by Cee Bowerman
“She was cleaning her fish with the other kids. Vada picked up the innards and launched them at her cousin Rosie. She said it was a ‘real gut bomb’ and she wanted to see it splatter,” Tink explained. “Rosie is one of those kids who doesn't like to do anything that might get her clothes dirty and the ‘gut bomb’ exploded right in the middle of her chest. While we were dealing with her nuclear meltdown, Vada and the other kids proceeded to have a fish gut fight. We had to walk them all back to the lake to wash off. Our granddaughter and Vada are mortal enemies now.”
“Mortal enemies at six,” Mace laughed. “I bet they grow up to be best friends.”
“We’re going to head home and appreciate the peace and quiet for a few days, but we’ll pick them up on Friday again if they want to come.” Sandy gave me a hug and moved toward the front door. “Let me know.”
“I will and thank you again for taking them.” I hugged Tink and then followed the two out onto the porch. “Love y’all.”
I watched my aunt and uncle drive off in their massive RV and then walked back into the house, making sure to shut and lock my front door behind me.
“A gut bomb, huh?” Mace chuckled. “I like that kid.”
“I call those burritos at Allsups gut bombs. I’m sure that’s where she got her lingo from.”
“They’re going back to the lake this coming weekend?”
“I guess so,” I nodded. “They go to the lake almost every weekend until it gets too cold for the kids to camp comfortably and then they just have the kids over to their house. Cyrus and Vada both love it, so I let them go as long as they’re doing well in school.”
“Can I reserve your Friday evening again?”
“Sure.” I smiled, wondering how we were going to top naked fishing. “Just a regular date?”
“I’m still in the wooing you phase, Reba. Don’t stifle my creativity.”
Mace looked so serious I couldn’t help but laugh.
“Come talk to me while I cook dinner, creative genius.”
◆◆◆
MACE
I opened the bathroom door and saw Cyrus standing in the hall.
“Waiting for me?” I asked him with a smile.
“Why are you eating dinner at our house?” Cyrus asked me. His voice was very serious. I thought he might be trying for “menacing”, but he had a few years to go before that was happening.
“Because your mom invited me to eat dinner with you guys.”
“Are you her boyfriend?”
“Questions are directed up the chain straight to the boss. Talk to your mom.”
“My friend Ricky told me that his mom has a boyfriend who buys him toys and stuff so he’ll go to his room and play.”
“You’re saying that you want me to bribe you with toys?”
“No.” Cyrus shook his head and I was relieved for a second until he said, “I want books.”
“I need to bring you books when I come visit your mom?”
“Yes, please.”
“For an extortionist, you’ve got some pretty good manners,” I complimented him.
“Thank you.”
“Okay, I get to pick the books, though.”
“Really?” I could tell that he hadn’t thought this was going to work just by how excited he was when I agreed.
“I won’t give you a new one until you sit down and talk to me about the old one.”
“That seems fair,” Cyrus agreed. He stuck his hand out and shook mine. “It’s a deal.”
I wasn’t positive it was blackmail at this point, so I didn’t really see a reason to tell Reba her son had tried to shake me down.
“Friends?”
“Sure,” Cyrus shrugged and headed down the hall toward his room.
I was still shaking my head when I turned the corner and walked into the kitchen.
“What’s up?” Reba asked as she looked at me over her shoulder. “Let me guess, Vada tried to con you out of money.”
“Nope.” I laughed. “But now I know to watch out for that.”
“She’s got a pretty good racket going with the sad eyes and pouty lip. Next time I’m broke, I’m going to kick her out at the corner of the hospital parking lot and see how much she can rake in.”
“What’s she collecting money for?”
“A pony, I think. It changes from month to month. She wanted a porcupine for a stretch, then a skunk. For a while, it was a zebra, but I think she’s moved on to a pony.”
“Your kids are funny.”
“Yeah, until they’re not.” Reba laughed. “You’ve only seen their good behavior.”
Just then I heard a scream come from somewhere at the back of the house. Reba took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and shook her head.
“Want me to go run interference?”
“Nope,” Reba shook her head. “Unless there’s bloodshed, I usually try to let them work it out. Sometimes I join in on the screaming when they’re dancing on my last nerve, but I try and let them settle it. Cyrus can learn to defend himself for that time when bullies pick on him for reading instead of playing sports and Vada can get ready to dominate her cell block at juvie.”
I laughed for a second and then realized that Reba was completely serious.
“Vada’s going to juvie, huh?”
“I am afraid it might happen.” Reba shook her head and winced when there was another scream and a door slammed. “She has some, well, impulse issues and does things like throw fish guts at her cousins.”
“How many cousins do you guys have?”
“Honestly, quite a few. Aunt Sandy and Uncle Tink raised their own kids and helped raise quite a few others. They’re like grandparents to all of our children now. They refer to all the kids as their grandkids because that’s so much easier and the kids all refer to each other as cousins whether there’s blood relation or not. For instance, Rosie, the little girl that’s Vada’s archnemesis, belongs to one of the members of Uncle Tink’s club, but they’re family, too, so we just refer to them as cousins.”
