Chapter 1

"Home" she thought to herself as she pulled up to the grand old farm house in her old Volkswagen Beetle. "Home at last," she said softly to herself as she smiled glad to be back at the house she grew up in. But the only one here to greet her is her dog, Bandit, a Border Collie mix. Jeff's jeep isn't anywhere in sight. She used to call him Uncle Jeff; even though, Jeff isn't related to her.

Jefferson Tyler is actually her Godfather. And Reana Maize hasn't called him Uncle since she was sixteen. Her parents had died in a car accident when she was fourteen, a car accident that Reana was the only survivor of. She spent one unconscious night in the hospital. When she woke up, Jeff was there and never left her. The first floor guest bedroom had always been thought of as his when she was growing up, but now he's a resident in it.

Reana drops her bags at the foot of the stairs to carry up later. For a moment she envisions her parents coming down the stairs to greet her coming home from college for the summer. One more year of classes and she'll have her Bachelor of Science in Mathematics with a minor in the Arts. Jeff thinks of her as the perfect blend of both of her parents. College sweethearts, her mother was an artist and her father a mathematician. Her father was Jeff's best friend and Jeff was the best man at their wedding. Jeff has had girlfriends off and on, but has yet to marry.

Reana opens the refrigerator door and finds exactly what she expected to find, next to nothing. Jeff's not here because when she called to say she was on her way home, he drove into town to get groceries. She hears the jeep coming up the drive as she shuts the refrigerator door, and puts two mugs of water into the microwave to heat water for herbal tea. Then she opens the back door for Jeff to stumble in with the reusable bags of groceries.

"Honey, I'm home," announces Reana helping him set the bags on the kitchen table.

"Yes, my dear, you are," and Jeff gives her a kiss, a kiss that last perhaps a little longer than it should. He holds her out in front of him and looks her over, "Beautiful... you have no idea how much I've missed you." Then he hugs her tightly.

Reana likes the feel of his long arms around her and closes her eyes. She can hear his heart pounding in his chest. She feels him inhale the scent of her hair. One of her hands slides up into his hair, and he pushes her back away from him gently.

Jeff sees the hurt look on Reana's face and it hurts to the core of his heart, "We need to get these groceries put away."

"It's a wonder you don't starve to death while I'm away," her tone is correct. There's not a hint of the sadness she feels at being taken away from the contentment she felt in his arms.

"As long as Old Widow Johnson has breath in her body, I'll never starve. By the way, she saw me grocery shopping," he informs her.

"So we're having dinner at her house tonight," Reana smiling knowingly.

"Of course," says Jeff returning her smile. But Reana can see the ache behind his eyes as he smiles. It's the same ache she feels for him.

"So who else saw you grocery shopping," ask Reana. And as if on cue, there's a roar of engines up the driveway and voices calling her name.

The tires kick up dirt and dust as they pull around the back of the house and park around Jeff's jeep and her Beetle. Then several young people are rushing through the back door still calling her name. She has known them all since they were all preschoolers. Being an artist allowed Reana's mother to be a stay at home mom who did daycare from their home and all of these young people spent most of their childhoods in this house with Reana.

When they're all together like this, Jeff thinks of them as a rainbow collective. Reana's best friend, Greta, is basically a negative of Reana. The two young women are about the same height and weight. Except Reana has a year round glowing tan, slightly slanted dark brown eyes in a round face with great cheek bones. Her long wavy raven hair is pulled back into a ponytail high on the back of her head.

The giggling and screaming of the four reunited young women is mind numbing to Jeff. The three young men of the collective seem unfazed by the din of the young women. Somehow Jeff manages to hear Greta inform Reana that Greta and Jimmy have gotten engaged. There's more female din as Greta shows off the engagement ring.

"Hallelujah," says Steve, his voice causing things to quiet down in the large eat-in-kitchen. The young Asian man has always been the quiet shy one of the group. "The best thing that ever happened was you guys grew breasts," his face a lit with a goofy grin.

"Better them than you, ay Steve," Jeff grinning himself as Steve blushes while the others laugh.

"Steve's right," Brian, a young dark skinned man of African descent, the jock of the group, "So do the jumpy bouncy thing again."

