Southern Spirits (The Southern Series Book 3)

by Shelley Stringer

  “You told him?” I asked, disbelievingly.

  “Yes. I needed his advice, and possibly his support, if…” he trailed off.

  “If? You don’t really know, do you? You think Reece could be your son?”

  “God, Chandler…I don’t know anymore.” He ran his hand through his hair in agitation. “No, I don’t think so. I just can’t stop thinking if we’d really been together that night, I would remember something. I don’t!” he said, becoming really upset. “But if these tests are positive, then…”

  I searched his tortured eyes. They burned with emotion, the gold flecks glittering in the late afternoon sunlight. The muscle in his jaw twitched, an involuntary reflex that I knew only meant one thing. He was worried about me. I loved him so much. My heart ached at his anxiety. I slipped my arms around his chest and pulled him to me.

  “If these tests are positive, then we will deal with it. I made myself a promise earlier that I will love Reece just like our other two children and accept him unconditionally. I have to, to be worthy of your love. If he is a part of you, then I will love him.” The tears slid down my cheeks as he tried to wipe them away with his thumbs. As I said the words, my heart ached with a new hole in it.

  “Oh, Chandler. I don’t deserve you,” he whispered as he pulled my lips up to his, covering my mouth with his as he held my head firmly with his hands knotted in my hair.

  “And in view of the fact that the twins might be your only children,” I whispered against his lips, and then stopped. The thought hurt too much, and the tears gathered again.

  “Andie…stop it. I want you to stop agonizing about conceiving again! You seem so tortured by it, and you shouldn’t be! I don’t worry about it. You have given me two, beautiful healthy miracle babies, and you and those babies are my whole world. You have to promise me you will stop beating yourself up about the possibility you can’t carry another baby. Promise me!” He shook me gently as he held me. I nodded. He pulled me against his chest and wrapped his arms around me. After several moments he pulled away and looked down at me.

  “Sweetheart, I hope you won’t be upset with us, but I also called Mr. Lon, at Constance’s insistence. She’s right. We may need his help no matter the outcome of the test.”

  “Oh, Banton, no! You didn’t. He’s so quick to judge you, he’ll go nuts with this one,” I protested as my guts twisted thinking about discussing all of this with Aunt Sue and Uncle Lon.

  “Chandler, he’s fine. He is already bracing for anything legally, and if Alex is the type of mother I suspect she is, we could be in for a fight. I really respect the way Mr. Lon’s mind works. He was great. His reaction and response made me feel like he thinks of me as one of his kids,” he murmured, his eyes filled with wonder. “And he said he wouldn’t say anything to Mrs. Sue until you were ready.”

  “Why did you tell Constance so quickly,” I looked back up at him.

  “Because I felt so helpless after I left you up here alone, and I knew you were hurting. She’s so close to us, I knew she would help you. And I respect her opinion.”

  “What did she say?” I asked after a pause, folding the comforter back and smoothing it back across my tummy.

  “That I needed to give you a little space --that she knew you would be hurt, but you would put the needs of Reece above anyone else’s, because that’s the kind of person you are,” he murmured into my hair, kissing the back of my head.

  “You both are giving me too much credit,” I shook my head.

  Banton’s cell ring broke the silence. Pulling it out of his pocket, he touched the screen.

  “This is Banton,” he answered it on the second ring. After a pause, he replied, “Yes, I’m the one who called…No, I’m not staying there. I want to make arrangements to pay Miss Rhoades’ bill there. Yes, it’s the card number I left, hang on…” He pulled away from me, working his billfold from the pocket of his jeans. Sliding a credit card out, he flipped it over on the back. “The three digit number is 925.”

  He paused a moment, obviously for them to run the credit card.

  “Yes, that would be fine. Leave instructions to call me whenever the charges are made.”

  So, he’d already made arrangements to take care of her hotel bill. He wasn’t waiting on the outcome of the tests. That’s the Banton I know and love, I thought.

  He hung up and slid his phone back into his pocket.

  “Chandler, there is a lot to consider if these tests…” he trailed off.

