Untitled
#1 of "Untitled"
Prologue
The moon eased its way over the top of the pines, shining its waning light down upon the valley. The snow upon the tree tops glisten and sparkle in the pale light, while that upon the ground lays in long, shadowy darkness. A gentle breeze rustles leafless limbs and snow clumped pines, sending a chorus of delicate forest music trailing along with the wind. A doe and her fawn walk undetected in the flurry leaving the tiniest of marks in the untouched snow; they pause as the sound of snowfall from a branch thuds onto the ground.
Far away from the doe and her fawn, is a tiny house with unlit windows and a rickety screen door swaying slightly in the gentle breeze. Inside the house was the soft hum of a thousand night-time noises; the creaking as the house settled down onto its foundations, a mild snore from one of the rooms in the house, and the placid sounds of the people's slow and steady breathing as the slumbered, dreaming of things to come.
From upstairs the squeaking of floorboards can be heard along with the scuffling of movement; groaning of the stairs as someone eases down them. Appearing in front of a window in which moonlight pouring into is a girl; a tiny girl with big green eyes and hip length black hair. Her tan skin darkens slightly in the wane light as she peers out the window into the night surrounding her house. She tip-toes into another room and peers into a bedroom; there, a woman and man lay asleep in a large wooden bed. The girl turns and tip-toes back to the window, grabbing a thin housecoat on her way. There is a small click sound as the latch on the door unhitches, she pushes the door open as quietly as possible; slipping on a small, worn out pair of shoes on her way out. She gently closes the door behind her and proceeds to walk out on the flurry covered porch. She walks to the end of the porch and sits on the steps, peering out into the darkness; watching for any signs of movement. Suddenly, from a far pine tree emerges a large black wolf. She watches the creature intently as he slowly gets closer to her, seemingly unaware that she is even there. The wolf looks up and catches her eye, the blue of his piercing through her, sending shivers up her spine and making her breath catch. In the far off distance howling can be heard; the black wolf rears its head and howls in return and runs back into the trees.
As the sun begins to ease its way over the horizon the girl gets up, stretches, and goes back inside to bed. The house is still quiet as she goes up the stairs and back into her bedroom. She peeks into the crib on the far end of the room; a small baby boy lays there sleeping. She then goes over to her bed and slips under the covers and lays her head back on the pillow. As her eyes become too heavy for her to hold open any longer, she begins to hear movement down in the kitchen.
Chapter 1
She awakes to the sound of pots and pans clanging downstairs and a fussing baby. She sits up, rubs the sleep from her eyes and stretches; she gets up and begins to get dressed just as someone yells for her from downstairs, "Whisper!" The voice was that of a woman, a small voice that seemed to echo through the entirety of the small house. Whisper sighs and walks over to the crib. The small baby boy with bright, green eyes and black peach-fuzz hair stands holding onto the railing. She smiles and coos at the baby and carries him downstairs for breakfast.
She descends the stairs and enters a small living room. The room is filled with furniture; a wooden couch with pale yellow cushions sit in front of a large window by the door, a matching armchair sits beside it facing the stairs. A worn wooden coffee table sits in front of the couch and chair, toys slightly cluttering the top of the table. A small toy chest sits on the adjacent wall beside a large floor t.v. On another wall was a small bookcase filled to the brim with books. In the far corner of the room is a large pine Christmas tree, beautifully decorated with strung popcorn and pine cones and other homemade decorations.
Whisper sighs contently at the sight and proceeds into the kitchen, where a small dark haired woman and man are making breakfast. The kitchen is small but rather spacious and uncluttered. Glass door wall and floor cabinets line the kitchen by the sink, stove and refrigerator; beside the fridge is a wooden door that leads to another bedroom. An oval kitchen table with four chairs and a high chair sits against the far wall of the kitchen.
The woman turns around at the sound of the baby cooing and smiles at him, then returns to what she was doing. The woman is small and petite with light hazel eyes and dark brown hair. The man turns from the sink and waves his dish towel lovingly at the two. He's a tall man with broad shoulders and long black hair braided down his back, his eyes the color of emeralds. "It's bout time you got up and brought Noah down here for breakfast." the dark haired woman said with a slight southern drawl.
"Sorry Mama, I had trouble sleeping last night. Good morning Daddy" Whisper said as she kissed her father on the cheek. Whisper goes over to Noah's chair and sits him in it, giving his messy hair a loving rub. Her father, still at the sink turns around drying his hands on the dish towel. He grabs four plates and brings them to the table, along with silverware.
"Will you set the table honey?" he asks as he turns around, makes a silly face at Noah and heads back over to help Whisper's mother. She sets the table and helps set up for breakfast before sitting down to eat. "I heard you go outside again last night, Whisper, maybe that is why you didn't sleep well." her father said before taking a drink of his orange juice.
" I couldn't sleep, so I went outside and sat on the front porch" she replied as she handed Noah his juice cup
"You go outside every night though, are you becoming nocturnal or something Whisper?" he said as he pushed his empty plate away and leaned against his elbows and forearms.
"I like to sit outside at night. It is the only time during the day when the world really feels peaceful" Whisper said laughing and finishing off her toast.
"I understand honey but you can get very sick or carried off like a stray field mouse" he continues as he gets up and takes his dishes to the sink, " we lock that door every night for a reason Whisper-dear. It's not as if we don't trust you or anything, we just don't want something bad to happen to you or Noah."
The conversation ended and the family prepared to head into town. Whisper took Noah upstairs and got him cleaned up, got the syrup out of his hair and got the sticky off his hands and face. As they were heading back downstairs to get their coats and winter boots on, Noah became fussy. Whisper struggled for several minutes to get Noah's boots on him, but she had very little luck.
"Come on baby, we gotta go into town so we can get stuff for the holiday dinner. Maybe mommy can ask pappy to get some candy for a good little boy..." she says, loud enough for her father to hear. Noah stops his crying, little, salty tears still streaking their way down his red cheeks. Whisper's father turns around and looks quizzically at the two sitting on the couch.
"Oh, really now...gonna ask Pappy for some candy, huh?" he smiles at them and begins to chuckle slightly.
Whisper looks up at her father and smiles, "Well...will you? Please...for Noah???" she smiles wider and whispers something into her son's tiny ear.
"Pwease Pappy, I want some sweeties..." Noah looks up at his grandfather pleadingly, his big green eyes still blood shot from crying. Whisper's father looks down into his grandson's pleading eyes and his body seems to soften.
"Oh, look at those eyes, Nathan..." said Whisper's mother, who had overheard everything and was also looking down at her grandson.
"I know, Anne...oh, alright. We will get some candy, but only for the good little boys on this trip." Nathan said.
Noah began to smile and clapping his small hands together at the idea of getting "sweeties". His adorable little banter got everyone laughing and smiling, ready to begin the day out happy-go-lucky.
Chapter 2
The scenic car ride into town was a forty-five minute to an hour long trip. The road was winding and bumpy, and rather slick because of the recent snowfall. The road into town was a beautiful sight to see; the trees were growing out over the road, making an archway of shadows for long intervals. The snow that covers the branches gives everything the appearance of being innocent and clean. As they got closer to town, they drove beside a river that the townsfolk called "Cherry Bend", for the town was called "Cherry" and the river began to bend as it flowed away from the town. As they drove along side the frozen river, Whisper watched as some of the town's children and their families skated on the ice, gliding gracefully to and fro; couples and children skating hand in hand. She smiled contently and looked away as they neared town.
As he drove, Nathan watched out for townsfolk as they completed their last minute holiday shopping. They pulled into a parking spot in front of the local general store and got out, people greeting them merrily and starting small conversations that were long overdue. Whisper smiled at them all as she unbuckled Noah from his booster seat.
"Whisper?" a voice called out from behind her. Startled, Whisper turned and searched for the voice calling out to her. Upon spotting him, a warm and happy smile spread across her face; then she walked briskly over to greet her friend.
