Southern Comfort: Chandler's Story (The Southern Series Book 1)

by Shelley Stringer

  He rose silently and left the room. My chest clenched, he reacted so oddly. After all this time, I was still insecure. Gazing around the room, I began to tear up. Everyone else seemed to be as puzzled as I was, except for Claudia. She smiled at me knowingly and mouthed to me just wait a minute.

  Banton returned with a small box the same size as I’d given him. He handed it to me, and then explained, “I was saving this until tomorrow night, for my wedding gift to Chandler.” He looked around the room at all the puzzled looks, and then urged me, “Open it.”

  I gently pulled the lid back, and a beautiful silver watch with a face surrounded in diamonds stared back at me. It dawned on me as I pulled the watch from the holder, the reason he had reacted so strangely. I turned the face inside out, and the inscription on the back read, “My entire life, my love forever” – Banton. I read words out loud, my voice shaking as I raised my eyes to look into his. This time, he was the one with the tears.

  “Okay, people, you staged this. I just know you did. Nobody, not even Hollywood, plays out a scene this well!” Everett exclaimed, crossing the room to look at our watches.

  Claudia spoke up then. “Now I have chill bumps. But none of this surprises me. I’ve never seen two people more in love, more on the same wavelength, and more determined to please each other than these two. It’s almost nauseating!” She laughed as she flipped the camera shut.

  “Well, I know one thing for sure. We’re definitely coming back here for Christmas next year, Ev!” Philippe exclaimed.

  “There has been so much excitement with you people tonight, I’m going to have to take a valium and go to bed. Please tell me tomorrow will involve a little less drama?” Everett asked, kissing me goodbye.

  “Don’t bet on it, Constance will be here!” Banton joked.

  “I don’t think even she could top tonight, unless Everett proposes to her,” Dan exclaimed as everyone laughed.

  We all said our goodnights and Merry Christmases one more time as we kissed and hugged. Everett and Philippe left with John and Brie right behind. I stood up and sighed as I stretched my sore back. All this sitting and lying around was taking its toll on my backside. Banton watched me silently, and then stood and whispered in my ear, “I know you’re tired…are you ready for me to take you up?”

  “Yes.” I looked around the room, and Will was picking Ava up in his arms, her little head rolled back over his arm, sound asleep. Laurilee sat in Dan’s lap, definitely letting him know how happy she was about her present. As Banton swung me up into his arms, I laid my head on his shoulder, burying my face in his neck as he slowly climbed the stairs.

  Chapter Forty-Two

  “How could this be the saddest Christmas of my life, and the happiest all at the same time?” I whispered as Banton played with my hair. We lay in our favorite position, limbs intertwined, my head cradled on his chest.

  “Being the first Christmas since you lost your parents, I knew it would be hard, so I hoped it could be more like a new beginning, to be special. Well, I can’t believe there will ever be one to top this one, that’s for sure.” He softly kissed my neck. “Just think, we’ll have a baby next Christmas. Are we going to talk about names yet?”

  “No, not yet. I want to wait a little longer, to be sure.” I pulled my head back to look up at him. “Picking out names makes it all real, and I couldn’t handle something happening…” I couldn’t finish the thought.

  “Face it, we’re already attached. A name won’t make it any more real. But if you want to wait a bit, that’s fine with me.” He pressed his lips into my hair, as I twisted around to readjust; my back was beginning to ache no matter how I tried to lay.

  “Are you okay?” Banton asked as I wrestled to lie flat.

  “Oh, it’s just my back. All of this lying around is killing me,” I sighed.

  “Here, turn over. I’ll make it all better. I rolled over, and he raised my gown up over my shoulders. Reaching over on the nightstand, he rubbed lotion into his palms and then began to rub my back and shoulders. I melted into the mattress, my muscles relaxing immediately.

  “Just when I thought you couldn’t be any more wonderful if you tried, you show me a new talent,” I mumbled and groaned at the same time.

  He chuckled. “Just remember, someone who is good at giving back rubs usually likes receiving them too.”

