Shadows and Dreams (Dream Series Book 2)

by Braxton Hicks

  “I’m not sure yet. I'd kind of like to see if Trey would mind spending it in Baton Rouge with my dad. He wants to see me and his granddaughter.”

  “You know, Ty, I think it's so fantastic that you found your dad. Does it seem weird to have a dad after all of these years?”

  “Well, you know, I always knew that I had one, of course, but all I had to go on was Maggie’s version of him, which was another one of her fabrications. I guess I like that fact that he's a good man. I mean, I filled you in on the specifics of their one and only night together.”

  “Yeah, that was kind of a hoot. It almost sounded like your mom kinda crushed on him, even though she was pissed he took her cherry thinking she was a pro. I bet he was good in bed and she liked it.”

  “Gina! I can’t think of him that way. He’s my father, after all.”

  “Just saying,” she replied laughing. “Hey, what does he look like?”

  “Well he's built slender; not as tall as Trey. He has brown hair that's graying at the temples; his eyes are the same color as mine, but they're very intense. I mean, I just saw him briefly. I remember thinking he was nice-looking, for an old guy.”

  “How old is he?”

  “He’s fifty.”

  “That’s not really all that old. It’s like ten years older than Tristan.”

  “Hey, so if Trey and I go there at Christmas, then you and Tristan will have the apartment all to yourselves,” I said, giving her a wink.

  “I figure Tristan will be in Bristol with his family.”

  “What if he invites you there with him?”

  “I doubt very much if that will happen. One of us needs to be here to take care of the club, remember?”

  Gina dropped me at the apartment when we finished shopping. She said she wanted to take a nap before she went into work. My iPhone chimed when I was in the elevator on my way up to our floor. It was Daniel.

  “Hey,” he said, when I answered the call, “I just wanted to let you know that Maggie got here this morning. She's buried next to our baby and I’ve ordered her a headstone. She was 43 years old; soon to be 44 according to her records.”

  Hmm—she'd lied about her age just a tad—imagine that.

  “Have you gotten the results of her autopsy yet?”

  “No, Daniel they said it could take up to six weeks. I'll let you know what it reveals, though.”

  “I appreciate that, Tylar. They opened her casket for me when it arrived at the mortuary. She looked good. They did a nice job on her. I had them buy a suit for her to wear. I kissed her before they shut the casket. Her skin was so cold.”

  His voice was cracking and I felt compassion for him, to some degree.

  “Maggie loved you in the only way she knew how. She'd want you to be happy again. I hope you continue to straighten your life out; I hope you meet someone that you can love in a healthy way.”

  “Thanks, Tylar,” he said. “Take care.”

  When I went into the apartment, neither Trey nor Preston were anywhere around. I carried my packages into our room and saw that Trey was stretched out on the bed watching television; Preston was curled up asleep beside him. I put my bags in my closet and went over to him quietly.

  “Hey you,” I whispered, leaning over to give him a kiss. “Has she been good for you?”

  “She just fell asleep a few minutes ago.”

  Trey had contacted her pediatrician earlier in the week to let him know about Maggie and the potential poisoning and the fact that she'd breastfed Preston during those days she'd her. The pediatrician instructed Trey to follow back up with him once the post mortem report was released as to Maggie’s cause of death. In the interim, he said that we shouldn’t worry. The fact that Preston had vomited after breastfeeding from her was indicative that the milk didn’t agree with her system. He said that since she's been healthy since her return, it was highly unlikely she ingested anything harmful.

  "Do you want some lunch?” I asked him, as he followed me to the kitchen.

  I had the refrigerator door open and I was standing there eating slices of turkey.

  “Sure, I could use a sandwich.”

  We ate lunch together and I decided it was a good time to discuss our plans for Christmas.

  “Trey, have you given any thought to what we're doing for Christmas?”

  “You don’t want to go to Bristol this year?”

  “It’s not that, but my dad would really like to see us. He hasn’t met his grand-daughter yet.”

