Here Comes My Woman: Epilogue (The Woman I Love Series Book 3) Read online

  ~HERE COMES MY WOMAN~

  EPILOGUE

  The Woman I Love Series

  written by

  G. S. Binkley

  © 2002 Binkley

  Synopsis: HERE COMES MY WOMAN’S Epilogue continues seven months after Hayley is born. The Ballant clan tries to cope with the newest member of their family as Lacy and Gage continue their lives together. Gage’s mother reveals why she abandoned her daughter. This story follows THE WOMAN I LOVE then A WOMAN LIKE YOU and HERE COMES MY WOMAN.

  Dedication: This story is dedicated to the readers who have followed THE WOMAN I LOVE series and especially to those readers who have taken the time to write me.

  Sexual Content: F/F partners

  Code:

  L: Love between two people with kisses, embraces and tender moments.

  LS: Love scenes described in more detail, involving scenes of lovemaking.

  ES: Explicit love scenes.

  · This story is rated: LS

  Fiction (Alternative)

  This is copyrighted material, © 2002 Binkley…all rights reserved.

  other stories

  by

  g. s. binkley

  Alternative

  The Woman I Love

  A Woman Like You

  A Woman in Love

  What A Woman

  Murder at Fountain Blue

  An Innocent Heart

  Short Stories: Just the Way You Like It

  Heart of Africa

  Mainstream

  Angel in Disguise

  Murder at Red Rum

  Murder at Knifepoint

  Once Again, Alexis

  Here Comes Jordan

  About the Author

  G. S. BINKLEY has the privilege to write the stories that many characters have come to reveal.

  It is really their lives that seek an audience to share their stories.

  ** I write both mainstream and alternative stories. All my stories have a romantic element in them. I hope you enjoy them.

  Table of Contents

  G. S. Binkley

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  The End

  Chapter One

  “Mom!!”

  At the sound of Dani’s yell, Lacy and Gage scrambled into the family room only to see Hayley standing in all her glory – naked. She wobbled unsteadily as Derek motioned for her.

  “Come here, Hayley. Come to me.” The seven year old held out his arms to his little sister.

  “Me, me, Haywee.” Sammy echoed. Beckoning his sister to him, the light haired nearly four-year old stepped in front of his older brother.

  A bright grin perfectly complimented the gleaming eyes of the seven month old that was basking in all the attention she was getting. The little girl clapped her hands together and squealed when she saw her mom come into the room. She clapped furiously again when Gage stepped forward.

  “Hayley? What are you doing…. standing up all by yourself?” Gage knelt down a few feet away from the little wobbling curly haired blonde.

  Dani stood fast behind her, vigilantly watching over her youngest sibling. “She just crawled up the table and stood on her own.” Dani leaned over her sister. “Isn’t that right, Hayley?”

  Bobbing her head up and down, Hayley giggled and reached out her tiny fingers toward her brothers. Lacy slipped down on her knees between her two sons. As they called for their sister, Hayley grinned and slapped her itty-bitty hands against her face, hiding her vibrant greenish blue eyes.

  “Hayley?” Her proud mother called. “Look at me.”

  Shyly, the young toddler spread her fingers wide. She peeked through them at her mother and brothers. Suddenly, she reached out her arms, bounced twice and took three short steps. When the abrupt excitement of her actions rang out from her family, Hayley lost her balance and flopped down on her bare butt. Silence struck the room waiting for a reaction from the little girl.

  Gage was the first to clap her hands together. “Look at Hayley. Wasn’t that good? You can walk.”

  The rest of the clan followed suit, enthusiastically proclaiming the accomplishment of their little treasure. It was all Hayley needed as she gave a huge grin and slapped her hands in glee, delighted because all her family surrounded her where she was happiest.

  Sammy ran up to his sister and plopped down next to Hayley. Holding his yellow duck, he searched the room to see if anyone was paying attention to him. Hayley immediately latched on to it and stuck it in her mouth. Her brother crunched his eyes as he debated rescuing his favorite toy from his sister’s wet clutches.

