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Chapter 55: NEW FACE, Part 2
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Beast Chapter 56: INLAWS
The family reunion had been pushed back to allow Christopher's bandages time to be removed. But Uncle Ray was anxious to get it underway while all of the school age children were off for summer break, so the weekend after next was designated family reunion time. But before Ashleigh could even think about joining Christopher at his family gathering she knew that she had to rectify her own wrong in not formally introducing Christopher to her family. So on Saturday Ashleigh made plans for her own mini-family gathering. Her father wasn't able to fly back up so soon after returning to Florida but invited them down to spend a few days, an invitation that they readily accepted. Ashleigh's mom, having just made the trip, was unable to come back up but promised to return at Christmas, which just left her two sisters and their families. Ashleigh decided on Buca di Beppos for a family style dinner. Christopher didn't understand why she didn't want to have dinner at the house. He was willing to
Beast Chapter 57: FAMILY REUNION, Part 1
Christopher stood and reached in his back pocket for his wallet while everyone stopped eating and talking to look at him. "Please excuse us but Ashleigh's not feeling well. The food just isn't sitting well with her." He tossed two hundred dollars on the table. "Please have desert on us." Ashleigh stood up and waved because she didn't trust herself to open her mouth. Everyone rushed to tell her goodbye and to make false promises to call and to get together soon."Pleasure meeting you," Christopher lied, and then they left. He put his arm around her when they were outside and felt her relax."I understand. I understand everything completely. Do we have to invite them to our wedding?" he asked, half joking.She shook her head. "Hell no. I don't owe them anything." She thought about how her sister, Darlene, hadn't even thought to invite her to her party. "Besides, they are probably sitting in there already talking about me like a dog." And they were.They were halfway home when Ashleig
Beast Chapter 58: FAMILY REUNION, Part 2
Ashleigh met Christopher's other two siblings who lived out of state; a brother Gregory and his wife and children and another sister. She was nothing like Alma and she immediately hugged Ashleigh and exclaimed that mom and dad loved her. Her name was Beverly, she was single, spirited and had more freckles on her face than anybody she'd ever seen. Mr. and Mrs. Jameson arrived later that evening. Butch had driven and he gave her a hug that made her feel more welcomed than anything else. Mr. Jameson was tired from the trip so they got him fed and he lay down to rest in one of the bedrooms designated for him and Mrs. Jameson.They had a fish fry with corn on the cob from a neighboring farm. There was corn pudding and corn fritters. Christopher explained that corn and potatoes would play a huge part in their meals since Uncle Ray could get them free. But in addition there would be all kinds of farm fresh vegetables. Everything was delicious and Christopher didn't bat an eye when she pile
Beast Chapter 59: FAMILY REUNION, Part 3
The next morning Ashleigh was up well before Christopher, her grumbling belly sending her into the kitchen for something to snack on before breakfast.Several ladies were already awake, including Mrs. Jameson. They were slicing potatoes and onions for home fries. Uncle Ray gave her a quick good morning before heading out to supervise the whole pig that was going into the ground to roast. Yum, a pig roast. "What can I help with?""Good morning dear." Mrs. Jameson gave her a broad smile. "Here have a danish." She said while passing her a fresh baked danish still warm from the oven. She accepted it gratefully. Aww, why couldn't Mrs. Jameson be her mom? Well…then Christopher would have been her brother. She decided that having her as a mother-in-law was the next best thing."Thank you Mrs. Jameson.""Honey, you are going to have to call me Edith if you don't want to call me mom."She blushed and bit into her delicious pastry. "This is good mom. Did you bake it?""No Barbara Annette
Beast Chapter 60: FRIENDS, FAMILY AND HOME
"Daddy daddy daddy!" yelled the little girl as she dashed on tiny legs through the cemetery. Christopher Jameson looked up from where he was playing his guitar. A smile fell across his face, replacing the look of sadness that had been there a moment before. He carefully moved the guitar behind his back just in time to catch his little girl as she flung herself into his arms. "Hey Princess. Where's Mommy?"The three year old pointed behind her. "Mommy's there!" she said in the highest pitched voice imaginable. Christopher grinned wider. One day his little girl might be an opera singer and break wine glasses with that voice.Ashleigh waddled toward them. Her stomach was swollen and so were her ankles. She was ready to pop. The baby was due in less than two weeks but if she managed two more days it would be a miracle. Still, she had the biggest grin on her face as she ambled towards them. Christopher stood and sat the little girl on her feet. "Go say hi to everybody and then we got
Beast Chapter 1: FLUFFY GIRL
Ashleigh prayed that her face stayed as impassive as Miss Celie's face in The Color Purple after Mister smacked her for daydreaming about her sister in Africa. She felt like Celie…like if she had a straight razor in her hand right now DeAngelo would be one second from lying on the floor dead. Not that DeAngelo had ever put his hands on her in that way. But what he'd just done was oh so much worse. Her heart couldn't even beat normally; it felt like a huge invisible fist had reached into her chest and had a grip on her. Maybe she would just die and that would solve everything."I'm so sorry, baby. I know that you hate me right now."? He watched her, probably waiting for her to default to the Ashleigh that he knew so well; the one that would melt when he flashed that perfect smile, or who clung to his arm in pride because he was so fine that sometimes just looking at him caused her entire body to ache—because he was her man, Ashleigh Marie Dalton; the girl that people described as prett
