“Chandler! I can’t believe after everything that has happened to you, you would be worried about my reaction. None of that matters, now, anyway. Of course it was meant to be!” She hugged me close as we heard the guys coming back downstairs.
She whispered in my ear, “Can I tell Dan?”
“Of course.” I smiled at her through my tears.
After Banton gave them the grand tour of our house, we introduced Ava Grace and Claudia to my Texas friends. Ava entertained them with an explanation of what she hoped Santa would bring her for Christmas, and what “Unca Ebret” had promised her.
“And when do I get to meet ‘Unca Ebret?’ Laurilee asked. “I’ve talked to him and to Philippe several times on the phone, and they sound like a hoot!”
“Oh, yeah, they’re a hoot all right,” Banton assured them, smiling at me.
“They will probably drop by tomorrow, but Christmas Day for sure, for the engagement dinner. I know you’ll love them like I do.”
Chapter Forty
I slept soundly in Banton’s strong arms that night, until near dawn, when I began to dream.
I was floating again, over my hometown, over the baseball diamonds, the football field, down the highway to the cemetery. Everyone was dressed in black. I floated down in the middle of the crowd, and searching their faces…I couldn’t find anyone I was close to, only vaguely familiar faces. All sorrowful, all faces full of pity. I neared the freshly dug grave, and tears fell softly down my face as I looked down at the faces of my mother and father, and a small child lying between them, her dark curls swirling around her head. Her sweet face was peaceful, in a deep sleep. I turned to beg someone in the crowd to get them out of the ground, that they weren’t dead. “Please, take them out. Please!” A man began to throw shovels full of dirt down on their bodies, and I panicked, grabbing the shovel from his hands. I turned back to the grave as the small, sweet child opened her eyes to look up at me with bright, green eyes…I turned abruptly, to run and find Banton to help. I ran straight into my attacker, the Orco…His hands closed around my upper arms, his fingers seeming to crush into my skin…
I gasped in a lung full of air as I opened my eyes.
“Chandler, what is it? Wake up!” Banton rose up in bed to check on me. He pulled me upright, and stroked my shoulders to quiet my trembling.
I relaxed, my eyes focusing on his beautiful face in the half-dawn light. “I’m fine. I’m sorry I woke you, it was just another bad dream.”
He pulled me into his warm body, and gently rubbed my back as I lay my head over on his chest. Feeling warm and safe instantly, I closed my eyes to try to sleep again. I reached up to rub my arm, and it suddenly felt sore. I don’t remember doing anything to make my arms so sore, maybe it was holding my arms out so long while I had my dress on at the fitting… I drifted back to sleep.
I woke fully, the sunlight streaming through the bay window beside the bed. I pushed up on the pillows and stretched, noticing Banton had already gone downstairs. Quickly remembering it was Christmas Eve, I felt an excitement like I did when I was a small child. I couldn’t wait to spend some more time with Laurilee and Dan, and I was anxious to unload all of the presents from my SUV. I still had a little more wrapping to do. I threw the covers back and stood slowly to cross over to the new bathing nook that Banton and John had completed. Flipping on the light, I turned to the mirror as I pulled my t-shirt over my head. Something dark caught my attention in the mirror, and I looked back in horror at the reflection. There, on my upper arms, were purplish blackish bruises forming just where fingers would have been. I began to tremble, remembering my pre-dawn dream.
“Chandler, are you in here? John and Brie came over early and cooked breakfast for everyone.” Banton entered our room, and then peeked around the corner into the new bathroom. “Chandler, what the hell…” He touched my arm, tracing the fresh bruises down to my elbow. “What happened? How did you get those?” He looked into my eyes, searching for an answer.
“I don’t think you would believe me, if I told you. I don’t believe it myself. I’ve been standing here, trying to think back to another possibility…”
“What are you talking about? Did someone grab you yesterday, hurt you?” he demanded.
“No, nothing has happened. No one has touched me. Not while I was awake,” I whispered the last part as I brushed my fingers over the bruises.
“What do you mean, not when you were awake?” he asked, incredulous.
