I smiled up at him, shaking off the descending gloom. “That sounds perfect, Ev. I’ll see about whipping up something good for desert.”
Banton nodded and took my book bag and computer upstairs with Beau close on his heels.
“Sorry your Texas trip was cancelled, Andie-girl. Seems this situation is going to come to a head, and I have to say, it’s about time. It’s time to finish this,” John said adamantly, placing his hand on my shoulder. I just nodded at him, the tears gathering in my eyes. He removed his hand, glancing over at Everett.
“Sorry, Andie, I just…” he trailed off. I shrugged out from under his hand and hurried from the room. I just couldn’t talk about Banton leaving again. Something was different this time – a feeling of desolation I couldn’t explain.
“Chandler, what is it? I know you’re upset about the boys deploying,” Constance questioned as she appeared behind me. I turned to her.
“I was just hoping this morning for a little peace and quiet, and some alone time with Banton, after the attack, finals… We’re never going to have normal. I just want some peace…I just want to be married, for my husband to be able to be here when the babies come, for there to be more than just a few days without any fear of attack, of death…I’m just so tired of this!”
“I know, I’m sorry…I feel the same way. Maybe this will be the last time, and they can take care of this Dante guy,” Constance replied, placing her arms around me.
I shook my head. “Something is different…I feel, well…I know now what they are capable of. I’m frightened!” I exclaimed. She wrapped her arms around me.
“Hey,” Banton’s voice called out softly from behind us. “Baby, come here,” he murmured as he took me from Constance and held me tightly. “It’s all right…Everything is going to be all right. We’re just going for a meeting tomorrow morning. We’ll see what they say, and I’ll be back by mid-afternoon, I promise.”
Constance discretely left the room.
“Why don’t we run out and buy some stuff for tonight. I want to spend a little alone time with you, before everyone gets here to eat,” he murmured, pulling me behind him.
I knew he didn’t need this emotional scene right now, so I took a deep breath and pushed my fears aside for the afternoon. After we went shopping together, we returned to a house full of guests.
“I’m sorry, I guess we won’t get much alone time,” he murmured.
I placed my finger to his lips to silence him.
“It’s all right. As long as I get some alone time tonight,” I declared. He flashed his dimple in a dazzling grin.
Everyone seemed to be in high spirits as we cooked together in the kitchen. The guys all gathered in the backyard to see to the crawfish boil with their beers and expert cooking advice.
“Too many cooks in the kitchen, I’m in here with the girls,” Everett declared upon entering through the back door.
“We’re more fun anyway, Ev Darlin’,” Constance bantered.
“Yes, Darlin’, you usually are,” he quipped back as he kissed her, circling around the kitchen to me.
“Now, what can I help with in here, sweet Bebe?” he asked.
“Just get something to drink and get over here with us,” I commanded. He grabbed a glass of wine.
“Okay, give it up, Ev, tell us what’s up with throwing the impromptu party” Constance urged.
Banton’s parents and Julia walked into the house.
“I hope our coming was okay with you. Banton texted me and said you were having a little get together tonight before they deploy again,” Mr. Matt announced. Ev hugged Mrs. Elaine and Julia to greet them.
“Julia, Ben is outside with Banton and Ty,” Constance informed her. Julia’s eyes lit up. “Well, I was kind of hoping,” she replied, rushing out the door.
“Chandler, dear, you look great, but you must be tired after all your studying and finals,” Mrs. Elaine said, hugging me.
“We won’t stay long, sweetheart, we just wanted to see you for a bit,” Mr. Matt assured me.
“No, please…Banton will be glad to see you. And I’m fine,” I assured him as he kissed my cheek.
Everyone visited way past dark, eating and talking around the fire. As the last coals and embers died down to a glow, Everett cleared his throat.
“Um, Bebe, I know you’re tired, and you and Banton need a little alone time tonight. You all go on upstairs, and Mr. Philippe and I will clean up down here.” Ev kissed me on the cheek and began to gather dishes up to carry into the house.