"Brian," a somewhat flustered and shocked Yvette, her strict Christian Hispanic parents are currently unhappy with her because they think she's not saving herself for marriage and every once in a while that strict up bringing inhibits Yvette.

"Come on," Brian pleads, "As long as you guys do stuff life that, we'll eternally be your slaves."

"What will it hurt," Melody, the fourth member of the female quartet, the one with the freest spirit and the largest breasts.

The young women look at each other and nod. Then they do the giggly happy jumpy bouncy bit for the guys. The three young men let out a triumphant roar.

"Alright, that's enough," Reana has always been the mature reserved one, "Make yourselves useful. You all know where everything goes," referring to the groceries.

"Yes," Jeff agrees, "make yourselves useful."

There's some grumbled "yeah, yeah," but everyone starts grabbing things from the grocery bags.

"So Reana," Greta is not thwarted by the rolling of her best friend's eyes, "How are things going socially? Seeing anyone special?" Greta notices Jeff tense up at the asking of the questions.

Reana answers, "Hell no, and I don't want to talk about it."

Greta also notices Jeff relax after Reana's answer. "You don't have to get bitchy about it. I only ask because I'm concerned and I care. I worry because you have a tendency to push new people away."

"As long as I have all of you," Reana responds, "I don't need new people. And I don't want to be mean, but if I'm not bitchy about it, you'll torture me with all those annoying social questions I hate."

"I'm sorry," Greta apologizes to Reana, "I'll try not to be such a mother hen."

"And I'm sorry I got all evil on you," Reana apologizes in return. Then they give each other a warm forgiving hug and kiss on the cheek.

"Hey," Jimmy turned on by the interaction of the two young women, "I'm feeling a little sad and lonely over here."

Reana raises an eyebrow at Greta and Greta nods. Then Reana flings a box of cereal at Jimmy's head.

Jimmy catches the box of cereal, "No need to get violent." He opens a cabinet door and looks up, "Holy! ..." Jimmy drops the box of cereal as he stumbles backwards into the kitchen table cursing. Melody screams first. And when the other young women see it on Jimmy's face too, they scream also.

Jimmy knocks it off his face and now there's stomping to go with the cursing and screaming. But it's too fast, so they keep missing it. It scurries under the refrigerator.

"What the hell is it," ask Reana horrified from on top of the kitchen table. "Was it a cockroach? Can cockroaches get that big? Do we have roaches?"

"No, Honey," Jeff assures Reana as he comforts and calms her, "We don't have roaches. I know how you are about insects and arachnids. I treat the house even while you're away," holding her and stroking her head, "It probably came in on the groceries."

Bandit can't seem to figure out what's wrong. His barking was drowned out by the women's screams. But he's the first to see it scurry out from under the refrigerator. And he's after it as if it were a cat. There's more screaming and more stomping. But it disappears under the screen door and outside. Bandit's left barking at the crack along the bottom of the screen door.

"There, it's gone," Jeff assures Reana, "It doesn't want to be here anymore than we want it here." He wipes tears from her cheeks and wraps his long arms around her, "It's okay. It's gone."

"Jimmy," Greta exclaims, "you're bleeding!"

Jimmy has three small cuts on his face, one over an eyebrow, a second across the bridge of his nose and the third under his eye.

"Here," Melody grabs the first aid kit that's kept on top of the refrigerator and tosses it to Greta.

"Did that thing do that," ask Steve.

"I guess," answers Jimmy sitting down at the table so Greta can tend to him.

Reana continues to cling to Jeff as Greta starts dabbing antiseptic to the small gashes on Jimmy's face.

"Honey, let's go sit down," Jeff guiding Reana off the kitchen table. She clings to him all the way to the living room couch. Whatever it was, was at least the size of a mouse, maybe even slightly larger. If it hadn't been so large, just a regular size insect, Jeff knows she wouldn't be so freaked out.

About fifteen minutes later, Reana's friends come out of the kitchen. Reana is sleeping in Jeff's arms and still clinging to him.

"She okay," ask Greta in a hushed tone.

"Yeah," Jeff answers softly, "It's a twelve to fourteen hour drive. She had to of started driving around three a.m. to get here so early. Poor thing's exhausted."

"I'll tote her bags upstairs," volunteers Brian and without a word Steve gives him a hand.