“In my dream…the nightmare I had last night, he was there, and he grabbed my arms, and crushed them in his grip…” I was shaking all over by then. “When I woke up and you pulled me close, I rubbed my arm with my hand and noticed it was sore. Then when I came in here just now…” I felt insane just making the connection.
“When you say ‘him,’ you mean the creature that attacked you?”
“Yes. I know it sounds crazy, but it was so real. And there is something else.” I looked back up at him, afraid to say it out loud.
“What?” he asked softly.
“I could smell it, the freshly dug grave, like wet soil, and his bad breath. Not in the dream, but in our bedroom, after I woke up.”
“Oh, my God,” he whispered as he stared at me. He then turned, gazing around our room, and then back to me.
“I know, you think I’m crazy. Maybe I do need to go and see someone. I’ve finally cracked up.” The tears spilled over and ran down my cheeks.
“No, Chandler. I don’t think you’re crazy. I think we both are,” he said, pulling me close to him. “I smelled it too,” he explained softly. “I got up after you went to sleep, to see if Beau had carried something in here, or maybe had mud on his paws. I smelled something like body odor or bad breath, and wet dirt.” He looked back down at me with an expression on his face like he wouldn’t believe himself if he were listening to someone else tell it.
Then he became angry. “Maybe I need to call Dr. Renault, or Everett. Maybe they can explain to me how an Orco could be haunting our dreams after his death. I’ll get to the bottom of this, I promise. And I’ll keep you safe, if I have to watch over you while you sleep!” he vowed, pulling me in closer. “Come on. Let’s shake this off until we come up with an explanation.” He looked me over for any other bruises, and then helped me finish undressing as he started the shower for me.
After I dressed, he carried me downstairs and gently placed me on the sofa. “Stay put, I’ll bring your breakfast to you.” He smiled at me, and turned to leave the room.
“I could really get used to this. I’m going to miss your waiting on me when I’m back to normal,” I called after him.
I heard two pairs of feet running down the stairs. I watched the doorway, and Laurilee and Dan appeared, obviously having just awakened. Dan had on a pair of camouflage pajama pants, and Laurilee the Texas Tech t-shirt and shorts she’d slept in, with her hair piled on her head.
“Hey, we smelled food. Are we too late?” Dan asked as Laurilee flopped down beside me on the sofa.
“No, I just got up too. Banton’s in the kitchen. Our friends John and Brie are here, they came over to fix breakfast. Go in the kitchen and Banton will introduce you.” I beamed at Dan as he dashed out of the room, obviously hungry. Laurilee hugged me and then turned her body to lay her head in my lap, her feet flipped in the air, just like when we were little and about to tell secrets. It felt like I was home.
I twisted her hair in a knot as we talked. “I’m so glad you’re here. I’ve really missed you.”
“I know, me too. Chandler, this house is wonderful. I can’t believe you did all this yourself, made your grades, fell in love, got engaged, GOT PREGNANT, and found a little orphan girl to raise all in the same semester!” She leaned her head back to shoot me her I can’t believe you look. “And you did it all without me! I feel left out.” She gave me her best pout.
“I can’t either, when you put it that way. You can’t imagine the numerous times I wanted to pick the phone up and call you, o
r get on a plane. I was so homesick for weeks, with no home to go home to. But that feeling is gone, now. This is home.” I looked lovingly at Banton as he came through the door with a tray and a smile.
She sat up and studied Banton while he sat my breakfast in front of me. “You know, I came down here, both barrels loaded, ready to give you hell and twenty questions, rescue Chandler from the old guy who’s after her inheritance, and jump the first plane back to Lubbock. And then I walked down the tunnel from our plane and into the lobby of the airport, and saw you.” She smirked at Banton. “I thought, WOW. Wow. Um, I get it, now.”
“So you approve, now?” Banton asked, seeming a little embarrassed at her obvious hint at how attractive he was.
“Well, not so much because of your sex-appeal, but the obvious way you are in love with Andie. The way you take care of her. I can just sense that you fit, that her mom and dad would approve.” She smiled at me with tears in her eyes. Laurilee never cried.