"Wow, hi! It's been a long time, how have you been?" Whisper said as she hugged her friend around Noah.
"I've been pretty good actually, how bout you? Oh goodness, Noah sure has gotten big." the man said as he smiled and waved at Noah. Noah hid his little face shyly and held onto his mommy's coat. Whisper giggled and reassured him that he was a "good guy".
"So how is everything Asher? Better since the last we spoke, I hope" Whisper asked as she pulled Noah's hood up to brace him from the nippy air.
"Yes, much better" Asher chuckled, "I went over to Charlotte a couple weeks ago on business and I saw an old "friend" of ours." Asher enunciated "friend" like it was a filthy word and smirked at Whisper.
Whisper let out a small gasp and rolled her eyes at the realization of his words. Charlotte was a much larger city than Cherry was and about two hours away. Charlotte was a city for those who have money...a LOT of it; it was crowded with big department stores and large, luxurious townhouses, and long cobblestone streets.
"Really?! He lives in Charlotte now? He always said he would live like the high risers someday." Whisper said with a slight nervous giggle.
"Yea. He saw me in a coffee house and we got to talking. He asked a lot of questions about you, but got really irked when I told him that I hadn't seen you in a while." Asher said while waving to someone who had called out to him, "It was nice to see you again Whisper, but I gotta get going. I still got to get my Mom's gift and I have no idea what to get. " he said with a loud hearty laugh.
Whisper laughs, "alright Asher, it was nice to see you and I hope you have a wonderful holiday. Tell your mom I said 'hello'." They give each other a quick hug good-bye. As Asher is about to get into his car, Whisper calls out to him, "he doesn't know about Noah, Asher. I never told him and I would like it if it stayed that way, please." Whisper said pleadingly.
Asher smiled from over the roof of his car, "I promise Whisper, I won't breathe a word of it to him if I see him again. Good-bye Whisper, it was really great to see you." he got in his car and started it up.
Whisper waved as he drove away, then headed into the general store. It was small and very crowded, with large plastic buckets filled with candy and small $1 toys; shelves lined the walls, floor to ceiling, were stocked with snack cakes and candy and cheap home decor. In the back are racks with clothing on them and more shelves with movies and board games, and toys for little children. There was an elderly man standing behind the counter; he was slightly hunched over with thinning grey hair and wire-frame glasses. He smiled and waved kindly at the family and told Noah that he could have any one toy from the buckets; Noah smiled and hurried over to a bright yellow bucket and got his grandmother's help to look over the side and choose a toy. Nathan and Whisper snuck off in the meantime to pick out Noah and Anne's gifts; and after they quickly rang them up, Whisper ran the bags out to the car. Noah picked out his candy and did a little dance in front of the counter. As Whisper took Noah out to the car to place him in his seat, Nathan and Anne did some quick last minute shopping.
On the way home, Noah dozed off with his candy in his lap. The silence of the ride was placid and peaceful; the scenery going by in a blur of white and brown. They pulled up beside the small house and hurried in as the beginning of a snow storm was blowing in. Whisper kissed her son's check and placed him in his favorite napping spot in the armchair. The silence in the house around the family was thick and stuffy. Anne had gone in the begin supper, Nathan was flipping through the channels on the t.v., and Whisper was curled up on the floor with her book.
"Saw you outside talking to Asher today, how is he doing?" Nathan asked turning the t.v. off and picking up his paper.
Whisper jolted slightly as she was deeply drawn into her book and hadn't expected anyone to say anything. She looked up at her father, his words didn't click with her immediately since she was so deeply enthralled in her book, "huh? Oh, yeah! He said that everything is going great and that he was fine." Whisper said as soon as everything clicked.
"Well, that's great. Hope his mom is doing alright, last time i talked to Asher his mom wasn't doing very well." he said, folding the paper up and laying it in his lap.
"He didn't say anything about how his mom was but he did mention going up to Charlotte a few weeks ago." she sat up and placed her marker in her book, setting it aside.
"Really? Why did he go all the way up there?" Nathan leaned forward and set the paper on the coffee table. Anne came in from the kitchen, wiping her hands on her apron, and sat down on the arm of the couch. Nathan looked up and smiled at his wife, he wrapped his arm around her thin waist.
"Well, supposedly he saw Daniel while he was there on business. Says that he lives there now and that Daniel was asking a lot of questions about me." she said while getting up and going to check on the sleeping Noah. Whisper looked down upon her son as he slept and stroked his hair. Her parents looked at each other and exchanged a knowing, worried glance. Whisper looked at her parents and smiled. "Don't worry, he doesn't know about Noah and Asher promised he wouldn't say anything to him if he saw him again." she said reassuringly.
"Are you sure he doesn't know? I don't want him around you or Noah," his muscles tensed up in anger. Anne felt the tension in his large arm, and patted his hand lovingly. His grip loosened and he relaxed a little bit; he looked up at his wife and kissed her shoulder. "Let's just try to forget about all this and continue to have a nice day. Let's go eat supper." said Nathan, trying to keep the conversation as light as possible.
Whisper walked over and woke Noah up. He opened his eyes and looked around the room, he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and yawned. He smiled sleepily when he caught his mommy's gaze. Whisper picked him up and gave Noah a big kiss on his little red cheek. They all headed into the kitchen to eat dinner. They ate in silence, the air thick enough to cut it with a knife; only the sound of clinking silverware and the slurping of Noah's sippy cup could be heard.
After dinner the family retired to the living room, where Noah watched his cartoons on the television and everyone spent their time watching the baby lovingly, as if they didn't want to miss a minute. The evening passed by quickly and soon it was dark outside and time for bed. Noah's little head was bobbing up and down as he fought sleep. Nathan and Anne smiled and said goodnight to Whisper, both giving her a kiss and hug. Whisper turned off the t.v. and took Noah up and got him dressed for bed. After getting him into his crib, Whisper went over and crawled into bed to attempt sleep.
Chapter 3
Whisper awoke a few hours later to the sound of Noah fussing in his sleep. She got up and went to check up on him and patted his bottom until he was back to sleeping peacefully; but soon after, she found herself unable to sleep. So Whisper slid out of her bed and placed her feet on the cold wooden floor and she tip-toed out the bedroom door. Down the creaky stairs she crept, trying to make as little noise as possible. She walked quietly into the kitchen and poured herself a glass of milk. The sound of a door opening made her jump and turn around, she looked in the direction of her parent's room.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. I can't seem to sleep though." her father says as he closes his bedroom door.
"I tried to be as quite as i could, but I guess that wasn't quiet enough." she laughed and finished off her milk.
Nathan laughed, "No, I just have super-sonic hearing. I kinda developed it after you were born." he laughed and leaned against the counter.
Whisper laughed and placed her cup in the sink, "well, I was just about to head outside to sit for a little while, you wanna come with me?" she asked as she began to head out of the kitchen.
Nathan shrugged and followed her, both of them grabbing their coats and slipping on their boots before continuing out. They walked to the end of the porch and sat on the steps. They made some small talk about how much Noah has grown and how much everyone is looking forward to the holiday. Nathan looked at his daughter and got very serious:
"Whisper, you know Noah is going to get curious one day about his father." he says as he repositions himself to look wholly at her.
"Yes, I know. I just don't like to think of it, although the thought of him asking me makes me sick to my stomach. I wouldn't know what to say and I'm afraid that I would freeze up and start bawling right in front of him." Whisper confessed, looking down at her feet in shame.
Nathan looks at his daughter and scoots closer, putting his arm around her; he kisses her head and begins to comfort her. "I know that you will think of the right thing to do when the day comes, but until that day think of it this way: if you were the one asking those questions, would you want something made up or the truth?" he asks, gently pulling her face up to look at him.
Whisper thought about what her father had said. It struck a cord in her somewhere and she began to cry. As the tears rolled down her cheeks she said to her father: "Daddy, I want to be honest with my baby boy but I don't even know where I would begin" she sucked in a breath between sobs, "I don't want him to hate his father or me, but to do that I would have to either keep it from him completely or lie to him." Whisper placed her head in her hands and sobbed quietly, big tears pooling in her palms.
