Be My Baby

by ANDREA SMITH

  “No! I can’t look at him right now. Will you go and get some from the house tomorrow? I can watch Reese for you.”

  “You got it,” she said smiling. “Everything is going to be okay, Ty.”

  I wasn’t sure of that at all. I had felt disconnected from Trey for the last couple of months. I had blamed that on my pregnancy and then the subsequent loss of the baby. Maybe it was more than that.

  He had obviously been fascinated with the new junior partner in the firm. He had explained it away as taking her under his wing because she was just a few years younger than him. The bottom line was that he had spent more and more time at the office and worked less and less at home.

  I wondered what might have happened had Trey not spied me at the window this afternoon. Perhaps Amber would have continued her seductive quest with my husband. Perhaps he would have succumbed to her charms. He certainly hadn’t been getting his needs met at home the past couple of months. He had reminded me of that fairly often. We hadn’t made love since I had lost the baby. He hadn’t even made overtures when my six weeks had been up two weeks ago.

  I finished my wine still lost in thought. Gina had left the kitchen to take care of Reese who had awakened from his nap. It brought pain to see a baby right now. I hadn’t even objected when Susan had offered to take Preston for a couple of weeks. Trey had looked at me curiously. He was surprised when I didn’t hesitate in accepting her offer.

  My Blackberry was done charging. I picked it up hitting Trey’s name. He picked up immediately.

  “Tylar,” he breathed, “Where are you?”

  “I stopped by Gina’s. She told me you had called here looking for me.”

  "Baby, I've been going crazy trying to get in touch with you. I need to explain Tylar; I need to let you know what happened."

  "Trey," I interrupted, "I was there, remember? I know exactly what happened. There is no plausible explanation for you to give me about what happened. It's been a long time coming I think."

  "What are you talking about Tylar? How can you possibly say that to me?"

  "Because it's the truth Trey. Because it is my style to speak the truth."

  "And what exactly is the truth?"

  "Trey you hit it off with Amber. In some ways, she is a female version of you. She is beautiful, smart, talented, and has a passion for the law - the same as you do. We have little in common, Trey; I hate to point this out but it's obvious our connection has been a sexual one. That doesn't necessarily make for a successful long-term relationship."

  "How in the hell can you say that to me?"

  He was livid. I wasn't sure why. It all made perfect sense to me. Our relationship was built on a house of cards. I thought back to its inception: a near death experience for me; a handsome rescuer who found me 'intriguing' at the moment. A lot had transpired for both of us since then. Perhaps he no longer found me a mystery to be solved. Perhaps I had been a pleasurable diversion from his very orderly, professional, career-oriented life.

  "Amber is the type of woman you are supposed to end up with Trey. Not someone like me. This has all been a diversion from reality - for both of us. I've made arrangements to spend some time with my father. I'm leaving tomorrow."

  "No Tylar. You are not running from this. We are going to work this out dammit!"

  "I'm sorry, Trey. You're not getting your way this time. I will be in touch once Preston returns from your parents' house. We need to work something out with respect to her. I need this time for me. I need to heal."

  I pressed the 'end' button before he had a chance to respond. This was non-negotiable. I fell asleep on the sofa exhausted. I heard Tristan come in late; Gina was waiting for him in the kitchen. I could tell that she was filling him in on what had happened.

  I heard him raise his voice; I think I heard him refer to Trey as a spoiled, self-righteous son-of-a-bitch. Gina instructed him to stay out of it. If I knew Tristan he would be giving Trey his two cents' worth very shortly.

  Tristan drove me to the airport the following afternoon. Gina was busy with Reese so he suggested it. Gina had gone back to our house and packed my suitcase along with Preston’s clothes while Trey was at work. She had brought my phone charger and I-Pad with her.

  She had told me that Jean was beside herself trying to figure out why I hadn’t been home all night. She commented that she had heard Trey up most of the night pacing his floor and on his phone.

