3: MEADOW

"Do you think maybe it's time to call an intervention?" Kaia asks, ladling soup into a bowl.

"I don't know. Onyx wants to be there for his sister, but he also doesn't want his parents to feel like he's taking sides against them. They were all so close growing up, you know? For him, dealing with Dani is like dealing with a stranger most days."

"She needs to know how he feels, at least. I mean, at some point, someone has to intervene before she continues to destroy the fabric of the family dynamic and look back one day with regrets. Maybe that person is you since, for all intents and purposes, you're on the outside looking in. I'm sure that she'll receive the message from you a lot better than she would her parents or her brother," Kaia says.

I grab a dinner roll and place it onto the plate that Mak passes to me. "Pie or cake?" I ask the little boy standing in front of me.

"Pie, please," he says.

"You have such lovely manners," I commend him, giving him a cookie to go along with the dinner roll before I hand the plate off to Kaia who ladles soup into the bowl.

"Thank you," he says, looking at his mom who looks tired and in need of a hot bath and comfortable bed.

His mother nods approvingly at him as she waits for me to place her roll onto her plate.

"Pie or cake?" I ask.

She looks at her son, who smiles again as he accepts his plate and bowl from Kaia.

"Pie," she says. "He loves them so much that I can't help but give my slice to him."

Smiling at her, I glance around to make sure no one's paying attention. I slip two slices of pie onto her plate and lean in, whispering, "One for you and two for him."

The warmth and the gratitude in her eyes almost overwhelm me.

"Thank you," she says softly, moving on to Kaia.

"You're welcome."

Once they move along, Kaia elbows me. "Ouch! What'd you do that for?"

"You're only supposed to give them one dessert," Kaia says.

"I know that, but it won't hurt anyone if I slip that kid another slice of pie," I argue.

"You two are getting loud. Both of you need to lower your voices before someone else hears," Mak warns just as the next person steps up to her.

I glare at Kaia who glares back at me before we turn to serve the next person in line.

"Kaia's right, you know," Mak says.

"Really? You're going to lecture me about a second slice of pie, too?" I ask, turning to stare at her.

"No. I don't give a damn about that pie. I'd go and buy a pie for every family to take home," Mak says. "Hell, I will. I'll send them all home with two pies each."

Mak is a billionaire. She's the founder and owner of Layla Amara Cosmetics, a two-point-four-billion-dollar cosmetics company for women of color that has several skincare, cosmetics, and fragrance lines.

She's the reason behind us volunteering at Higher Souls, a soup kitchen for the homeless. Mak has been volunteering at this place for the last year, and she recruited Kaia, her sisters-in-law, Yaya and Poppy, and me to help.

We've been volunteering here two Saturdays out of the month for the last four months alongside Mak.

"Then what are you saying that she's right about?" I ask, giving the next person a roll before offering them their dessert options.

"About someone stepping in to deal with Danica. I've pointed it out to Shep on several occasions, and Yaya and I recently talked, and she's done the same thing with Cade. But they're both insisting it's not their place to get involved and that if her parents and brother aren't—"

"Well, someone needs to get involved. I don't give a shit if it's Pope Francis himself. Someone needs to get that girl before things spiral out of control," Kaia interjects.

"Yeah, my sister, Brynlee, called the other day asking if I'd seen her latest show. I told her that I hadn't."

"What happened?" I ask.

"I went back to watch the replay because I always record it. At one point, she kept stumbling over her words and looked as if she was going to pass out. I called Shep, and he said that her agent, manager, producer, or somebody like that would handle the situation. I was wondering why they didn't edit it myself. But then again, the only thing those producers give a shit about is ratings. If it were my staff, you'd best believe that I'd fire every one of their asses for not making sure that I look good. After all, I'm in the business of making people look good no matter how ugly," Mak quips, twisting her lips with a smug smirk.

"I saw that show, too. My heart went out to her because it's clear that she doesn't have anyone around her who gives a shit about her," Kaia says.