"Now, now honey. I understand why you would be upset but there is no reason to cry about it because, like I said, you will know all the answers to his questions in due time" he kissed her cheek, "I'm gonna head inside back to bed, you coming or staying?"
Nathan got up with a groan and stretched. Whisper looked up and wiped her face clean of tears, she sighed deeply. "Thank you Daddy, I know that you're right. I think that I'm gonna stay out here a little while longer though." she smiled up at him, thankful for his guidance and wisdom.
Nathan smiled, "okay, darling. I'll see you in the morning then, goodnight. Don't be out here too much longer." he blew her a kiss and went inside.
Thankful to be alone for the moment she listened to sound of the night. The wind blew snow up and across the front porch, the wind chimes ringing in the dead of the night. She closed her eyes and sighed, hearing the owls hoot and take flight in the distance. She opened her eyes and looked up at the moon, full and high in the sky. A tear streaked itself down her cheek, making its way down her neck before being wiped away. The sounds of many wolves dancing in the wane light of the full moon can be heard in the distance. Whisper enjoyed sitting outside in the late hours of night, it calmed her and made her feel contented; everything was new at night, a new start on a day that didn't come until the sun began to shine over the trees. She breathed in the bitter winter air and her body shook, she hadn't realized how cold it had suddenly gotten. She stood and every inch of her shivered as she stretched and pulled her jacket closer around herself. Whisper quietly and quickly hurried up the stairs to the warmth of her bed, where she snuggled into her quilt and sighed with warm contentment. She closed her eyes and quickly drifted away into sleep.
Chapter 4
December 25th came quickly and the family celebrated with much happiness. They all awoke extra early and opened their presents and ate their special Christmas breakfast. Later in the evening, the family drove into town to look at the beautiful lights and the fireworks. Before the night was through Noah was fast asleep in his mother's arms. The festivities were quite amazing and the whole town of Cherry was ablaze with happiness as every resident, young and old, had wide smiles on their faces. As they drove up to their house the family prepared to end the day happily. Whisper got Noah out of the car, along with his goodies he got that day; his head lolled against Whisper's shoulder. Noah was dressed in his sleep clothes and placed in his crib. Whisper went back downstairs to help her mom and dad clean up from all of Noah's playing. They all made small talk as they tidied up. Nathan and Anne said goodnight and retired to their bedroom; soon Whisper did the same.
The cold days of winter came and went with little excitement. The little family flourished as the valley grew and once again became a sight of beauty, as it does every year. The snow that covered everything had melted and the buds and new leaves were forming on the trees. Everything was growing and sprouting, and the valley was coming alive again. Whisper was sitting on the front porch steps, reading and watching Noah play with his outside toys, when a grey sedan pulled up the dirt road.
"Noah, sweetie, come over here to mommy for a minute, please." she called out as she closed her book and stood to watch the car pull up.
"Hey there, Whisper!" Asher yelled out from the driver's side window as he stopped the car.
Whisper sighed happily and smiled. She walked over to the car, watching Noah play with his tricycle. "Hey there, Asher! What brings you all the way out here?" she asked as he steps out of his car. They embraced for a moment and then began to walk back over to the porch so as to watch Noah.
"Oh, I was out this way and I figured I'd stop by and say 'hello'." he said as he leaned up against the railing of the porch.
Whisper looked at him, her head cocked slightly to the left in curiosity. "What were you doing way out here?" she asks as she peeked around a post to look for Noah.
"Well, apparently someone bought some land out here and is building a house on it. I helped him load down his truck and followed him out with some more stuff." he said, shrugging slightly and stepping out of Whisper's line of sight of Noah.
They stood and watched him play for a moment, Whisper sighed contently and watched her son lovingly. She turned back to Asher: "So...what was he like?" Whisper asked.
He laughed, "somehow I had a feeling you were going to ask that." he laughed again.
She looked down and turned a bright crimson red in embarrassment. "No...I, uh...I just wanted to know what our new neighbor is going to be like. I mean, he is the only neighbor we have." she managed to stumble out, with a little giggle at the end.
Asher raised one eyebrow at Whisper and smiled mischievously. He laughed and shifted from one foot to another. "Uh, huh...sure Whisper," he laughs, "he is tall, dark, and handsome...does that help?" he laughs a hearty laugh.
Whisper, still a bright red, begins to laugh too and soon they are both laughing. They talked about old times and joked about their school days, reminiscing about their childhood. They were so caught up in their talking and laughing that they didn't notice the sun beginning to hide itself behind the trees. As the sun turned a golden yellow-orange with flares of purple, Noah yawned and it drew Whisper's attention. "What's wrong, sweetie?" she asks, looking into her son's beautiful green eyes.
"I'm sleepy, Mommy..." Noah rubs his eyes and yawns great big.
Whisper grins, "okay, let's go inside then" she picks him up and looks out at the horizon, "wow, look at how late it's gotten, Asher."
Asher looks towards the horizon as well, then looks at his wrist watch. He sighs and stretches. "Yeah, it's already almost 9 o'clock" he chuckles a little "guess time really does fly when you're having a good time" he says as he rubs the back of his head, smiling and laughing. Whisper grins and pats Noah's back softly. She sets him inside the door and tells him that she will be inside in just a few minutes. "It was great, wasn't it? We should hang out like this more often." he steps a little closer.
"Well, it's really getting late and you know how these roads get after dark" she laughs and chews on her lower lip.
"You're right. Let's just hope I don't hit a deer or a moose or something" they share a hearty laugh.
They stand there, inches away from each other. Asher looks at Whisper and smiles, then he leans in and kisses her. Her heart skips a beat as the warmth of his lips seep into hers; his lips, so soft and supple. The kiss ends and he gives her a hug goodbye. "Bye Whisper. I'll come see you again soon, I promise."
She watches as he drives away from the house. As he was pulling away, an old station wagon was pulling into the gravel driveway. Asher stopped for a moment to chat, waving to them as he left. Nathan and Anne got out of the car, smiling.
"How long has Asher been here?" asked Nathan as he gathered the groceries out of the backseat.
"Not too long, he just came to visit after helping some guy move some lumber onto his plot of land close to here." Whisper said.
Anne and Nathan eye each other and begin to make their way towards the house, chuckling slightly to themselves.
"What was that look for?" Whisper asks, tapping her foot.
Nathan laughs, "nothing Whisper, just go put poor little Noah to bed, it's way past his bedtime." he chuckles and Anne chimes in:
"I have a question Whisper: just how long is 'not too long'" she asks shifting a bag.
Whisper sighs, "he was here for like two hours, Mama; and we just sat out here on the front porch talking and playing with Noah" she said as she turned to walk back into the house.
She went in and found Noah laying on the floor, sleeping. Whisper chuckled to herself and picked him up to take him up to bed. After getting him into his crib, covered and happily sleeping; she went back downstairs. Whisper heard laughing and talking from outside the house, curious, she stepped out onto the porch.
"Oh Benjamin, this is our daughter, Whisper." Nathan said waving her over to them.
"Please, call me Ben" asks Benjamin, politely. Ben was a tall, broad man with beautiful electric blue eyes. He looked over at Whisper and she nearly fainted; his eyes seemed strangely familiar but she just couldn't place them. She smiled at him shyly, feeling herself blush. He smiled at her and their gazes lingered for a moment before Nathan drew his attention back to their previous conversation.
"What's wrong, Whisper?" Anne whispered.
She was broken out of her reverie and looked over at her. "N-nothing, I just wanted to come out and say goodnight since I put Noah to sleep." she said, inching her way to the door.
