Southern Comfort: Chandler's Story (The Southern Series Book 1)

by Shelley Stringer

  “Knock knock, can I come in?” Everett’s voice came through the closed bedroom door. Banton moaned, quickly zipping my top back up to a more modest position as he slid over to sit upright beside me.

  “Come on in, everyone else does,” Banton answered him, a little agitation apparent in his voice.

  I elbowed him, and he winced. “Hey, Everett…What are you doing here?” I asked as he came bursting into the room.

  “Darlin’, I just couldn’t stay away any longer. I had to come and see you for myself. Are you all right, sweet Bebe?” he asked, leaning in to kiss me on the cheek. “You have just been through a nightmare! Olivia told me everything, is there anything I can do for you? Philippe and I have been beside ourselves, but Banton and John assured us the best we could do was to see to that sweet young Olivia and her brother. The minute Claudia called me and told me you were home, I had to rush right over.” He glanced at Banton, and then back at me, seeming to want to ask me more, and I wondered if Olivia had told him about the baby. “What about your injuries, how badly are you hurt?”

  Banton answered him. “She is badly bruised and battered, and she was severely dehydrated and weak, but we are taking care of that. The doctors said a little bed rest for a couple of days, and then a checkup at the end of the week.” He leaned over and kissed the top of my head.

  “Well, are we still on schedule? What about the wedding?” He looked back and forth at each of our faces.

  “I hope we can go ahead as planned. I’m an emotional wreck, but aren’t all brides-to-be supposed to be emotional?” I asked, grinning at Banton.

  “Honey, you can be Bridezilla for all I care. I just want you to be happy!” Everett leaned in and kissed me on the cheek again. “So, we have a few days until the big day. Everything is on schedule, we have the beautiful little chapel downtown, and reception at the botanical gardens. We do need to do a final fitting on your dress. Do you think you will feel up to it Friday?”

  “Sure, that would be great. I’m supposed to go back to the doctor for a check- up, I can come by afterwards.”

  “Chandler, I don’t want you to push things.” Banton looked down at me lovingly, and my heart just melted.

  “I promise, I’ll take it easy, and I’ll rest when needed. I just feel bad that everyone seems to be working so hard around me, and I’m doing nothing.”

  “For the hundredth time, this is what I live for! All of my favorite people of all time are involved in this…my friend the florist, my friend the caterer. What else would I do with all my time!”

  “Oh, I don’t know, maybe have a life of your own!” I retorted.

  “My life was absolutely stagnant before you came along, and now it’s never a dull moment! Oh, not to change the subject, but Banton, you mentioned having an intimate dinner party here on Christmas night next week instead of the traditional bachelor’s party? Well, Astrid’s doing the wedding, and she would love to do the dinner party, too. She can set up that morning and use her kitchen and bring it all in. She will call you about a menu in a couple of days, and she will need a head count.”

  “Thanks, Everett. Chandler wanted to have the party here, but I don’t want her to do a thing besides dress herself, and come downstairs and enjoy.” Banton gazed down at me, and kissed me on the forehead. “Well, I’m going to see what Mother and Claudia have cooked for dinner. I’ll leave you two to the wedding talk.” Banton left and closed the door behind him.

  “So, Olivia tells me you were bitten? How are you handling that, Bebe?” Everett searched my eyes, as he sat on the side of the bed and took my hand in his. “It can be quite an experience for a human, I understand. How are your nerves?”

  “Well, I cry at the drop of a hat, and can get irritated faster than Constance’s crabby Aunt Delia. I don’t see how Banton can stand to be around me.”

  “Well, Darling, that man is as in love as anyone I’ve ever seen. So I don’t think you could run him off if you tried. So, have the doctors told you everything to expect?” he asked hesitantly.

  “You mean, about healing faster than normal, being stronger, hearing better, all that stuff?”

  “Yes, and other things.”

  I blushed. “Yes, Banton clued me in on that too.”