"We finished putting everything away and straightened up," Yvette informs Jeff.

"Thank you," Jeff not bothering to look up from Reana's face.

"We'll call tomorrow," adds Melody, "Maybe we'll all go clubbing this weekend."

"She'll enjoy that," says Jeff smiling, "If it wasn't for all of you, she'ld never have any fun. She'ld just hang out around here with my old ass."

"Jeff, you're her rock," Greta placing a hand on his shoulder, "If she had to choose between us and you, she'ld choose you."

"Thanks," Jeff's not sure that's true, but it's still nice to hear.

"We'll see ya," Jimmy giving Jeff's shoulder a good-bye pat. Then Reana's friends quietly exit via the back door.

"It's just me and you, kid," Jeff smiling at Reana's serene face. He kisses her lips softly and leans his head back on the couch.

Jeff's mind drifts back in time as he dozes off. Labeled a genius, thick glasses and husky through his childhood had made him a loner. He was off to college on a full academic scholarship at fourteen. For Jeff, this was when his life began because this is when he made his first real friend, Reana's father, Lawrence Maize. Larry was already a sophomore and already seriously committed to Reana's mother, Liberty Crow, who was a junior. It would take Jeff a couple of years to realize Libby was his friend too.

This house was left to Larry by an uncle, who had no children of his own. Uncle Quincy or Uncle Q had a soft spot for Larry because Larry was one of the only family members who accepted him for who he was. The best advice any of them ever got came from Uncle Q, "Life's too short to waste. Live your life doing what makes you happy with whoever makes you happy. You're parents mean well, but if you waste your life doing everything they want, you'll only make them happy and proud, not yourself." Uncle Q knew his brother and sister-in-law didn't approve of Libby. They were upper crust and Libby and her family weren't.

Larry and Libby cared for Uncle Q the last year of his life. He chose Reana's name. She was three month old when he passed and he had adored her. What he didn't leave to Larry and Libby, he left in a trust fund for Reana. It wasn't a massive fortune, but as long as they weren't wasteful, they would never really have money problems. Larry and Libby were both naturally thrifty people and passed this on to Reana, who hates waste.

Jeff came from an upper middle class family, the second of three boys. His parents worked hard to ensure their children grew up to be well rounded. But Jeff's childhood was rougher than it should have been because he didn't fit in. But then he shot up taller than Larry, his face cleared and his parents got him laser eye surgery as a college graduation present, glasses only for reading now. Suddenly, women were throwing themselves at him. He lost himself for a while, and broke more than a few hearts along the way. Libby nearly banded him from the house after he showed up drunk a couple of times.

Jeff's been celibate for over three years, because he hasn't dated since he broke up with his last girlfriend, a super model that he dated for five years. For a while Jeff had been quite taken with the tall leggy blond, but she was a lot of work and totally self-absorbed. Larry and Libby never said they didn't like Miss Super Model, Reana's name for her. But Miss Super Model didn't hesitate to say she didn't like them. And after Jeff stepped in to care for Reana when Larry and Libby were killed in the accident, Miss Super Model did nothing but complain about him living out in the country instead of the city. "Reana's a spoiled brat." "Reana doesn't like me." When it came to Reana, the green-eyed monster raged behind Miss Super Model's ice blue eyes. The last straw for Jeff was when Miss Super Model accused him of fucking Reana and called her a little slut.

Fate made Reana the only child of a couple who wanted a big family to fill this big old farm house. They couldn't give Reana natural brothers and sisters, so Libby did home daycare to provide Reana with substitutes. Reana was never anywhere near being a spoiled brat and never gave her parents any serious trouble. Libby's explanation for this was that Reana had an old soul. One thing that was for certain, Reana was more gifted and talented than either of them ever hoped for. Reana would never give them a reason to be disappointed or ashamed. Miss Super Model hates Reana because Reana owns Jeff's heart in way she'll never own any man's heart because Miss Super Model's not capable of being selfless.

Jeff awakens an hour later. His first thought is Widow Johnson. If they're late, she'll be worried. He looks at Reana sleeping serenely across his lap. Her right arm is stretched over her head. Her left hand is over his right hand which is cupping her... If Jeff had been chewing gum, he'ld be choking on it. This can't be happening, this can't be happening, is droning over and over again in his head.