Whisper had spoken too soon, for as soon as she mentioned Noah's name he began calling for her. She sighed and hurried in to get him. When she entered the room, he was standing up in his bed, holding onto the railings. He smiled and reached out for his mommy when he saw her. "Noah, honey, I thought you were asleep." she said as she lifted him out of his bed. Noah nuzzled up to his mother's shoulder, wiping away tears with the sleeve of his pajamas. Whisper sighs exasperatingly and grabs a blanket out of his bed to wrap around him. They head back downstairs and outside; everyone looks as they hear a tiny sneeze and the door open.
Anne smiles and giggles softly, "well bless you big boy" she says as she reaches for him. He smiles and stretches his little arms out for his grandma. Ben seems to perk up when he sees Noah and becomes very interested in the little boy.
"Is this your son, Anne?" he says as he tries to get Noah's attention.
Anne began to laugh, "no, Whisper is my only child. This handsome little man," she says, tickling the baby, "is my grandson, Noah."
"He's yours Whisper?" Ben says, his head tilted slightly to the left
Whisper feels herself blush a little, "yes he's mine" she looks admiringly at Noah, who was leaning against his grandma and sucking on his pacifier.
Ben smiles and looks from Noah to Whisper, then back to Noah. "He looks like you" he smiles at her, "he has you eyes and hair, and your face."
Whisper looks at him and smiles, "you really think so? Sometimes I see his father when I look at him, but it makes me happy to hear someone say that he looks like me. Thank you," she smiles and blushes slightly.
Nathan and Anne share glances and smile to themselves. As the hours pass they sat and talked like old friends. It wasn't until Nathan looked down at his watch and saw that it was almost midnight that they decided to call it a night. "Oh wow, would anyone believe that it's almost midnight already?" Nathan said as he got up and stretched
"Oh Lord...it's almost midnight?" Anne said as she began to stand up, a sleeping Noah laying in her arms.
Whisper yawned and stood up, "guess it's time to go in and get some sleep then" she laughed.
"Yes, I do believe so" Anne giggles, "poor Noah, sleep finally caught up with him" she smiles and cocks her head to the side lovingly. "Why don't you walk Ben to his car while I put Noah in his crib?"
"Uh, okay Mama." Whisper laughs and looks over at Ben. He smiles back at her and his gaze lingers on her for a few moments before he looks away. Anne turns and winks at Whisper, who's cheeks turn a light pink, and then hurries off to put Noah to bed. Whisper and Ben walk out to his red Ford pick-up in silence; only the sound of the wind in the trees and the occasional snapping of twigs can be heard. Upon reaching his truck, Ben turns to Whisper:
"It was nice to meet you, Whisper" he smiles.
The piercing of his blue eyes sends shivers up her spine, "it was very nice to meet you too, Benjamin." she said, moving her eyes so as to not meet his. She could not shake the familiarity of them and she didn't know why; they seemed to be very kind and caring eyes that she found hypnotizing.
Ben smiled at her, "please, call me Ben" he said, stooping to meet her gaze.
She looks into his face, well chiseled and very handsome with a good balance of hard and soft features. As if entranced, Whisper follows his gaze until Ben was no longer stooping.
"Okay, I'll call you Ben" she says, "it's always been somewhat of a habit of mine to use someone's full name until I get to know them fully." Ben grins and there is a moment of silence between them.
"You're very shy" he states.
Whisper chuckles and crosses her arms across her breast, "I am and always have been. I've never been able to open up and connect with someone right away." she looks down at her feet, her hair falling down in front of her face.
Ben cocks his head to the side and reaches his large hand out to touch her small chin, he gingerly lifts her face to meet his and brushes the hair away. "I understand that you are shy but please, don't hide your pretty face from me."
Whisper's heart skips a beat as she stares into his caring eyes, the eyes that seemed like two big blue pools of love and comfort. "I'll try not to, I promise." she smiles, blushing brighter as she spoke.
He grins, "Then I promise that I will visit again soon, but I have to be heading home." he says as he gets into his truck. "Goodnight, Whisper."
She smiles at him, "goodnight, Ben. Have a safe trip home." She watches him drive away and then turns to head into the house. All is quiet inside, and she makes her way up to her room. As she lays there, trying to sleep, she finds herself thinking of Ben; how is eyes made her feel content and peaceful, very much so like the nighttime itself does. Whisper dozed off with the vision of his caring eyes and wonderful smile.
Chapter 5
The next morning, Whisper was awake before everyone else. The sun was just beginning to ease it's way over the tops of the pines as she descended the stairs. She stretches as she looks out the kitchen window, a blue haze covered the world outside and was beginning to spill into the house. Whisper sighs to herself and decides to put some coffee on for her mother and father. Anne and Nathan wake to the aroma of freshly brewed coffee tingling their nostrils and both emerge from the bedroom smiling and yawning. Whisper turns and smiles at them, an empty mug in hand. "Good morning," she said handing her mother a steaming cup of coffee.
"Good morning, sweetheart. What are you doing up so early, it's so unlike you" Anne jokes as she kisses Whisper's cheek.
Whisper gives her mother a look, "oh mother!" she giggles, "Good morning, Daddy. Did you sleep well?" she asks as she gives Nathan his coffee and kisses his cheek.
Nathan yawns and nods, "yes, I slept well enough" he chuckles sleepily, "how about yourself?" He wonders into the living room to fetch his paper, then returns to the kitchen and sits at the table across from Anne.
"I slept alright, but not long enough I'm afraid" she laughed and yawned. She then joined her parents at the table and they engaged in sleepy chit-chat, trying to wake themselves up for the day. Anne took the coffee mugs and placed them in the sink as she began to make breakfast. In the meantime, Whisper talked about how Noah slept all the way through the night, not stirring even once from sleep. After some more idle talk Whisper excused herself and went up to her room to get dressed and tidy up her bed. She checked up on Noah, who was sleeping peacefully and sucking his pacifier; Whisper smiles and ruffles his hair gently. She dresses in a yellow tank-top and a flowing white skirt and tidies her bed; soon after doing so, Noah stirs and sits up.
"Mommy?" he asks while rubbing the sleep from his eyes and yawning.
Whisper looks over and smiles, "good morning handsome." Noah stands and reaches for her. She lifts her son up and hugs him tight, kisses his little face all over. He giggles and screeches in delight, giving his mommy big wet kisses back. "Let's go downstairs and say good morning to grandma and grandpa" Whisper says.
"Ma-maw and Pappy! I wanna see them..." he gets excited and wiggles in his mother's arms. Whisper giggles and sets him down with a pat on the bottom. He hurries down the stairs, his mommy walking behind him, and goes running into the kitchen. "Ma-maw!" he runs over and hugs her legs.
"Well, hello there Noah! Good morning, aren't we feisty today." Anne laughs and picks him up and kisses him. "You wanna have some pancakes for breakfast, Noah?" she asks flipping a flap-jack in the pan.
Noah licks his lips, "yes, please. Can I go see Pappy now?" he asks as he looks around his grandma's shoulder. Anne laughs and sets him down, then returns to making breakfast. Whisper sits down at the table, watching her happy little son. "Mornin' Pappy!" Noah says as he climbs up into Nathan's lap.
Nathan laughs cheerfully and sets his paper aside, "well hello there, Noah" he kisses his grandson's head lovingly. Noah sat there on his grandpa's lap, talking and playing until Anne brings the food to the table.
"Come on, Noah, let's sit in our chair please." Whisper says. She picks Noah up and places him in his highchair. Noah let's it be known that he is not happy by crossing his tiny arms and huffing. "Oh, come on now...don't be so grumpy. You can play some more after you eat and wash up." she promised her son, sitting his plate of pre-cut up pancakes in front of him. Noah smiles and starts eating, his mommy ruffles his black hair.
As everyone eats their breakfast, Anne strikes up conversation, "it sure was nice of Ben to come visit us last night" she said to no one in particular.
Whisper looked up at her mom, swallowed her pancake and replies, "yeah, he seems nice enough." she tried to sound nonchalant, even though she has been unable to get him off her mind since the night before.
