Lover Laid Bare (continuation of Lover United)

Part 16

Marissa nervously stirred the sauce she had learned to make years ago for Butch, that was just like the tomato sauce his mother made. It quickly became a favorite for her children, as well as her hellran, and she hoped tonight would be no different. The last time all three of her children were in their home together for a real honest meal had felt ages, discounting the Brotherhood's affairs at the palace. While she loved to see everyone under one gorgeous gilded roof, it was special to have her children to herself for a change. Bhane had found a place with a couple males he's known through the training center, and like BJ, she didn't push him to stay with her instead. But the hole in her heart from not having her boys with her made her feel almost empty. Thankfully she had a quite a few more years yet before Madaline would leave her an empty nester again.

Mady had been quite a trying pregnancy and sent Butch into a fit every time she moved, even just to adjust from the bed to the chair. He'd begged her to have a hysterectomy, after Mady was born alive and well, all be it a few months earlier than they would have liked. All three of her men crowded around that baby girl, day and night.  She refused the surgery at that time and wondered now if maybe they would want one more. Maybe another little girl... Shaken from her thoughts the door to the kitchen swung open and her skinny string bean of a daughter flounced in. She was every bit of the natural beauty Marissa was, golden locks spilling down her back with an effortless curl and ice blue eyes to match hers. And thankfully for her sanity, she was every bit as tough as the males she birthed before her. 

"What's doin?" she asked as she climbed to the bar top in the kitchen island and put her chin in her hands. Marissa smiled at Mady, the little girl having had a tendency to pick up on the brother's very particular way of talking. She'd avoided telling her that her oldest brother was coming, mostly for fear of disappointment if plans changed. Smiling back at her daughter she said, "Just making BJ's favorite meal. He should be here in a few minutes." Hearing her daughter squeak from excitement, she watched the girl bolt from the kitchen and race upstairs, no doubt to bring down her chess board, she mused. 

Turning back to her pot she pursed her lips and thought through again how she was going to bring up Petra to Malina. The puzzle had been nagging her since Malina left the Safe House, almost as much as she had been nagging BJ about her whereabouts and actions. Having heard the ordeal that went down in the very early morning, a twinge of guilt, knowing she was now not only interfering in Malina's world, but she was quickly diving in to her son's. This would certainly not be the last meal Malina would be having here at her home if BJ had bonded like she assumed. He kept everything quiet, like usual. He, like his father, had his need for privacy. Butch still frequented the same church on his own, despite the talk he knew surrounded him now. Some even believed he was a ghost, haunting the church, but they were widely denounced. BJ had always snuck away, even as a young male, either to a special room or nook. Once his special place was discovered, it was moved, never shared. It was why she never asked to enter his home. At least she knew WHERE his special place was, even if she wasn't ever invited in.

A scent that was familiar caught her nose and she turned to look over to the door. BJ was there, smiling at her and walking briskly to pull her into a tight hug. Before she could put her spoon down, he snatched her up and held her tight, the spoon dropping on the floor and splashing them with the red sauce. Laughing, Marissa scolded her son playfully and demanded he put her down. When he placed her feet firmly on the floor she noticed Malina standing in the doorway, looking bashful and nothing like the female she had known. Her fingers fidgeted nervously as she looked from her high heel clad feet to them and back. BJ's scent was permeating from her skin and it was clear to anyone who was near by that she was marked as his. The door behind her shot open and Malina gasped as Mady ran past her, holding the chess board that BJ purchased for her birthday a couple months back.