Shadows and Dreams (Dream Series Book 2)

by Braxton Hicks

  “Trey, you’re insufferable today; what the hell's gotten in to you?”

  He gave me a wicked smile. I knew that look. “Hey, Mom,” he called out to Susan in the kitchen, “can you watch Preston while Tylar and I take a nap?”

  Oh my God, I'm going to kill him!

  “Well, of course, darling,” she replied. “Nana wants to spend some quality time with her granddaughter.”

  Trey gave me his impish grin while taking my hand and pulling me behind him up the staircase.

  “Trey,” I implored once we'd reached our suite, “Don’t you think that may have been a bit obvious?”

  “She’s fine with it,” he replied, his hands raising my sweater up over my head. “You heard her, baby; she thinks Preston needs a brother or sister. Besides, it’s been like four days.”

  Trey and I spent a delicious hour on our “nap.” Afterwards, we both showered and changed. I was reapplying my make-up when he came in to blow dry his hair.

  “Seriously, Tylar,” he said, “I'd like to consider starting to expand our family, I mean, if you think it's the right time.”

  “I thought we agreed to start trying this summer?”

  “I know; it's just that I don’t want our next child to be that far behind Preston. I remember what it felt like with Nigel and Tristan being so close in age and then years later, I came along. They both thought of me as a royal pain in the ass.”

  “I think they still do,” I said, smiling at his reflection in the mirror.

  Trey grabbed me from behind, lifting me up in his arms and twirling me around. “You've got one smart mouth on you, don’t you, wife?” he said in faux admonishment.

  “Okay, okay,” I said giggling. “I'll agree to not use birth control after we move into our home, how's that?"

  “Sounds good to me, baby,” he replied, capturing my lips in a lingering kiss.

  “I love you, Tylar.”

  “I love you, Trey.”

  I finally got a chance to catch up with Tess at dinner. She seemed radiant for some reason. It was obvious that her marriage to Nigel agreed with her. I filled her in on what had happened with my father and told her that we were still trying to get some proof about what had happened with my mother.

  “Tylar,” she said, her eyes wide, “you have such strength and tenacity. I truly hope in my heart that all of this leads to justice for you. That was such a tragedy to lose your mother to circumstances such as you described. I'm so glad that out of all of the tragedy you were blessed with finding your father.”

  “I know,” I replied, “it felt really strange at first, but now he's just my dad, you know?”

  She leaned over and hugged me. “I want only the best for you.”

  Trey and I bathed Preston and got her in her pajamas. Susan had moved the crib into their suite and asked if Preston could bunk in their room for the night. Trey had no issue with it, naturally. I fed Preston on our bed while Trey visited downstairs with his family. Once she'd fallen asleep, I carried her down to Susan and Clive's suite and tucked her into her crib. I fell asleep shortly afterward, not even waking when Trey came to bed.

  Tristan and Gina arrived just after ten o’clock the next morning. I could tell something was up the minute they came into the foyer.

  Gina greeted Susan and Clive warmly, and then gave me her eye signal that said she needed to see me alone. I nodded, looking over to where Trey was sitting in the living room engaged in a conversation with Nigel. Tess was over on the other couch playing with Preston. It was clear to make my exit. When I got to our suite, Gina was already there, stretched out across our bed on her stomach. She looked miserable.

  “Gina, what is it? What’s wrong?”

  “Tristan knows I’m pregnant,” she replied, with obvious irritation.

  “Hey, I didn't say a word. I swear.” I sat down next to her on the bed.

  “Yeah, I know you didn’t. It's totally my own damn fault.” She clasped her hands behind her head, ruffling her spiky blonde hair.

  “What the hell happened?”

  “Stupid me, I tossed that EPT stick into the trash can in our bathroom. I forgot what a total neat freak Tristan is. He saw it while emptying our bathroom and bedroom trash cans in the bag for the dumpster before we left."

  “What'd he say?”

  “Oh, he's ecstatic! He wanted to know when I'd planned on telling him the good news.”

  “What did you say?”