  Gina said that she didn’t feel it was her place to put our personal stuff out there to Jean; she explained that I needed to spend some time with my father.

  “Well certainly,” Jean had responded. “The poor thing has been through quite a bit. It has been a strain on them both. I can see that."

  My thoughts were interrupted when Tristan finally broke the silence in the car.

  "Tylar - Once again I find the need to apologize to you for my brother's behavior."

  I looked over at his handsome face; a slightly older version of Trey's face yet there was something different. Tristan's face held a look of compassion that I hadn't seen before in Trey's face; at least not that I could recall.

  "Tristan," I replied softly, "It is not your place to apologize for Trey. Besides I am partially to blame for this."

  "How do you figure?"

  "Well my pregnancy was pretty rough on Trey," I explained. "I wasn't able to 'accommodate' him like before."

  I could feel myself blush profusely; I could feel the penetrating look that Tristan was giving me. He pulled his car over to the side of the road and shut off the ignition. I reluctantly looked over at him. His emerald green eyes were watching me trying to comprehend my response.

  "Tylar for Chrissake - are you justifying Trey's behavior in some way? Your pregnancy was rough on you sweetheart. You were tired and ill; I was around too you know? If that son-of-a bitch couldn't go without it for a few months without striking up some flirtatious fantasy with a female colleague to assuage his inflated ego then he should have come to big brother for advice!"

  Tristan was on a roll. It was plain to see that he was furious with Trey.

  "What advice would you have given him, Tristan?"

  "I would have told him to spend some time with 'Rosy Palm' and her five ugly sisters in the privacy of his shower!"

  I started to giggle when he said that. Only Tristan could phrase it like that. I could picture him telling Trey that, too.

  I looked back over at him and he was smiling now.

  "I appreciate your support on this Tristan, but I don't want it interfering with your relationship with Trey, okay?"

  "Too late for that," he said, starting the car back up and pulling out into traffic.

  "Besides it's not as if Trey cheated sexually on me; it was the emotional part - the kiss - that crushed me. It sent a signal about our lack of intimacy. It has made me question as to whether we are really suited for one another."

  "Sweetie, for right now please try to not 'over-think' any of this okay? You need this time away from him to reflect and heal. Don't come to hasty conclusions."

  "Okay Tristan. You're right. Thanks for being you."

  CHAPTER 5

  My father was waiting for me at the baggage claim carousels when I arrived. I immediately flew into his arms.

  He held me close to him; talking soothingly to me. It was the first time that I knew how it felt to me consoled by a parent. I liked the feeling of safeness that it gave me.

  We talked on the way back to his estate. I was taken aback when he told me that he had called Trey.

  "You didn't threaten to punch him out or anything did you, Dad?"

  Secretly I was hoping that is exactly what he had done. That would be such a 'father' thing to do it seemed.

  "No Tylar, I simply told him that I felt it was appropriate under the circumstances for you to spend some time here to rest, relax and gain some perspective on the situation."

  (Hmmm - that sounded a bit to me like my father was trying to diffuse 'the situation'. Did he think
I had over-reacted?)

  "What did Trey say?"

  "He concurred. He genuinely wants you to feel better; he wanted me to convey to you that he will take care of Preston until you're ready to come back. He wants you to focus on feeling better physically and emotionally. He said you are to pamper yourself."

  (Pamper myself? What did Trey fucking think this was, a weekend at the spa?)

  "You know Dad, I think Trey is right. I could use some pampering. It sounds just like what the doctor ordered. Is Edie still at the house?"

  "Yes, why?"

  "Can I borrow her tomorrow to run some errands with me in the city?"

  "Certainly. Any of the staff is at your disposal, daughter."

  "Thanks, Dad." I smiled.

  I liked Edie. She was only a year or so older than I was and we had clicked from the first time we met. She had hated Ms. Deeny as well so we had one thing in common right from the get.

  The next morning after my father had left for court I phoned a limo service in Baton Rouge. I had told Edie the night before that she was at my disposal the following day. She had laughed saying it sounded like we were going to have some fun.

