Be My Baby (34 page)

Apparently, this geneticist
bent Trey's ear about the research team he led back in 1944,
discovering that DNA carries the cell's genetic material and it can
be altered through transformation. Trey said the guy was a bit out
of sorts about not winning the Nobel prize for this discovery; he
felt it was a very political snub by the system back then.
(What the?)

I told Trey the name was fine; I frankly
didn't want to hear any more of his, 'Tales from the Other Side.' I
would have thought the memories of those dreams would have
dissipated by now. I always forget my dreams after a few days; well
except for the ones that weren't really dreams.

(Wow! It finally hits me. After all of this
time why in the hell didn't I see this for what it was? Oh. My.
God.)

Trey is up on the porch now. He swings Avery
down from his shoulders. She immediately runs to my lap.

"Daddy, can I go see Derringer?" Preston
asks sweetly.

"Aren’t you going to say 'hello' to your
mommy first?"

"Hi, Mommy," she says with a dimpled
smile.

"How was school today, Preston?" I ask.

"It was good. Can I go Mommy?"

"Trey, are you going with her?"

"Yes, dear," he says giving me his crooked
smile.

"Why don't you take Trey with you? I want to
spend some time with Avery."

"Sure thing, sweetie," he says, taking the
baby from my arms and wrapping his receiving blanket around him.
"C'mon Preston, let's go feed Derringer some carrots. Off they go
around to the back of the house.

Avery is looking up at me shyly. Her amber
colored brown eyes are reminiscent of mine and my father's. She
smiles sporting a dimple like Trey's. Trey claims she is the carbon
copy of Marley; I know better. Avery is ours; she is separate from
Marley. Two different souls; both of them loved.

"Hey, baby girl," I say, picking her up and
putting her in my lap. "I bet you don't like this 'middle child'
stuff do you?"

"Num-num?" she asks, shyly looking up at
me.

"Avery Nicole," I say to her, "You are two
years old. Don't you think you're too big for num-num?"

"Unh unh, Mommie."

I know Trey won't approve. He didn't like
the fact that I was still breast-feeding her while I was pregnant
with Trey, Jr. I can’t resist her though. She has an older sister
who has done everything 'first.' Now she has a baby brother who is
the only son and the youngest to boot. How fair is that?

"C'mon baby girl, but don't tell Daddy," I
whisper to her as I pull her onto my lap and undo my nursing bra
again. She is petite for two years of age; she curls up against me
latching onto my breast and gently nurses, watching me with her
beautiful tawny brown eyes. I run my fingers through her light
brown hair.

"You are exquisite, you know?"

She drops my nipple, smiling up at me
presenting her dimple. She clamps back onto my breast and nurses
gently from me as I continue to rock her.

_____________________________________________

After dinner Trey and I relax in the family
room. Jean is getting the kids ready for bed.

"So, Judge Sinclair, what's on the docket
for tomorrow?"

He pulls me onto his lap, gently kissing my
lips as he whispers to me.

"I've cleared my docket for the whole day
tomorrow, Mrs. Sinclair. It is just you and me all day."

"Is that right? What about Avery and
Trey?"

"It's all worked out baby. Gina is coming
out with Reese to stay here with them while Tristan is in Bristol
completing the sale of his winery. We have all day alone. You and
me."

My butterflies surge at the thought. Trey
and I have been blessed.

"I'm looking forward to it, Judge," I tease,
lacing my arms around his neck and pulling him close. We kiss
playfully. My phone chimes interrupting our play.

"It's Dad," I say, picking up the phone.

"Hi Dad," I greet him happily. "We wondered
when we would be hearing from you."

"Tylar, darling," he said, "I'm sorry, I
really meant to call you last week. Brenda and I diverted our trip
a bit and have been relaxing on the beach."

"The beach?"

"Ahh, yes."

"Dad - I thought you were honeymooning in
London?"

"Yes, we were. We wanted some sun though so
we took an additional week to travel to Nice."

"Nice, huh? Sounds Nice."

I heard my father chuckle from the other
end.

"We'll be back in the states next week. We
are planning a trip to see you then. Will that work?"

"Of course, Dad. We want very much to see
you and Brenda soon. Can you stay longer this time?"

"We have a full week at your disposal, my
darling daughter."

"I can hardly wait, Dad. Send Brenda our
love?"

"I will do it. I love you."

"Love you too, Dad."

Trey and I resumed our pre-telephone call
position when we heard the pitter-patter of little feet. We both
looked up.

Preston was standing there looking totally
irritated while her younger sister stood behind her with a shy but
guilty look on her face.

"What is it, Preston?" Trey asked in a
'judgelike' tone.

She pulled a piece of notebook paper from
behind her back.

"Daddy, look what Avery did to my homework.
She scribbled all over it."

"Let me see," he said, leaning forward as
she handed him the evidence. Trey perused the vandalized homework
in his official capacity.

"Avery? Did you scribble on Preston's
homework?" he asked.

She smiled shyly, nodding her head up and
down.

"Did you know that it was Preston's
homework?"

She shook her head solemnly back and
forth.

"She didn't mean to do it, Preston, honey,"
he said.

"But Daddy, I can't turn it in like
this."

"I know that, baby," he said. "But I want
you to think about something, okay?"

He pulled Preston over to us and sat her on
his lap.

"You know that your homework papers are
important, don’t' you?"

"Yes."

"Okay, then. You know that Avery doesn't
know that, don't you?"

"I guess."

"So, because you are the oldest and know
these things, don't you think it might be wise to make sure you put
important things like homework back in your backpack so that Avery
- and pretty soon, Trey, can't get hold of them? Does that make
sense?"

"I guess so, Daddy."

"Okay then. Why don't you go back up to your
desk and re-do this for school?"

Preston was plainly 'not pleased' with the
outcome but she didn't argue.

"Come on, Avery," she said with a sigh, "You
can color on this while I re-do my homework." She took Avery's hand
and led her back upstairs.

"Very good, Judge," I said, "You certainly
have a way with those girls."

"I do, don't I?" he agreed, beaming.

"No doubt about it. I'm waiting to see how
well you do with them when the boys come sniffing around in 10
years or so."

"Christ Tylar - I don't even want to think
about that. You can certainly kill the mood."

"Really, Trey?"

"No," he said laughing, pinning me down on
the couch. "I'm always in the mood for you."

"I love you, Trey."

"I love you, Tylar."