  “No problem there, I can touch you all day and all night,” I sighed as he ran his hands up and down my lower back, kneading my tailbone with his thumbs. He slowly massaged his way up to my shoulder blades, around to my ribcage, and then took advantage of the proximity to my breasts.

  “I knew you had an ulterior motive.” I rolled over toward him, letting him slide his hands around to the front. As always, we sort of forgot about the backrub and lost ourselves in another intimate moment.

  As I drifted off to sleep, my unconscious mind took me immediately to the place I feared to go.

  I ran through the dark, wet tunnels, searching in the pitch blackness for my baby. She wailed and her voice shook with sobs, the pain in her tiny voice evident. I could hear in the echo of sounds that I was close. I ran my hands along the concrete walls, searching in the darkness for her. Out of nowhere, his rank odor permeated my senses, alerting me to his presence, as I felt rough hands close around my waist…

  “Andie, wake up. You’re dreaming again. Please, wake up!” Banton shook my shoulders, waking me from the nightmare that hadn’t played out yet. I focused on his face, and threw my arms around his neck.

  “Shhh. It’s all right.” He pulled me back and searched my face in the moonlight. “Did he hurt you this time?”

  “I don’t know.” I raised my gown to look at my waist. Banton switched on the lamp on the nightstand and turned back to examine me. A few red places beginning to darken made a circle around my waist.

  “Damn it!” he swore under his breath. “I hoped I would wake you before he could get to you.”

  “How did you know? Have you been lying there awake all this time, watching me? Banton, you have to sleep too. You can’t control this.”

  He lay back on the pillows and ran his hand through his hair. “Well, I was trying but I hate to admit, I had fallen asleep.” Then he looked into my eyes. “Your mother woke me, Chandler.”

  “What?” I asked disbelievingly.

  “I smelled the gardenias, and I sensed a light in here. I opened my eyes to the mist beside the bed. I could smell the flowers, and I sat up to check you. You were restless, you weren’t dreaming peacefully, so that’s when I woke you,” he answered softly, reaching out to caress my cheek.

  As I processed his revelation, I detected the faint scent of gardenias mixed in the air with the smell of sewer and sweat.

  “He had you in the tunnels, didn’t he?” he asked, tracing the bruises on my stomach. His eyes turned hard and dark as he examined me.

  “How did you know?” I asked, my fingers closing in around his.

  “I can smell it. The wet, sewer smell.”

  “You got to me just in time. He grabbed me as you woke me up. Maybe we can beat him, maybe if I can wake up before he can get to me, he will quit trying.” I lay back beside him, and he pulled me close.

  “I’m still going to talk to Everett and Dr. Renault. I called him this morning, and we’re going to see him the day after tomorrow.” He kissed the top of my head, and his breath blew into my hair.

  “It is tomorrow,” I corrected him as I glanced up and raised my lips to his.

  * * *

  I woke before dawn, excited about the day. Banton still lay sleeping curled against my back, holding me close. As gently as I could, I slipped his hand back to crawl out of bed, not wanting to wake him. I was afraid he wasn’t getting enough sleep, with his worrying about me and my traumatic dream cycles.

  I took a quick shower and then took the time to roll my hair so it would be curly for tonight’s party. Just as soon as I’d finished my makeup and dressing for the day, I heard the door open
downstairs, and voices in the entry hall. I could hear Julia’s excited voice when Banton’s parents arrived.

  I hurried down the staircase to meet them. Claudia was already up, having met them at the door.

  “Chandler, Sweetheart, how are you doing?” Banton’s mother rushed across the entry to hug me.

  “I’m fine; I just have to rest a lot. It’s so great to see you!” I exclaimed as Banton’s father leaned down to plant a kiss on my forehead.

  “You look so much better than the last time we saw you, Chandler. You are absolutely glowing,” he commented as Julia hugged me.

  “Engagement agrees with me, I think.”

  “So what does the doctor say? Are you completely healed? Are you having any bad side effects from….the venom?” Banton’s mother hesitated, until Julia was in the kitchen, out of earshot. Banton’s family still didn’t know about the baby. Claudia hadn’t clued them in.

