The Second Covenant

I was yawning when I showed up at my parents house, Druex plus gang would show up in a while to help warm the couches in the entertainment room with the rest of the men, while us women slaved away. I gave my mother a sleepy smile and Aunt Kate a kiss on the cheek. “Morning.” I yawned again and snagged an apron from the pantry. The kitchen was overflowing already with baking ingredients, the island had not one, but three turkeys on it, waiting to be gutted and cooked. “Three?” I asked my mother and she shrugged. “Seven women against, fourteen men? Six of which are carnivorous werewolves?” Oh yeah. “Right.”

She waved at the smallest one, which was still a ten pounder, easy, “Leave that one for your father, he wants to try out the smoker we bought him for his birthday.” She rolled her eyes but I got right in there and all three of us gutted the dead animal. It was fun, cooking with the women of our family. When Lisa showed up, with thirty pounds of potatoes, and fifteen pounds of sweet potatoes, plus enough butter to sink a ship I called for reinforcements. “Molly, hey, it’s Cherish. I was wondering if you’d like to come over early.”
“Uh, yeah why?”
“No reason, the moms pile in at my house and we all cook together. My Aunt Lisa just brought enough potatoes to give us all the fiber we’ll need for the next year, and they all need to be peeled and stuff. Plus the pies need to get done and…it’s going to be one big ass feast.” I looked around the kitchen and said more quietly. “I thought too, it would help you be more comfortable to have time to get acquainted with everybody.”

I heard her sigh, a bit raggedly. “Yeah, that might be good. My mom would be happy to help too.” Moral support was good. “Your dad can bunk in with my dad and uncles, they’re watching some fight on TV, and later they’re going to stand around the smoker and drink the beer. Very manish bonding. And of course, your brother needs to be baptized in that most manly of traditions. Beer and dead animal grilling.” She laughed, a good laugh. “We’ll be over in a while then.”
“Oh and Molly, just so you’re um, prepared? Druex and his cousins are coming too.” Long, weighty pause before she said in a small voice. “As in that tall, dark, and dangerous looking cousin too?”
“Uh hu. But I promise Molly, he’s really sweet. And you’ll sit between me and your mom. No pressure, it‘s just dinner with a big group of people.”
“Okay. I can do that. Sure. Okay.” She sounded like she was talking herself into it.

But twenty minutes later she came, looking nervous, standing next to her parents. “Hi, come on in.” I said and just died at the sight of Molly’s baby brother. He looked just like his father. Oh god. But I smiled, touched his little face. “Can I hold him?” I asked Mrs. Evers and she grinned. “Help yourself. Bugger weights a ton.” I took the baby, he was so little, so adorable in his little ducky hat. Mr. and Mrs. Evers both had blue eyes, Molly had blue eyes. And the baby had blue eyes. So you’d never know, “He is a big boy.” His little body was warm in the blanket and he gurgled up at me. “Come on in, Mr. Evers, the dads are all back here.” I carried the baby and the Evers family followed behind me to the TV room, where there was some fight going on. Snack food on every available surface and a cooler with sodas and beer, the only day of the year they were allowed to have beer before five pm, firmly placed in the center of the room for easy access.

Mr. Evers hit it off with the guys, of course and my father was just beside himself to have another man on his side, who liked the boxer he did. Tristan waved at Molly and so did Riley. She smiled shyly and waved back. Peyton came over to see the baby. “He’s cute.” He said and I grinned. “He is, what‘s his name Molly?” She got a sad look in her eyes, that I think only I saw. “Max.”
“Cherish, get that silly grin off your face, you can’t have one.” My father said sternly and I stuck my tongue out at him. “I didn’t ask for a baby thank you, I said he was cute. Come on girls, lets go reconnoiter in the kitchen.”

Mrs. Evers, Janet, was warmly welcomed by the mothers, and so was Molly. The baby got passed around and cooed over. Not long after Molly and her family arrived, so did Druex and the boys. My father brought them back to see me, why I don’t know. But Druex kissed my cheek, very chastely in front of the amassed family. I was holding Max and Druex smiled down at the little thing. “He’s little.”
“He’s a baby, of course he’s little.” I said, be just melted at the way he was so gently looking down at the kid. “Cherish, I don’t want to see that look on your face until your thirty five.” My father commanded and I blew him a raspberry. “Go watch your fight and get out of the kitchen.” He gaped and laughed at me. “You too.” I told Druex and the other wolves, who were sniffing around the chocolate pie mix. They all loved chocolate.

Dax came over to me and I felt Molly just go rigid beside me at the sink. He looked at the baby and at me and I knew he knew. But he didn’t say a thing. He just sighed and scooped the baby out of his blanket. “Come on kid, kitchen is no place for a man.” He popped that baby up gently to his shoulder, totally at ease, his big hand swallowing Max’s little butt. The baby made a gurgling sound and Molly jumped over to get a little towel from the diaper bag. I think she surprised herself by getting so close to Dax, but really how intimidating is a man with a baby? “Here, just um, put that over your shoulder if you’re going to hold him.” Dax did and Max snuggled right down into the curve of Dax’s shoulder and promptly fell asleep. “Don’t fret, we’re good.” He told her and winked on his way out.