  “He lives clear down in Baton Rouge. Has he invited us for Christmas?”

  “Well, not yet, but I think he probably will.”

  “Then let’s wait and see what happens, okay? My God, we’ve got Gina moving in here next weekend, so one way or another, we're going somewhere for Christmas.”

  “Do you want to drive out to the house when Preston wakes up?” Trey asked.

  “Sounds good, honey,” I replied. “I'm going to have to start packing once the holidays are over. I'm getting so excited.”

  Once Preston woke up, I dressed her warmly and we headed out. The house was nearly finished. All of the light fixtures had been installed; the upstairs flooring was completed. The window treatments were due to be installed the second week of December. The appliances we ordered for the kitchen were due in the week after Christmas.

  We still had to furnish a guest room and then Jean’s quarters. She'd have a bedroom, her own bathroom and a small sitting room.

  Preston’s room was bigger than the room she had at the apartment. There was an alcove in her room that had built-in shelving for her books and toys. We'd done it in yellow, peach and lavender. There was another smaller bedroom upstairs that would be Trey’s office. Our master suite was done in neutral tones. The magnificent bathroom, however, was done in black marble with gold threading throughout. One wall was completely mirrored making the room seem more expansive than it already was.

  Preston was jabbering away and pointing at the mirror when we went into the master bath. The house had a large staircase, so I made a mental note to look into baby gates for the top and bottom.

  Trey and I stopped and picked up Chinese on the way home. We were turkeyed out for the time being.

  Trey joined me in my bubble bath much later. We relaxed under the covers later after making love. He'd been so gentle and sweet with me. I looked over at him sleeping with his hand flung over his brow. He was so beautiful and sexy. I felt butterflies.

  Chapter 38

  It was the Monday after Thanksgiving. Trey was back to work. Jean was at the apartment cleaning and keeping an eye on Preston while I was rearranging my closet. I was going through my clothing and shoes, separating stuff that I no longer wore into a pile so that I could drop it off at Goodwill. I was going to do the same in Trey’s closet and in Preston’s.

  I tossed a load of clothing and shoes out of the closet onto the bedroom floor, deciding I'd fold them out there where there was more room. As I turned back to grab the second pile, I accidently knocked the bigger of the two blue velvet jewelry boxes off of the top of the built-in dresser. It fell to the floor, spilling the pearl necklace out onto the floor. As I leaned over to pick up the jewelry box that had landed upside down, I turned it over and realized that it had a false bottom.

  The velvet covered bottom was crooked. There was a small satin ribbon along the bottom edge of the oval shaped jewelry box. I grasped the looped ribbon and lifted it up; there was a stack of handwritten papers underneath the false bottom.

  I pulled them out and looked at the cursive writing on the lined steno-pad paper. They were in order by date. It looked like someone had been keeping a diary in a steno pad and had torn these pages out.

  I sat down on the floor of the closet and started to read them.

  October 20, 1989

  Matthew convinced me to go to some high class cocktail party at the Hotel D’Iberville last night. He said I might meet a rich bachelor. I should've known not to believe him.

&nbs
p; I met a very handsome young judge there. His name is Preston Tylar. He’s 28!! We talked and talked. I went to his room with him, thinking we were just going to continue talking. How stupid I am! I drank champagne with him. I liked the way it tasted and the way it made me feel.

  I didn’t mind it when he kissed me at all! He was a very good kisser. He told me that he wanted to make love to me. I told him that I was a virgin and didn’t believe in casual sex. He laughed and said that I was playing my part very well—???

  He kissed me all over and his hands got underneath my clothing. His lips and tongue went to places on my body I didn’t know existed. He made me feel good, but I knew it was wrong. I said no to him, but before I knew it, he'd pushed himself inside of me. It hurt like hell! When he finished, he kissed me all over my face and my neck and whispered how sweet I was. He saw the bloody sheets and then he looked at me and saw my tears. He pulled me into his arms and said he was sorry! He said he thought I was a prostitute!! I cussed him out good!!