“I bet my parents knew your aunt and uncle. I think they knew everyone. They were friends with Bill Duke and Smokey, so I’m sure they knew them. We went to school with the Dukes and the Forresters.”
“Then you know my cousin Sonny.”
I put my hand up and motioned toward my hair, “With the white streak?”
“That’s him.”
“I do know him. Nice guy from what I remember.”
“He can be very sweet.” Reba smiled up at me before she looked back down at the dish she was stirring on the stove. “Hold your ears.”
I raised my eyebrows but put my hands up to cover my ears.
“Dinner’s ready!” Reba yelled at the top of her lungs. I dropped my hands in time to hear the kids thundering up the hall. “Have a seat.”
“What are we having?” Cyrus asked as he sat down at the table. I waited until the kids were settled and then picked an open chair at the table.
“Dirt, rocks, and feathers with a side dish of worms,” Reba answered her son as she dished food out onto their plates.
“Sounds delicious,” I laughed as I looked at the food Reba put on my plate.
“Shit, sorry!” Reba laughed as she sat down in her chair. “I’m not used to having grownups over for dinner.”
“You have to eat your portion or no ice cream for dessert,” Cyrus whispered my way.
“I don’t want to miss dessert.” I smiled at Reba when she glanced over and I could tell by the look on her face she knew I wasn’t talking about ice cream.
◆◆◆
“I came back for my dessert,” I told Reba as she opened the front door to let me in. “Thanks for not making me crawl in through your window.”
“I think Jace might shoot someone if he catches them trying to get in my window.” Reba laughed as she glanced over at Jace who was sitting in the recliner with a book in his hand.
“I only shoot people on alternating Thursdays,” Jace waved his hand a
s if to dismiss us.
Reba and I laughed as we walked down the hall to her bedroom. I’d left after dinner to give her some time with her kids and waited at my house until I got a text from her giving me the all clear.
Once we were in her bedroom with the door shut, Reba went from responsible parent to a sexy temptress. We were two steps into the room when her shirt came off and one step further, she’d already stepped out of her pants. She turned around and gave me a seductive grin just before I pulled her into my arms for a searing kiss.
“I sat there with you at the dinner table and all I could think about was your mouth on me,” Reba whispered as I trailed kisses down her neck.
“Same,” I murmured as I unclasped her bra. I bent down just a bit to pull her nipple into my mouth and heard her gasp. I moved over and gave the other nipple equal attention before I stood up and slowly walked us toward the bed. “God, you’re beautiful, Reba.”
“Same.” Reba laughed softly. She sat down on the bed and worked at the buttons on the front of my jeans while I kicked my shoes off. Once she had them undone, she pushed my pants and underwear down my legs. As I stepped out of my clothes, Reba put her hand around my cock and bent to take the head into her mouth causing me to stumble a bit before I could catch myself. I felt her chuckle and the hum of her voice on my cock made me shiver.
“Reba,” I put my hands on her shoulders and pushed her back, instantly missing the heat of her mouth when my cock left her lips with a loud popping noise. “I can’t guarantee I will be quiet if you keep doing that.”
Reva smiled knowingly and scooted back on the bed. I reached down for my pants and pulled out my wallet. While I got out the condom on, Reba shimmied around to get her underwear off. She tossed them in my general direction as I got on the mattress and crawled up toward her.
“Come to me,” Reba murmured when I covered her body with mine.
Our mouths met as I lowered myself over her, resting on my forearms I’d placed on either side of her shoulders. We kissed like that for a long time, our bodies touching and writhing against each other, until finally Reba wrapped her legs around my hips and pulled my body closer to her heat.
“Fuck me, Mace,” Reba whispered. “Now, please!”
I moved my hips just a fraction until I knew that the tip of my cock was poised right at her entrance. I stared down into her eyes as I entered her slowly, pulling out and pushing back in just a fraction more over and over again until she was squirming under me.
“Dammit, Mace,” Reba growled. She tilted her hips up and I settled in, slowly pushing my cock inside her until there was nothing left to give. I stayed still for a few seconds while we kissed, enjoying the movement of Reba’s hips as she swiveled them around trying to get me to move inside her. “Move, damnit!”
I chuckled and stayed still for a second longer. Reba lifted her head up and bit my shoulder with a growl. I couldn’t take my own teasing anymore and started to move slowly, pulling out almost all the way before I slowly sunk back into her body.
Our mouths and hands never stopped moving. We were working ourselves into a frenzy of need while I slowly teased her with my cock. I felt Reba’s hand move down between us and knew that she was touching her clit in rhythm with the movement of my body.
“I want to watch,” I told her as I rolled us so that she was straddling my body.
Reba pushed herself up and held one hand on my chest for balance while she rode me, her other hand moving in rhythm over her clit.
“Fuck, you’re hot,” I whispered as I watched her. “So beautiful, baby.”
Reba smiled and pushed up off my chest. She leaned back so that her free hand was on my thigh, giving me an even better view of her body as she rode me. Her movements got more frantic and I could feel her body tightening around me. I held onto her thighs and when she started to falter, I picked her up and dropped her back down over and over again.