  “Dani, I thought you were going to change her?” Lacy quizzed their oldest child.

  Dani cocked her hands on her hips. “I did. I took her diaper off, then Sammy took the ointment…” She pointed an accusing finger at her youngest brother. “…and wouldn’t give it to me. He ran off with it and Derek wasn’t any help.” She shot her dark haired brother an evil look when he laughed. “Then she just crawled out of her sleeper and the next thing you know….”

  “Old Jed’s a millionaire.” Gage concluded. The blonde laughed at her own joke, which met confused looks from the kids and an exasperated stare from her partner. “Here… let me get her dressed.” Walking past her lover, she winked then pointed at the naked Hayley before she said. “She gets that from you.” Gage picked up her happy daughter.

  “Momma.” Seeing Hayley get Gage’s full attention, Sammy reached up to his mother. When she picked him up, he rubbed his sleepy eyes and leaned his tired head on her shoulder. “I’m sleepy.”

  “Oh, great. Now we all have to go to bed.” Derek pouted, scrunching his eyebrows together. “And I had my racetrack all set up before…….”

  “Before you say another word, young man.” Lacy gently warned her oldest son then produced a warm smile. “When Gage gets finished, the two of you can play for another half hour. Tomorrow’s a school day. Okay?”

  Nodding enthusiastically, he accepted the allotted time. Derek jumped up and located the baby ointment in order to help Gage finish dressing Hayley.

  From the doorway, Stella Smith silently watched when her granddaughter had taken her first steps. It reminded her that she missed watching her own daughter take her first steps. Or hearing her first words.

  Lacy noticed the sad look on Stella’s face. She had an idea what the older woman was thinking. “They grow up so fast. Next time we’ll have the camera ready.”

  Holding up the movie camera in her hand, Stella grinned. “I came prepared.” With four kids in the house, there was always something going on that was worth capturing on film. When the grin turned sad, Lacy placed her hand on Stella’s shoulder. The older woman covered her hand over it. “I wish… I wish that….”

  “I know.” Lacy consoled her. “You have her with you now and four more.”

  “Five.” Stella corrected Lacy. “You, too. Now, I have two daughters and four grandkids. That’s okay, isn’t it?”

  “More than okay.” Lacy said to Stella before she spared her lover a glance. She watched Gage lift Hayley up and sit her on Derek’s lap before turning back to Stella, then seriously said. “You got us and now you have to keep us.”

  Over the last seven months after Stella had revealed that she was Gage’s mother, the distance between them had slowly closed. It seemed that their little precious Hayley was the cementing bond that would forge a lifelong tie, never to be broken again. It warmed Stella’s heart to be accepted so readily by her daughter’s partner and childre
n. A lifetime of guilt still haunted her from time to time, but even that pain seemed to ease with each passing day. “Here let me take him… put him to bed.” Nodding at the threesome on the couch, Stella added. “I don’t know about those three.”

  Handing Sammy to his grandmother, Lacy assured Stella. “I do. I’ll be up in a bit to check on him.” Lacy kissed the sleeping boy’s cheek. “Dani? Let’s check your homework while Gage gets Derek ready for bed.”

  As Lacy picked up Hayley, Derek whined. “You said I could play with my cars.”

  “Yeah!” Gage pouted right alongside her partner in play.

  The dark haired mother quickly gave the squirming Hayley a kiss who in turn leaned in and bumped her head against her mother. Lacy returned her attention to the sulking pair before her. “Half an hour and that’s it. Gage!” This drew the blonde’s full attention. “Then I want both of you in bed.”

  “Aye, aye!” Bed? That sounds like fun. Gage scrambled up off the couch. “Come on, Derek. Best two out of three.” I’ll let him win and he’ll be happy then I get to go to bed and I’ll be happy.