After we all ate a big breakfast of eggs, French toast and freshly squeezed juice, Laurilee and Dan went back upstairs to shower. I asked Banton to bring the presents in from my car, and then to pull out the wrapping paper and put it all on the coffee table for me. I wrapped some digital art projects that I’d done on canvas earlier in the semester for Constance and Aunt Sue, unusual shots of iconic scenes around LSU. I did the same thing, but in vibrant tones, for Cade and Drew. Banton helped me wrap those in large artwork boxes. The presents I’d bought for his family were already wrapped, but I still had to wrap the set of Disney princess dolls and outfits I’d bought Ava Grace. She was especially intrigued with Princess Jasmine since the cemetery incident, and to go with the doll I bought the dress-up outfit for her to wear, and the Disney movie. Claudia coaxed Ava into the kitchen with the excuse she needed her help to bake Christmas cookies. As soon as they left the room, Banton pulled Ava’s presents out of the sacks.
“Here, hand me those gift bags and tissue, it will be quicker,” I asked, picking the dolls up.
“What are you, the Grinch-Aunt?” he asked.
“What?” I shot back, not understanding what he meant.
“Little kids like to tear paper, shred boxes… pull bows! Sacks are for wrapping weenies! Where’s the fun in pulling something out of a sack?” he asked, grinning at me.
“Okay, box-jock, let’s see how fast you can wrap. One…two…three!” I grabbed a box and started stuffing dolls and paper in, as he did the same with the movie. I giggled, fumbling with the corners, and sticking the tape together between my fingers. I looked up at him, and he had his neatly folded, creased, and taped. He threw his hands in the air like a calf roper after he ties the knot.
“Done!” he exclaimed, a look of triumph on his face.
“You cheated! You have one of those wrist pop-up tape thingies,” I objected, looking down at my mangled job.
Laurilee came around the corner at the bottom of the stairs. “What is all the fun in here?” she demanded.
“Banton just whipped my butt in a wrapping contest. But he cheated,” I objected.
“Here, throw me a present, I want to race,” she offered as she grabbed a tape dispenser and scissors.
We raced about four times and had all of my wrapping finished in about ten minutes. Dan came downstairs then, and suggested he and Laurilee go and finish some last-minute shopping. They asked John and Brie the directions to some stores, and John offered to go with them.
As they pulled out of the driveway, I called out to Banton, “What is taking so long, did you get lost?” He had gone around the corner to the tree to deposit the last of the wrapped packages under it.
“No, I just encountered Santa on the stairs, and he said to give this to you.” He shot me my favorite dimple, and then held a large box out in front of me, with beautiful paisley Christmas wrapping paper and an elaborate bow. The tag on the package had “Philippe’s Designs” on the label.
“Banton, it’s not Christmas yet. We have to wait till tonight, at least.” I smiled at him as I took the package.
“Oh, you know you want to. Besides, this was sort of a tradition in my family. Everyone got to open at least one gift on Christmas Eve. My dad would always get my mother a new beautiful Christmas sweater, or some outfit to wear Christmas day. We kids used to get really excited, until we figured out about the third or fourth Christmas that it would always be new pajamas, so we all looked good in the pictures on Christmas morning.” He smirked upon relaying the sweet memory from his childhood.
Giggling, I slipped my finger under the tape, removing the paper and sliding the bow slowly off the package.
“Oh, for gripes sake, here!” He flipped out his pocket knife, and ripped the bow, box and paper all in one swift motion.
“Hey, I’m a bow saver, all right?” I said as I caught the bow in mid-air.
“I should have known. Chandler, I know I’m not as rich as my father, but I can afford new Christmas ribbons every year,” he chuckled at me.
“That’s not the point. We always saved the bows at our house. It kind of brought back memories of Christmas past.” My voice trailed off at the memory.
“I get it.” He gently slid his fingers around my jaw, gently cupping my chin. Bringing my face to his, he slid his lips softly across mine. I returned his kiss, gently tasting his lips. He pulled me in closer, and wrapped his hand around the back of my head. Opening my mouth up to him, he deepened the kiss, searching my feelings as he seemed to drink in my soul. I dropped the box from my lap onto the floor, pulling him back down on top of me on the sofa. I raised a knee and wrapped my leg around his waist. Slipping his hands under my sweater he moved up my ribcage, under my arms and around my shoulder blades. I shivered and moved my hips against him.