  I nodded quickly in agreement. He grasped my shoulders and turned me over to face him.

  “If he is mine, I’ve passed on the gene. He could be in danger from Orcos,” he admitted out loud.

  I hadn’t even thought that far ahead, that far beyond my own insecurity. Banton was already worried about Reece’s safety.

  “Banton, that hadn’t even occurred to me. If he is yours, how will we be able to keep him safe? What will we tell his mother, if he...”

  “I honestly don’t know. But I get the feeling that money might trump everything else with her.”

  “Hmmm. So you think she might let us have him, if we buy her off?” I asked disbelievingly.

  “It wouldn’t surprise me. We’re jumping way ahead of ourselves. Do you feel okay?” he switched gears.

  “I’m fine, Banton.”

  “No, I know you’re not. But what I mean is do you feel like going out to dinner? I’d like to take you out, just the two of us, since Ty and Constance have the kids tonight.”

  “I’m really not that hungry,” I murmured as he pulled me into his chest. He placed his cheek on top of my head.

  “I still want to take you out. You need to get out of the house while you have the chance.”

  I nodded and rose to start the shower.

  * * *

  Banton watched me intently as I picked at the rare prime rib on my plate.

  “Chandler, please. At least eat the beef. You look pale, are you drinking the blood mixture like Dr. Renault ordered?”

  “Yes.” I snapped back a little too quickly. Banton became silent as I glanced up at him through my lashes. He’d ordered a second bottle of wine after I’d uncharacteristically finished the first bottle off. I reached for my glass again and drained it. The warm flush I was feeling was welcome - the ache in my chest had temporarily ceased. I understood addiction better. It was a form of self-medication, and at the moment it would be easy to join the alcoholics. Jess, Ava Grace’s mother, came to mind. She’d been mourning the death of Ava’s father when I met her. I’d shown little sympathy for her plight when I’d considered Ava Grace’s lack of supervision and care. One more drink, and I wouldn’t be able to care for my own babies tonight. I pushed the wine glass back in disgust.

  “Chandler, what is it?” Banton reached across the table and covered my hand.

  “I’ve just had more than I should,” I admitted as he continued to study me. He raised his hand and motioned to our waiter.

  “Sir?” the young man was quickly at the table.

  “Please bring each of us a glass of sparkling water and our check.”

  “Of course. Very good, sir,” he responded as he hurried back to the kitchen.

  I watched the votive candles on our table, floating in a crystal vase filled with limes and rose petals. As they flickered, I noticed the flecks of gold mixed in the deep brown of Banton’s eyes. My gaze softened. He had so much on his shoulders right now, and I needed to stop wallowing and giving him more to worry about.

  The music coursing through the arched doorway to the dance floor changed, and a singer began to sing. The strains of Unchained Melody drifted around us.

  “Dance with me?” Banton asked softly. I glanced up through my lashes into his beautiful eyes and nodded silently.

  Taking his hand, I stood shakily. I realized at that moment as I wobbled on my heels that I’d definitely had too much wine. When the room continued to list, Banton pulled me close to his side and steadied me as he led me to the dance fl
oor.

  “Chandler, you are beautiful tonight. Pink is definitely your color,” he whispered into my ear, closing his arms around me. His beautiful deep voice sent shivers down my bare back.

  When I’d contemplated what to wear to dinner, I’d stood in our closet glancing disinterestedly around. Banton had said, semi-formal when I’d asked him what to wear, so when the pale pink cloud of a skirt had swirled on the hanger when I’d passed it, I grabbed it. It was a strapless dress, the bodice covered in tiny pale pink and clear crystal beads that shimmered in the light. The skirt was cloud-like chiffon that rippled when I walked, brushing my legs just above my knees. I had a pair of pale pink Manolo Blahniks to match, the only pair I owned. Everett had insisted on them…he said every woman needed at least one pair of shoes that cost more than her first car to feel confident and sexy in.

  Banton held my neck in his firm grasp as he softly brushed his other hand on my bare back. If he’d held me any looser, I might have fallen to the floor in my inebriated state.

