Lover of My Dreams by Lynnette Bernard

one that she often felt as a child. It didn’t matter that the scent hadn’t really been a part of her adult life very much. Now that it was back, she was glad for it. The dream that came to her was unbidden, but she found herself opening herself up to the experience of it.
     
    The figure was in shadow. He was tall and broad but she couldn’t see his face. Something about him was familiar, and she found that she wasn’t afraid as she stepped forward to stand before him. She watched as his hand took hers and she noticed that he wore a red flannel shirt.
    “Rachel, I’m waiting for you,” his deep voice spoke to her soothingly.
    “Who are you?” she asked the shadow.
    “I’ll hold you and protect you,” he answered her.
    “No!” she cried out to him. “I don’t want to be touched.”
    “Don’t worry, honey,” his soothing voice assured her. “No one will ever hurt you again.”
    “Yes they will,” Rachel called out to him. “You can’t stop him.”
    “I will,” he told her with conviction. “I will love you, and hold you, and touch you.”
    He leaned forward and reached up to hold her face gently within his large hands. Her eyes closed as his lips covered hers, kissing her sweetly once, then again, humming against her lips with happiness.
    “I could kiss you forever, honey,” he told her softly.
    Rachel tried to look through the shadows that surrounded the man who spoke so gently to her, but she couldn’t see his face.
    “This isn’t real,” she whimpered. “You aren’t real for me.”
    “I’ll see you soon,” he answered, stepping back into the fog of her dream.
    “Wait! Don’t leave,” she called out to him.
    “I won’t,” he promised. “I’ll be here.”
     
    Rachel turned over in bed and snuggled deeply into her blankets, finally settling into a deep sleep. She somehow felt that everything would be okay.

Chapter 5
     
    “What a bastard!” Paulette said, horrified. “Did you call the police, Rachel?”
    “Yes. I spent the rest of the night at the hospital being examined and giving my statement to the police,” Rachel said, smiling at the concern of her cousin Roy’s wife. Paulette had to be one of the nicest people she had ever met. To hear her swear was actually kind of funny.
    When she had called Roy, she hadn’t been able to hold it together. Once she had heard his gentle voice, she had fallen apart. She knew she upset him, but she couldn’t help it. He stayed on the phone with her for a while, listening to how she had been attacked before he gave the phone to Paulette. He was angry, but he was more concerned for her. That made her calm somewhat. Roy had always been her protector. So had Sam.
    “Don’t get all worked up, Paulette. It’s not good for the baby,” Rachel said calmly, worried for her.
    “The baby is fine,” Paulette told her quickly, her patience nearly gone. “You and Roy really need to lighten up. I swear, it must be a family trait. You both drive me crazy with the way you worry.”
    “I could say the same about you, Paulette,” Rachel told her, laughing softly.
    “Hey! I’m not the one who was nearly raped by a sadistic asshole!” Paulette yelled. “I have just cause to worry about you!”
    “Okay, Paulette,” Rachel said quickly, trying to calm down her cousin-in-law. “I love you, too.”
    There was silence on the phone. Rachel knew that Paulette was trying to calm down. She didn’t want to upset her. Roy was worried enough about his wife’s health.
    “Honey, try to calm down,” she could hear Roy’s voice in the background.
    Rachel heard the distinct sound of a kiss and knew that Roy was loving Paulette into calmness. Or maybe he wasn’t.
    “Hey! Tell Roy to stop hitting on you,” Rachel said, teasing Paulette. “I need to talk to you, and if he keeps distracting you with his kisses, I won’t be able to.”
    “Good point,” Paulette said quickly. “Roy, keep your hands to yourself. Let me talk to Rachel. We can make love