Nathan drank the last of his orange juice and said, "he seems like a decent guy. He mentioned that he was building a house for himself about a mile from here on some land his father left him; I wonder if he would need any help." he said as he leaned back, his hand rested contently on his stomach. He looks over at Anne and smiles, "those were wonderful pancakes, Anne" he kisses her cheek.
She smiles back at her husband, "thank you dear." she gets up and begins to clear the table. Whisper sighs and helps her mother after wiping Noah's face and hands clean of syrup and blueberries. She lets him out of his highchair and says he can play until mommy is done helping grandma with the dishes. Noah's little face lit up and off he went into the living room, dragging his grandpa with him.
After the kitchen was clean again and Noah was dressed in his play clothes, Anne and Nathan prepare to leave. "Where you going?" Whisper asked as she helped Noah to reach his favorite dinosaur off the bookshelf.
Nathan turns from the door, "we have to head into Charlotte and run some errands. Don't worry, we'll be back before nightfall" he smiles reassuringly at his daughter, then follows Anne out to the car. Whisper sighs and sits down in the armchair to read.
"Where did Ma-maw and Pappy go?" Noah said a few hours later, finally noticing that they were gone. He looks around and his lower lip begins to tremble.
"Noah, sweetie, Ma-maw and Pappy had to go into town and run some errands. They will be back soon baby" she said, trying to cheer him up. Noah sighs and looks down, sad that he didn't notice them leave, but continues to play with his toys.
A couple minutes later the phone rings, Whisper sighs and answers it. "Hello?" she says into the receiver.
"Hi" a male voice on the other end replies, "is Whisper there?"
"Yes, this is her. May I ask who is speaking, please?" she asks, confused. She sits back down in the armchair and Noah watches her intriguingly.
"Hey, Whisper. It's Asher, I was calling to see how everything was going." said Asher into the receiver, his voice deep and raspy sounding.
A small smile formed on her lips, "hey, Asher! Everything is doing pretty good. Our new neighbor, Ben, came by last night after you left." she said as she repositions herself in her chair and smiles down at Noah, who smiles back and continues playing. Asher doesn't reply right away, leaving only quiet static to be heard, "you still there, Asher?" Whisper asks after another quiet moment.
"What? Oh, yes. I'm still here. Why did Ben come out there last night? It was already late when I left, seems kinda rude if you ask me..." his voice trails off, leaving his sentence dripping in disappointment.
"He came by to meet us, we are neighbors now after all; and it wasn't all that late when you left. You sound disapproving, Asher..." she says, a scowl forming on her face. She sits there, tapping her fingers.
"I-I-I'm not disapproving of anything, I was just stating a fact. So, uh...what did you think of him?" Asher stammers out, his voice faltering slightly.
Whisper sits there for a moment, not saying anything. "He was polite, and nice. We talked for hours, he didn't leave until midnight" she laughs. Her statement is reciprocated with more static silence. Whisper begins to become inpatient with him, "what is wrong, Asher?"
"Nothing is wrong" he replies, "I just don't see how you find staying until midnight 'polite' is all." he spites the words over the phone.
Whisper sits up, angry at his words "we didn't mind him staying until midnight, Asher. We were talking and didn't notice the time!" she looks over at Noah, who was still playing contently. She gets up and goes into the kitchen to finish the conversation.
Asher huffs on the other line, "I'm not going to argue with you, Whisper. I was stating my opinion and obviously I shouldn't have. You mean a lot to me and I want what's best for you." he said.
Whisper sighs and rubs her face with her hand, "I don't want to argue either, Asher. You mean a lot to me too, we have been friends since elementary school; but it's not what is best for just me anymore, I have to think of my son." She says as she turns to lean her back against the counter and sees Noah standing there, his dinosaurs in hand. Whisper looks into her son's eyes and sees a sympathetic look, his tiny head cocked to the side. "I think it's time that I get off here, Asher, my son needs me. It was nice talking to you." she says with her gaze still fixed on Noah. As she hangs up the phone she hears the faint sound of Asher protesting, then nothing as the receiver clicks.
"What's wrong, Mommy?" he asks as he puts his dinosaurs on the floor.
Whisper smiles with small tears coming to her eyes, "nothing baby, mommy's friend is just mad."
"Why are they mad? Are they mad at you?" he asks, his large green eyes looking up at his mother.
"Yes, they are mad at me. They are mad because I won't listen to them and I don't agree with them." Whisper stoops to pick up her son.
Noah didn't say anything right away, he just laid his head on her shoulder. "I love you, Mommy."
Whisper's eyes fill with tears, "I love you too, Noah." she snuggles him close for a few moments as she thinks to herself, 'what would I do without him?' She dries her eyes on her free shoulder, "you wanna go outside and play with me, Noah?" she asks him sweetly.
Noah looks at her and smiles, a small tear streak on his cheek. "Yes, Mommy. That sounds like lots of fun. Can I bring my dinosaur, Vincent?" he asks with a wide smile on his face. Whisper smiles and nods, putting him down to go get Vincent the Dinosaur.
Chapter 6
Whisper watches Noah as he sits in the grass with Vincent the Dino. She smiles to herself as she thinks about how much she loves him and just how much she needs him. She releases a deep sigh and looks out into the yard at the beautiful landscape; the magnolia trees are in full blossom, scenting the area with a sweet aroma. The larks sang as they took flight, their songs filling the valley with life. Whisper looks up into the sky filled with the whitest, fullest clouds she has every seen; she feels contented and happy. Her reverie is broken by the sound of crunching gravel as Ben's red Ford pick-up pulls in. She smiles and walks over to Noah, who is looking at the truck with fascination. "Who's that, Mommy?" he asks, still looking at the truck.
"It's Ben, sweetie. Remember him from last night?" Whisper says, picking him up and walking towards the parked vehicle.
Ben steps out of his truck as the two approach him, "hey, hope you don't my dropping in like this..." he says with a crooked, nervous smile. He smiles at the baby, but Noah hides his face with a shy smile.
Whisper shifts Noah higher up on her hip, "no, we don't mind at all. It's a pleasant surprise, isn't it Noah?" she moves Noah so she can see his face and she smiles at him. "You'll have to excuse him, he is very shy." she giggles and sets him down to play.
Ben laughs, "it's alright, I don't mind." he says as they watch Noah scamper back to Vincent. "So how has your day been?" he looks back at her.
"Uh, it's been...interesting" she chuckles and heads for the porch.
"Interesting? Interesting how, if you don't my asking?" he asks her as they sit themselves down on the steps.
Whisper watches her son for a few moments before answering Ben, "well, someone that I have known my whole life called today and, to make a long story short, it all ended with him being very mad at me..." she sighs and looks down.
His eyebrows narrow in question, "why did he get so mad at you?" he leans forward with his forearms resting on his legs.
"Well...he...uh..." she sighs in frustration at herself and lays her head in her hands.
Ben sits up and looks at her sympathetically. He reaches out and touches her shoulder, "what's wrong?"
Whisper lifts her head from her hands and looks at Ben, his eyes so comforting and loving; she felt that if she were to jump into them, she would be overcome with peacefulness. "Asher, that's the friend I was talking about, doesn't seem to understand. He just...never mind, it's nothing" she smiles at him and redirects her attention to Noah, who was busy making Vincent eat moss.
Ben looks out at Noah, then back at Whisper. He looks at her for a few moments before replying, "Asher is...is he Noah's father...?" Ben asks hesitantly.
Whisper's skin crawls and she stiffens; she looks at Ben, then back to Noah, "no, he's not Noah's father. Asher is good friend of mine, we met on the first day of kindergarten and have been buds every since." she smiles at the thought of good times.
Ben looks down at his boots, and chews his bottom lip, "sorry, the way you spoke of him made him seem like someone very important to you. I got that vibe right, just got the wrong kind of important someone." he chuckles nervously.
Whisper breathes out a short laugh, "Noah's father means nothing to me...to me, he is not even a someone..."she says as she gets up and brushes her skirt off. "It's about time for Noah's nap, so..." her sentence trails off as she begins to wring her hands.