  “Your legs look long and sexy in that dress,” he whispered into my hair. “You definitely don’t look like you gave birth to twins less than three months ago.”

  “Mmmm.” It was the only response I could manage. I didn’t trust my thick tongue to enunciate anything else.

  He chuckled, the first time since this morning before SHE rang the doorbell, that I’d heard the sound. It was such a beautiful sound.

  “I’m at a loss, Chandler. I don’t know what to do…how to ease the pain for you,” he stated softly. I pulled away enough to gaze up at him as I managed to cock an eyebrow.

  “I want to make sure you know that no matter what happens, you are still the center of my universe. I wanted to take you out on a date tonight. I had this planned, long before Miss Rhoades interrupted our lives yesterday. Do you know what tonight is?”

  I shook my head, perplexed.

  “It’s the anniversary of the day we moved into your house. It’s been a year since you turned my life upside down, and I fell hopelessly in love with you. I wanted you to know you are everything to me, and I’ll never stop wooing you, Mrs. Gastaneau.”

  I fought through the cloudy thickness in my brain and mouth.

  “Wwooing? Thath’s some word. You’ve been hangin’ around Ev and the nineteentthth century too long, Lieutenanttt Gastan-eauwww,” I slurred as he chuckled again.

  “Come, let’s get some water down you to dilute that wine a little, and then get you home.”

  “Kay,” I mumbled against his neck, the wine numbing my senses. I somehow managed to float with him across the dance floor and back to our table without stumbling, due to Banton’s strong arms around me, taking on most of my weight as we walked. He helped me gently into my seat and offered my glass to me. I drank most of it, watching him pull his wallet out of his jacket. He dropped two one-hundred dollar bills on the table with the check, and then helped me from my chair.

  I woke as Banton carried me up the stairs to our bedroom.

  “Hey,” he said softly, gazing down at me. “You okay?”

  “Mmmm. I closed my eyes again, the room spinning when he placed me on the bed. I was vaguely aware of him sliding first one shoe off my foot, then the other. My dress was next as he pulled me gently against his chest to slide the zipper down the back. He laid me back into the pillows as he pulled the dress down under my hips and down my legs. My stockings were next. I was aware of him as he slipped his thumb inside each thin band at the top of my leg and slowly slid them down my thighs, first my left…then right. I shivered; the only remaining garment was my panties. As I watched him, aware of his closeness, he bent over and placed a kiss on my abdomen. I sighed, closing my eyes and winding my fingers in his hair. I moaned, for even in this half-conscious state, he had me. I ached for him to touch me.

  He sat back up and drew the comforter back over me, tucking it in around me.

  “Aren’t you coming to bed,” I murmured without opening my eyes.

  “In a bit,” he answered, placing a kiss on my forehead. “I have some things to do, and I wanted to wait up for the twins. I’ll come to bed after they’re tucked in,” he replied.

  The twins! I forced my eyes open. I needed to take care of my babies when they got home.

  “No, baby… sleep. I’ll get them to bed; you go to sleep,” he urged in a firm tone. My eyelids obeyed his command, rebelling against my brain as sleep took over.

  Chapter Twenty

  “Okay, Prom-Queen, time to get up and fill me in.”

  Constance’s voice mixed with the dull thudding in my head. I stretched, aware of the sweet smell of the twin’s hair under my nose. I opened my eyes, and Matty and Elly both grinned up at me. I vaguely remembered Banton putting both of them in bed with me when he insisted on getting up with them at dawn.

  I pushed up on my pillows as I focused on Constance. She bent over and picked my shoes up out of the middle of the bedroom floor, and then raised an eyebrow at me.

  “What?” I asked as she shook her head. She crossed over to the chair by the dresser and placed the shoes on top of my stockings. She then turned and picked my dress up from the floor.

  “Some night, huh?” she asked, crossing over to me and sitting down beside me on the bed.

  “Mmm. Yeah, you could say that,” I mumbled as I picked Elly up and placed her on my chest. Matty turned over and then scooted closer to me, reaching out with his hand and placing it on my face. I turned and smooched his cheek loudly, causing him to giggle.

  “Thank you for taking them yesterday. The alone time with Banton was good.”