  He drew me a bath and I soaked in it for a long while. He said he would get me home, but I didn’t want to leave him, for some reason. I was confused and ashamed, to some degree, because some of the stuff he'd done to me felt so good. I'm a horrible person!!

  I told him I wanted to cuddle all night, but not to get any ideas about repeating his animalistic behavior with me! He did as I said. I fell asleep with his arms around me. During the night, I woke up and I knew that I needed to feel the good part of him again. I rolled over and I kissed him on the lips. He woke up and was confused, but then he started kissing me back. His lips moved all over me. He undid my robe and kissed my breasts.

  He went lower still and made love to me down there with his mouth and his tongue! I didn’t know a man could bring that kind of pleasure. My hands found him and touched him there. He called me his sweet Marley. I asked him if it would hurt like before. He said it probably wouldn't, so I told him to go ahead with it. He asked if I was sure. I told him that I was.

  He told me that I needed to relax to let him in. He kissed my neck and my face.

  He whispered sweet things to me, telling me how beautiful and perfect I was. He entered me slowly and gently and it didn’t hurt. He pulled me to him and told me to tell him if it hurt and he would stop.

  He went in and out of me and it felt wonderful. I told him that it felt good and that he pleasured me. A wonderful warm feeling was building up inside of me and I moaned because it was so intense.

  He asked me if I wanted him to stop. I begged him not to stop! He kept on and the feeling got stronger and stronger. I pulled him so very close and cried his name out. He moved faster and faster and then he cried my name out and kissed my lips as he emptied his seed into me.

  We curled back up and went to sleep, making no mention of what we'd done. I asked him to drive me home in the morning. I was embarrassed to look at him after what I’d let him do to me and the way that I had liked it.

  He apologized again on the way home. He said that he wanted to see me again. He wanted to make sweet love to me. He told me that he was getting married and that he wished he could get out of it. My heart broke when I heard that! I asked him flat out if he was still going to get married after what we'd done together last night. He said that he had to, but he still wanted to be with me. I told him I didn’t roll that way!

  October 25, 1989

  Preston Tylar has been sending me flowers every day! He calls on the phone nearly every day too! I cry at night in my bed thinking about how I let him ruin me! I don't take his calls, even though Matthew wants me to.

  I hate Matthew for what I now know he is! I hate that my own sister hadn’t warned me about him and the kind of monster that he is. I know what he makes Maggie do! He won’t do that to me! I'll see him dead first!

  October 30, 1989

  Preston Tylar came to our house this evening! Matthew called me downstairs and told me to go into the parlor. He shut the door behind me! Preston came to me and hugged me tightly. He gave me his business card and said if I ever needed anything to call him. I could reach him at his office number. He gave me two beautiful blue velvet jewelry boxes. One had pearl earrings in it and the other one a pearl drop necklace. He said that they belonged to his grandmother and he wanted me to have them.

  I’m not sure why. He leaned down and kissed me ever so sweetly, pulling me against him tightly. I could even feel him get hard down there. He said he was getting married soon, but that he would never forget me. He whispered, "I love you sweet Marley into my ear.” He left, stopping on the way out to say something very quietly to Matthew that I couldn’t hear. He jabbed his finger into Matthew’s chest and then left. Whatever he'd said shook Matthew up good.

  I went upstairs and told Maggie about it. I collapsed across my bed and cried. Maggie was getting ready for one of her “dates.” She said the best way to get over one man was to get another one underneath you as soon as possible. I don’t ever want to have my heart broken again, but I'll never be the way Maggie is! I guess I love Preston Tylar.

  December 3, 1989

  I took a home pregnancy test today. I’m pregnant with Preston’s child. I made the mistake of telling Maggie and, of course, she went straight to Matthew! Maggie wants me to tell Judge Tylar, but I won’t do that. I won’t disrupt his life. I promise that I'll love this child with all of my heart, though! I hope, boy or girl, it’s as pretty as its daddy! Preston Tylar is so handsome!!