"Ah, yes...I gotta get going anyways. House won't build itself now will it?" They share a laugh together, but are soon stricken by an awkward silence. Ben rocks him self on the heels of his boots, "I guess I'll, uh...see you later then, Whisper" he says as he turns and heads towards his truck.
Whisper stands there and watches him walk away. She hurries to catch up to him before he reaches the cab door, "Ben, I'm sorry...I didn't mean to bother you with any of my problems and I certainly didn't mean to shoo you away." She looks down at her feet, ashamed of how she treated him.
Ben is taken aback by her apology at first, but he just smiles and reaches his hand out to lift her face to look at him, "there is no reason to be sorry. You didn't bother me and you definitely didn't shoo me away. You just had a bad day and needed someone to talk to" his smile broadens and he leans in to plant a kiss on her cheek. "Goodbye, Whisper."
Whisper smiles back at him, "goodbye, Ben. Please come see us again sometime." He nods and backs out of the drive. She waves to him as he leaves. As she turns and walks over to Noah, her hand flutters up to her cheek where he kissed her and she her heart does summersaults in her chest. She gathers her son and his toys up, and they head inside.
After Noah is asleep in front to the t.v., Whisper finds herself thinking of Ben; his lips were soft and tender, though they were only upon her skin for a single moment she could feel the warmth lingering there still. She sighs as her hand moves up to touch her face again, she smiles dreamily, then focuses her attention back on her book.
Chapter 7
Whisper waits for her parents to get home, sitting and reading her book. She can feel herself fighting off the encroaching sleep and soon she lets it, her book sliding out of her hand and onto the floor. A few hours pass and the sky begins to darken as the sun retires for the day, the moon sheds soft light upon the valley. Anne and Nathan pull into the drive and look towards the house, "Whisper didn't turn any of the lights on" Anne says looking at her husband, "I wonder what's up."
Whisper startles awake after what seems like minutes to the sound of car doors. She stretches and gets up out of her chair sleepily; she yawns as she turns on the porch light. Whisper opens the door as her parents climb the porch stairs, she smiles at them, "hey, how was the trip?"
"It was alright, got everything done." Nathan says as he squeezes past Whisper.
"Picked up some new summer clothes for you and Noah, you could use some." Anne laughs and hugs her daughter. She looks past Whisper at her husband then leans into Whisper's ear, "he saw Daniel today while we were shopping, been in a bad mood ever since." she smiles sadly. Whisper looks over at her father and sighs.
Nathan looks over at Noah, who was still asleep in front of the t.v., "looks like someone is all tuckered out" he laughs as he heads into the kitchen. Whisper smiles down at her son and looks at her mother as she walks by towards the kitchen.
"You wanna come look at what we got?" Anne says as she sits the bags in one of the kitchen chairs.
Whisper sighs and nods, "sure" she smiles and heads into the kitchen. Anne its down and begins to get out the clothes, while Whisper sits down in the chair next to her mother to look at the purchases. Anne pulls out three dresses, one with frilly sleeves and a flowing skirt; one that resembled overalls, only there were buttons up the front instead of straps; and a yellow one with a tight breast area. Whisper smiles and swoons over the beautiful dresses, thanking her mother and father over and over again. Anne laughs and begins pulling out more clothes for Whisper. Shirts with spaghetti straps, button ups, and hip-length sweaters; she also pulls out some jeans. Whisper smiles and her eyes were lit up. "I love all these clothes, Mama and Daddy! Thank you, thank you so much!" she says as she hugs both her parents.
Nathan laughs and hugs his daughter back, "you're welcome honey, but it was mainly your mother who picked everything out. Have you seen the things Anne got for Noah?" he asks.
Whisper shakes her head, "no, I haven't" she walks back over to the table and sits back in her chair. Anne laughs and pulls out all the clothes for Noah; his little sweatshirts and jeans and t-shirts, he even got a new pair of shoes. Whisper smiles and giggles at all his cute new pants and little socks; holding them up to show Nathan. After all the clothes were looked at and swooned over, they parted ways and headed to bed. Whisper goes into the living room and picks up Noah, she pats his bottom as she takes him up to bed. Whisper lingers over him and ruffles his hair for a few moments, she smiles and heads over to her bed. She crawls into bed and as soon as her head hits the pillow, she is fast asleep.
Chapter 8
A few hours into the night Whisper wakes up and finds herself unable to sleep. She sits up, exasperated, and sighs. She gets out of bed, and walks across the room to Noah's crib; after a quick peek in, she walks out of the room and down the stairs. She sighs as she turns on the lamp in the living room and flops down on the couch. Whisper sits there for a few minutes rubbing her face and eyes when Anne walks in. "What's wrong, sweetheart?" she asks as she yawns and sits down beside her daughter.
Startled, Whisper jumps and looks up at her mom, "nothing, just couldn't sleep is all."
"Oh, me either. I tried and tried, but I just couldn't sleep for more than a few minutes." Anne says.
"Well, you wanna come outside and sit on the porch with me?" Whisper says, getting up. Anne smiles and follows her outside, both sitting down on the steps. It was a beautiful night; the moon, high in the sky, lit up everything it's light touched. The wind whistled through the trees, making the flowers dance in the moonlight. Whisper takes in a deep breath of the sweet night air and sighs happily, "I love the nighttime hours, everything seems almost...innocent." she says to her mother.
Anne smiles and nods, "yes, it certainly does. You have loved being outside at night, even when you were a baby." she strokes her daughter's hair and smiles wistfully.
Whisper looks over and smiles, "really?"
"Oh yeah, you absolutely loved being outside at night. For the longest time we had your crib against the upstairs window so you could look out it while you went to sleep." Anne laughs and Whisper joins in. "I don't think your father understood your affection for the night and its splendor, he kinda brushed it off until you got older and started sneaking outside at night."
Whisper's face drops, "I remember when he found out, he got so mad I thought that vein in his forehead was gonna pop." They sat in silence for a little while, listening to the crickets play they mournful symphony.
Anne stretches and says, "well, we can't hold such things against your father, he is just very protective of his only daughter." she leans over and kisses Whisper on the cheek.
"I know, Mama. It just doesn't seem fair, he never even gives me a chance to explain why I love it so much." Whisper sighs and looks out in the dimly lit yard.
"Why do you like it so much, what makes the night so much better than the day?" Anne looks at her daughter inquisitively.
"Well, it's a very sensitive matter to explain because I don't fully understand why myself. I do know that I love the silence and peace that the dark provides, the look of everything as the moonlight shines on it; how everything seems to purify itself at night and cleanse itself of the troubles of day."
Anne sits there, "I think I understand, but I'm not sure." she gives her daughter a puzzled look.
Whisper sighs and gets up, "no one seems to understand, but thank you for at least trying. That's more than Daddy ever did for me..." she walks over and leans against the railing of the porch, she looks out over the yard. Anne opens her mouth to say something, but nothing comes out, she finds herself without anything to say to her daughter.
"I do understand that your father never listens when it comes to this and I know how frustrating that is, but you can't condemn him for that. Your father just wants to make sure you stay safe and that nothing bad ever happens to you." Anne walks to Whisper and puts her arms around her.
A salty tear streaks down Whisper's cheek, "I know that Daddy wants me safe Mama but, he has to let me make my own decisions." she looks at her mother, "Daddy should know he can't protect me everything, he couldn't protect me from making the decisions I made in the past and if he had Noah wouldn't exist." Whisper looks up towards her bedroom window.
Anne sighs, "I'm sure he knows he can't protect you from everything, but that doesn't mean he won't try to keep you as safe as he can." she smiles at her daughter, Whisper nods in agreement and smiles back. The two of them stand there looking out into the yard, out into the woods for a little while. "I think I'm gonna go back in, sweetie." Anne kisses her daughter's cheek and turns to go in. Whisper smiles and turns back towards the yard and looks out at the woods; coming out from between the pines is a jet-black wolf.