Jeff attempts to ease his right hand from under Reana's left and off her left breast. His attempt causes Reana to shift and add her right hand too while squeezing slightly with her left. Jeff exhales a long jittery breath.

Reana shifts again just slightly, opens her eyes, looks up into Jeff's face and smiles. It's a smile that has come to make Jeff weak in the knees. Miss Super Model's smile was never this bright, beautiful or genuine. And despite his embarrassment, he returns the smile.

"How long," ask Reana.

"Little over an hour," answers Jeff.

"We're not late, are we?"

"No, we still have plenty of time."

Reana sits up slowly. And as she does, Jeff's hand slides down to her waist. She rests her head against his chest for a moment then looks up into his eyes.

"It's so good to be home," Reana looking into Jeff's eyes intensely, "I missed you very badly."

Her eyes look as pained as his heart. His response is to accept the press of her lips to his and return with like action. But when he realizes he's squeezing her bottom, he puts an all stop to the action.

Jeff tells Reana, "Widow Johnson will be worried if we're late."

Reana nods her understanding, slides off his lap and jogs upstairs to her room. Jeff sits there for a few moments on the couch catching his breath. Reana has literally taken his breath away.

He hears Reana walk across the floor upstairs. "Don't panic," Jeff whispers to himself, "Just go change clothes," and he obeys himself.

Upstairs, Reana has paused in front of the mirror over her bathroom sink to exchange her five pairs of silver hoops for one tasteful pair of pearl earrings with a matching choker and bracelet. The only other things she's wearing as she stands there in her bare feet are black panties with a matching strapless bra. The stretch marks from the pregnancy no longer disturb her. They're just there like any other scar.

Reana no longer flashes back to prom night at the sight of her stretch marks. Reana graduated from high school at sixteen, but she wouldn't get to go straight to college as planned.

Reana was asked to the senior prom by the most popular boy in school. Reana was not a member of the popular crowd. She wasn't aware that Super Jock, what she and her friends called him, knew she even existed until he asked her to go to the prom with him. She initially turned him down. Reana had no intention of spending hundreds of dollars on a dress she would only wear once. But Super Jock was persistent and wouldn't give up. After he actually got down on one knee, embarrassing her by begging, she finally agreed to go with him.

When she came down the stairs in her prom dress, Jeff's heart skipped a beat. What fell out of Super Jock's mouth was, "Wow, you're hot." Jeff wanted to slap Super Jock up side his thick head.

Reana's curfew was pushed back to midnight for that night and Jeff was up waiting for her as twelve a.m. turned to twelve: fifteen a.m., then twelve: thirty a.m. Jeff knew the prom was over at eleven and it wasn't like Reana not to call if she was running late. So when the phone rang after one a.m., Jeff leapt for it. It was Reana and something was very wrong, he heard it in her voice, in the way she begged for him to come get her. She told him where she was, Super Jock dragged her to some kid's after party, and Jeff raced the whole way there, running the only two red lights in town.

The house wasn't hard to find. It was the one with teenagers throwing up on the front lawn. Jeff started screaming for Reana before he was even in the house. Once inside he grabbed the first teenager he got near and asked where Reana was.

"Reana," Jeff shook the teen, "Where's Reana."

"I think she's in the bathroom upstairs."

"Reana!" Jeff's long legs skipped two stairs at a time. The first room he entered at the top of the stairs was a mess. There had obviously been a fight in it. Then he noticed the small bloody foot prints that led out of the room to another door.

"Reana? ... Are you in there? ... It's Jeff!" No answer. He tried the door handle, but it was locked and there was blood on the handle.

Jeff broke the door in and found Reana lying unconscious on the floor next to the bathtub. He wouldn't think to call an ambulance even though a cordless phone lay on the floor beside her. He drove her to the hospital himself.

Jeff cried when a nurse and a police officer explained that Reana had been beaten and raped. But he would also be proud to learn that five foot tall, petite little Reana had fought back and fought hard. There was plenty of DNA evidence.