"Look like that's the end of the line," Mak says as the last person steps to Kaia for some soup in their bowl.

We all take a step back from the table and sit down on the stools behind us to rest.

"It's not that the people around her don't give a shit about her. It's that Dani isn't easy to manage. She's stubborn, she's a firecracker, and she's a bully when things don't go her way. It's easy for her to turn aggressive or shut everyone out," I explain. "Ask Mak. She knows."

"She is telling the truth. I've tried to have conversations with her, casually asking if she was okay, but she shut down on me quickly. I always figured someone closer like you might be able to help her," Mak says.

"I agree with Mak, Meadow."

"My husband's family is his family, just like my family is mine. I know what I believe to be the best thing, but I'm not about to overstep the boundaries and disrespect him by going behind his back to converse with his sister. They already feel a way about her being more receptive to take my calls and texts than theirs."

"Then maybe that's how you should present it. Let them know that this isn't about who she prefers or doesn't prefer or who's her favorite person. This is about saving a life, a soul, a family. Doesn't that count for anything with them? She can love them more than you and still be more receptive to your message, don't you think?" Mak asks.

Shaking my head, I say, "My in-laws don't see the two as being related. In their mind, if she listens to me more then that must mean that she's closer to me, and she's rejecting the family. She can't be close to them and not receive their advice."

"The two aren't mutually exclusive, you know."

"Sometimes, people get an idea stuck in their head and to renounce that ideology would be like giving up everything they believe in," Kaia says.

"Right, like my dad."

"Girl! Who you telling?" Kaia agrees.

"What about your dad?" Mak asks.

"While he loves and supports me, it's no mystery that he's not a big fan of the Maxwells; my husband included."

"Why not?"

"My dad believes the rich have one purpose and one purpose only; to steal, to kill, and to destroy. He believes they're no different than the adversary and that, in fact, they come from the adversary. According to him, nothing good will come from my marriage to Onyx. He says I'll pay a high price for that decision and suffer for a lifetime."

"Wow!"

"Yeah. He talks about how Jesus was a carpenter, and he had no solid place to rest his head. He speaks of the sacrifices that Jesus made and how he served others, and that we should all uphold that attitude, not pursue wealth," I express.

"And his favorite scripture to quote is Matthew nineteen and verse twenty-three... ‘Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven,'" Kaia and I say together.

"Hasn't he read Matthew seven verses one and two that says, ‘Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you?'" Mak retorts.

Laughing, I say, "Then he'd probably quote you Matthew four verses one through eleven and point out how even Satan quoted scripture."

Mak lifts an eyebrow and says, "Now I have complete respect for people's parents, but I won't lie, Meadow, if your father had the balls to call me Satan to my face, I'd have to chop those balls off."

"Get in line, girl. He's my daddy, and I love him, but I promise you that sometimes I want to hurt the man."

"He can be pretty stubborn," Kaia says.

"Either way, someone needs to make a stand for Danica. If Onyx won't do it for his sister, then maybe I'll have a conversation with Shep. Don't get me wrong, he won't do it, but he won't stop me from doing it either," Mak says.

"I'll try to talk to Onyx again and maybe even his parents, too, though I just don't know how much good it will do. My father-in-law, like my dad, firmly believes that his way is the only way. My mother-in-law, like my mama, loves the earth that man walks upon. I doubt she'll go against him even for her own kid."

"I have to give it to Mrs. Christina. She's a great wife. She truly upholds the Proverbs thirty-one woman from all that I've seen," Kaia says.

"I don't recall the Proverbs thirty-one woman turning her back on her children," Mak disagrees.

"You've got a point there," Kaia nods emphatically.

"Well, let's not focus on their problems anymore. Have you ladies seen the text that I sent this morning of my outfit for your performance, Meadow?"