  “And did they explain to you about the fertility thing?” he asked cautiously.

  “What do you mean?” I asked curiously.

  “Dr. Renault should have told you. Half-breed men have the same reproductive power as any other human, but women have more trouble conceiving if they carry the gene. Once bitten, men seem to stay about the same. Women, however, have a great amount of trouble conceiving. It isn’t impossible, but it is rare. It has something to do with your body’s aging slowing down, and the healing thing. I wanted to prepare you, Bebe, since I didn’t know how you and Banton felt about children.”

  “Well, we don’t have anything to worry about, then. I’m a firm believer all things happen for a reason.” A large tear slipped down my cheek.

  “Whatever do you mean, Darlin?” Everett wiped the tear away, and then covered my hands with his.

  “Because I’m already pregnant,” I almost whispered. “I just found out the day I was captured, and then I was bitten.” I glanced up into his eyes.

  “Oh, Sweet Mary. I just knew there had to be a way!” He hugged me close, and then pulled me away to study my face. “But what have the doctors said about being bitten while pregnant?”

  “They really aren’t sure. They are doing some research, and that’s why I have to go back in Friday for another sonogram.”

  “Well, we are just going to take the best care of you! Wait, does the tall, dark and father-to-be know?”

  I giggled. “Yes, he found out when the doctors wouldn’t give me sedatives in the hospital. I didn’t get to tell him.”

  “Who else knows, besides me?” he asked, grinning to himself. I knew what he wanted to know.

  “Yes, John has one up on you. He was in the room when Banton found out.”

  “No wonder that cowboy looked like he’d just broke a green horse for the first time. I’m going to have to get him good, this time… and who else?”

  “Olivia knew, she guessed while she was taking care of me. And Claudia found out by accident this morning, when she saw my vitamins.” A look of sadness crossed my face then, and Everett hugged me tightly, I imagined he’d already guessed what the conflict might be.

  “Well, I guess it’s a good thing we only have a little over a week until the wedding, or we might have to pick a different style dress!” His eyes positively sparkled with the new secret he kept.

  “Everett, can you stay and eat with us? Mother and Claudia have quite a dinner downstairs.” Banton came back into the room with both hands shoved into his pockets.

  “I’d love to, yes. I just think I’ll go find John.” Everett smiled like a Cheshire cat, and stood as Banton passed beside him to take his place beside me. Turning at the door, Everett exclaimed, “You stud-muffin, you!” and then shut the door.

  “Oh boy, I can just guess what you told him,” Banton teased.

  “I hope you’re not upset, it’s just that he brought up the conceiving thing to me, and…”

  “Wait, what are you talking about?”

  “He was explaining about women who carry the gene sometimes have trouble conceiving, and then if they are bitten, it is a lot more complicated. I told him I believe sometimes things happen for a reason.”

  “I didn’t know any of that, the doctors didn’t tell me.” He studied my face while processing what I’d just told him.

  “Maybe that explains why Claudia has had a hard time.” He looked toward the stairs.

  “What about your mother? She had three children, and after your father was bitten,” I reasoned.

  “But she doesn’t carry the gene. She’s not a half-breed.” He continued to look off in the distance, weighing what we’d just discovered.

  “Does that mean…she continues to age, but your father
doesn’t?” I hadn’t noticed a difference before, but Banton’s father didn’t seem much older to me than Banton. Banton’s mother was so beautiful, I’d never really tried to guess her age.

  “Yes,” he answered quietly, turning his attention back to me. “It is the one thing that worries my father the most, sometime in the future he will surely lose her to illness, or old age. I can see the sadness in his eyes when he looks at her.”

  It occurred to me then, I hadn’t even considered it, but Banton and I both had begun to slow our aging. Ours would be together. But Claudia and Julia would age, unless they were bitten as well. It was beginning to get very confusing. Then I thought of Brie and John.

  “Banton, what about John and Brie?”