Beast Chapter 2: YOU'RE JUST NOT GOOD ENOUGH
She kicked off her pumps at the door and put everything on her dining room table. She was proud of her two-bedroom condo. She had always hoped that it would be her and DeAngelo's…she grimaced and was preparing to strip out of her suit and put on a t-shirt and sweatpants when the phone rang. For a brief second her heart leaped in anticipation—and then dread. He had called her once, but it was to return some clothes of hers that she'd left at his apartment. She knew that he lingered, hoping that she would invite him in; into her home, into her bed, back into her life, but he'd honestly hurt her too bad for her to forgive him. And she'd taken her belongings and closed the door after a brief thank you. She had been strong that day. She didn't know if she would be as strong the next time."Hello?" She said breathlessly as she'd had to hurry into her pants and then to the phone."Ash? Are you exercising?"It was Lance. "Hell no!""Well why are you breathing so hard?""Um…so I can live
Beast Chapter 3: SHALLOW
Lance spotted her first as she entered the dimly lit club and he waved her over to where they were waiting just inside the main entrance. Her eyes didn't know what to take in first. Certainly she'd seen her friends dressed for a night out on the town, but Lance and Kendra both looked really hot and sophisticated, not to mention Kendra's husband Jeffery. He was an athlete turned business owner. He had several properties that he rented out for commercial use. He and Kendra both had deep mocha complexions with exotic looks like they'd come over from the Caribbean. Lance was extremely good-looking and never had trouble getting men…just keeping them. But her eyes were riveted to the two men that watched her approach. Her eyes met those of a man so gorgeous that he almost made DeAngelo look like dog food. Kendra knew just what she liked. He had to have been over six feet with muscles that were evident even beneath his expensive yet casual jacket. He was dark; so dark that she could only th
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Beast Chapter 60: FRIENDS, FAMILY AND HOME
"Daddy daddy daddy!" yelled the little girl as she dashed on tiny legs through the cemetery. Christopher Jameson looked up from where he was playing his guitar. A smile fell across his face, replacing the look of sadness that had been there a moment before. He carefully moved the guitar behind his back just in time to catch his little girl as she flung herself into his arms. "Hey Princess. Where's Mommy?"The three year old pointed behind her. "Mommy's there!" she said in the highest pitched voice imaginable. Christopher grinned wider. One day his little girl might be an opera singer and break wine glasses with that voice.Ashleigh waddled toward them. Her stomach was swollen and so were her ankles. She was ready to pop. The baby was due in less than two weeks but if she managed two more days it would be a miracle. Still, she had the biggest grin on her face as she ambled towards them. Christopher stood and sat the little girl on her feet. "Go say hi to everybody and then we got
Beast Chapter 59: FAMILY REUNION, Part 3
The next morning Ashleigh was up well before Christopher, her grumbling belly sending her into the kitchen for something to snack on before breakfast.Several ladies were already awake, including Mrs. Jameson. They were slicing potatoes and onions for home fries. Uncle Ray gave her a quick good morning before heading out to supervise the whole pig that was going into the ground to roast. Yum, a pig roast. "What can I help with?""Good morning dear." Mrs. Jameson gave her a broad smile. "Here have a danish." She said while passing her a fresh baked danish still warm from the oven. She accepted it gratefully. Aww, why couldn't Mrs. Jameson be her mom? Well…then Christopher would have been her brother. She decided that having her as a mother-in-law was the next best thing."Thank you Mrs. Jameson.""Honey, you are going to have to call me Edith if you don't want to call me mom."She blushed and bit into her delicious pastry. "This is good mom. Did you bake it?""No Barbara Annette
Beast Chapter 58: FAMILY REUNION, Part 2
Ashleigh met Christopher's other two siblings who lived out of state; a brother Gregory and his wife and children and another sister. She was nothing like Alma and she immediately hugged Ashleigh and exclaimed that mom and dad loved her. Her name was Beverly, she was single, spirited and had more freckles on her face than anybody she'd ever seen. Mr. and Mrs. Jameson arrived later that evening. Butch had driven and he gave her a hug that made her feel more welcomed than anything else. Mr. Jameson was tired from the trip so they got him fed and he lay down to rest in one of the bedrooms designated for him and Mrs. Jameson.They had a fish fry with corn on the cob from a neighboring farm. There was corn pudding and corn fritters. Christopher explained that corn and potatoes would play a huge part in their meals since Uncle Ray could get them free. But in addition there would be all kinds of farm fresh vegetables. Everything was delicious and Christopher didn't bat an eye when she pile
Beast Chapter 57: FAMILY REUNION, Part 1