When we shake our heads no and pull out our phones, Mak says, "Shep and I went shopping yesterday for what we're wearing to your performance. Girl, I'll be finer than the finest wines. Might even outshine you, Meadow. Not that I'm trying," Mak says humbly.

Kaia and I laugh and then ooh and ahh over the beautiful orange dress that Mak is wearing in the picture and how it hugs all her curves perfectly.

"Chris and I will be there, too, love. You know that I'm so proud of you," Kaia says, leaning sideways on her stool to hug me.

"Thanks, girl."

"Will your parents be there?" Kaia asks.

"Yes, I'm expecting them to. But I know that they won't sit anywhere near Onyx's family so you may or may not see them."

"It saddens me that when people are out here with real-life struggles like these people," Mak says, waving her hand to the homeless population that we're serving. "That there are people like your father who are picking obstacles to erect in their lives," Mak finishes.

"It's the kind of pressure that could place a strain on the family if we let it. Onyx and I choose not to let it, and neither do my brothers. We all let daddy sulk in his feelings for the most part, and if he gets too out of hand, Mama puts him right back into place. Girl, I don't think I told y'all that I overheard a conversation between my youngest brother, Micah, and his then-girlfriend about Onyx's proposal to me."

"No, you didn't. What happened?" Mak asks.

"When Onyx went to my father to ask for my hand in marriage because he knew it was important to my father, my dad said hell would freeze over before he gave him my hand in marriage."

"Damn, that's cold. And Onyx never told you?" Mak asks.

"Nope."

"That man loves you. He simply wanted to protect you from the hurt," Mak says.

"That's what he said too."

"How did you deal with that after you found out the truth?" Kaia asks.

"I never did. After I overheard the conversation, I went straight to Onyx rather than my dad or my brother. I wanted to see if it was true. He confessed that it was and then I was going to go to my parents' house. Onyx said that it wasn't necessary. He said that what did it matter anyway when we were married? I pointed out that it obviously impacted my brothers."

"But aren't your brothers grown-ass men?" Mak asks.

"They are. Mark Jr. is thirty-nine, and Micah is thirty-five. Mark Jr. doesn't get too involved with it, but Micah only wants to please my father so he stays away."

"Either way, don't let that stress you out because you've got a very important night coming up, and you're living your dreams. Many people don't get a chance to do that so don't let other people's shenanigans ruin your life. They're grown, and they have to handle their emotions. That's not your responsibility," Mak says.

"When Mama and I had lunch the other day, she told me that Daddy grumbled about being there with the Maxwells, and he didn't know why they had to come at all. She said he pouted like a little kid, but he would be there."

"Girl, all men are little kids no matter how old they get. But no matter what he does, just know that Kaia, and though Yaya isn't here, but I know that I speak for her too, the three of us have always got your back so don't let the petty stuff get to you."

Leaning toward my cousin-in-law, I wrap her in my arms and say, "Trust me, I won't. I'm not letting that bother me. But thanks, sis."

"Any time," she says. "Besides, you'll have the Maxwells there that night with a strong show of support."

"And the Taylors!" Kaia says, laughing.

***

"Did you and the ladies enjoy yourselves this afternoon?" Onyx asks, rubbing a concoction of marula, coconut, and avocado oil into my naturally dry skin while it's still moist from my shower.

"We did. We met some beautiful souls today, and Mak is going to go back there to give makeovers and do a job workshop in two weeks. After that, she's going to hold a hiring event at the same location for those people who were there today. It inspired me and made me wonder if there was anything that I could do for them. I want to help, too."

"That's a good idea, baby. If she needs anything from me, I'm willing to donate too," he says.

"Thanks, babe. I'll let her know."

"What else?"

"What else, what?"

"Is on your mind. I can see that something else is bothering you."

"I wouldn't say bothering me, but I am wondering if Mama and Daddy will be at the reception after the performance. She said that they were coming to the performance. I just hope that they don't change their mind and I hope they'll come to the reception. I want them to see my studio. But I doubt they're coming there," I say.

