Remembering my vampire husband.

●ne. Kennedy Starling.

Kennedy

I heard my name being called. "Kennedy, hey it's time!"

I was dreaming....it was one of those hot, romantic dreams full of passion and pent up desire ....I didn't want to be awake just yet.

He was a sweet lover, tall and lean. His eyes were deep brown, they seemed to swirl with his desire for me.

I leaned into his body...as he kissed my bare shoulder, I looked to my right and saw that we were not alone, I had another in my bed?

I didn't feel surprised, it seemed natural.

I smiled at the second one who was petting my long red hair, she was a very beautiful.

The woman smiled as she bent down to kiss my breasts.

She seemed to set me on fire with her fingers wrapped around my curls and her mouth on my body.

Then, just as naturally as there were two, there was now a third.

He was hovering over me, tall with jet black hair. He had these intense lavender eyes that bore into me as he bent down to kiss my lips. He was so beautiful.

In my dream, I was a magical seductress. I drew these three to my bed, to make love to me like this.

I wore a red gown, one that a queen might wear, tight waisted, low bodice. My lovers slowly removed it.

Then the lovely man, still hovering over me smiled, his eyes crinkled in the corners. He whispered,"Get up love bird your late." as he dipped down, just inches away from my lips.

My mind started to return to reality.

I was in my bed, my father was calling me from downstairs. It was time for me to go to the airport to pick up my sister.

Daddy yelled loudly," Kennedy! Are you up?"

As the tendrils of that dream left me, I touched my lips...wishing that man would have kissed me, he was so beautiful.

" Yep, coming!" I yawned as I got up from my empty bed.

*********

I am just an ordinary girl who grew up in Bend Oregon, my parents Arlo and Donna Starling were school teachers, educators.

My Grandma Adele was my father's mother, she knew me pretty well, I guess I was just like her.

So, about the time that I had turned 18, my grandmother- Adele Starling, passed away. She left me her entire fortune. Me...her youngest granddaughter.

There was even a huge estate over in Scotland. I was completely shocked that she did this for me.

But, looking back, she must have known that I was a true Starling.

Things were never easy for me. My hair was too curly, my curves too curvey.

I had a horrible stutter all my life, of course that meant endless teasing by bullies in grade school.

My older sister was miss perfect. She was my rock. June was everything I never could seem to be, hard as I tried.

The only thing that kept me from becoming a hermit was June and her popular friends, they shielded me from the haters.

Amanda, Jill, and Monroe had all been a part of June's life, therefore a part of my life too.

Monroe was my favorite, he was tall and fit. One of the most popular guys in school.

He was rugged and excelled in all sports.

The three of them were fast friends ever since kindergarten.

Monroe got a full scholarship to Washington state University, for football.

I admit it, I cried for several weeks off and on.

I told everyone that I had allergies. My nose was red, my green eyes were red rimmed.

"Why don't you take some Claritin," asked June, seeing my eyes, she knew why I was upset.

We shared a room back then, back when my older sister June Bug was still my best friend.

Since she went away to college in Florida, we became distant, that hurt me.

June Bug, or Bug as I call her, was everything I was not, naturally thin and out going. Her beautiful body was made for a bikini.

She got the deliciously straight hair gene. Where I had gotten the crazy curly hair gene.

Dad said I was like grandma Adele.

Grandma was a full blood Scots woman. So I guess that's my heritage, my fate, the strawberry red haired girl with an occasional stutter.

*********

Daddy and I drove to the airport to pick June up for summer break, of course her three friends tagged along, I was glad to see them all.

That evening, after catching up with my sister and her friends at dinner, my father came in and handed me some mail.

" Looks like you might be going to college too." He smiled at me hopefully.

My dad was so sure that I too would be a scholastic success.

But, when I opened the envelope it said, " We regret to inform you....blah, blah, blah denied, denied, denied."

My first thought was, f*** it. I don't need to go to school.

But, I really wanted to experience dorm life, you know like be independent, drink, find a guy.

Break free from my life as a virginal recluse.

" Well dad, you are stuck with me." I grinned, as he ate a cookie, his red beard was full of crumbs.

I felt compelled to brush the crumbs from his chin, but he beat me to it.

He smiled that warm daddy smile at me, we have always been close. We both look alike, red hair, freckles.

Mother is all dark hair, dark eyes, like my sister Bug.

" Well, I do have an idea, I need an intern this year at the community College.

It doesn't pay, but it will look good on an application." Dad grabbed my shoulder and smiled.

I didn't think that there were any other options so I put on my,"That's so awesome!" smile and nodded yes.

Thank God I had the whole summer to goof off.

I ran downstairs to talk to mom about everything. My mother was a great listener, mainly because she had a horrible stroke six months ago, she couldn't communicate any longer, but I sensed she like me around.

Her body seemed to physically relax when I spent time with her.

Since June Bug, Amanda, Jill, and Monroe were all converging on the family home for summer break, I hoped that June would be helping me and daddy take care of mom.

Seems that she had other plans.

I was so excited to see them all.

My excitement turned to disappointment seeing that they had all moved on without me, they were all adulting in a more sophisticated, college way.

They spoke about school and their hard science classes. I was feeling left out.

So...I spent most of my summer days with mom. I loved to comb and style her hair, there was something soothing just touching her long black hair.

A month into my lonely vacation, was when dad told us all that grandma Adele had died.

My sister Bug and her friends had been staying at the family cabin at the lake.

There wasn't room in Bug's car for me to go with them, but I could tell that I no longer fit into their little grown up click.

So, dad and I took care of the cremation, grandma had instructions for her ashes to be spread in Scotland.

And...something else, her will indicating that I was now her sole heir.

" What the hell?"

I wasn't very happy about it, because mom and dad needed the money so much more than me.

Daddy assured me that they would be okay. I assured him that what was mine, would be theirs.

Mom could finally get an upgraded wheelchair so she could go outside, at least I had hoped there was enough money for this.

Joseph Watts my grandma's attorney called me in, me alone without mom and dad.

I dressed in a summery floral dress and walked down to his office, it was only 20 minutes from our house.

He was very old, maybe even ancient. It was like he had been waiting for my grandma to die just to carry out her last wishes, then lay in his grave and die there himself.

He told me he needed to show me a few things first.

He opened a very dusty book. It was all in Gaelic. I shrugged as he gave it to me.

He handed me a velvet bag. Inside there were a bunch of keys. The kind that looked old, like skeleton keys. They were all numbered.

One key had a red ruby in the center of a clover shaped fob.

He pressed this one into my hand. " This one is for you alone, no one goes where this door opens but you Starling."