“Mace,” Reba whispered, “Oh, shit.”
I felt her orgasm start and pumped up into her even harder a few times until I couldn’t take it anymore. I clamped my teeth together so I wouldn’t make too much noise as my cock filled the condom deep inside her.
Reba collapsed on my chest with a sigh and I felt the contractions start to subside as her orgasm faded.
“Wow,” I blew out a breath as my hands moved up over her back. I held her there on top of me for a few minutes as we caught our breath, my hands never stilling as I rubbed her back from ass to shoulder over and over.
“How is each one even better than the last?” Reba whispered as she pushed herself up a fraction so she could look into my eyes.
“I, for one, am not going to look a gift horse in the mouth.”
“True,” Reba giggled as she pulled herself off of me and collapsed at my side on the bed.
“Let me go get cleaned up.” I sat up and held onto the condom as I got out of bed and walked toward the bathroom. Once the door was shut, I pulled it off and wrapped it in toilet paper before I threw it in the trash can. I didn’t want curious eyes to see it there. I could only imagine what that conversation would be like, so I took precautions to hide the evidence.
When I walked back into the bedroom, it looked like Reba was sleeping. I walked over to her side of the bed wondering if I should just leave or wake her up to say goodbye.
“What time do you get up in the mornings?”
“5:15 or so.”
“Set the alarm on your phone and sleep here with me. The kids and I don’t get up until 6:00.”
“Okay,” I smiled as I crawled into bed with her. Her breathing was steady before I even got settled and I knew she was already sleeping soundly. I leaned over and kissed her lips before I adjusted the pillow under my head. Reba wiggled closer to me and threw a leg over mine.
“‘Night, Mace,” Reba whispered softly.
“Goodnight, baby.”
12.
“ I like the little gray kittens with white on the tips of their tails. They taste like cotton candy.”
Marcus
REBA
“What should I do with this?” I asked Marcus, the lawyer that my cousin Sonny had referred me to. “I had no idea this even existed until three days ago when my ex mother-in-law dropped it on my lawn.”
“Right before she got arrested for assaulting not only one, but three of Rojo’s finest?”
“Yeah, right before I watched them haul her away in handcuffs,” I said without even trying to hide the joy in my voice.
“I bet that felt good, didn’t it?”
“Yeah, but I’m glad the kids weren’t there,” I admitted. “I worry that I won’t be able to hide that woman’s behavior forever.”
“Well, I can’t help you with that part, but I can give you some idea about how to proceed with this new information you have.”
“Okay.”
“Do you have a will?”
“No,” I said, exasperated. “That’s one of those things I keep meaning to do, but just never get around to.”
“Let’s go ahead and get to that,” Marcus chuckled. “Who do you want to raise your kids if something should happen to you?”
“Sonny and Brenda Marks.”
“You were pretty quick to name them. Not that I have any problem with that considering they are both friends of mine, but I want to make sure you’ve thought this through.”
“Oh, yeah,” I nodded. “I’ve talked to the two of them about it. I just never made it official.”
“Well, in light of the fact that there are outside forces at play right now with your ex and his family, I suggest we get that down on paper today so I can file it with the county this afternoon. In case they take their nuisance to another level, we’ll have protection in place for your kids.”
“Yes, let’s do this today,” I agreed.
“Can you give Sonny and Brenda a call to make sure they’re still okay with this now that they’ve got a baby of their own? While you do that, I’m going to draft the document a
nd then we’ll tweak it a bit before you sign it. If you have time, I’d like you to wait here at my office while I get this done.”
“Okay.” I stood up and grabbed my purse and walked out of Marcus’s office to get some air while I called Sonny and his wife. Sonny picked up the phone on the second ring and I could hear Brenda talking in the background.
“Hey, cuz,” Sonny greeted me.
“Hello, handsome. I’m meeting with your friend Marcus. He’s going to draft a will for me and I want to make sure that you and Brenda will still take the kids if something happens to me.”
“Well, of course,” Sonny said seriously. “Nothing’s going to happen to you, Reba.”
“Anything can happen, Sonny. It might not be Ellen or Travis. I could fall in the shower or get hit by an asteroid. But if any of those things happen after this afternoon, there will be a legal document that says you’re going to take my hell spawn and raise them as your own.”
“Of course, your hell spawn will be well taken care of in the event of your tragic death by a falling rock.”
“Thank you,” I laughed. “You’re my favorite cousin, you know?”
“Of course, I am. I’m the best looking one too.”
“Without a doubt.”
I said my goodbyes to Sonny and just as I was about to put my phone in my purse, it rang.
“Hi, Mace,” I greeted my caller.
“Hello, beautiful. Are you still free for lunch?”
“Maybe?” I grimaced. “I’m at the lawyer’s office now and I’m not sure how long it will take.”
“I think lawyers eat lunch, too, don’t they? Or are the souls of the innocent only available on full moons?”
“You’re thinking of politicians,” I joked. “Lawyers eat puppies and calico kittens and they’re available all the time.”
I heard a laugh behind me and turned around to see Marcus leaning against the doorframe that led into his office.
“Um, I’m going to let you go.”