Whisper leans up from the railing, "Mama..." she reaches for her mother's shoulder.
Anne turns from the door, "what?" Whisper motions out at the wolf, who hadn't noticed them. Anne gasps and walks back over to the railing, her eyes fixed on the animal.
"Have you ever seen anything so beautiful?" Whisper asks, leaning in to speak softly so as to not startle the distinguished creature. The wolf looks up and catches the gaze of both woman, he sniffs the air and vigilantly walks towards them. Whisper's eyes widen in wonder and her breath catches, she stares into the eyes of the wolf as he stares back; Anne gasps again as the animal moves closer to them. As the wolf reached the driveway, a chorus of howling called him away. Both girls release their breathes; Whisper smiles, begins to laugh and looks at her mother; Anne smiles and joins Whisper in a laugh.
They turn and head back into the house, both still quivering from the experience; Whisper embraces her mother, says goodnight, and heads upstairs. As she gets in her bed and snuggles into her pillows and blanket, she smiles to herself; 'he was so close' she thought. Inside she was giggly and bubbly and she didn't think she could fall asleep but, soon she found herself dozing off.
Chapter 9
The sounds of laughter and the t.v. woke Whisper in the morning. She rolls over and yawns, opens her eyes and stares at the ceiling. She sighs and swings her legs over the edge and places her feet on the floor; she stretches as she walks over to Noah's crib. Her eyebrows furrow when she finds Noah isn't in bed and his pajamas are hanging over the railing. Whisper hurries to get dressed, putting on her denim dress and combing the knots out of her hair; after finishing up she bounds down the stairs. When she reaches the living room, she freezes right where she stands; sitting on the floor in front of the t.v., playing with Noah, is Ben. Anne looks up from the couch and smiles, "good morning, Whisper dear."
"Huh? Oh, good morning Mama." she says as she is broken from her reverie.
Ben looks up at the mention of Whisper's name, he smiles at her, "hey, Whisper" he says as Noah thrusts Vincent the Dinosaur into Ben's hand.
Whisper giggles, "hi, Ben. Good morning, Daddy." she says as she kisses him on the cheek. She heads into the kitchen and pours a cup of orange juice, she goes in and sits in the armchair.
Nathan looks over at Whisper, "your mama tells me that you two saw a wolf last night."
Whisper coughs, choking on her drink. After a second she answers him, "yeah, it was amazing!" she flashes a bright smile at her father. Ben turns around and listens to the conversation, since Noah found interest in his cartoon.
Nathan's eyebrows raise, "heard it got as close as the driveway, too."
"Yeah, I was surprised he got that close. It was like he wasn't afraid at all, it was great, wasn't Mama?" Whisper turns her attention to Anne.
Anne looks up from watching Noah, "yeah, i've never known a wild wolf getting that close to humans unless he was raised in captivity or something." she looks nervously from Whisper to Nathan and back.
"Well, since that animal got so close I don't want you going outside after bed anymore, Whisper." Nathan says as he finishes off what was in his mug.
Whisper's smile fades away, "what?! Why? He wasn't gonna hurt us or anything, Daddy." she places her cup on the side table and sits forward in the chair.
Anne looks at her husband, "Nathan, he there was no harm done. Besides, Whisper has been going out after dark since she was young and nothing has ever happened to her."
Nathan stood, "I don't care what she has been doing, I want it to stop. Now, let's talk about this later; we have company and I don't want to make Ben uncomfortable." he walks away into the kitchen. Whisper looks at the ground, her hands balled into fists against the cushion of the chair.
Anne looks over and gives her a sympathetic look, "Whisper, I know how upset you may be but..." she was cut short when Whisper stood and walked out the door. Anne sat there for a moment, at a loss for words. "I'm sorry this happened during your visit Ben." she looks over at him, her cheeks a slight pink color.
"Oh, it's okay. I understand that Nathan just wants to keep Whisper safe." Ben smiles at her and stands.
"I'm glad you understand, I know he wants the same but he is just so over-protective sometimes; he can't protect her forever." Anne smiles sadly, "I need to go see if Whisper is okay." She begins to stand when Ben interjects:
"I'll see if she's okay, Anne. Maybe you should check on Nathan?" he suggests hesitantly.
Anne nods and looks towards the kitchen, then back at Ben, "you're right, thank you." she smiles and heads off to the kitchen, Noah and Vincent in tow. Ben steps out on the porch and finds that Whisper is no where to be found; he looks around the yard, his hand cupped over his brow, and spots her sitting underneath a tree. He walks over and squats next to her. Her knees are pulled up tight against her chest and, resting atop them, her face is buried in her arms.
"You okay, Whisper?" he asks, gently placing his hand on her shoulder. Her shoulder shakes softly under his hand.
"I'm fine..." Whisper mumbles, her voice muffed by her arms and knees.
Ben knelt beside her, "please, don't cry Whisper." he pleads sadly. Whisper looks up from her arms, her face wet and red; she sniffles and gives him a weak smile. Ben smiles back at her and begins to wipe away her tears, "that's better, right? I know you're upset but, you gotta think that you're your dad's only child..." he says.
Whisper sniffles again and wipes one side of her face with her arm, "I know, but he treats me like I'm still 6 years old." she looks in Ben's eyes.
He smiles faintly and sits cross-legged on the grass beside her, "I know how you feel, my mom does the same thing. When my brother passed away, she became very protective of me and wouldn't let me go anywhere or do anything alone."
Whisper's head tilts to the side with question, "how did your brother die, if you don't mind telling..." she asks gently.
"We had this tree-house in our backyard, it was there when we moved in and our parents told us to keep out of it; we didn't listen, of course, and made it our clubhouse. I had a lot of homework one day, he finished before me and decided to go up alone and wait for me; he fell through a weak spot in the floor and a piece of the broken board went through his chest in the fall...he died 3 hours later in the hospital" Ben looks down and sighs.
Whisper's hand flutters to her mouth, a small tearing going down her check. "I'm so sorry, Ben." she rests her hand on his. His looks up at her and their eyes meet, he wipes away the single tear tracing down her face. Ben leans in close to her, his face inches from her own; Whisper's heart goes pit-a-pat as his lips press firmly against her own. The kiss is warm and tender, his hands encasing her face on both sides; her eyes close as the kiss becomes more intense, her stomach swimming with swarms of restless butterflies. As the kiss ends their touch lingers, the warm and tingling sensations of each other's lips tickling still. The moment ends when the sound of the screen door startles them:
"Whisper, there's someone on the phone for you." Nathan calls across the yard and then heads back inside.
She sighs and looks down, "guess we better head back in" she says, her voice shaky. Ben agrees and they head back towards the house.
Chapter 10
Whisper bounds into the living room, a broad smile on her face; Ben following closely behind, the same smile spread across his face. Whisper picks up the receiver, "hello?" she says.
"Hi, Whisper." says a deep voice from the other end.
Whisper's face sunk, "how did you get my number?" she asks the voice on the other end. Anne came in from the kitchen, a look of concern on her face.
"You've always had this number, Whisper, it never changed." the voice laughs.
She sighs and sits down on the arm of the chair, "still, I told you to never call me again." Anne gasps with realization and hurries off into the kitchen. Ben's eyebrows furrow in question.
"Now, now, Whisper. Is that how you talk to someone after not hearing from them in 3 years? Ain't you supposed to ask how I am or something?" the voice laughs loudly and clears his throat. Nathan comes storming into the living and takes the phone from Whisper:
"Look here, we made ourselves very clear that we didn't want to hear from you anymore." Nathan growls into the phone.
The voice on the other end is silent, only the sound of his raspy breathing is heard before he speaks. "Hello Nathan, how nice to hear from you again. I don't mean to be rude but, Whisper and I were having a nice chat and I would very much like to finish our talk, if you don't mind."