Christopher stood and reached in his back pocket for his wallet while everyone stopped eating and talking to look at him. "Please excuse us but Ashleigh's not feeling well. The food just isn't sitting well with her." He tossed two hundred dollars on the table. "Please have desert on us." Ashleigh stood up and waved because she didn't trust herself to open her mouth. Everyone rushed to tell her goodbye and to make false promises to call and to get together soon."Pleasure meeting you," Christopher lied, and then they left. He put his arm around her when they were outside and felt her relax."I understand. I understand everything completely. Do we have to invite them to our wedding?" he asked, half joking.She shook her head. "Hell no. I don't owe them anything." She thought about how her sister, Darlene, hadn't even thought to invite her to her party. "Besides, they are probably sitting in there already talking about me like a dog." And they were.They were halfway home when Ashleig
Beast Chapter 56: INLAWS
The family reunion had been pushed back to allow Christopher's bandages time to be removed. But Uncle Ray was anxious to get it underway while all of the school age children were off for summer break, so the weekend after next was designated family reunion time. But before Ashleigh could even think about joining Christopher at his family gathering she knew that she had to rectify her own wrong in not formally introducing Christopher to her family. So on Saturday Ashleigh made plans for her own mini-family gathering. Her father wasn't able to fly back up so soon after returning to Florida but invited them down to spend a few days, an invitation that they readily accepted. Ashleigh's mom, having just made the trip, was unable to come back up but promised to return at Christmas, which just left her two sisters and their families. Ashleigh decided on Buca di Beppos for a family style dinner. Christopher didn't understand why she didn't want to have dinner at the house. He was willing to
Beast Chapter 55: NEW FACE, Part 2
Sharing his face with his family was like watching each of them open a valued present at Christmas. Christopher never realized how much his scars had so profoundly affected everyone until every single person that had come to his mom and dad's house cried tears of joy for him. His mother was shaking and she kept touching his face. His father shed tears as well, but mostly because he thought Chris was Walt. And he kept saying that he knew Walt wasn't dead, that his boy had come back. Christopher just buried his head against his father's chest and let him think that he was Walt.By the time they got home later in the evening, Christopher was emotionally drained. He dragged himself into bed but Ashleigh wasn't ready for sleep. She changed into shorts and a sports bra and then went into the workout room. Maggie yawned and hopped up on the weight bench and watched as Ashleigh got on the treadmill. It had been days since she had run but once the endorphins released into her system, she got l
Beast Chapter 54: NEW FACE, Part 1
Ashleigh slipped her hand in his as they walked out of the medical facility. She glanced at him and considered how wrong it was that she so desperately wanted to make love. Why did it feel a little bit like she was cheating on him? Would he be jealous if she…liked his face?Two women walked past them as they walked hand and hand to the car and both began squealing and giggling. They looked behind them and Ashleigh saw that the two grown women were almost tripping over their feet craning their necks to look at Christopher."He is so hot!" They were whispering and giggling. Ashleigh rolled her eyes and Christopher looked at her in surprise."Did you hear that? They said I was hot?""Baby," she heard herself whine. "Didn't I always make you feel like you were hot?" Crap, she hated the sound of insecurity in her voice. This was not a repeat of DeAngelo. Christopher wasn't waiting to bang every good-looking girl that passed him by. Christopher didn't want her to be his fluffy girl and s
Beast Chapter 53: UNWRAPPED
Several days later, as they drove down to Ft. Campbell Kentucky to have the last of the bandages removed, Ashleigh intertwined her fingers with his. She was scared, she didn't know what to expect. All she knew was that no matter what she would love him.They held hands as they headed for Dr. Singh's office and Ashleigh felt his grip tighten a bit. She knew that Chris was nervous and she gave his hand a reassuring squeeze. Dr. Singh didn't make them wait and they were surprised that a webcam was set up directly to Dr. Weitz's office. There were also several other doctors in attendance and Christopher was informed that he would be the subject of an article on severe cleft palates in adults.His response was an embarrassed shrug. "I never liked getting my picture taken but if it'll help others." Ashleigh noted that his country drawl was more pronounced and she had to fight not to run up to him and throw herself into his arms. Maybe she was a perv but she had grown accustomed to seeing h
Beast Chapter 52: SURPRISE VISIT
?Christopher surprised everyone when he entered the room a few hours later, totally unannounced. There were several offices in one room and when one of the ladies saw the giant bandaged man she shrieked and dropped the file that she was carrying and sent papers scattering along the floor.Christopher bent to help her pick them up and she gave him an embarrassed chuckle and apology. "Not a problem, ma'am." He said politely while handing her the papers. "Can you tell me where Miss Dalton's office is?"The woman pointed down a short corridor. He nodded and headed for Ashleigh's office. He passed Lance's first. He was leaned back in his chair and talking on the phone. He gasped when he saw Christopher and a big smile spread across his face. "Let me call you back, Gloria. Yeah, promise." He hung up the phone and hurried to greet Christopher, who held up his finger to indicate he not mention his presence. Lance nodded and followed him to Ashleigh's office. They passed Kendra's office. Sh