  “There are still some things going on, but I’ll be fine. We’ll fill you all in later,” I hedged as I heard the door open upstairs. Ava Grace bounded down the staircase and threw herself into Elaine’s arms. “Mimi! Pop!” Ava greeted them so excitedly, it seemed she’d always been a part of the family.

  “Um, Mimi, why don’t you and Chandler take Ava Grace in the kitchen to see what’s for breakfast?” Mr. Matt hinted, his eyes gleaming. I suspected he had Santa gifts in the car to sneak in under the tree. I took Ava’s hand, and we went to the kitchen as she jabbered excitedly to Mrs. Elaine about all the gifts she’d opened the night before.

  Astrid, Everett’s caterer friend, was elbow deep in preparations for the day and had a breakfast buffet laid out for us already in the dining room.

  “Oh, Miss Astrid, this looks wonderful! I didn’t know you were doing all of this too,” I wondered at the amount of money Banton had to be spending.

  “Banton instructed me to spare no expense, and to make everything absolutely perfect the entire day, for every guest here. He doesn’t want you to do a thing, Darlin, so just sit back and enjoy. You look stunning, by the way.” She passed by with a tray of omelets, and kissed me on the cheek. I followed her to the dining room, and turned the corner just as Banton appeared at the bottom of the stairs, a frown on his face.

  “Chandler, what are you doing on your feet, going up and down the stairs? I told you I don’t want you doing either! Why didn’t you wake me?” he scolded, placing his arm around me and bending to give me a good morning kiss.

  Banton’s father put the last of the toys under the tree and then straightened, gazing at Banton’s mother behind me.

  “Banton, what is going on? Is Chandler’s condition worse than you told us? Why is she still on bed rest?”

  “Um, Julia, will you help me with some presents upstairs?” Claudia asked, knowing we would need some privacy.

  I turned to Banton and looked into his eyes. I could tell he wanted to tell his father, so I slowly nodded to him. As he pulled me close to his body, he turned to his father.

  “Dad, I think you and Momma should come in the living room with Chandler and me. We need to have a talk.”

  Mrs. Elaine and Mr. Matt followed anxiously behind us. After we were all seated, Banton took my hands in his and smiled down at me, sensing I was nervous about his telling them.

  “We haven’t told you everything, and I’m sorry we haven’t been totally truthful. This whole thing, with the attack and kidnapping, was really traumatic for Chandler, but there was a complication not even I knew about until the day I found her. We kept it to ourselves till now, to protect Chandler and to be sure everything was going to be all right. But I think the time has come for you to know. Momma, Daddy…Chandler and I are going to have a baby.”

  I searched their faces, fearing I would detect even a hint of disapproval. Banton’s mother immediately began to cry silently, the tears brimming in her eyes as she smiled, obviously overcome. Banton’s father was slower to react. He placed his hand over Mrs. Elaine’s and then turned back to look at me intently.

  “You became pregnant after the attack?” he asked slowly.

  “No, Dad. She was already pregnant when she was attacked,” Banton replied softly.

  The light dawned in his father’s eyes as he rose abruptly, kneeling in front of me and taking my hands in his.

  “What have the doctors said about the baby? Is he, I mean, is she…”

  “Dad, the baby is fine, for now. They are concerned what affect the venom has had on Chandler’s body, and what it will do to the fetus. There isn’t another known case like this, and at first their greatest fear was that she would miscarry, her body rejecting the baby when it fought the venom. There is a complication with the placenta, but so far, the tear is small and they are hopeful it will repair itself.”

  “This happened, because of the attack?” Banton’s father was angry now.

  “Most likely. That’s why she’s on partial bed rest, no physical activity, no stress.”

  “Absolutely. Son, what is she doing out of bed?” Banton’s mother became alarmed. “I don’t want anything to jeopardize her chances of delivering a healthy baby. Do you realize what a miracle that baby is?”

  “Yes, Momma, we do.” Banton smiled down at me, and kissed me softly.