“No, please, you always have to work when you’re here,” I argued.
Banton pulled me to my feet.
“Nonsense, we practically live here, remember? Now, scoot!” he commanded as Banton helped me into the house. When we said our goodbyes to Banton’s parents and John and Ben, I overheard Mrs. Elaine whispering to Julia in the foyer.
“Mrs. Elaine, do you need something?” I asked. Julia looked at me pleadingly.
“Chandler, you don’t need this added responsibility tonight, and I told Julia so,” she began.
“Ben wants me to stay here tonight, and to see him off tomorrow. I told Momma I can ride back with Claudia and Will later,” Julia begged.
“Mrs. Elaine, we’d love to have Julia stay here in the nursery tonight, we still have a bed in there. It would be perfectly fine, and she can stay as long as she likes. I would love the company after Banton leaves,” I assured her.
“You didn’t pack anything,” Mrs. Elaine reminded Julia.
“She can raid my closet, I can’t wear anything anyway,” I quipped. She and Julia laughed.
“Well, if you’re sure,” she replied as I hugged her. Banton and Mr. Matt made their way to the door, and Banton looked at me inquiringly.
“Julia is going to stay with us tonight, so she can spend some time with Ben,” I gently informed him as he frowned. I gave him a warning glare, hoping to talk to him after his parents left. After he’d kissed his mother and father goodbye, Julia quietly led him into the dining room.
When the last of our guests departed, I found Julia sitting alone beside the greenhouse.
“So, I guess you finally had that talk with your brother,” I surmised, sitting down next to her.
“Yes, and he’s not happy. He just doesn’t see that Ben and I like each other, and we want to start dating. I don’t understand what the big deal is. I’ll be twenty years old soon!”
“I know, Julia. It’s just different when it’s your own sister, I guess.” I sighed as the back door slammed, drawing our attention. Ben walked out to where we were sitting.
“Did you get anywhere with him?” she asked. He pulled her to her feet.
“I made a little progress, I guess. I think I convinced him my intentions are honorable. I told him I’m not giving up, but it would make the situation a whole lot easier on all of us if he would ease up. If your dad doesn’t have a problem with it, he shouldn’t either.” He frowned, pulling her in to kiss her. It was the first time I’d seen them together, and he had the same kind of intenseness I’d seen in Banton’s eyes a million times.
“I think I’ll turn in. I’ll work on him, too,” I assured them. I saw Everett pull into the driveway with Mr. Philippe. After our attack, the watch detail was still on duty. “And you might not want to stay out here alone, the house would be much better,” I urged them. Julia was a target too with her Sange-Mele genetics.
“Sure, we’re right behind you,” Ben murmured.
I found Banton alone in our room, gazing out the window watching Ben and Julia enter the house.
“I know this is hard for you. But Banton, they’re in love. I can see it.”
“I know, Chandler. It’s just hard for me to stomach; you don’t know how Ben has been in the past, with other girls. Guys talk. It’s hard for me to push some of his escapades out of my head, and accept a relationship with my little sister. If he acts with her as he has other girls…” he trailed off. He turned to face me, his exp
ression dark.
“I’m sure a lot of his talk in the past was just that. TALK. I know how young guys are,” I reasoned.
“Just the way he…all the SEALs…talked about some of the girls they’d dated in the past,” He shook his head. “Sure, they bragged about girls they’d been with, and I know some of it was just joking. But Ben’s always been a ladies man. If this ends badly, or if he doesn’t respect her…I’ll kill him,” he finished adamantly.
I walked over and circled my arms around his waist. “The way he just looked at her, when he kissed her, reminded me of you. I think he’s truly in love with her. Give him the benefit of the doubt. Everyone grows up at some point.”
His gaze softened, and he smiled down at me. “You’re always the eternal optimist. All right, I give. You’re usually right,” he relented.
“Usually,” I murmured. I rose up on my toes to kiss him. I’d barely begun to enjoy the kiss, before I realized he had me practically undressed and was placing me on the bed.
