Haunted (43 page)

He squeezed my ass and hopped out of bed. Watching him move through the shadows cast by the streetlights that filtered in through my windows was the last thing I remembered seeing before sleep overtook me.

The sun was shining when I woke up the next morning to the sounds of Led Zeppelin and the smell of bacon frying. I rolled over and stretched thoroughly before sitting up. Devon's jeans, shirt and boots were in a neat pile next to a duffle he must have brought in last night. His beanie and sunglasses were on top of my dresser. Seeing his things in my room made me feel warm inside. The fact that he was cooking me breakfast was even more enticing. I said a silent prayer of thanks for this man and the wonderful way in which he was becoming an integral part of my life.

I stumbled out to the kitchen in his shirt and found a precious sight. He was barefoot, in just his boxer briefs and he was singing along to Ramble On. The
piece de resistance
? He was wearing my naked lady apron to avoid grease splatters. I watched as long as I could before the giggles slipped out. He turned around and without missing a lyric, walked over and put a piece of bacon in my mouth and then kissed me.

I sighed happily and stepped into the bathroom. Things were certainly tender. I noticed I had fingertip bruises on my hips from where he'd gripped me the night before. I knew it would bother him, but it gave me a rush.

When I came out he had a plate of bacon, eggs and fruit waiting for me at my tiny table. I walked up behind him and wrapped my arms around him, whispering, "It's kind of like feeling myself up.”

He looked down and saw my hands on the breasts on the apron. He chuckled. “I guess I do have a nice rack.”

When he turned to kiss me good morning he was radiating joy. “I didn’t want to wake you. I tried to be quiet but I just needed to be up this morning. I feel too good.”

I smiled up at him. “I slept great. Sorry I crashed on you last night. You did sleep, right?”

He nodded and shooed me over to the table. “Don’t let that get cold. Yes, I did sleep some. I was wired, I guess. I wrote a new song.”

I narrowed my eyes at him over my juice glass as I took a sip. “You seem awfully chipper for someone who has barely gotten any sleep lately. Here I am crashing all over the place and you look refreshed on just a couple of hours. How is that possible?”  

He took a bite of bacon and smirked. “Good genes? I don’t know. I usually get around five hours a night. I do ok with that.”

I shook my head. “But that’s not healthy.”

“I’m fine, Jaylene. I feel better than I have in a long time.”

I shrugged. I didn’t know that I wanted to have this fight with him. “Ok, but tonight we turn in early.”

He leaned over and kissed my cheek.

“Whatever you say, chère. Now, eat up. I’m going to take a shower and then when you’re ready I want to take you somewhere.”

I smiled at him. “Like a surprise somewhere?”  

He nodded, finished his breakfast and took off my apron. He hung it back next to the refrigerator and walked over to me. I stopped him with one hand and wrapped my arms around his waist. He smiled down at me and brushed my hair away from my face. I kissed his belly and rubbed my face against his velvet skin. His hands gripped my arms and I felt him shudder. When I looked up at him he shook his head at me.

“I can’t stop to cuddle or we’ll never get out of here and I’m already fighting the Neanderthal urge to carry you back to bed and claim you.” I giggled and kissed him once more before letting go. “I’ll be out in a minute, chère.” He sauntered into the bathroom and I sighed.

The food was delicious, my aches were delicious, and he looked delicious. I couldn’t think of a more wonderful Sunday.

When he finished, I took my turn in the shower. I did a quick French braid and stepped out of the bathroom in my robe. He was already dressed, pulling on his boots, at the table.

“You’ll probably want long pants and shoes you don’t mind getting a little dirty.” I gave him a quizzical look and he raised his eyebrows at me. “C’mon, beautiful. We need to get a move on.”

Suddenly, quite anxious to get some time outdoors on a beautiful day, I hurriedly dressed in jeans, Keens and a red tank with a skull on it. I rubbed on some sunscreen and put on some eyeliner. I packed my sketchbook and pencils in my backpack.

“I’m assuming we have some mode of transport? You do know I don’t have a car?”  