“Chandler, we can’t…” he breathed in my ear.
“I know. I just can’t stop myself.” I looked up into his gorgeous eyes as he gazed down at me.
“I love you, so much, I can’t get enough of you. I’m blown away by you, every day.” He ran his fingers through my hair.
“Promise me we’ll always be like this. That you’ll never leave me,” I whispered, the tears pooling again.
He pulled back away to look at my face. “Why would you say that? I would never leave you.” He frowned at me.
“I sometimes feel uneasy...like I can’t have you. I feel as if someone is going to abruptly break in on this dream and say, ‘Sorry, wrong girl. He was meant for someone else.’ I’m afraid something will take you away from me or I’m going to lose you.” The tears really began to flow. I felt a sense of desperation. There was a feeling of extreme fear that I couldn’t explain.
“Chandler, nothing is going to happen. It would take a nuclear explosion to get me away from you. You are going to be my wife, and I am going to spend the next….hundred or more years convincing you I’m not going anywhere, all right?” He held me tightly against him.
“I was just so alone after I lost my parents, and then you came into my life. It’s so full now, I have you, our friends…I know I’m being silly, it’s just the hormones, the baby, the venom…I feel everything so much more intensely!” I almost shouted, trying to make him understand.
“I’m sorry, I got you all revved up with my kiss, didn’t I?” he joked, and grinned at me like he always did when my emotions got out of hand since the transformation. “Come on, open my present.”
He pulled me upright on the sofa and retrieved the box from the floor. I pulled the lid open, and inside was the most beautiful winter-white sweater I’d ever seen. Only in Louisiana would this be a Christmas outfit. The sleeveless sweater was delicate white angora, with a sheared beaver collar. Underneath it was a pair of winter white wool crop pants, and a pair of silk stockings. At the bottom of the box I found a pair of ivory dress sling-back Italian leather shoes.
“Oh, Banton. This is the prettiest thing I’ve ever seen. It’s perfect!” I squealed, draping the sweater over me to size it.
“Now see, that’s the
enthusiasm I like to see. Now open this one.” He brought another box the same size from behind the sofa. I beamed as I slid the bow off hurriedly, and then he chuckled out loud as I ripped the paper and box all at once like I’d seen him do. I gasped…Inside was a sheared white beaver and fox trimmed coat to match the outfit.
“Banton, it’s so extravagant.” I stared at him in wonder.
“Hey, I’m keeping both my babies warm. Claudia has informed me that first Christmas is beaver, maybe mink for five…” He leaned over to gently kiss me.
“You bought all of this from Philippe?” I asked as I pulled the coat from the box.
“Yes, he had the outfit, but he had to order the coat. He knew exactly what I wanted. And, if it’s a girl…” he put his hand gently on my abdomen, “he’ll order a tiny one that matches it just for her.” He leaned over, and placed a kiss on my belly.
“And what if it’s a boy?” I asked, smiling back at him.
“I hope you don’t let Philippe and Everett dress him in fur. Please.” He beamed back at me, and I laughed out loud. I stood, and he picked the coat up from the box, placing it gently around my shoulders. I looked at my reflection in the mirror over the fireplace, but all I could focus on was his handsome face looking at us over my shoulder.
* * *
All afternoon, it was all I could do not to rip the oven door off and dive into the ham. Claudia put it on that morning, and it had been baking in pineapple sauce and cloves all day. The doctor was right; I was definitely craving meat, or any kind of protein. It didn’t seem to matter how much I ate, I didn’t gain any weight. I wasn’t sure if it was the pregnancy, or having been bitten and transformed. And I was so full of energy that just lounging around on the furniture was really getting on my nerves. Banton insisted that he carry me back upstairs for my afternoon nap, and tucked me in and made me promise to try to sleep.
Southern Comfort: Chandler's Story (The Southern Series Book 1) Page 43