  “I know. I’ve already thought of that, and I know John has been worried about it, too, since he was bitten. He’s more worried about something happening to her like what happened to you. She doesn’t carry the gene. An attack would most likely be fatal for her. But if he truly loves her, he won’t let it stop him from marrying her.” He pulled me in close to his side.

  “We’ve got a lot of time to figure all this out, but for now, dinner is ready. Do you feel like going downstairs, or can I bring you something up?” he murmured, nuzzling my neck.

  “I think I’d like to try going down, as long as you promise to pick up where we left off right after dinner,” I giggled.

  “I’m so glad you’re home, you light up the whole house!” He kissed me deeply, and then swung me up into his arms and down the staircase to dinner.

  Brie and Ava Grace were setting the table as Banton deposited me in a chair in the dining room. “An Andler, wook! We have weindeer pwates!” Ava ran over to me, and pointed to the dishes on the table. Banton’s mother had the table set beautifully with new Christmas dishes. Each plate had Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, etc. in the center.

  “It is beautiful! Mrs. Elaine, you shouldn’t have!” I exclaimed when she entered the room.

  “I didn’t, Sweetheart. It is an early Christmas gift to you and Banton from Claudia, Will and Ava Grace. Claudia just came back from the store with them.” She smiled as she set the beautiful matching platter on the table, covered with roast and vegetables. “Claudia is determined that we help you start all of your Christmas traditions while we are here with you on your first Christmas together!” She hugged me, and then returned to the kitchen.

  I turned to look up at Banton and he smiled down at me as if to say, See, I told you she’d come around quickly.

  Claudia came from the kitchen with another dish of vegetables, and leaned over to kiss me on the cheek. She set the dish down on the table, and when I began to thank her for the beautiful gift, she began to tear up and rushed over to hug me. She whispered in my ear, “I’m so sorry about earlier. I have so much I want to talk to you about.” She smiled the most wonderful smile through her tears, and I knew all was right again.

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  The next few days found the house in a flurry of activity. The two contractors who Everett hired for Banton and John were in and out, bringing tile and marble samples, faucets, and extra workmen to finish the new bathroom job quickly. I insisted to Banton I could rest just as easily downstairs on the sofa, so as Everett put it, I held court on the sofa in the living room the rest of the week. Everett instructed the florist and caterer to come by the house on Wednesday so I could go over last minute details about the wedding, and Claudia and I made plans to go Christmas shopping on Friday afternoon after I went to the Doctor. Laurilee and Dan were due to fly in on Friday night, and Banton insisted they stay with us in his old room since the bathroom would be finished by then. Wednesday afternoon, Banton’s mother and father went home to do some last minute things in New Orleans, and then agreed to come back Christmas day and bring Julia to celebrate with us. They were to stay on at a hotel nearby until the wedding three days later.

  After Banton’s mother and father left, the house seemed very quiet. Claudia and Will had taken Ava Grace out for the evening to spend some time together before Will had to fly out for a quick business trip. Brie and John were off somewhere, and it was just me, Banton and Beau for the first time in a month.

  “So, what would you like to do tonight?” Banton asked, flopping down on the sofa beside me.

  “Absolutely nothing other than be with you.” I leaned over to kiss him, and he turned me around across his lap to give me his full attention. I traced his lips with my finger as he watched me intently. He had been very careful with me since we’d been home, and I was more than ready for us to be intimate again. My bruises were healing rapidly and I was hoping that enough time had passed he wouldn’t worry about hurting me. I pulled his head down, meeting his lips with mine, kissing him slowly at first and then I wanted him so badly I let myself go. I kissed him with a passion I’d never felt before. I chased his tongue, and tasted inside his mouth, exploring with my own. I then pulled back to kiss his neck, slowly unbuttoning his shirt. Pushing it back over his shoulders, I kissed his chest, moving downward across his abs.