“What’s the hurry?” I giggled as he pulled the covers up over us, enveloping us in our own little world.
“I’m always in a hurry to make love to you, Baby,” he murmured, kissing my stomach, sliding his lips slowly up to my sternum, working his hands under me until he had my bra unhooked. Slipping my bra free, he flung it out from under the sheets onto the floor.
“There they are,” he breathed, burying his face in my chest.
“Banton!” I giggled. His expression turned serious as he looked up at me.
“I can’t help it! I love this new, pregnant version of my wife,” he breathed, slowly trailing his mouth over my breast. He flicked his tongue slowly over the crest, causing me to moan in appreciation. I arched my back, enjoying his slow progression across to my other breast. He slipped his fingers down inside the lace of my panties, carefully sliding them down.
“I love your touch,” I said as his mouth found mine again, his breath hot, sweet from the peach cobbler we’d just eaten. I could feel him smile against my cheek as he continued to lick and gently suck his way down behind my ear, grazing his teeth on the sensitive skin on my neck.
“I love your beautiful body,” he breathed against my skin. I shivered in anticipation, loving his little game of seduction.
“I love the way you make me feel,” I whispered, gasping when he cupped my hips in his hands.
“How do I make you feel, Chandler?” He smiled, moving over me. I pulled my knees up, crossing my ankles behind his very naked backside.
“Loved…like nothing else exists except me…what you can do to me,” I threw my head back, pushing my hips up, his hands and fingers working gently as he prepared to enter me.
“Oh, please, Banton,” I moaned.
My belly, now quite large with his babies, was too much in the way. I would have felt awkward, but the way he held my swollen abdomen gently with one hand, his own back arched as he held himself over me, watching me…it was such a turn-on.
“Chandler, you feel amazing,” he breathed, moving slowly inside me.
“I won’t break. Faster,” I breathed, feeling the blush rise in my cheeks at my boldness.
He responded with a slow smile and those sexy dimples. “Anything for you, Baby.”
* * *
After we both took a quick shower, we lay quietly in the moonlight. Banton’s head lay on my chest for a change, his fascination with my tummy a joy to watch. With his hand splayed across the baby bundle, he waited for movement, chuckling whenever he got a jab with an elbow, knee or foot.
“Hey, elbow! That was definitely an elbow. I have two basketball players in there,” he declared, rubbing the spot in circles.
“They just might be cheerleaders instead,” I warned, an eyebrow raised.
“I don’t mind which. Just as long as they are healthy,” he breathed. He pushed up in the bed to face me on the pillows. “I could lay there and feel them all night.”
“Yeah, well…you should feel them from the inside,” I joked as one of them kicked me in the ribs. “Oww!” I cried out uncomfortably. “Now that’s not funny.”
As I cradled my tummy once more, Banton placed his hand back over mine.
“Hey, go easy on mommy, she has over two months to go,” he whispered, looking back into my eyes.
I tried to hide the tears but they threatened anyway. Banton frowned, reaching to brush them from my cheeks as they spilled over.
“Shh. Please, don’t cry. I’m not gone yet. Besides, I’ll be back before you know it. I will be here to watch you waddle that last month for sure.”
I nodded, choking back the emotions, not able to speak.
He pulled me over on his chest, enveloping me in warmth. “I’ll be back before you even miss me, I promise.”
I nodded silently, sliding my hand across his bare chest, memorizing every ripple, every bulge of tight muscle. When I still remained silent, Banton changed the subject.
“Hey, did I hear you talking to Laurilee earlier?”
I took a deep breath. “Yeah, she called to let me know she’d been to the cemetery and took the pictures for me, and that she is going to have someone video Dan’s ride tomorrow night.”
“I’m glad, Baby. Maybe she could come and see you while I’m gone.”
“Yeah, maybe,” I murmured, still thinking about Banton’s impending deployment.
“I heard you say something about being afraid of the water? What was that about?” He asked, frowning down at me.
