BOMAW Vol. 10-12 (92 page)

Isaac even grew frustrated with her, because he had wanted him....period, but she blocked him. It had pissed Ben off and for once, he almost started an argument with her, but bit his tongue, ground his teeth and let her get away with it, for that moment, but not for long. Punish him for whatever, sure - but the boys did not deserve to be cut off from him. Besides that, he enjoyed them and she was being mean for no reason that he could see. Well he wasn't having it, no way!

In fact, he decided that he was going to get this issue moving along right now. Now that Angela showed up in the room to play videos with Mundo, "Where's Crystal and the boys?" He asked her.

"She's putting them to bed, staying in there with them to read'em a bedtime story."

He nodded his head, and then suddenly passed her his control, "Here you go, play for me."

Mundo looked up at him, by the look on his face, he chuckled and shook his head. "Glutton for punishment." he muttered going on with the game. Angela gladly took Ben's controls and her and Mundo went head to head.

Ben left out of the room, quietly heading up the stairs. He got to their bedroom door, listened in and could hear Crystal softly reading to them. He took a deep breath and tried to think of a good reason to go in, the light of ideas came on and in he went.

She was on
his bed
reading them a story. At his entrance, both of the boys popped up calling his name, "Ben! Ben! Ben!" Isaac was up on his knees and Darren got out of Crystal's lap and rushed to the end of his bed holding his arms up to him before she could grab him, calling his name, "Darren, come back here!"

"No! Ben!" He told her in a tone as if to tell her off. Ben of course, scooped him up into his arms, hugging him. "Hey my little man!" He kissed his neck and Isaac quickly made his way to him as well, and Ben scooped him up along with Darren.

Crystal was fit to be tied!

"You did that on purpose! I was reading them a story, trying to put them to sleep!" She stated the obvious.

"Oh, were you? I came in looking for my book I was reading."

"You ain't been reading no book!" She so much as called him a liar.

"Excuse me, I most certainly was too reading a book!" he defended back at her.

"What's the name of it? Who is the author?" She snapped out quickly.

"Lonesome Dove, Larry McMurtry." He returned just as quickly, having prepared that title outside of the door. He'd read it years ago, it was one of his favorites, so it wasn't hard to come up with.

"Em hmmm, I haven't seen you with no book! Not once the whole time we've been here!" She fussed.

"I have you know, I read it - in
my bed
- where you are, at night to get to sleep, if you must know!"

"Where is it then? Hm? I don't see no book anywhere around here!"

"You must have done something with it then!" he turned to the boys then, "You guys seen my book? It was right over there by my bed, help me look for it."

"I help you Ben!" Isaac got down to start looking.

Crystal's mouth dropped open, "Excuse me, but I was putting them to sleep, reading them a story!"

"What were you reading them?"

"Don't worry about it! About face please and out of here so I can finish!"

"I beg your pardon,
sista
- this is my room, you in my bed!" He then proceeded to set Darren down and climb in it beside her, stretching his long frame out with his hands out to Darren, who ran back into them.

Crystal turned to look down at him, laying next to her, "Oh no you did not!"

"Ben! Is we gone look fo' yo' book?" Isaac asked throwing his hands up exasperated.

"I'll find it later, better get back in bed so your mama can finish reading you a story, come on up here in bed." He pat the space between him and Crystal. Isaac dived on the bed, moved in between them, laying on his side next to Ben, who was on his side, with Darren straddling it. "Come here man, lay on my chest instead." Ben invited turning to his back so that Darren could.

All the while, Crystal sat there, leaning against his head board, glaring down at him steaming.

"Okay, we're ready, go ahead, finish." He stated, placing one hand up behind his head, Isaac scooted higher, putting his head on Ben's strong arm, using it as a pillow. While Darren waved at her ordering, "Fini' mama!" from his chest.

"Well?" Ben prompted her.

If she was going to get them to sleep, she needed to carry on, but when they were asleep and she got him outside, she was going to give him a piece of her mind. Ben read the message in her narrowed eyes, and narrowed his own at her as if to say,
'You're on.'

For the moment, she had little choice but to go on and read to them.
Oddly enough, with Ben present, they settled really well and in no time they were sleeping. Ben carefully passed Crystal Darren so she could put him in his crib, while he got up to carefully put Isaac in his bed. When he stood straight and turned, it was to face her, glaring at him in the middle of the room.

"Outside, now!" She whispered the order.

"My pleasure! You don't scare me!" He whispered back.

Both of them made their way through the house and to the the back door of the family room, and out of it to the far end of the back garden, with Crystal in the lead to the very far corner - hopefully out of ear shot, because she was going to give him a piece of her mind and when she was done, he would never mess when her again, as soon as they reached the dark corner of the gate, before she could spin of her own, she felt her arm caught, pulled and she was snatched around, yanked hard against his strong body and before she could react, she was caught, tangled and trapped into a kiss. His arms were like a band of steel around her back, pressing her tightly against him, with one of his hands palming the back of her head while he ravaged her mouth, traumatizing her heart, and sent her clamoring body out into orbit. For a moment, Crystal couldn't think, she could only feel! Feel his magnificent body pressed up against hers, feel his strong arms squeezing, hugging, holding her, feel the heat of him permeating her body, feel the mastery of his kiss as he did to her mouth what every woman alive should experience at least once in their life.

He kissed her deep, thorough and completely, just long enough to get away with it, then turned her loose and stepped back.

Crystal staggered back from his arms trying to catch her breath, with white lights flashing before her. Realizing what he'd done, and her reaction to it, lit her fire!