  “I told him he'd ruined my New Year’s surprise and acted all injured about it.”

  “So, you're not going to tell Tristan there's a possibility the baby's not his?”

  Gina propped her hands up under chin and looked over at me. “Would that make me a horrible person? I mean, come on, it isn’t as if the baby's going to be born with a British accent or anything. Besides, the chances are only slim that Ian might be the father.”

  “Oh, Gina, I don’t know. I think you owe it to Tristan to be honest about what happened."

  "I mean, it’s not like you slept with Ian after you had already started a relationship with Tristan, right? I really think he'll understand.”

  “You're probably right, but the thing is he's now going to wonder why I waited to tell him something this significant. It makes me look not only slutty, but sleazy, too.”

  She started crying and I understood that she was struggling with this decision.

  “Do you want me to talk to him, Gina?”

  “Oh, God no! He can’t know that you know.”

  “Why? He knows we're BFFs.”

  “Tristan's funny about some things. He's all pumped about making the announcement to the family.”

  “Is he going to do that this holiday?” I asked.

  “I asked him to wait until after I saw my OB. I'm so emotional; I don’t know what I'd do if Tristan walked out on me. I really love him, Ty.”

  “Gina, just relax and try not to stress out about it right now, okay?" Secretly, I so wanted, just once, for a Sinclair family holiday to not be fucked-up over some unexpected drama!

  “Okay,” she sniffed; “I'll wait until we get back to Atlanta.”

  “Good! Just put this out of your mind and enjoy being with Tristan and his family for the next couple of days.”

  “I'd like to go over and visit Aunt Becky; I do want to share this with her.”

  “I think that might be a good thing,” I stated.

  I knew her Aunt Becky would help her gain some perspective on this and console her in a motherly way. That was what Gina needed at the moment.

  Chapter 51

  After lunch, I bundled Preston up and took her out to the horse barn to visit Derringer. I'd brought some cut carrots with me. I held her on my hip and showed her how Derringer would eat the carrots from my hand. He chomped them noisily and then would nuzzle my closed hand when he wanted more.

  I kept repeating the word ‘horsey’ to her to see if she'd catch on to that word. So far, she'd not rewarded me with her rendition of it. I carried her with me up the trail, pointing out the different cottages and who they'd belonged to, as if she'd know these people. Nothing had changed much. As I came up to the first cottage I'd occupied, I saw the door open and Mark came barreling out.

  “Tylar?” he hollered loudly, hurrying up to me on the path. “Damn, I thought it was you when I looked out my window. Same sexy little saunter as always.”

  “Same flirtatious Mark, I see,” I teased.

  “And who might this beautiful little angel be?”

  “This is our daughter, Preston Michaela Sinclair,” I announced proudly.

  Preston had her fingers in her mouth, but when Mark looked down at her and smiled, she gave him a big dimpled grin.

  “Look at those little teeth coming in,” he said with a grin. “I bet she has some bite to her, just like her mama.”

  “Yeah, right,” I laughed.

  “Hey, not to change the subject,” he started, “but I understand Derringer's leaving here in a few weeks.”

/>   “Yes, our house is nearly finished, complete with a horse barn and riding arena. We hope to board horses and I’ve decided to teach dressage.”

  “Well, good for you,” he replied.

  “What are your plans, Mark?”

  “Well, I’ve been put in charge of the track and breeding stock. It’s all worked out pretty well.”

  “Do you ever see any of the others?”

  “The crew that was with you last year all graduated this past spring, with the exception of Jenna, who finished grad school and is teaching in Fairfax. Clint graduated, but still works over at the ‘Belle. Rodney moved to Houston, taking a job there. Luke moved to Fairfax around the same time as Jenna. I’ll let you connect those dots.”

  I laughed. “It seems like a million years ago,” I reflected.

  “I’m really glad things worked out for you and Trey, speaking of which, I think your man's come to look for you, as we speak.”

  I turned to look in the direction of the path leading up to the cottages, and sure enough, Trey was on his way. Mark gave me a pat on the shoulder and took off, walking the path towards the ‘Belle. I turned and headed back the way I'd come.

