybe. Listen, I’m sorry but I have to check on my baby upstairs. Would you excuse me?”
He nodded, and I sprinted up the back stairs, frantically searching for Stephanie or Cecilia. I met Cecilia in the hallway and pulled her aside.
“Could you take care of Jessica for me or find Stephanie and ask her if she—”
She took me by the shoulders and gave me a quick shake. “Don’t worry about a thing, Brandy. Go be with Edward. Stephanie and I will take care of the baby. I’ll stay here.”
I ran to the front of the house and found the paramedics about to shut the doors to the back of the ambulance. I asked if I could ride in the back with him and they readily agreed.
The ambulance pulled up to the Emergency Room at Alameda Hospital in less than three minutes, only six blocks away. I walked alongside the stretcher as the paramedics guided it through the automatic doors leading to the E.R. That was as far as they allowed me inside. The triage nurse told me she would return and inform me of his status as soon as possible.
I sat down in a hard plastic chair in the far corner of the waiting room, worried to death he’d either be paralyzed or fall into a coma or die, and felt sick to my stomach. Taking several deep breaths to fight the nausea, I tried to think positive thoughts: he’d be all right, he’d make it through this, people didn’t always die because they fell down a few stairs.
It happened in the movies all the time—people stood up, brushed themselves off, and walked away from this type of thing. I had to believe that would happen to Edward. He’d probably been knocked unconscious and would be awakening soon. I tried to feel it, really believe it, but a corner of my consciousness kept repeating, “He’s going to die. He’s going to die.”
Inhaling deep breaths, I placed all negative thoughts in my little box and mentally laid it aside. I focused on my folded hands lying in my lap and began an internal mantra, “He’s going to live, he’ll be all right, he’ll make it through this, he’s going to live,” over and over.
I didn’t know how long I sat whispering to myself, taking deep breaths, concentrating on filling my mind with positive thoughts, picturing Edward alive, walking toward me, healthy and strong. I forced myself to believe it, willed myself into thinking it was reality, when someone called my name. I looked up and noticed a young woman dressed in light blue scrubs holding open the oversized metal door to the E.R., motioning for me to come over.
“Brandy Chambers?” When I nodded, she continued. “You can see Mr. Barnes now.”
“You mean he’s alive?” I ran over to her, my hands and legs shaking so badly, I was afraid I’d collapse. She nodded her assent. I bent my head toward the floor and sobbed.
She put her arm around my shoulders and gave me a quick squeeze. “It’s okay. The doctor says he has a mild concussion. We’ll keep him here overnight. If he’s doing well tomorrow morning, he’ll be released. He’s asking for you, so go on in. Let him see a smile on your face, though, will you?” She grinned and motioned me toward a room at the end of the hall.
I straightened up, standing erect and tall, tousled my hair with my two hands, wiped the tears from my cheeks, and shook my head several times to perk myself up. After taking one huge breath, I walked into the room she’d indicated. He was lying on a bed in the middle of a small room with his eyes closed, a serene look on his face. I stood by the side of his bed and picked up his hand. Tears poured down my cheeks.
“Edward? Oh, God, Edward.” I laid my head on his chest and cried, saying his name over and over, feeling the steady beating of his heart through the thin hospital gown. Fingers reached through the back of my hair and gently massaged my scalp.
“Brandy?”
I looked up, and he smiled that gorgeous smile of his, that devastatingly killer smile that reached all the way to his unbelievably blue-blue eyes.
“I thought you were going to die. I never thought I’d talk to you again. God, I love you. Please don’t leave me.”
“Is this an inappropriate time to ask you to marry me again?” He grinned, flashing ultra-white teeth.
“My God, you can never, ever talk without making a joke, you’re incorrigible. My divorce isn’t even final yet.”
“Doesn’t mean you can’t answer me ‘yes’ or ‘no’. I could probably expedite your divorce proceedings for you. I know people in high places.”
“You goofball. I think the damage to your brain has seriously impaired your thinking. How about dealing with the crisis of the moment before anything else?”
“Did the police question you about what happened?�
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I could feel my face start to flush and turned aside then Edward’s hand gently tilted my head toward him. “Brandy?”
“I didn’t know what to say. I couldn’t think straight. I didn’t know if you were going to live or die or be paralyzed. I was worried about your reputation, the time you’d want to spend pursuing this if you wanted to press charges. I wasn’t sure what you’d want to do so I…I sort of implied I hadn’t seen what happened.”
He cupped the side of my face in his hand and smiled. “It’s okay, Brandy. Maybe Weston and I can work out a deal. He files the final divorce papers, I don’t press charges. Sounds like a win-win situation to me. What do you think?”
I shook my head, a smile on my face. He could make me laugh at the most inappropriate times. I placed a light kiss on his lips, not wanting to upset his concussed head. Keeping his hand behind my head, his fingers tangled through the waves of my hair, and he pulled me down gently for a kiss, this one deeper and more thorough than the one before. This was an “I want to make love to you” kind of kiss, and I groaned, not only with pleasure, but with relief he was alive.
I felt so lucky to have him in my life, luckier now because he’d be in my future. I’d already decided to call Claudette the following day and ask her to contact Weston’s attorney. I wanted a divorce. This was the last straw. I hadn’t led Weston to believe he and I would get back together. His proprietary attitude upset me and taking out his anger and jealousy on Edward was completely inappropriate.
They asked me to leave so Edward could be transferred to his own room, so I kissed him goodbye and walked home, needing to clear my head. When I reached the house I found Cecilia and Stephanie sitting together on the front room couch, sipping coffee and talking.
“How’s Edward?” they asked in unison.
I slumped down on the nearest armchair and let out a whoosh of air. “He’ll be all right. It wasn’t as bad as it looked. He has a concussion, and they’ll keep him overnight for observation. They plan to let him go home tomorrow.”
Moon Over Alcatraz Page 20