  "You're right about that girlfriend," I had responded in 'Gina style.'

  We climbed into the limo at 10:00 a.m. and headed for a luxury day spa in Baton Rouge. Once there, I handed Edie one of the spa menus.

  "Pick anything you want Edie, my treat," I said.

  "Oh Tylar no," she replied shaking her head, "I wouldn't feel right about it. I work for the judge."

  "We aren't spending the judge's money Edie. We're spending my husband's money which according to him is mine as well. So have at it."

  "Well alright then," she giggled.

  We both went for the 60 minute hot stone massage, followed by the body scrub. I then selected a facial mask while Edie went with the massage moisture facial. We were then waxed, manicured and pedicured. We finished up with getting eyelash extensions. The total bill with tip: $1200.00.

  (I was feeling better already!)

  Our next stop was an upscale hair salon called Jean-Claude's

  Edie was all for getting her highlights re-done. I was going for a totally new look altogether. I perused through multiple magazines until I found the hair style I wanted. I then asked to see hair swatches so the colorist could match my color exactly to the one that I selected. No more blondish-brown highlights for me. I heard brunettes were having fun these days - with other women's men.

  When we were finished, Edie's hair had undergone a tune-up while mine had gone through a complete overhaul.

  "Oh my God," Edie shrieked. "You look so different Tylar."

  "That's the look I was going for Edie."

  My hair was a dark chestnut brown that fell above my shoulders now. It was blunt cut in the back and angled at the sides. It looked exactly like Amber's hair.

  We then went shopping at Dillard's. I bought two new pairs of boots; five pairs of skinny jeans, four new sweaters, a couple of cotton tee shirts, a new winter jacket and assorted lingerie, jewelry and make-up. By this time, Edie was feeling too self-conscious about my spending money on her. I finally forced her to get a pair of jeans and a sweater.

  The limo was waiting for us outside to take us back to the estate. The driver had chilled champagne and cold appetizers waiting for us. We enjoyed both on the ride back.

  "Wow," Edie said, "I can't believe you spent that much money today Tylar. I am really appreciative of your generosity but don't you think your husband is going to be pissed?"

  I held up my champagne flute for a toast.

  "Here's to pissed off husbands," I said, tapping my flute gently against hers.

  It was a little after 7:00 p.m. when the limo pulled up to the mansion. I gave one of my credit cards to the driver to swipe for payment and then threw a generous tip on top of it. He saw us to the door carrying our packages.

  Edie took my packages once inside and said she would deliver them to my room and have the washables laundered before I wore them. I thanked her.

  "No, thank you, Tylar. I've had the best time today."

  "Don't forget tomorrow night we're going clubbing after your shift," I reminded her.

  I heard my father approaching across the hardwood floor towards the entry hall.

  "Tylar, I've been worried. We've been holding dinner for you."

  "I’m sorry Dad, the time just slipped by so quickly."

  He was studying my new hairstyle. He had that 'judge perusal' thing going on again. I twirled around so that he could get the full view of my shiny new hairstyle.

  "Do you like it?" I asked.

  "Darling, the important thing is that you like it," he replied. "Let's have dinner."

  Over dinner Dad mentioned that Trey had phoned him to see how I was doing.

  "Since you weren't home and I had no clue where you were I couldn't tell him much," he said.

  (Holy shit! Was he going all 'father' on me now?)

  "Dad, I'm sorry," I replied, "I really thought that we'd be back before you got home. Edie and I went into Baton Rouge. I pampered myself just as Trey suggested I do, that's all."

  My father eyed me warily. It reminded me a bit of Trey.

  "That's good. You still may want to call and check in with him so that he doesn't worry," he suggested.

  "I will. Now tell me about your day."

  After dinner I retreated to my suite. Edie had hung up the coat and sweaters; she had taken everything else I had bought to be laundered. She had put my make-up in the bathroom and my jewelry was on the dresser.

