Baby Love (Baby #2)(110)

"Why give those to my mother? They had belonged to your grandmother. Wouldn't you have wanted Olivia to have them?"

"Tylar for the brief period of time that I had the privilege of knowing Marley I knew immediately that she was an 'old soul'."

"The jewelry was old and charming; it doesn't have significant monetary value but it was something treasured by me because it was my grandmother's. She had raised us after our parents were killed in a boating accident. I was just five years old. The jewelry reminded me of the person that had raised and protected me until I reached adult age. I wanted that for Marley."

"Dad - that brings me to another question. In Mom's diary notebook it mentions the day that you stopped by her house to give her the jewelry boxes and tell her good-bye. She mentioned that you had words with Matthew; she mentioned that he stopped threatening her after that."

"Oh that," he replied. "I put the fear in him. I told him that I knew he was running prostitutes including his own sister. I told him that I had given Marley my protection. That she had a means of notifying me should he ever decide to try and put her to work like he had attempted to do the night of my bachelor's party. I also told him that I had hired someone to watch her and that I would know if he reverted back to his old behavior with respect to her."

"That was kind of brilliant," I conceded.

His face looked pained.

"If only I had really done it rather than simply alluding to it. She may be alive today."

My dad was clearly anguished by the thought that he could have or should have done more. But frankly, who would have thought that Matthew was the sociopath it appeared he had been. How had he managed to stay underneath the radar for all of these years? Did he still make his living as a pimp? It appeared that Matthew had graduated to much more lucrative schemes.

Just then our quiet reverie was broken by Preston. Her face was smeared with soggy graham cracker crumbs. She was looking over at me saying, "Num-num, num-num."

She was squirming in dad's arms reaching for me.

"I'm not sure what it is she requires," my father said, handing her off to me.

I blushed taking her from him and feeling her fingers tugging at my shirt.

"She wants to be fed," I said. "I still nurse a couple of times each day."

"Of course darling," he said. "Let me give you your privacy unless you would be more comfortable upstairs in your suite."

I thought about Ms. Deeny, his nosey housekeeper. I truly hoped she was not one in the same with the 'nanny' he had told Trey would be at my disposal.

"I think I will go to the suite and nurse her. She probably needs changing before I put her down for her afternoon nap."

"Of course. Do you want to rest up as well?"

I actually was tired. The going-away f*ckfest that Trey and I had enjoyed the night before had left me less than rested sleep-wise.

"That sounds wonderful to me dad. I think I will rest with her as well. I will see you at dinner then."

"We will be eating around six. Enjoy your nap."

I took Preston to our suite and washed her face off. I changed her diaper and put her in a jogging outfit for comfort. I set the alarm clock that was on the nightstand next to the bed for 5:30.

Preston and I settled back on the ornate canopy bed. I unbuttoned my blouse letting her get situated on her side curled up next to me. She latched onto my breast and I felt the gentle sucking as she began nursing. It was as soothing to me as it was to her. I pulled the comforter up around us and we both fell asleep.

I dreamt of my mother for the first time ever. Reading her notes and being around my father had conjured her up in my subconscious. I could now picture her and what she had looked like. Maggie of course had never kept a picture of her around since she was posing as my natural mother for all of those years. I had the impression that my mother and Maggie did not resemble each other all that much physically or morally. For that I was very thankful.

It had only seemed like moments had passed before the alarm clock on the nightstand went off. Preston was still dozing peacefully next to me. I moved quietly from the bed letting her sleep.

I went into the bathroom and washed my face and re-applied my make-up. I brushed my teeth and brushed the tangles from my hair. I changed into a pair of dress slacks and blouse for dinner. I had no clue as to how formal my dad rolled at his estate.

Preston was stirring as I returned to the bedroom. I scooped her up and she rubbed her eyes with her hands and yawned.

"Hey baby girl, did you have a nice nap?"

She smiled but was squirming uncomfortably in my arms.

"Does somebody need a diaper change?"

I placed a towel on top of the bed and got a disposable diaper from the box, along with the baby wipes from my carry-on. I removed her soiled diaper and cleaned her up, putting a clean diaper on her. I took my brush and ran it through her baby locks getting rid of her 'bed head.'

"There," I said smiling at her. "Preston looks beautiful."

I got a jar of her pureed chicken and yams along with a jar of pureed peaches from my carry-on taking them downstairs with us.

My father came across the massive hallway as he heard us coming down the stairs. He immediately took Preston from me as we went to the formal dining room.

"Oh shoot," I said as he was seating me, "I need to go back up to our room to get a bib and her baby spoon for her.