"You! You - do that again, you gone make me kick yo'ass!"

"Ohhh, you're a tough one aren't you! Why I'm shivering!" He made the gesture, as if shaking in fright.

"You think this is funny don't you!? You think this is just a game you can play - and I'm supposed to just play along!"

He stood straight looking down at her in the dark, "I never once thought this, or you, were a game to play."

"I need you - to listen to me! I need you to take what I'm going to say to you, seriously!"

"Crystal
Bella
, I'm nothing but - serious
mi querida amor."

"Don't do that!" She ordered, breathing hard.

"What?"

"Talk to me like that! Say my name like that!"

"What did I say?"

"I know what you said, I know Spanish! I have a Puerto Rican grandmother, I understood you perfectly well and I want you to cut it out!"

"My heart? You want me to cut my heart out?" He was using a Spanish accent that went to the quick of her.

She looked away from him a moment trying to get her bearings, taking a deep breath, her eyes darted up to his, "I'm a married woman!-..."

"In process of a divorce and for good reason!"

"Yes! For good reason! Reason being, I married too soon! I got involved too early in my life because I wasn't ready yet!"

"The problem was him Crystal, not you!"

"I wasn't ready for it! And I'm not ready for this! What you're trying to do!"

"What is that?" He returned.

"Dammit! Stop playing games with me Ben! I have a lot on my plate! I'm just going to be straight up with you! I can't afford to do what you're trying to lead me to! I have two sons to care for and see about and I cannot be tripping along making mistakes when I have them depending on me! And further more, I need you to back up off of them! You are not their father! They have a father, his name is Victor Prescott! You - are confusing them! You - are adding to the drama in my life! You - are starting to stress me out! I am not, do you hear me, not - about to leave one man to cozy up with another! I am not a piece of trash for you all to pass between you as if I have no integrity, morals or self-control! You have Gail, might I suggest that you-..."

"No, I don't." He broke in to inform her.

"What - what do you mean, no, you don't?"

"I mean, it's over. She and I are no longer an item."

"Since when?"

"Since last night."

"Who broke up with who?"

"She told me off after not contacting her all of this time, and rightly so. I'm not in love with her, I haven't been in love with her and I wasn't being fair. I apologized to her for any heartache I've caused and wished her nothing but happiness in her future."

"So, what do you expect me to say to that, Ben?"

"Nothing I guess, I just wanted you to know. And as for the boys, why can't I be to them, what Mundo is?"

"Mundo is my brother, their uncle, you're not! They shouldn't be getting close to you!"

"Look Crystal, I understand why you're trying to keep me at arms length. I don't like it, but I understand it. But know this, I'm not going anywhere. I'm going to be around. If you wanna deny what could be between us, well - fine - I have no choice but to accept that, but - there's no reason to keep me from the boys and the boys from me. So, let's compromise, shall we? I promise to behave myself, and not - bother you anymore - and you - let me spend time with the boys, be in their lives, please?"

"Why?! It makes no sense! Why my boys? Why me? There's nothing special about me!?"

Ben stood staring down at her a moment, shaking his head as if about to say something, he changed his mind saying instead, "Please? At least let me be in the boys lives, can I?"

"I some how don't see Victor, agreeing to this arrangement, Ben! What about him?"

"What about him? They don't even miss him, they haven't asked for him, why do you suppose that is?"

"Ben, I need to get my life in order."

"Okay, I heard you, loud and clear."

"I don't wanna be spinning crazy about you, I can't have you on my mind! Clogging up my thinking and making things tougher to stick to."

"Okay, I said okay, I apologize for kissing you that way - I had - no right." He returned softly, gazing down at her, a bit breathless.

The look of him, there in the garden, with a backdrop of the moon over his head, made her heart beat in a chaotic tempo, disturbing her breathing. It was his eyes, even in the dark, she could read what he was thinking, feeling, wanting. "Stop it, Ben!"

"What?! What am I doing now?"

"Looking at me like that! Don't look at me that way!"

"Well what'a'yah want me to do, look at the sky? Okay, I'll look over your head, at the fence okay, I'll look at that." And did. "And uh - last thing, leave the boys out of you fighting your feelings for me, they've done nothing wrong. And if their father, Victor, fills their needs Crystal, when we return - I'll even back away from them. Promise." He then looked back down at her, "Okay?"

"Okay." Needing to put space between them, she turned and strode quickly back to the house.

Ben stood watching her leave and wondered, had he made the biggest mistake of his life, falling for Crystal Bella Payne-Prescott, time - he decided, would tell.

*

Chicago...

Paul felt on top of the world! His dad and Kevin were back on the road for Wisconsin after they spent part of the day helping someone else at their home. Another older person who lived back behind Mr. Hunter, thankfully, the repairs to that home had been small in comparison, but they now had a sturdy reputation. They'd spent the better part of the day at Dennis and Sheila's, organizing his care and protection while he was there. He had Dennis' mobile number, Sheila's and her house number, Vivian's mobile, work number, home number. Lucas Henry's number, Lydia's number and even Ms. Earthaleen's number. He had to make Sheila and Vivian aware of his every move. And while Vivian was at work, Sheila was his mama. Period! In fact that had been her own words. Words that she drilled him on.

"Let's get this straight right now, during this week, while you here, I'm your mama! Who your mama?"

Grinning, he answered, "You, you my mama."

"That's right, and who am I?"

"Sheila?" He asked.

"That's right, Sheila - and Sheila is your mama - and your mama, Sheila - don't play! While your daddy gone, and Vivian at work, and you around this neighborhood doing work, who gots to know?"