  “We wanted to wait, to tell everyone when we got back from our honeymoon, but we felt you needed to know. Claudia found out by accident, and some of Chandler’s friends know. But she hasn’t told her family yet, so for now…”

  “We understand. We won’t tell Julia just yet. You just let us know when it’s all right. She’ll be beside herself!” Banton’s mother rose and hugged me carefully.

  “We will do anything we can to help you, you know that?” she asked softly, touching my cheek.

  “Yes, thank you.” I smiled at her through tears. I seemed to be doing a lot of that lately.

  We joined the rest of the family in the dining room for an elegant breakfast. Laurilee and Dan joined us in the dining room, and we introduced them to Banton’s parents. Just as we were about to finish, the front door opened and Constance blew in, followed by my Aunt Sue and Uncle Lon, Cade and Drew.

  “Smells good, can we eat?” Drew asked, as he came through the door.

  “Please, for the love of Dolce, can we have a few manners today?” Aunt Sue came into the dining room and kissed my cheek. Everyone exchanged hugs and kisses and more introductions, as Constance pulled me to my feet and unceremoniously led me into the living room.

  “Okay, Chandler. You have put me off one too many times the past couple of weeks. What the hell has been going on with you? No more stalling, I know when I’m being fed a story.” She searched my eyes, and she was not her usual carefree, bubbly self. She was truly frightened for me, and angry. I could see it in her eyes.

  Laurilee walked silently in to the room, sensing I might need some moral support. She’d overheard Constance’s questions, and patted my shoulder as she took a seat across from me on the sofa. Constance looked back and forth from me to Laurilee, and then glared at me.

  “Okay, okay. I’m sorry. I just…I didn’t know what to tell you. I haven’t been totally truthful with either one of you. Without all the facts, it’s hard to make sense of what’s happened, and why I’m…” I just couldn’t tell them everything.

  Constance stopped me. “Start from the beginning. You told Momma you’d been attacked, and you’d been injured, but Banton found you.”

  “Yes, that’s right. I was in the hospital for a couple of days, but I’m all right.”

  “What did Banton have to do with your attack?” she asked warily.

  “What do you mean?” I asked her, the hackles rising on the back of my neck.

  “Chandler, you’ve been attacked twice now while you were with him. What is going on?” she demanded.

  “I…I can’t tell you everything. You know Banton is a Navy SEAL. There has been some activity going on right here in Louisiana that involves this special unit. They have been running some special ops
, and some of the people they have been hunting captured me. They held me for several days, and I was injured. But Banton and his friends got to me before they could do any real damage.” As I spoke, Constance and Laurilee’s eyes rounded like saucers. It was as close to the truth as I could get without telling them everything.

  I continued, “Both of you have to keep this under wraps. This operation was pretty tight. It even involves the CIA. So please, don’t say anything. That is why I’ve been so evasive. That, and the fact that there is another complication I didn’t want to tell you or Aunt Sue about until after the wedding.” I searched Constance’s face, thinking she would guess my meaning. She didn’t.

  “What complication?” she asked in a whisper.

  “I’m pregnant.” I watched her, the news soaking in.

  “Chandler.” She rose, and came over and wrapped her arms around me. “Why didn’t you tell me, you’re supposed to tell me everything! You were pregnant before the attack? Did you know?”

  “Yes, I found out the day I was taken.”

  “And what they did to you, it almost caused you to lose the baby, didn’t it?” she asked, looking at Laurilee.

  “Well, it did put both of us in danger, and I’m still on a strict rest and no activity schedule. But we should be fine.”

  “And Banton? Knowing Mr. wonderful, I bet he’s put you on a pedestal, like you weren’t already.” She beamed at me.

  Banton came into the living room, looking for us. His dimples deepened when he saw all of us curled up together on the couch, my head on Constance’s shoulder, holding Laurilee’s hand.

  I answered his raised eyebrow. “It’s about time I had some girl time. This house has testosterone poisoning with all the Navy SEALs running in and out. I’ve been the only girl for so long.”

  Banton leaned over and kissed me softly on the lips. Constance smirked at him and said softly, “Way to go, Stud.”

  “The cat’s out of the bag, then?” he asked me.