He nodded and a fiendish grin graced his gorgeous mug.

“I have a vehicle parked right outside, milady. You ready yet?”  

I grabbed a couple of waters from the fridge and asked, “Do I need to pack us some snacks or anything?”

He shook his head. “Just your pretty little self, now let’s get a move on.”

He grabbed his guitar and took my hand, leading me out. I decided to text Mackenzie later to check on her. I figured they might want to sleep in. Who knows what they were up to last night?

We stepped out the back door and I had to squint in the bright sunlight. “You know, I kind of feel like a vampire. We've been inside so much lately. The sun feels great, but man does it sting the eyes.”

He chuckled and said, “I’ve got an extra pair of shades if you need them.”

I smiled up at him, using a hand to shade my eyes and that’s when I saw it. “You brought it,” I breathed in wonderment. I felt his kiss on top of my head as I was drawn to the black and chrome beauty before us.

“I told you I needed to get something from Houma. I needed my other girl.”

I was speechless. Gods, the car was perfection! A 1967 Chevelle SS convertible. Black on black with chrome finish. I turned to him with stars in my eyes and said, “This is a fantastic piece of machinery.”

He chuckled and threw his arm over my shoulders. “This is Rose. My daddy bought her when I was a kid and taught me how to work on her. The paint and interior we had done by someone else but he and I rebuilt the engine ourselves. You up for a ride, chère?”  

I was bouncing on the balls of my feet. “Absolutely!”  

We climbed in and he placed his guitar and my backpack in the backseat. He cranked the engine and the roar that sounded was loud and furious. I grinned at him maniacally, impressed by his cool exterior. In his white t-shirt and jeans, black hair loose and hanging in pieces around his face and silver hoops reflecting in the sun, he was that bad boy personified again. He drew on his shades and handed me another pair from the glove box. When I didn’t take them right away, he looked over at me.

“What is it, beautiful?”  

I had the shades clutched to my chest and all I could do was stare at him. He laughed at me and I just settled further into the seat and sighed. “Just enjoying the view.”

He pursed his lips together, put the car in reverse and backed out of my small driveway. Only about four cars could fit in the back of our building. Mackenzie had an old truck back there and the other spots were reserved for customers. I hadn’t wanted or needed a car when I arrived and Mackenzie lent me her truck whenever I needed it.

Devon pulled out onto Frenchman street and headed away from the French Quarter.

“I’ve not done much exploring away from the Quarter, where are we headed?”  

He smiled at me. “No? I’m glad I get to show you around then. I thought we’d head over to Houma if that’s ok with you?”  

This date was getting better and better. “I would love that.”

He reached over and grasped my hand. “Well then sit back and enjoy the ride, chère.”

I rested my head against the seat and pulled my legs up under me. Devon navigated the streets with ease and when he pulled onto the interstate, he gave the engine a kick and we flew down the road. The car was pristine. The interior was polished and lovingly tended to. Devon switched on the radio. We listened to Cajun music and enjoyed being out and about. I pulled our hands up and kissed his knuckles.

“This could be all we do today and I would think it was a perfect date.”

He laughed softly, glancing over at me, and squeezed my hand.

"I'm glad to hear you say that, but it's not all we're going to do. I just felt like being outside and Rose has been neglected for too long. I had to have Daryl give her a jump last night. I haven't had her out since I've been home.”

We rode for a long time without speaking. I stroked his hand with my fingers and he had a peaceful smile on his face. I realized in that moment how much he really had relaxed since I met him. I don't know how he was with others before, but I know he wasn't smiling and the thought that his feelings for me helped get him to this point made my heart swell.

We drove for a little over an hour through the gorgeous land of southern Louisiana. I hadn't been out this way and the view was breathtaking. We pulled off Highway 90 and took Main Street through town. Devon turned into the parking lot of Magnolia Cemetery and turned off the car. He sat for a moment staring out the windshield, his face expressionless behind his shades.

I waited for him to speak. When he took a deep breath and smiled weakly, I knew why we were here.