When Reana regained consciousness, with Jeff holding her hand, she would tell police how she went to the bathroom and came out intending to call home for Jeff to come get her because her date obviously didn't care that it was past her curfew, and she wasn't having any fun at the party. Except when she came out of the bathroom, her date, Super Jock, grabbed her from behind and dragged her kicking and screaming into the bedroom across from the bathroom. But the music was too loud, no one heard her screaming. She fought harder than they had imagined, biting, kicking, clawing and landing a few punches of her own. Yet Super Jock would finally over power her with the help of a blow to the head with a lamp that split her scalp and left her too dazed to fight back. She would be given a morning after pill, but it didn't work and her spiritual side wouldn't even let her consider an abortion.

Reana would opt to put the baby up for adoption. Jeff's goal was just to protect Reana from and minimize the damage this pregnancy could do to her. This certainly wasn't the smallest country town in America, but still small enough for one to know everybody. And even though Reana's name was never printed in the newspaper, everyone knew she was the victim. Still, Jeff went to a lot of trouble to make sure no one knew the rape had also resulted in a pregnancy.

Jeff's story was that Super Jock had beat Reana so severely, that it would take her at least a year to make a full recovery. She could take phone calls, but no surprise visits. And after the pregnancy began to show, there were no visitors. He would drive her more than an hour to the obstetrician in Capital City. The closest city, Jeff feared may still be too close. And Jeff was absolutely appalled when Super Jocks parents started proceedings to sue for custody of their unborn grandchild.

Reana was absolutely furious. They said it shouldn't go to strangers when there was biological family to love it. They didn't seem to understand that Reana didn't hate the baby, nor did she blame the baby in any way. She simply wanted what was best for the baby. She was sure in her heart and mind Super Jock's parents shouldn't have the baby. After all, look how Super Jock turned out. They had Reana considering keeping the baby just so they wouldn't have a shot at custody.

Jeff's response to Reana's consideration was, "If you want to keep the baby, I'm behind you one hundred percent. We could get married. You'ld only be my wife in name. The baby will never have to know how it was conceived. I'll be its daddy."

That was when Reana stopped calling Jeff, Uncle Jeff and started just calling him Jeff. She had taken his face in her petite little hands, smiled and for the first time kissed his lips, "Thank you, Jeff."

At that moment, Jeff saw for the first time the woman Reana had become and realized he was in love with her. Jeff told her, "There's still time to think about it before a decision needs to be made."

But a week later, fate, God, the Great Spirit, it all depends on what you believe, took things in a different direction. Six weeks prematurely, Reana went into labor and gave birth to a stillborn boy. She had to deal with her grief as well as feelings of relief, relief because she didn't have to give up her baby for adoption, and she would never wonder if he was doing well or if they loved him as much as she did. So many things she wouldn't have to worry about including Super Jock's parents possibly gaining custody. Grief because despite the awful way the baby was conceived, Reana loved him. She had looked forward to holding him and telling him she loved him.

Reana was allowed to her hold her son. They brought him to her swaddle as if nothing were wrong. And Jeff held her as she held her son, told him she loved him and they cried together. Jeff signed that he was the father, they named him together and buried him next to her parents.

Super Jock's parents even tried to protest these actions. They wanted the baby to have their last name. They wanted him named after their son, Junior Super Jock. They wanted him buried in their family plot. The judge threw their case out of court, "This young woman has suffered enough. You need to pray she never decides to sue you for emotional distress because she has a strong case. You people need to seek professional help. And I don't mean legal, I mean mental. There's certainly no question in my mind as to how your son turned out the way he did.

Leave this young woman alone. You are to have no further contact with her, not even a phone call, nothing. You haven't once stopped to consider how awful it must feel to have the parents of the man that savagely beat and raped you feel free to call you repeatedly, leave message after message on the voice mail, receive e-mail after e-mail, even show up at the front door. Well enough is enough. I don't want to see you people in my court room again. Case dismissed."

That week, a For Sale sign appeared in the front lawn of Super Jock's house. A month after that, it was sold and they were gone. Reana was glad. At Super Jock's trial, they tried to say he'ld never done anything like this before. But six previous victims had come forward. Three of whom were brave enough to testify. Their one regret, out of fear, they hadn't fought the way Reana had. To them Reana was a hero.