  “I wondered where you'd gone off to,” he said, pulling Preston from me and circling his free arm around my waist. We walked back down the path towards the horse barn.

  “I wanted to see Derringer and introduce Preston to him. She was enamored, of course.”

  Preston squealed with delight as we walked through the barn and she spotted Derringer again. She was pointing to the horse and jabbering something.

  Trey laughed, hugging her closely. “I see we have yet another equestrian in the making,” he commented.

  “I think she gets that from me,” I replied, grinning.

  When we got back to the house, I put Preston down for her afternoon nap. The New Year’s Eve festivities were at the Sinclair’s estate this year, since they alternated that holiday with the Andrews as well. I'd pumped a couple of bottles of breast milk earlier and put them in the fridge. I was going to party this New Year’s Eve. I remembered quite well the fiasco of last year’s, which made me that much more determined to make this year’s better.

  Trey gave me a cat whistle when he came into our suite later in the evening and saw me putting the finishing touches on my hair and make-up.

  “I shouldn’t let you out of our room dressed like that, baby,” he said, perusing me from top to bottom.

  I was wearing a tight black dress that fell to mid-calf with a slit up each side that went mid-thigh. The dress was strapless with a built-in underwire push up bra. I wore four-inch, black pumps with dark, thigh-high stockings. I accessorized with sparkly red jewelry: dangling earrings with shiny stars and a matching necklace.

  “Oh, Trey,” I said, “I just look festive tonight.”

  “Just remember, baby, the festivities take place later tonight. You and me in that bed right there.” He drew me to him tightly and his lips found mine in a warm and sensuous kiss. I felt him harden against me.

  “Later, baby,” I laughed, pushing him away. “I don’t want you mussing my hair and make-up.”

  “By the way, Preston's staying in Mom and Dad’s suite, right?” he asked, pulling his shirt off and getting ready for his shower.

  “Trey, did you ever stop to think that perhaps your parents have plans in their bed tonight?”

  “Don’t worry,” he said, with a wink and a smile, “they won’t wake her.”

  Gina popped over to our suite while Trey was in the shower.

  “You look great,” she said, eying my outfit.

  “Right back at you, Gina,” I said.

  Gina was wearing a short, royal blue, spandex dress that had black sequins in a diamond-shaped pattern on the front and back. “Listen to this, girlfriend,” she said in an almost whisper, “Tristan wants us to get engaged and then announce it tonight.”

  “No, he doesn’t,” I said, louder than I'd intended.

  “Shhh,” she whispered loudly, waving her hand at me.

  “Don’t worry; I talked him out of it. I told him, first of all, I wasn’t ready to jump back into marriage again and, even if I was, I had no intention of him being tacky about announcing it like he'd done two months ago on his birthday with that whore Libby.”

  “But, Gina, you do love Tristan, don’t you?”

  “Of course I do, Ty! What the hell kind of question is that?”

  “Then, why don’t you want to get married?”

  “I didn’t say I didn't ever want to get married. I prefer to play it like you did.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean, I don’t intend to be a knocked-up bride, either.”

  We both giggled. We heard the shower stop in the bathroom.

  “Hey, I better scoot. I wouldn’t want to see the Hot Nazi coming out here in his birthday suit,” she said, scooting off the bed and heading out the door.

  Had Gina stayed thirty seconds longer, that's exactly what she would have seen. I was still sitting on the bed when Trey came out of the bathroom 'au natural' and headed to his closet. I never tired of looking at his body; he caught me doing so as he came back out of his closet with his evening garb. He cocked an eyebrow at me, his mouth curving into a sexy smile.

  “No, Trey. I’m all ready and I’m not getting mussed up this close to the start of the guests arriving for the party. I really mean it, honey,” I pleaded as he sauntered over to the bed, naked. Thirty minutes later, I was re-doing my hair and make-up in the bathroom.

