Chapter 16

Julian lay on his side, watching Eve as she slept. Awake she did not look her age, but asleep she was a girl again. Eve's hair was scattered across the pillow, with some curls almost wrapped around his hand. He held up his palm, fingers wide, and her hair curled around his fingers as if they had a life of their own. Smiling to himself, he lifted a fat curl to his lips.

He had loved how she had snuggled closer to him in sleep, her body instinctively seeking him out. They lay spoon-fashioned, and Julian let her hair go to wrap his arms around her waist.

"I feel so blessed, my Eve," he whispered into her hair. "After all of this time, and all the pain I've caused you, you still love me." His smile grew wider as his mind flashed back to the lovemaking they had shared earlier that evening--they had made love in the tub, then several more times in the four-poster. It was actually Eve who had laughingly claimed exhaustion finally, at which Julian had picked her up and carried her back into the bathroom. There he insisted on bathing her himself, to make certain she was clean, as he had put it. That had led to another round of lovemaking, and then both of them agreed that they were completely sated.

After another bath--Eve had shooed him away from the tub, so she could wash in peace--Julian quickly took one of his own, and then they lay together in the fourposter, Eve falling asleep with a beautiful smile on her face.

Julian knew he should get some sleep himself, but he simply could not get enough of looking at her. She had been too long denied him, and he felt the need to drink in the vision before him as much as possible. He noticed her lips were moving, so he leaned closer to see if he could hear what she was saying....
 

*Eve's dream*
 

"No, TC, NO! I won't tell you who fathered Whitney! He didn't do anything to you!" she yelled, for TC was advancing on her, fists raised. "Why can't you just leave us alone?"

"Nice try, Eve, but I'll be damned if I let you and the SOB who you messed with have a nice, happy life! You made me look like a fool all during our marriage, raising some other man's bastard!" TC 's nostrils were flaring, as he looked at his ex-wife. "Whitney won't even talk to me now, because I hit you! You even took that away from me, so why the hell should I leave you alone?"

"Because it's over, TC, over! I never meant to hurt you, but I can't be around you--you are too angry! I know why,. but for God's sake, please get some counseling or some kind of help before you self-destruct!" Eve was frightened, but was trying not to show it.

"The only help I need," TC said slowly," is the name of the bastard who fathered Whitney. " His eyes narrowed. "Then I can punish him and hurt him the way you've hurt and punished me. He'll be dead!"

"You'll never find out, " she promised, as she turned and quickly walked away from him. She had to get away from this madman. TC continued yelling threats at her, but she no longer paid attention....

*End Eve's dream*

"You'll never find out Julian Crane is Whitney's father," Eve mumbled in her sleep. Julian's mouth dropped open in shock. He looked at Eve, but she remained asleep, unaware that she had spoken aloud and revealed the secret of their child.

"I have a daughter?" he wondered aloud. Suddenly he remembered the faint lines on Eve's abdomen that she had claimed came from weight gain. "I was right," he thought. "She did have a child. Our child....a daughter named Whitney." How he would have loved to have known of her all this time, to be close to a part of Eve...she was sure to be every bit as lovely. A daughter!

Yet why had she not told him before? It did not make sense to Julian, that Eve would have kept something as important as a child together from him. There had to be more to this--he had to find out why.

"I wonder if she has a picture?" Julian carefully extricated himself from Eve, and tiptoed silently over to where her purse was. He removed her wallet, and began flipping through it, to see if he could find anything. There were pictures of her parents, and of her dog Kizzy, when she had been a little girl. Nothing else--

He gasped. There she was.....a beautiful girl, Eve's complexion and graceful facial lines, long curly black hair. What startled Julian the most is that his own eyes smiled back at him....Whitney had his eyes.

Julian took the picture carefully out of its sleeve, so he could admire it more closely. They had made such a lovely child...his eyes teared as he looked at the picture of his daughter. What he wouldn't give to turn back the hands of time and have been there with Eve as she gave birth to her; her first word, schools, everything.....how wonderful it would have been.

Yet no matter why Eve had not revealed Whitney to him, he knew deep down that he was still to blame. "If only I had stood up to Father, I would have been married to Eve and been a true father to that beautiful girl. She left me because I was weak and didn't fight for her." He wiped his eyes with his hand. "God willing, I can make everything up to her now...show her how much I love her and our daughter. For Julian already loved Whitney--how could he not, she was a child concealed in love.

"When you awaken, my love....we'll start our lives together as they should have been all of those years ago."