"Reana," Jeff calls up from the bottom of the steps, "Are you ready? If we're so much as five minutes late, Widow Johnson will be in her car to come find us."

"Coming," Reana calls grabbing her clutch purse. The look on Jeff's face causes Reana to pause half way down the stairs, "What? What? What's wrong?" she asks rechecking her strapless sundress.

It takes Jeff a moment to regain his power of speech, "Nothing. You're beautiful," putting out his hand to her.

Reana shakes her head as she takes his hand, "Let's go."

The ride to Widow Johnson's is quiet. But that's not unusual. Jeff and Reana have never made small talk with each other. It's never been necessary.

Jeff parks the jeep in front of Widow Johnson's house, right in front of the gate of her white picket fence.

Reana pauses Jeff's exit from the vehicle with a hand on his shoulder, "I'ld like to go for a walk after dinner."

Jeff responds with a simple nod. After getting out, he opens the passenger door for her and she takes his arm. One of the best things about being home for Reana is that Jeff treats her like a lady.

Widow Johnson is opening the door before they've even stepped on to the front porch. At that moment, the old woman becomes more than just Old Widow Johnson.

"Granny," Reana rushing forward to hug her former piano teacher.

"There's my girl. Oh, I've missed you so much."

"Hi, Granny," says Jeff stooping over and kissing her cheek.

Fourty-five minutes later they're still at Widow Johnson's kitchen table conversing. Reana is clearing the table.

"Now that you're home Reana," Widow Johnson sips her tea, "Are we going to resume our schedule."

"Yes, ma'am, of course," answers Reana. Jeff nods his agreement with Reana.

"Good, good," Widow Johnson pats Jeff's hand. She asks Reana,"Are you considering a master's program?"

"No, ma'am," Reana retaking her seat, "I want to start focusing more on working with hearing impaired children. I really enjoy that."

"Do you have any special activities planned for when you return to the university in the fall?"

"I'm not going back to the university," Reana reveals.

Jeff had just been sitting back quietly while Reana and Widow Johnson got reacquainted, but now he sits forward, "What? ... I'm sorry, Granny. I don't mean to interrupt, but... What do you mean you're not going back? What? Are you dropping out now with one year left? ..."

"That would be an illogical waste. Does that sound like me," ask Reana.

"No... So what in the hell are you doing," ask Jeff having trouble remaining seated.

"I've arranged to finish my degree through the university partnership program at the community college just a half hour drive to Middleville and back. This way I can remain in our home and come home to you every day."

Technically the small ranch with the grand old farm house all belong to Reana. Jeff is touched that she thinks of it as theirs, "Still, you should have consulted me. What about your scholarships?"

"My academic scholarships go with me," Reana smiles.

Jeff is calmer, but his knee is still popping up and down, "You shouldn't have made a decision like this without consulting me first. Being away from home to pursue higher education is an invaluable experience because it brings you in contact with people from all over."

"I've done that for three years," responds Reana, "and I've simply had enough."

"Yet you should have talked with me first," there's a hurt tone to Jeff's voice, "because if it's just a matter of home sickness..."

"I'm sorry. But it's not just a matter of home sickness. I know this is uncharacteristic of me, but..." a hurt tone has crept into Reana's voice.

Old Widow Johnson is smiling. She looks at Jeff, then at Reana, and back to Jeff. She takes a hand of each, brings their hands together and asks, "So when are you two kids going to tie the knot?"

Jeff and Reana stare at each other as they hold hands on Old Widow Johnson's kitchen table.

"Granny," Jeff getting to his feet without releasing Reana's hand, "we're going to go now. The jeep will be in front of the house for a while because we're going to go for a walk before we go home."

Smiling, Widow Johnson nods her understanding.

Reana lets Jeff lead her by the hand as she calls back, "See ya, Granny," and they show themselves out.

Quiet, not a word is spoken as Jeff and Reana walk down the block to the park down the street from Old Widow Johnson's house. The park is quiet because all the children have been called in for the night. A jogger passes them with a friendly wave they return. Without releasing Jeff's hand, Reana steps up some ascending vertical logs. She stops on the top of one that makes her nearly a head taller than him. So for once he's looking up into her eyes instead of the other way around. Then she pulls him into her arms. He closes his eyes as he wraps his long arms around her waist and rests his head on her ample bosoms.