“I wanted to come see Maggie and introduce you. I hope that's ok.”

I scooted over next to him on the seat and cupped his face in my hands. “I'd be honored, Devon."

I couldn't see his eyes through the shades but I knew what they would tell me. Deep sadness would be there and maybe a little uncertainty about how I would feel about this. I meant what I said to him. I knew how hard this was and I was so proud of him for facing his fears.

We stepped out of the car and he grabbed his guitar case and a backpack. I followed him through the gates and down the path through the rows of tombs. I found the cemeteries of New Orleans fascinating. However, when I'd visited before, I had no idea I'd actually ever see a tomb for someone I'd known. They seemed so old, like from another time. Of course I knew they still buried people this way. I guess it hadn't occurred to me that Maggie would be in one. He led me to an older tomb with the name Boudreaux elegantly carved into the stone. He took out a blanket and laid it down on the path for us. The weather was warm and the sun was high in the sky. I could hear the buzzing of cicadas in the trees surrounding the cemetery.

We sat down next to each other and he was quiet for a while. He held my hand loosely against his thigh and stared up at this resting place of his ancestors. I thought about what that must be like to have such a family history, to know where they ended up, and to have a connection to your past. I envied him for that. There were dates going back to 1861 on the tomb. I didn't know anything about my family other than my Charles grandparents were from Colorado originally and that my father moved to California when he joined the service.

"The last person we buried here before Maggie was my daddy, and before that was my great grandmother.” He winced. “I didn't think I'd be back here so soon after my daddy.”

I squeezed his hand and he took a couple of shaky breaths.

“I've been wanting to come out here since we came back, but I didn't feel strong enough. I'm still not sure I am.” He laughed nervously. “When we buried Daddy, Maggie held my hand and gave me tissues when I cried. She helped me pick out one of Daddy's old suits and a nice red tie for the service. The pants were a little short and too big in the waist. The sleeves rode up on the jacket. But she assured me I looked handsome. She didn't leave my side the whole day. She didn't even cry until we got home and she could go to her room and be alone.”

I wanted to soothe him, but I could tell he wanted to continue, that he needed to get this out.

”When it was time to get ready for her funeral, I thought about my daddy's suit and how I felt like he was with me when I wore it. There was no way it was going to fit, though. I had some Armani bullshit suit Maggie made me get, so I wore that. I did find the red tie.”

He turned and kissed me on top of my head and then reached for his guitar case. He brought out a beat up Marshall acoustic and strummed it a few times, getting the tuning right.

"When I went home the other night I planned on just grabbing the keys to Rose but I walked around a bit and ended up in my room. I found that damned tie in the closet along with this, my first guitar. I wrote a song that night and I want to play it for you.”

I smiled at him and said, "I would love to hear it.”

He smiled sadly, but I still couldn't see his eyes. The melody he started to play was achingly tender, and when he started to sing, I didn't need to see his eyes to know how much pain he was in.

She held my hand through my darkest days

She dried my tears and kept me moving

She dressed me up and gave me strength

She made me stand and kept on proving

And when I thought life would tear me down

She was there to help me turn it around

Love will be with you through all the pain

Love will comfort and always remain

Love will keep you always sane

Love will shelter you through the rain

She left me here in darker days

She left me and I gave up moving

She dressed me up and left me hollow

She made me stand and left me so low

And when I thought her death would end me

Her words were there haunting me

Love will be with you through all the pain

Love will comfort and always remain

Love will keep you always sane

Love will shelter you through the rain

You pulled me out of the darkest days

You dried my tears and got me moving

You undressed me and gave me strength

You helped me stand and keep on proving

And when I thought I was forever broken

She sent me an angel, her words again spoken

Love will be with you through all the pain

Love will comfort and always remain

Love will keep you always sane

Love will shelter you through the rain

He played a few more notes and then stopped, his arms resting on top of the guitar. I reached over and pulled off his shades to find his eyes on mine, unsure of what my reaction would be. His words were still reverberating in my head. The depth of his emotions fascinated me.