  July 1, 1990

  I saw in the paper today that Preston James Tylar was appointed as a federal judge in Baton Rouge. His picture was in the paper. He's so beautiful. His wife was standing next to him.

  July 14, 1990

  My beautiful baby girl was born today! She was born behind a veil, which Miss Trinity says is a sign of good favor from the Lord! I'm so happy because I was afraid God would be angry about me having a bastard child. Miss Trinity gave me directions on how to preserve the caul. She said to keep it intact for good luck going forward. I want to go back to Mississippi. I hate Matthew. Maggie hates him too! I want out of New Orleans. Maggie and I are both tired of Matthew’s bossy ways.

  He's not crossed me at all since Preston said whatever he said to him that day we said good-bye. I don’t trust him, though. He's way too shady. Maggie is afraid of him big-time.

  July 17, 1990

  I’m calling my baby Tylar Jamie Renaud. She's so very precious. I'm breast feeding her and she takes very well to it. She sleeps in bed with me. I don’t want Matthew near her! Maggie bought her some diapers. Matthew told me that I had to sign up for welfare benefits. I’m so ashamed…

  July 21, 1990

  I took Tylar to the doctor today. We got the medical card for her. Matthew made sure I signed up for food stamps also. The doctor says that she's a very healthy baby. I'm going to make sure that she stays that way! I’m getting out of here as soon as I can find a way to do it! Maggie says that Matthew will hunt us down and kill us if we try to leave. Let him try!

  That was the last paper in the stack of my mother’s notes. I felt the tears streaming down my face. My poor mother. Why had she been too proud to call my father? If she had, she'd be alive today, I was sure of it. I folded the notebook papers back up and put them in the top dresser drawer. I'd make copies of them in Trey’s office.

  I wanted my father to read them. I smiled as I recalled my father had left out one important part of the story: the part where my mom had awakened him during their only night together wanting more. Did he think my knowing that would somehow make me think less of her? Dad needed to understand how I rolled.

  I finished up cleaning out all of the closets before Jean was ready to leave. I paid her and said that I'd see her on Thursday.

  Trey called right after I had put Preston down for her nap.

  “Hey you,” he said, “I miss you.”

  My butterflies swirled as I smiled into the phone. “I miss you too,” We'd spent a great week together under less than desirable circumstances. We always
managed to get through it.

  “What are you doing?”

  "I’ve been cleaning out closets all morning.”

  “You didn’t get rid of any of my stuff did you?”

  “Of course not, honey,” I lied. I was beginning to see that Trey was a bit of a hoarder when it came to his clothes. “But I did find something pretty interesting in my closet.”

  “What did you find?” he asked.

  “One of those blue velvet jewelry boxes had a false bottom I discovered when I knocked it over. There were diary notes in it that my mother had written.”

  “Really?” he asked, genuinely interested.

  “Yeah—it was kind of surreal reading them. They’re about when she and my father had their night together; about being pregnant and about me being born.”

  “I’d like to read them,” he said.

  “I want you to read them. Hey, have you ever heard about babies being born under a veil?”

  “That’s a new one to me,” he replied.

  “Well, apparently, I was, according to my mother’s notes. At least, that’s what the mid-wife or witchdoctor told her at the time,” I chuckled. “I think I'll look it up online.”

  “Okay, baby. I'll see you this evening then. What’s for dinner?”

  “Turkey croquettes,” I replied.

  “Tylar, next year can we please get a smaller turkey?”

  Chapter 39

  I'd scanned my mother’s handwritten notes and saved them as a pdf file. I attached the file to an e-mail and sent it to my father. I texted him that he had an e-mail from me with an attachment that he needed to read. I asked him to call me after he'd read it.

  Our landline rang at later that evening. It was Dad.

  “Tylar,” he said, his voice full of emotion, “where did you find those notes?”

  “There was a false bottom in one of those blue jewelry boxes you gave to Mom. I found it by accident the other day when I was cleaning my closet. I had no idea those were in there. They look like pages she'd torn out of a notebook.”