  Seeing the huge smile on her partner’s face was all Lacy needed to know that Gage would have Derek in bed in short order and that’s where she would find her lover before the half hour was up.

  As Dani followed her mother out of the room, she asked seriously “Mom? Can I talk to you about something?” The giggles from Gage and Derek generated a sharp glare from her. “Privately!”

  ***********************

  Dani played with Hayley as her mother read her short essay. “Are you done yet?” Hayley bounced several times trying to get the paper from her mother’s hands. “Hayley! Now, stop that.” She offered her sister a hackie-sac to play with that ended up in the little girl’s mouth.

  “Almost.” Lacy read the last paragraph and with her pencil offered on a small correction. “Looks good. I like the way you stated your conclusion… perfect. Here.”

  “Gage will be happy.” Dani stated as she exchanged Hayley for her paper. “She helped me… some.”

  “Oh, Hayley! What do you have in your mouth? Dani, did you give this to her?” Lacy pulled the soggy hackie-sac from the protesting baby. “Now, what’s up?”

  Hayley reached up and grabbed the gold necklace around her mother’s neck as Dani watched her intently. “It’s like this, mom. I’m thirteen now and I… my friends get to go out.”

  Preoccupied with her youngest daughter, Lacy asked. “Out?”

  “To parties….”

  Lacy interrupted the impatient young girl. “What kind of parties?”

  “Mom! Just parties. Where we can get together and like talk.” Dani found this task of convincing her pre-occupied mother harder than she expected.

  “Talk? Dani, you’re on the phone all the time as it is now.” Lacy adjusted the wiggling girl on her lap. “Either that or on the internet… talking with your friends on that Instant Messaging thing.” A small laugh erupted when she remembered catching her daughter with one hand holding her cell phone as she talked to one friend and the other hand frantically trying to type out a message on the computer to another friend. “All you do is talk.”

  Gloom found a home on Dani’s face.

  “Well, I’m not inclined to this idea of yours. But you tell me when one of those parties comes up and then we’ll see. Okay?” Lacy leaned over and kissed Dani on the cheek. Wanting in on the action, Hayley bumped her head against her sister’s temple then smiled.

  Feeling her mother was not receptive to the idea at all Dani’s shoulders slumped. “Oh, okay.” The party is this weekend.

  Lacy stood up and headed toward the door. “By the way, how’s Lane?”

  Dani grinned as she was reminded of the most difficult boy she had ever encountered. The problem was that she liked him and suspected that he liked her just as much. Dani tapped her finger to her lips. He is stubborn though and won’t admit it. Katie, her close friend, was no help and without being able to be where the action was, Dani felt she was at a disadvantage.

  Seeing the distant look on her daughter’s face, Lacy offered a compromise. “Dani, when’s the next little get together… with your friends?”

  Dani perked up. “Friday. Katie’s having a few friends over after we go to a movie.”

  “All right. You can go. We’ll talk some more about it though and I’ll need to know what movie you’re going to.”

  “Thanks mom. Night.” Dani filed away her paper and hurried to change her clothes for bed.

  ***********************

  Lacy handed Hayley off to Gage before she checked on her two sons. Derek and Sammy shared a room. Once Hayley was born, surprisingly Derek offered to Sammy to be his new roommate. The bright young boy knew how much Sammy clung to his mother and figured that with a new baby in the house, his little brother might feel neglected. Dani helped his reasoning along after she pointed out that he could be in charge if Sammy shared a room with him. Lacy was very much surprised that her youngest son adapted so quickly to sharing a room with his brother because Sammy showed definite signs of jealousy when Hayley arrived.

  While Derek’s side of the room was filled with lots and lots of stuffed extinct animals and racecars, the other half that belonged to Sammy housed quite a few children’s videotapes and TV character toys, along with racecars like his brothers. In the middle of the room there was a small racetrack set up. As Lacy looked lovingly at her sons, she couldn’t help but shake her head at the difference between both sides of the huge room. Even she was amazed that for a nearly four-year-old boy, Sammy’s side of the room was neat and relatively clean while Derek’s half looked more like a tornado had stuck. Lacy tenderly placed a kiss on both her children’s cheek before heading back to her room. “Goodnight and sweet dreams.”