  I pulled my Blackberry out of my purse to put on the charger. I noticed that I had several text messages. There were two from Trey; one from Gina.

  Trey had texted the first time at around 1:30 this afternoon:

  'I hope you are relaxing and pampering yourself like a good girl. I love and miss you, Tylar.'

  His second text message and come in around 7:30 this evening:

  'Your father is worried about you. I talked to him about an hour ago and he said he hasn't heard from you all day. Please let me know that you are okay.'

  Gina's text had come in at 8:03 p.m about fifteen minutes prior.

  'Ty - call me when you get this. You evidently have your fucking phone on mute. Trey is a fucking mess! He and Tristan got into it BIG TIME!'

  I phoned Gina immediately. She answered after the first ring.

  "It's about damned time girlfriend. Your calls are going straight to voicemail. Are you avoiding me too?"

  "Of course not, Gina. I just now pulled my phone out and saw all of these text messages."

  "I only texted you once but I must've called you like five times."

  "Trey texted me twice earlier. I guess he called my father too. So what's the emergency?"

  "Well, Trey is basically a mess over all of this which in my opinion serves him right, but I still feel for the Hot Nazi. Tristan laid him out good."

  "Oh my God, you mean they got into a brawl?"

  "No, not that way. He laid him out verbally. Trey shows up at the club this afternoon around 6:00 p.m. when Tristan is working the bar. It's pretty crowded with the after-five crowd and I guess Trey was all pissing and moaning into his suds. He's all 'I can't lose her,' 'I love her so fucking much,' blah, blah, blah. Finally, Tristan had just had enough. He got into Trey's face and blasted him verbally. He told him that he should've appreciated what he had before he fucked it up. He told Trey he wouldn't blame you if you fucked every guy in Baton Rouge after the way that Trey had treated you. He told him to get over himself. He said you were too good for Trey!"

  (Holy shit - I bet that didn't go over well!)

  "Oh my God Gina - I don't want to be the reason that Tristan and Trey stop speaking to one another."

  "Ty, for crying out loud. Someone had to put the Hot Nazi in his place and my man was just the person to do it. Having said that, I still think that you need to keep the lines of communication open with Trey to some extent."
/>
  "Okay, okay," I said wearily, "Between you and my dad nagging at me I promise the both of you I will give Trey a call."

  "Good," she said, "Now how was your day?"

  "I spent about three grand on pampering," I replied.

  "Excellent," she said.

  CHAPTER 6

  I took a shower and got ready for bed. I had promised both my father and Gina that I would call Trey. I was nervous about talking to him. I wasn't sure what I had to say to him.

  It was after 10 p.m. Generally he was up till 11:00 or so. I breathed a sigh of relief when my call went to his voice mail. I was more comfortable leaving him a message.

  "Trey, it's me. My dad said that he had spoken to you earlier today. I was just out and about getting pampered and doing some shopping. Everything is okay here. Let me know when Preston is coming home. Take care."

  There. I had kept it short and to the point. There was no need for Trey to worry about me while I was down here with my father. I wasn't his responsibility. I missed Preston though. Right now I simply needed to focus on myself however selfish that sounded.

  The following afternoon I went down to the barn to see the horses. My father employed two guys for the stables and the grounds full-time. They lived up over the stables in loft apartments. I had met the older guy on my last visit. His name was Larry. Today there was a younger guy inside grooming one of the new Arabians my father had purchased.

  "Are you Danny?" I asked as I approached the stall.

  "Who's asking?" he said looking over at me.

  "I guess I am," I remarked rolling my eyes. "Margo said that you were working with the horses today while Larry is repairing the fence line. I wanted to take one of the horses out on the trail."

  "And you would be?" he asked.

  "I'm sorry," I said, "I'm Judge Tylar's daughter, Tylar."

  He stopped what he was doing with the horse and looked over at me with a grin. He was cute with some bad-boy charm going for him. I judged him to be in his mid to late twenties. He had dark blond hair with blue eyes. He had a lean, muscular build.