“Oh, I just told her about the landscaping we’d done outside, and that you were planning a pool. She was surprised that I would want one, with the nightmares I have about water.”
He raised an eyebrow. “What are you talking about?”
Pushing up in the bed, he looked concerned.
“I had a bad experience as a child, with water,” I answered after a few moments.
I turned over to face him, making circles on his chest with my fingers.
“I’d gone with my parents and grandparents to visit Aunt Sue and Uncle Lon. They were living in an apartment complex in Baton Rouge, while they were waiting on their house to be built.” I paused, and then giggled, “I remember thinking they must be rich. They had more than three bedrooms, and their apartment had a staircase! But what excited me was the swimming pool. The last afternoon we were there, Uncle Lon, Daddy and Pawpaw George took Cade, Constance and me swimming. My cousins knew how to swim, but I didn’t.”
“How old were you?” he asked.
“About six or seven. Drew was just a baby. Anyway, we were playing in the shallow end, and then I saw Constance go further down the side of the pool and jump in, so I followed her, not knowing I’d crossed the rope with the floats and was in the ten-foot end. My grandfather saw me go under the second time, and he jumped in, fully clothed to pull me out. It was several years before I went in the water again, it scared me so badly.”
“How old were you when you finally learned to swim?” he asked, playing with my hair.
“Eighteen. That’s the part Laurilee remembers. It was the summer after we’d graduated, and someone threw a big lake party for the seniors at Lake Kemp. All the guys in our group were swinging out on a big rope and letting go, and some of the braver girls. Dan noticed Laurilee and I weren’t getting wet, so he and another friend picked us up and threw us off the top of the two-story boat house. Laurilee could swim, but the guys didn’t know about me. They thought I was kidding at first. I struggled to dog-paddle to the swimming platform below, but then they realized I was drowning and had to jump in to save me. They were so sorry, they kept apologizing over and over, and it just embarrassed me even more. The next day, I made my dad take me back to the lake and teach me to swim.”
Banton twirled a loose strand of my hair, gazing down at me. “So you can swim now, you overcame your fear,” he surmised. I shook my head.
“Well, yes, I’m a fair swimmer, but it’s the dream Laurilee’s referring to,” I said, turning back to look at th
e ceiling. “I have this dream sometimes and I hate it. I’ve driven off into the water, and the car is filling up. I can’t get out, and I can’t breathe. I’ve never been able to hold my breath under water. When I try, I just begin to panic and hyperventilate,” I explained as he drew his eyebrows close in a frown. “I think that would be the absolute worst way to die.”
“My God, Chandler…you must have been terrified when you went in the river when the Orcos took you,” he stated, caressing my arms. “We don’t have to build the pool.”
“No, it’s fine, I want to. I’m fine with swimming in the open. The fear is just not being able to hold my breath in a confined space. The dream is about being trapped,” I explained. His concern was overwhelmingly evident on his face.
“My brave, beautiful wife,” He breathed, holding me tighter.
“I’m not so brave,” I replied, swallowing hard.
“Oh, yes you are. You moved here by yourself after your parents died to start a new life. You made your Dad teach you to swim to confront your paralyzing fear of water…and you went into the river to hide from the Orcos despite your fear.” Banton drew away, placing his hands around my face. “You placed yourself between the Orcos and your friends during the attack on the house, and you defended your Aunt and Constance with a weapon you’d just learned to shoot during this last attack. You’re one of the bravest people I know.” He ticked the facts off one by one, looking deeply into my eyes.
“I need you to keep being brave,” he instructed, lowering his lips to mine in a soft kiss.
“I will for you,” I whispered. “I promise.”
Chapter Forty-Five
The morning came way too early. While Banton showered, I slipped out to check on Julia. Finding the bed in the nursery empty, I hurried downstairs. Everett sat at the dining room table with a steaming cup of coffee. Answering my questioning gaze, he nodded into the living room. Julia lay cradled in Ben’s arms on the sofa, in the pajamas she’d borrowed from me. Ben still had the same Jeans and t-shirt on from the night before.
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