Nathan's face turns a bright red as he becomes more angry, "she is through talking with you and so am I, Daniel. Don't ever call back here." The receiver clicks and Nathan yanks the connector from the wall. Whisper lets out a small gasp, then begins to chew her bottom lip. Nathan looks at his wife, "we're getting our number changed and it's gonna be unlisted." he storms from the house, slamming the screen on his way out. The room is quiet, the air palpable and thick. Whisper looks at Ben and sighs, she mouths a sorry; he shakes his head to say 'don't be'.
"Guess he knew more than he let Asher know..." Anne says as she picks up a very confused and crying Noah.
Whisper lets out a quivery sigh, "I guess so."
"I'm sorry that all this is happening today, Ben. It was such a nice surprise for you to come visit us this morning, too." Anne says mournfully, she strokes her grandson's hair as she reassures him that every thing's okay.
"Please, there is no need to apologize, Anne. I am curious to know who this 'Daniel' is, if it's not asking too much?" he asks as he moves slightly closer to Whisper.
Whisper looks at Noah and leans in to murmur something into Ben's ear, " Daniel is Noah's father." she looks down shamefully.
Anne smiles glumly and asks Noah if he wants to go outside and play; Noah perks up and smiles, nodding his head happily. They head outside and Whisper sinks down into the armchair, a morose look upon her. Ben kneels in front of her, "what's wrong, Whisper?"
She looks into his eyes, "Daniel doesn't know about Noah, I never told him and I planned on keeping it that way; but with him calling just now, I'm not sure if he knows or not." a worried look overtakes the sad.
Ben lets out a deep sigh, "ah, I see. Is there something I can do to help?" he asks sincerely.
Whisper looks down at him and smiles, she places a hand on the side of his face. "You are helping me right now." she smiles and he tilts his head to the side. "You're keeping my mind off all this bad; you're being the best person I know right now." she leans in and kisses him lightly on the lips.
Ben smiles, "thank you, I'm glad to know I'm helping somehow." he laughs. "Wanna go sit outside for a while? We can play with Noah and Vincent..." he says with a huge smile on his face.
Whisper laughs cheerfully, "how could I pass up such a wonderful opportunity?" she says sarcastically as she gets up from the chair. The share a warm laugh and embrace, his arms around her tiny waist seeming to melt away her troubles for the moment. They head outside together, leaving behind the stuffy atmosphere left from the phone call.
Chapter 11
Upon exiting the house Whisper is attacked by Noah, as he suddenly runs up and hides behind he legs. Whisper laughs, "what's up, Little Man?"
He looks up from around her legs, a large smile spread across his face, "I'm running from Ma-maw. She is gonna get me" he lets out a loud squeal as Anne jumps out from behind a post. He runs off the porch, screaming and laughing as he gets chased. Whisper and Ben almost double over in laughter as the squealing continues, they sit down on the steps and continue to watch. They sit for hours, talking and watching Noah play; as the sun begins to hide itself behind the pines, the sun changing crimson orange. Anne takes Noah inside to wash up for dinner as his little hands are brown with dirt and there are grass stains all over his legs; Whisper and Ben are left standing on the porch.
"What a day, huh?" Ben asks as he stretches.
Whisper yawns and nods, "sure was, but it was great, wasn't it?" she smiles warmly at him.
He smiles back at her and takes her hand in his, "it was the best day i've had in a very long time, Whisper."
She blushes and looks down, "oh, well..." she rocks back and forth on her heels. Ben reaches out and pulls her face up to meet his; he leans in and kisses her lips tenderly. Whisper lets out a small moan as her knees give out; she leans against his strong chest and his arms wrap around her tiny waist. Her heart begins to beat faster and faster as the kiss continues, her hands fluttering up and resting against his broad chest.
Nathan comes to the screen door and peers out, he clears his throat, "Ah-hmmm..."
Whisper and Ben come apart with a jump, their faces turning a crimson red. Whisper looks over at her father: "uh, your mother sent me out here to get you..." he stammers out and turns away from the screen, gone in just a moment's time. Ben rocks on his heels and looks over at Whisper; her eyebrows furrowed and her face the color of beets; he smiles and maneuvers to meet her gaze. Startled, her eyes lock onto his. She stares into his eyes, the color of sapphires, and her heart THUMP-THUMPS in her chest.
"Wanna walk with me to my truck?" he asks after a long moment's pause, a moment of just a simple look. She smiles and mumbles out a small yes with the nod of her head; Ben smiles and takes her small, quivering hand in his.
They walk to his truck, hand in hand, in silence; sharing the moment of togetherness, almost afraid of breaking the serene touch as if it were fragile glass. He gathers her up in his arms upon reaching the truck; she stands there, frozen by his sudden movement, then she wraps her arms around his massive frame. They embrace for a moment until Ben pulls back and looks into her face, his eyes sparkling like diamonds; he pulls her face up to look at him, holding his hand gently to her chin as he spoke, "I want to say something to you but everything I begin to say sounds stupid..."
She giggles, "I know exactly how you feel. I want to say something to you but I just can't get it out; it's like it gets trapped in my throat before I can get it out..."
"Well, since we are both stricken with an inability to speak...let's do this instead..." he brings his face down to hers, his warm lips touching hers. Whisper's heart skips a beat as the warmth of his kiss sinks into her, warming every inch of her; she closes her eyes to drink in the moment. Ben's heart quickens its pace as the adrenaline of their kiss surges through his veins, he pulls her closer to him and pumps passion into the kiss. Her knees tremble and wobble as his tongue parts her lips and dances across her own, soon becoming entangled in a heat of passion. He picks her up, her legs wrapping around his waist, and leans themselves against the side of his pick-up. The kiss begins to drip with passion as she digs her nails and fingers into his shoulders, he moans into her mouth and his grip tightens around her hips as he pulls her closer. The touch of his hands on her hips sends shivers of electricity through Whisper's body and she feels Ben's hardening member press against the her own warm center.
"Mmmm..." she moans as she struggles gently to free herself. Whisper plants her feet on the ground and smoothes her dress down while Ben sighs and brushes his hand through his hair. "I'm sorry, Ben..." she looks down and shifts on her feet.
Ben looks down and teeters back and forth, "don't be, I pushed it too far and I understand..." his voice trails off and Whisper jumps in.
"No! No, it wasn't you, Ben." she gently puts her hand on his face and brings his eyes up to meet hers, "I just don't want to jump into anything right away, I have to think about Noah and what's best for him..." she looks down and sighs. Ben bends to meet her gaze and kisses her sweetly on the cheek.
"Then we won't rush, no jumping or skipping or pouncing into anything" he chuckles lightly and she flashes a bright smile, "we can take things slow and see how things go. How would you feel bout coming over to my house for dinner next weekend, you and Noah?"
"Dinner? You want me and Noah to come over for dinner?" she smiled at him, her eyes sparkling and shining brighter than the Northern star.
Ben smiles and takes her hands in his, "yes, I would love to have you both over for dinner. Of course, Vincent is welcome to come too" he smiles and laughs.
Whisper laughs, "we would love to have dinner with you, Ben" she leans in and kisses him lightly on the lips.
He kisses her, "I think I should go, it's getting late."
"Right" she smiles and looks back at the house, "I need to get Noah fed and I'm pretty sure he needs a bath."
"Can I, uh...can I call you tomorrow sometime?" Ben's face becomes flushed and he looks down. Whisper smiles and lifts his head so his eyes meet hers.
"Sure, I...I would love that" she leans in and kisses him on his cheek.
They talk for a few more minutes and Whisper writes down her number. Ben gives her a quick kiss and then drives away. She watches him drive away and then turns and walks to back to the house, a smile upon her face and her stomach doing flip-flops.
"Whisper..." Anne calls from the upstairs window. Whisper snaps out of her reverie and looks up.
"Yeah?" she cups her hand over her eyes to shield herself from the evening sun.
"Are you coming in? I sent your father out to get you almost twenty minutes ago..."her voice trails off as she pulls her head halfway back in the window. Whisper sighs and runs towards the rest of the way to the house.