  He moaned and pulled me up, embracing me as he began to unbutton the jeans I was wearing. He slid his hand down inside the zipper, and down inside the lace while I shrugged out of the jeans, leaving them in the floor beside the couch. Sliding over to straddle his lap, I unbuttoned the top button of his khakis.

  He picked me up, holding my hips in his hands while he stood up. I wrapped my legs around him as he slowly walked with me up the staircase. Placing me gently on the bed, he watched me intently, dropping his shirt to the floor, and then lying down on the bed over me. Methodically with one button at a time, he unbuttoned my blouse, and then brushed the fabric back, exposing my bra. He began placing kisses on my chest and downward, and then moved his hand gently across my abdomen. He glanced down to my stomach, and I immediately sensed him stiffen, pulling away and studying my eyes.

  “Chandler, I think it’s too soon. You are still so bruised and sore, and I’d rather wait to make love to you until you have seen the doctors again tomorrow.” He gently stroked my face with his hand as he continued to watch my expression. “I don’t want to do anything that might cause complications with the pregnancy. This could be our only…” he paused, and didn’t finish the sentence. He was thinking this could be our only chance at a family. He just leaned over, and placed a kiss very gently on my abdomen, and caressed it with his thumb as he looked back into my eyes. His eyes were such a beautiful chocolate brown. I could see the love there, seemingly to the very depths of his soul.

  The tears spilled over while I gazed into his eyes. I couldn’t control one single emotion or my tears, with the raging hormones and transformation.

  “I want you so badly, like when we first were together,” I whispered. “It seems like we get a few hours together and then something happens. Or we have to put off being together. I understand, though. I know we need to see the doctors first, I just wanted you to…” I didn’t finish the sentence. It was out there, hanging between us, so many unsettled emotions, raw nerves, passion…there weren’t even words.

  He pulled me to his chest and held me, caressing every inch of my body. “I’ll hold you all night. I’ll do almost anything. Believe me, Chandler, I’ve never wanted you more than I do right now. But I want you, and our baby. I’ll do anything to keep you both safe.”

  He finished undressing, and then he slowly undressed me. He held me all night, against his naked body, our limbs intertwined. We had the most intimate night since we’d been together, without his ever making love to me. His hand never left my abdomen.

  * * *

  At dawn, we both rose and crept down to the downstairs bathroom, not wanting to wake Claudia and Ava. Banton drew us a bath full of bubbles in the large antique tub, and then we soaked together, watching the sunrise through the mottled glass bricks in the window. After about thirty minutes, he sighed, and kissed me on top of my head. “Let’s vow to do this once a week, for the rest of our lives.” He beamed down at m
e as I pushed against his chest to look at his face.

  “It might get a little hard when I get bigger during the next few months. I might not fit in here with you.” I frowned at the thought I might get that big.

  He laughed, picking me up and over the side as he wrapped a towel around me from off the ottoman. “I hope you do get that big. It just means a healthy pregnancy. I’ll just get a bigger tub,” he teased, wrapping his own towel around his waist.

  “You have an answer for everything, don’t you?”

  His cell phone rang in the pocket of his pants. Leaning over, he retrieved the phone and flipped it open.

  “Hello, this is Banton,”

  I waited, wondering who would be calling this early. I checked my watch laying on the vanity, it said a little after six-thirty.

  “Well, I planned to go to the doctor this morning with Chandler; she has to go in for a checkup…” He frowned at me.

  I mouthed the words I can go by myself, it’s okay to him, and he responded, “All right, I’ll tell John, and we’ll be there at 10:00 am. Thank you, Commander.” He shut his phone and turned back to me.

  “Chandler, I’m sorry. They want me and John at a meeting this morning in N’awlins at 10:00. We’ll have to leave here in an hour to make it.” He frowned, gently stroking my cheek.

  “It’s okay. I can go by myself, I feel great. I promise I will call you as soon as I get through, and tell you what they said – I’ll give you all the good news immediately!” I rose up on my toes to kiss him as I pulled my jeans on and buttoned them.