Jeff can hear her heart pounding, "I'm not angry."

"Then tell me what you're feeling," request Reana. "I need to know what you see when you look at me, what you feel for me. I thought you'ld be happy to have me home. I thought you missed me the way I miss you. I love you. And I don't mean in a warm fuzzy friendly way. I mean truly, madly, deeply my heart aches and I feel sick when I'm not near you.

I know I'm no Miss Super Model. You know all five foot nothing of me, no golden blond hair, just black with brown eyes, no true blues. I know I'm not beautiful or anything like that, but I'm not that bad, am I?"

Jeff has been looking into Reana's eyes as she spoke, eyes that are close to tears and full of fears. Jeff smiles, "You don't have a clue," and she doesn't, "You simply don't know how beautiful you are. You are the most beautiful intelligent woman I know. And you have some things Miss Super Model doesn't have and can't buy: a beautiful kind loving heart and soul, and me. I love you and I want you. There, I finally said it. I love you and I want you. I've been trying to say it for over a year and I've known it much longer than that."

Jeff kisses Reana, for the first time a free, deep, unrestrained kiss. Then he explains, "First, you were simply too young and I needed to take care of you and then you needed time to recover and heal. Then it was time for you to go off to college and I wanted you to have a chance to enjoy yourself, date some guys your own age... I didn't want to move too soon and then I didn't want to be like this old fart guy..."

"You're not an old fart."

"Still, I'm twice your age. I've also been trying to deal with what Larry and Libby would say, especially Larry. Even dead, your parents are my best friends. I'm afraid they wouldn't approve, that they'ld be just irate and hostile."

"Mom said to me once," shares Reana, "'If you would be afraid or ashamed for me to know about something you're going to do, then don't do it. It's wrong.' I live by that. And this does not fall into that category. And we both know what Uncle Q would say, and Mom and Dad had the utmost respect for that man... They may have been a little unsettled or uncomfortable, but I think they would be okay with us. Beside, Uncle Q would say, 'let the dead be dead.'"

Jeff nods, "We'll go to the cemetery tomorrow and I'll make my peace with your parents. Then we'll move forward together from there."

Once they're back inside their house, Reana slips off her shoes. She clutches her shoes to her chest and looks around nervously.

"What's wrong," ask Jeff getting himself a glass of water.

"What if there are more of those bug things," ask Reana scared. "They say if you see like one cockroach, you actually have like a thousand."

"We don't know if it was a cockroach. Officially, we don't know what it was. And I think the probability there's another in the house is slim." He can tell by the look on Reana's face she's not convinced, "If you want, I'll call an exterminator in the morning."

"What about tonight," ask Reana, "What if there's one of those things under the bed or in the closet?"

Jeff shakes his head, "Alright, let's check your room."

Reana steps into her bathroom as Jeff begins checking her room. When she steps out of her bathroom, Jeff is on his hands and knees looking under her bed.

"Nothing under here but dust bunnies," says Jeff. Then he sees her bare feet. But Jeff suffers a massive brain fart when he looks up and sees Reana standing there in a little hot pink spaghetti strap nighty. He gets to his feet and attempts to say something, but nothing comes out at first. "...What ah, ah... What happened to like the oversized t-shirt and boxer shorts?"

"I thought you might like this," Reana smiling brightly as she does a little turn, "What do you think?"

Jeff opens his mouth. But again nothing comes out.

"Does this make my butt look big," says Reana doing her best Miss Super Model impressions. "Are my boobs too small for this?"

Jeff pulls his hands over his face and makes a guttural sound. He takes a deep breath, "This is so unfair. I just want to wait a little longer... If I stay a minute longer, I'll lose this fight. Goodnight." Then he kisses her forehead and walks out, leaving Reana standing there confused.

Then he walks right back in. He takes her in his arms, gives her a deep kiss, says good night again and walks back out. This time Reana hears him rush down the steps.

Reana looks at Bandit lying on the foot of her bed and ask, "What am I doing wrong? Are you the only man that wants to sleep in my bed? If I was a female French Poodle, would you think I was sexy? ... Male or female, doesn't matter as long as it's French Poodle. That was way too much information. I didn't need to know that. And you talk too much?"