"Maybe they'll change their mind."

"Maybe," I mutter.

Squeezing my shoulders and pressing a kiss to my forehead, he kneels between my legs and says, "And if they don't, then that's their bag to carry. I don't want you carrying other people's baggage anymore, MJ. You get me?"

Laughing, I tilt my head and say, "That's easy for you to say."

"Not true. You've seen my family's drama. With Danica high as a kite these days, Mama not wanting to deal with the truth and Dad blaming himself while angry at her at the same time isn't a recipe for harmony. But you see how I shrug that shit off and keep going."

"Mm, you do a wonderful job of that...sometimes, I suppose."

"Okay, okay. I do get into my feelings sometimes, but that's what my baby is here for."

Cradling my face, he says, "Sweetheart, you keep me grounded and help me to compartmentalize all that shit. That's the only thing that I'm trying to do for you."

Closing my eyes, I accept the kiss that he places on each of my eyelids and then my lips.

"Okay, baby. You've got it."

"Good, now let me get something else," he says, pushing me back on the bed and spreading my legs wide.

Why is it that the first lick that he takes always sends me skyrocketing and orbiting around the moon?

Onyx slides one finger inside of me as he sucks at my clit. My fingers grip the sheets to keep from tugging on his short curls.

"You look so gorgeous lying up there like that. Spread wide for me, beautiful," he says before he delves back into me.

Sex with Onyx can be relaxing and soothing to intense and explosive. I never know what ride I'm in for with this man as he never does anything the exact same way as before. He loves experimenting and the freedom of expression in sex.

We've tried a wide range of things in our two short years, including food play, voyeurism, and BDSM. He has membership privileges at an exclusive club for the wealthy called Prestige in Summer Cove, North Carolina which is roughly a three-hour drive or an hour"s flight from us.

He'd gone there quite often before meeting me and when he told me about it, I didn't think that it would be anything that I was interested in. Onyx convinced me to go once and that was the only time that I went.

I've never demanded that he give up his membership, but I know that he doesn't go anymore. It's a place for the wealthy to feed their sexual fetishes and proclivities. The only thing that Onyx has asked for that I've denied him is a threesome.

He's not interested in sharing me with another man, and I'm damn sure not interested in sharing him with another woman which is what he proposed at the time of asking.

As he devours me now, I find myself scooting up on the bed further and further before he hooks his arms around my thighs and pulls me close again. I lose myself in the ecstasy that my husband's tongue brings me as he shows me all the ways that he can take me up high and then plunge me into the depths of erotic pleasure.

Onyx's dark orbs, for which his mother named him, pin me in place. His penetrating gaze is so intense that it's hard for me to disconnect from it. He watches me as I shatter into a million pieces underneath his tantalizing tongue.

"I need you, O," I say, reaching for him as he removes his boxer briefs and tank top before climbing onto the bed with me.

"You've got me, MJ," he replies, gripping my hip and turning me sideways.

Tonight, his aim is to soothe the remnants of the hurt and pain that I carry because of my father. Onyx's touch on my hip is a gentle caress. The kiss he gives is sweet, slow, and inquiring.

"If your father never approves of me, I don't care because I'm not going anywhere. You're perfect in my eyes, and I won't risk that for the world. Nothing can tear us apart, baby. Nothing. We are one, MJ."

"So, they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, let no one separate," I whisper.

"Exactly, baby," he says, pressing his lips to mine again.

This time I open my mouth to him, allowing him to suck on my tongue before he gently moves around, prodding inside. Our eyes are open as we communicate with one another in our personal language. No words need to be said. Our love runs deep like the ocean and covers a multitude of hurt.

No matter if the world tilts on its axis, all I need is a moment in Onyx's arms, and it makes everything all right.

I hook my leg over his hip, allowing him entrance into me, and when he slides inside, I feel as if he's coming home. Our connection is powerful, and on a deeper level, it elevates my spirit and my mind.