I pointed my finger at the other wolves, who were looking naughty. “Be nice or no leftovers.” They pouted but went. Donovan lingered. “Can I help?”
“No, we’ve got it covered.” Aunt Lisa told him, “Out. And peel your friend off my niece on the way out.” He looked at Druex with a twinkle in his blue eyes. “That would mean you.” I kissed his cheek and handed him the baby blanket. “Marching orders, get lost.” He rolled his eyes but went. Every now and then we’d hear a burst of cheering, or swearing from the fathers and sons. And wolves. It made us laugh. Molly kept looking out the door, chewing on her bottom lip. I bumped my hip to hers and said softly while we peeled the potatoes. “He’s fine. Dax won’t eat him.”

She shot me a look and I smiled gently, looking away to let her recover. “He seems really good with kids. He’s just so…” She trailed off, searching for the right word. I put my peeled potato on the platter by my elbow. “He’s just such a big guy, acts all big and bad. He’s a bodyguard at heart, they’re supposed to look intimidating.” I looked over my shoulder and gave an exaggerated whisper. “But he’s really just a softie.” Molly’s lips kicked up at the corners. “Why’d you put that on his shirt?”
“The small penis thing?” I asked and she nodded, blushing slightly. “Well,” I really did whisper. “He happened to make a rather lewd comment as men are want to do, about how Druex and I are usually joined at the mouth.” I peeled and plonked another potato on the plate. “So I got him back, and I was so glad it was you who brought it to his attention that advertising one has a small penis is not something to take pride in.”

She did smile now. “Did he really tell Druex to spank you?” I shrugged. “Don’t know, if he did, Druex didn’t take his advice.” We shared a quiet moment, a relaxed, comfortable moment. And then we got to get messy. “Cherish, could you and Molly cut strips of gauze and make like a honey and brown sugar, paper maché out of this turkey?” We dried off our hands and went to it. It was about the time when we’d just finished shellacking the honey and sugar to the turkey that Druex and Dax returned. Molly got a little nervous, but tried to act normal.

Dax was very sweet with her, and stayed on his side of the island so as not to spook her more. Druex however, was a bad puppy. “Mm, honey. I like honey.” he took my hand and licked my fingers clean. One by one, until my mother cleared her throat. “I’ll give you some to go. We’re busy in here and you’re distracting my slave labor.”

Distracting, licking into meltdown, explosive meltdown. “We got sent in for more soda Mrs. Danvers.” He said with a sweet, as honey, grin. “In the garage fridge, bottom shelf, Cherish can show you. But if you‘re not back in five minutes I‘m coming after you.” She warned with a knowing grin and Druex winked at me and I went to the sink, near Dax, on the island. “Who’s got the baby?” I asked and Dax smiled, a very…wow oh my god gorgeous smile. “Your dad.” My mom gave a high pitched scoff. “Yeah well you tell him to pass that kid along, he can’t have one either.”

Janet scooped her copper hair back and turned her wrist over to look at her watch. “Max is probably getting hungry by now. Honey, grab me his formula and stuff.” Molly waved her hand at her mother. “I’ll make it.” I took Druex, quickly to the garage and fended off his attempt to steal some kisses. “Nope, not gonna happen. Cause you kiss me and five minutes wont be enough.” He grinned and hefted the cold box of soda easily and we made it back in time to hear Molly arguing with Dax about who got to feed the baby. “He’s my brother.”
“And you’re already on KP so give me the bottle and take a break.”

Janet was looking from Dax to Molly like this was a movie in a foreign language without subtitles. The other moms were paused, just watching and smiling slightly, and…matchmaking. I could see the gleam in their beady looking expressions. “Well, there’s a very simple solution to this kids.” Druex said, on arm holding the box of soda on his shoulder, his other hand in his pocket. Molly looked over at him, I’m sure, expecting him to be on her side. “Molly can hold the baby and Dax can hold her.” He smiled like that solved everything, but upon seeing the flash of panic on Molly’s face I smacked Druex upside the back of his head.
“Knock it off. I’ll go get the baby and Molly you can feed him. In here. Neanderthals.” I muttered at Dax and poked him until he and Druex came with me. I took Max from my dad and gave him mom’s message. He just rolled his eyes while Pogue nettled him about being to old anyway.

“And you are not allowed to snitch anymore from the garage.” I told Reid, because there was considerably more snack food than before. Riley poked out his bottom lip. “There’s growing boys in here Cherish.” I patted Max’s little back and he wiggled, nuzzling at me gently. “We’re in there slaving away so you’d better have room for more.” Dom grinned around a potato chip. “There’s always room for more darlin’.”