It took a while, but Reana is finally sound asleep.

Whump!

Reana stirs in her sleep.

Whump! Whump!

Reana sits up startled with her eyes wide open. "Bandit? ... Is that you boy?" His tail thumps the bed.

Whump!

"What the..." Reana realizing the noise is something hitting one of her windows. She knows it isn't a tree branch. None of the grand old trees that shade the house are close enough for a branch to touch a window. She gets out of bed to investigate. Cautiously, she touches the glass as she looks out and doesn't see anything unusual.

Whump! Whump! Directly in front of Reana's round tan face. She stumbles backward startled.

Whump! Whump! This time on a different window.

"Oh, screw this," says Reana scared.

Whump! Whump!

Reana runs from her room, down the stairs, through the living and dining room, and into Jeff's room. She dives over Jeff. The impact of her body on the bed startles Jeff awake.

"Jeff, it's just me."

"Reana? ... What is it? What's wrong?"

"Something's hitting my windows."

"It's probably a tree branch," Jeff's sleepy mind not functioning fully.

"No," Reana shakes Jeff's arm and reminds him, "None of the trees are close enough and it's not the same window over and over."

Jeff can see Reana's frightened.

"When I looked out one of my windows," Reana informs Jeff, "I didn't see anything unusual. But like I said, it wasn't at the same window every time."

Jeff sits up, "I'll have a look around myself." Then he trudges out of the bedroom to have a look around the house and peep out the windows.

Jeff has a look around upstairs, three bedrooms and two baths. Reana's room is the master bedroom with its own bath and walk in closet. She took it over about a year after the car accident that took her parents yet spared her. She only had a minor concussion, bruises and a strained ankle. The smallest bedroom is now their study with two desk, two computers, book shelves of encyclopedias, text books, National Geographics and Libby's old easel sits next to Reana's desk. Libby had used this room as her art studio and for a moment Jeff sees as it was.

The third bedroom was Reana's original bedroom. Now it's their guestroom, not that they get over night guest often.

Whump!

Jeff hears it. He looks out the guestroom's windows. But as with everything else, he can't find anything wrong. He doesn't see anything, but something is staring at his bare feet from under the guestroom bed.

On his way back to his room, Jeff pauses to look at Bandit who is now on the couch, "You're the worst watch dog ever."

Jeff starts talking to Reana before he's actually in the room, "Honey, I think I heard that noise, but I don't know what's causing it..." A brain fart set in when he sees Reana sitting on his bed with her knees pulled up wearing that little hot pink nighty.

Jeff coughs, "Full moon helps, but ah ... it's still too dark too ah ... see properly."

The moon light spilling through the window has fallen across Reana's eyes, "I didn't really expect you to find anything," she says.

As Jeff sits on the edge of the bed, he is suddenly aware that all he's wearing is boxer shorts, "I'll have another look around in the morning."

As he lies down, Reana slides up against Jeff. He automatically puts his arm around her and she rests her head on his chest.

Jeff is nervous. This isn't the first time Reana has been in his bed with him. But before there was an unseen barrier between them, back when she was still too young, when she was still his ward and he was her guardian, her protector. Now, the barrier is gone. She's a twenty-one year old woman, his intellectual equal. She stopped being his ward when she turned eighteen. And martial arts training enabled her to become her own protector. Despite her spending most of the last three years away at the university, they've only grown closer. They called each other almost daily while she's away. Now, they've finally told each other what they feel for each other.

"Jeff?"

"Yeah ..."

"Is something wrong?"

"No, no ... Why?"

"You seem tense. Do you want me to leave?"

Jeff's lifts Reana's face to see her eyes. He can see that even though she offered to go, she doesn't want to. And that's not what he wants either, "No, stay."

Reana's face brightens, and Jeff just can't fight it anymore. He makes love with Reana for the first time. For Reana, the experience is better than she imagined. Reana has dated, but never made a connection to any of the guys she dated. Guys her own age don't know how to treat a woman like a lady. Treating a woman like a lady has become a lost art. Jeff, without even trying, ruined any other man's chances with Reana just by being himself with Reana.

For Jeff, none of his previous experiences compare to being with Reana. He found being with Reana completed him in a way he hadn't expected.