  ************************

  When Lacy walked into the room, Gage complained. “She’s fussy.” Gage tried to get their little girl settled for the night. Hayley refused to sleep alone. Each night she insisted on taking up residence between her two favorite people in the world. When she fell asleep, sometimes Gage was even victorious in placing her in her own baby bed next to them without Hayley waking up.

  “I know she’s fussy. She gets that from you.” Lacy said as she slipped into bed.

  “Ha!” Gage scooted as close as she could get to her partner without crowding the ever-present tiny boss between them. “What she gets from me is that I walked at seven months, too.”

  “Yeaaaaaa.” Lacy clapped in mock praise of her own forty-seven year old baby.

  Gage cocked a stern eyebrow at her partner. “You making fun of me Riz?”

  Clutching her chest in jest, Lacy answered her. “Never. Well, maybe just a little bit.”

  The fun Gage had in mind would have to wait another day as Hayley refused to budge from her much loved spot between them. “Lacy?” Gage whispered. “How long you think this is gonna last?” The blonde nodded to the sleeping tiny tot next to her.

  Lacy stretched her long leg across the bed to cover one of Gage’s legs. She slid the smooth silky skin up and down several times before offering to her partner her most seductive smile. “Would you want to give up this spot?”

  Gage twisted sharply in the bed and crossed her arms. Pouting, she said. “Why couldn’t she at least sleep on the side so I could hold you? No, she’s got to be right in the middle.”

  “Just like you.. she has to always have her way.” Lacy stifled a laugh.

  Glancing at her lover, Gage finally grinned. “If I had it my way….” When Hayley squirmed then turned and flopped her small hand on Gage’s face, the blonde realized then and there. I do have it my way…. more love than I ever could deserve. With that, Gage blew her lover a kiss and then kissed the small hand planted near her mouth.

  ************************

  The next day found the threesome nearly in the same position as they had fallen asleep. Although somehow during the night Lacy was able to scoot closer as Hayley craw
led up on top of Gage’s chest.

  They woke up to Derek helping Sammy climb up on the bed and he quickly scampered next to his mother. “Momma.”

  “Good morning, honey.” Lacy kissed her son and spared a glance to her already dressed seven year old.

  “Dani said for you to stay in bed. Okay? We have a surprise.” Derek bounced out of the room before any question could be posed.

  Rubbing her eyes, Gage asked. “What time is it?” Holding on to the small bundle on her chest, the blonde shot up. “What day is it? Don’t the kids have school?”

  Lacy’s long arm gently tugged her lover back down. “Yep and we have plenty of time this morning. Stella’s taking the kids to school since she has that appointment later.”

  A gloomy thought passed through Gage’s mind. The doctor’s appointment Lacy referred to was a follow up visit for her mother regarding an irregular blood test after her yearly check-up. “You…. you think…” Gage’s concerned green eyes found and held her partner’s blue ones. “…I… one of us should go with her. You know for support.”

  “Mom’s going with her, remember?” Lacy ran a long finger down her lover’s jaw. “Though if you did, I’m sure she’d welcome it.”

  Gage shrugged. Her relationship with her mother was healing and they had many miles to go before a complete cure. Gage knew it was going to take some time. Before she could respond, Dani walked into the room carrying a tray full of food. Right behind her Derek carried a small pitcher of juice. Stella oversaw the whole procession.

  “Surprise!” Dani and Derek yelled. The young girl was thrilled her mother agreed to the Friday party and didn’t want Lacy to change her mind.

  Lacy and Gage adjusted their two young children as they sat up. Hayley was now wide awake and trying very hard to get to her brother.