We rock back and forth in unison as if we were one body and not two. The love that I see shining in my husband's eyes for me is consuming and causes me to gasp as I'm overcome by emotion. The tears that spring to my eyes draw a look of concern from him.

Even in this, we don't speak. With one hand, he gently wipes my tears away before he leans in for a kiss to settle my heart, my emotions, and my spirit.

Onyx fills me up with every move that he makes, and every kiss that he gives me breathes life into me. Throughout our kiss, we keep our eyes open and on one another.

He loves it when I watch him pleasure me, and I love seeing him basking in the feeling that he gets knowing that he's pleasing me. I reach up a hand to his face and caress him as I subject him to my adoration.

Onyx's nostrils widen, and his breathing deepens, and I know that it's going to be hard for him to remain the way that we are, lying on our sides, engaging in the most intimate and erotic part of our relationship.

Slowly, Onyx rolls me onto my back and pulls himself back to the tip as he lowers his head to take one of my breasts into his mouth and then the other. The feeling is so exquisite I imagine that I could lie this way for hours and allow him to do whatever he'd like to my body.

Sometimes, I take the lead in our sex lives, but mostly it's him. Yet, I love it when he gently leads me through the experience, allowing himself to become lost in the physical journey of our love.

My hands drag down the sandy-colored plane of his chest before he lifts his head and pushes up and deeper inside of me. As he nips my shoulder, I grip the base of his shaft.

The heat of our skin melding together as one, and the sweat that we create turns me on even more. I squeeze and release his dick repeatedly until he murmurs against my lips, "I'm going to cum if you don't quit."

I pull my hand away from him and lick my palm, causing him to smirk and press his lips against mine, consuming them. This time, when we kiss, our eyes flutter close, and I raise my hips to meet his descent every time.

It's not long before the combination of being loved by such an amazing man and the intense physical excursion we're partaking in takes me over the edge. As my body clenches around my husband, milking him, begging for what he has to offer, I cry out to him.

"I love you, O! I love you so damn much," I cry as tears stream from my closed eyes.

Within seconds, he's climaxing inside of me, and I receive the hot seed that he releases inside of me.

He glances at me when he's finished, and I know that he sees the hope in my eyes, but disappointment fills his.

He turns away from me.

"What's wrong?"

Shaking his head, he mumbles, "Nothing."

He sits up in bed, and I place a hand on his shoulder.

"Do you think that maybe we need to get tested?"

"For what?"

"To see if maybe one of us has a health condition that's preventing us from having a baby."

"What?" he turns, facing me and scowling at me.

"I mean, this isn't normal. Right?"

Scoffing, he shakes his head in disbelief. "If we don't have a kid on your command every time we fuck, so something's wrong with my sperm?"

"I never said that O. That's not fair. It could be me for all I know."

"I'm tired. I don't want to do this shit tonight, MJ," he says, lying back down.

"Is it so wrong that I hold onto hope?" I ask, sitting cross-legged on our bed, facing him.

"It isn't, but damn, does this wish for a child have to permeate every aspect of our lives, MJ?"

"What woman wouldn't feel the way that I do?"

"I don't know, MJ. I'm a man. I'm just so tired of this being our entire focus. Somehow, every conversation, every intimate moment, turns back to this. I can't take the pressure anymore. It's getting so bad that hell, I don't even want to have sex most times."

Tears prick my eyes, and I say, "You don't mean that."

"I mean it. We talk about having kids when we wake in the morning, during the middle of the day when we call to check in on each other, when I arrive home, and every night before we go to bed. I'm tired," he says, sitting up in bed and flinging his legs over the side.

"It doesn't have to be this bad, O! You're making it this bad!"

"No! You are!"

"Where are you going?"

"To sleep in the guest room. Someplace that's peaceful and free of talk about kids."

He slams the bedroom door, leaving me feeling alone and empty inside.