  “Well, Momma and Daddy were tickled we brought them. Cade and Drew wore them out playing. They were no trouble at all. So, are you all right? Banton is really worried about you,” Constance said as she reached over me to pick Matty up. He grinned at her as she sat him down in her lap, causing her to lean over and cover his face in kisses as he tried to hide his face in her chest.

  “I’m fine. It’s Banton I’m worried about. He’s got so much on his shoulders already, and now it seems he has more responsibility to worry about,” I sighed as she made a face.

  “What?” I asked her.

  “Some things are better left unsaid…but you can bet your sweet ass I’m gonna say them anyway,” she asserted, classic Constance style. “Y’all don’t know anything yet, and this little gold-digging bitch from Banton’s past is stirring up a whole lot of trouble. We don’t even know if that little boy is his…he doesn’t even remember if he screwed her! I wouldn’t let her step foot in this house again, or come near my family until she proves it. And I don’t want to see you shed one more tear. Not one!”

  “I know, Constance. This isn’t about me, and I’ve been a little selfish,” I began.

  “That’s not what I meant, sweetie. You have every right to be upset! And for the record, you are one of the most unselfish people on the planet. I’m talking about Banton. He absolutely adores you, and I don’t want some little ‘ho’ from his past upsetting your little family. Since the babies were born, you and Banton are the the happiest I’ve ever seen you. Everything finally calms down with all the Orco crap, Banton and Ty come home alive, and you two finally get to be happily married. Then in comes this bitch and tries to ruin everything."

  “I know he loves me. This just all hit me so hard. The thought that someone else might have had his baby…”

  “I know. It would tear me up too if someone came out of Ty’s past with a bombshell like that. I wouldn’t be as tolerant as you are. I can’t believe he’s paying her bills for her before he even knows,” she said angrily.

  “He feels sorry for her since her family evidently cut her off,” I cut in.

  “And that’s why she showed up. She’s looking for a paycheck, and her gorgeous ex-fantasy just happens to go with the package,” she finished adamantly.

  I flung the covers back to stand, still dressed in the lacy pink panties I’d worn the night before, and nothing else.

&
nbsp; “Whoa, hello sexy mamma,” Constance teased as she reached over and flung my satin robe at me. I giggled as I caught it. Turning around to place Elly down on the bed, I then shrugged it on and turned at the sound of Banton’s voice.

  “That’s my favorite giggle. Hey, beautiful, how do you feel this morning?” He popped his head around the door and then opened it wide as he entered. “Morning, Constance.”

  “Good morning, Stud. Like the way you dressed her for bed last night,” Constance quipped as she cocked her eyebrow at Banton.

  “When your wife’s this beautiful, you don’t cover it up,” he murmured, placing his lips against my neck. He pulled away to look down at me, and I smiled at him. “Feel all right this morning?”

  I picked Elly up from the bed and turned back to his waiting arms. “A little fuzzy. But I’m fine,” I sighed, leaning into him.

  “Well, I’m going to take the babies down with me, and see if Ty wants to help me give them a bath. We’ll see y’all downstairs.” Constance crossed the room to me and took Elly in her other arm as she kissed my cheek.

  “Thanks, Constance. You’re a doll,” I called after her.

  “Yeah, yeah…you owe me!” she called as she descended the staircase.

  Banton turned and sat down on the bed, pulling me down into his lap. He placed his hand on the back of my head, and pulled me into his lips. I was mortified. I had stale wine breath from the night before. I soon forgot my mortification when his kiss deepened. I wound my arms around his neck as his tongue softly worked its magic. When he had me breathless, he pulled away to gaze down at me.

  “I’m leaving in an hour to meet Alexandra at Doc Lane’s. Do you want to come with me?” he asked, cocking an eyebrow at me.

  “Hmmm. I’d rather not. I’m not feeling entirely together, and I don’t want to break down in front of her. I don’t think that would do you any good,” I muttered as he placed a finger under my chin.

  “It’s up to you, Sweetheart. I’d rather you never have to deal with her again. I just wanted you to know you had the option.”