  The party was in full swing, with nearly all of the guests present, by the time Trey and I got downstairs. A DJ was spinning records in the large family room that had been expanded to include the deck right off of it. The fire pit was going to keep everyone that ventured outside to dance, warm. Trey went over to talk to Nigel, and I made a quick path to the bar and ordered an Adios Mother-Fucker, having to recite the recipe to the bartender.

  Gina’s Aunt Becky was there; I hadn’t seen her in a while. She was watching Tristan closely, observing the way that he and Gina interacted, I suspected. She spotted me watching her watch them and waved me over. She gave me a hug.

  “I saw you checking the situation out with Gina,” I said to her, laughing.

  “I’m just looking out for my sister’s daughter. Of course, all of us were shell-shocked with what Ian pulled.”

  “Yeah, no one saw that coming,” I agreed. “Did Gina mention that Ian was trying to get back together with her a couple of weeks ago?”

  “Are you shitting me?” Becky looked totally blown away by Ian’s audacity.

  “I was there,” I said. “She blew him off. She's all about Tristan.”

  “That's apparent,” she said, nodding her head.

  “Just so you know, Aunt Becky, he's all about her as well.”

  “He damn well better be,” Becky replied. “Gina’s almost like one of my own.”

  Our conversation was interrupted when we both saw Landon and Caroline come in through the main hallway.

  “Well, I see the entertainment has arrived,” Becky said wryly. “I think I need another beer.”

  Caroline spotted me standing there and gave me a wave. She came across the dance floor noticing Gina and Tristan slow dancing to the music. She did a double take on her way over. She had her signature glass of red wine in her hand and it looked as if it wasn't her first of the evening.

  “Hey, Tylar,” she said, in her semi-slurred voice, “what happened to Tristan’s bitch with the flapping fig leaves?”

  “He traded up, Caroline, can’t you tell?”

  “I know that’s right,” she giggled, signaling for Landon to bring her a full glass of wine. “So, what’s this big news that Nigel and Tess brought with them from California?” she asked, taking a healthy swig of her wine.

  I truthfully hadn't a clue what she was talking about. Apparently, that was evidenced on my face.

  “Really, Tylar, are you always the last one to the party?
”

  “Apparently so, Caroline, I’ve heard nothing about any news they have. Wouldn’t Landon know, since he's her brother?”

  “You bet your perky ass he knows,” she slurred. “He’s keeping it from me. He says I don’t know when to keep my mouth shut. Do you believe that horseshit?”

  I gave her a look of disbelief. It was actually disbelief that Caroline hadn’t figured that out already about herself, with her numerous drunken tirades.

  “I know, right?” she nodded, misunderstanding my look as being in agreement with her. “But,” she continued on, as if I was even interested, “I'll tell you this…Landon's way stricter with me than Nigel ever was. Tell you the truth, it’s kind of sexy.”

  She started giggling about that time and swayed.

  I wasn’t particularly anxious to be wearing her red wine on me, despite the fact that I was wearing a dark color.

  “Here comes your man, Tylar,” she said, letting out a drunken version of a tiger roar, “TTYL.”

  She staggered on her way, most likely trying to find Landon and her full glass of Merlot.

  “What’s ‘TTYL’?” Trey asked, coming up to me.

  “Talk to you later,” I said.

  “Well, excuse me; what the fuck did I do to piss you off?”

  “No, Trey,” I started laughing. My alcohol consumption was giving me a very nice buzz. “TTYL are the first letter initials for the phrase: Talk To You Later.”

  I asked Trey to get me another Adios Mother Fucker at the bar.

  “Tylar, you aren’t going to get shit-faced tonight, are you?”

  "Trey, its New Year’s Eve. When was the last time I really, really got to cut loose and party? So yes; I plan to get totally shit-faced tonight and party till I puke.”

  Trey grudgingly brought my drink to me. I sipped on it; about twenty minutes later, I ordered another. Trey and I danced to a couple of songs. He noticed Gina wasn't drinking.

  “What’s up with Gina tonight?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “It looks like she’s on the wagon for some reason.”

  “Oh, I don’t know. I think she promised Tristan she wouldn’t get wasted tonight. I think she’s just pacing herself,” I lied.