Mended Fences: Will love and kindness be able to mend the fences broken by intolerance? (Mended Hearts Book 2)

by Sarah Markel

  “Are you comfortable, baby?” Alex asked. When the woman nodded, Alex trailed her fingers down the center of Kelly’s chest. Feeling the gentle touch of her lover’s hand, Kelly moaned and arched her back. Smiling to herself, Alex lifted her fingers away, causing Kelly to groan. Taking her time, she carefully unfastened the hooks on the front of Kelly’s bra and pushed the cups aside. Staring down at the generous display before her, Alex brushed her fingertips over Kelly’s nipples. As her nipples hardened, Kelly shivered and sighed with arousal. Leaning down, Alex whispered into Kelly’s ear “Baby, I’m going to make you scream.” Groaning, Kelly whispered back “You won’t have to wait long, my love, because I’ve been waiting weeks for you to touch me.” When those words reached Alex’s ears, she felt her self-control start to slip. With a chuckle, she stripped off her clothes and climbed onto the bed, laying on her side next to Kelly. Trailing her fingers across the waistband of the woman’s panties, Alex dipped her head to take one of Kelly’s taught nipples into her mouth. Rolling the bud between her tongue and her teeth, Alex danced her fingers over the smooth skin of Kelly’s inner thigh. When she felt her lover begin to tremble under her touch, Alex let the nub pull from between her lips and blew cool air over the wet flesh. Kelly gasped at the sudden cold on her breast, and Alex moved her hand over to cup the woman’s sex. Feeling the moist heat between her lover’s thighs, Alex scooted down to remove the cloth barrier that was preventing her from feeling what she desired. Arching her hips, Kelly whimpered when the cool air of the room surrounded her throbbing center. “Baby, please touch me.” she said pleadingly. Obligingly, Alex laid back on her side and dragged her fingers over her lover’s mound. Feeling herself drift toward release as she watched Kelly’s body react to her touch, Alex bit her lip and willed her libido down. Not yet, dammit! At least get her there first. She chided herself silently. Pushing her hips up in an attempt to get closer to Alex’s hand, Kelly whimpered when the woman pulled her fingers away. Anticipation coursed through her, and Kelly shivered when she heard a drawer close to her left.

  Sliding between her fiancée’s thighs, Alex gently urged the woman’s legs apart. “Baby, do you trust me?” Alex asked softly as she teased Kelly’s entrance with the toy. Biting her lip and nodding, Kelly moaned loudly as she felt her moisture grow. Sliding up the length of her lover’s body to meet her lips, Alex thrust her hips gently. She felt herself shiver when Kelly's lips parted to let out a slight gasp. Sitting back up on her knees, Alex held on to Kelly’s hips while she set her pace. Watching the woman’s face as she pushed her closer to the edge, Alex decided she wanted to see Kelly’s eyes when she climaxed. Reaching up, Alex pushed the scarf off of Kelly’s eyes without breaking her rhythm. “I want to see you.” she explained breathlessly as she watched Kelly’s eyes start to glaze over. Seeing her lover struggle to hold back, Alex quickly changed her position so that she was bracing herself above Kelly. When she felt Kelly begin to tremble under her, Alex increased her speed and thrust her hips harder. Just as Kelly wrapped her legs around her waist, Alex felt the woman tumble over the edge as she screamed “Alex!” Hearing the woman she loved scream her name was all that Alex needed. With her eyes locked on Kelly’s, Alex let herself go.

  CHAPTER 18

  “I’m really happy you came back, Mom.” Zane said the next morning after breakfast. When Kelly had come downstairs a short time earlier, both kids had cheered. “I never should have left, son. Dej was right, a good mother never would have left her children.” Looking over at the woman, Dej gave a smug and triumphant smile, causing the whole family to laugh. “So does this mean the wedding is back on?” the girl asked. Handing Kelly a cup of coffee, Alex wrapped her arms around the woman’s shoulders and kissed her softly. “Who said the wedding was ever off?” she asked her daughter. Shrugging, Dej went back to her breakfast without an answer. “So when are we leaving for Nana’s?” Zane asked, changing the subject. “I’m not sure yet, son. We have to find out what time is best for Gramma Karen first. Once we know that, then we can plan a time to head up.” Alex explained. “Now you two go get your stuff, we have to get to work.” she added, picking up Kelly’s orange juice and finishing it.

  *****

  “Dr. Taylor, there’s a Ms. Jenkins waiting to see you.” Jack said when the women arrived at work. Nodding, Kelly stepped into her office and greeted the woman. “Hi, Marsha. Sorry to keep you waiting, the morning got off to a late start.” she said, shaking the woman’s hand. Waving off the apology, Marsha took a seat in the visitor’s chair and got down to business. “I know I didn’t make an appointment first, and I hate it when people do this to me so I apologize for doing it to you, but I need to know if you want colored accents on the dress. If so, I need to know what design you want and what colors to use.” Taking out a pad and pen, the woman looked expectantly at Kelly. “Uh, well to be honest, we haven’t really talked about it. We’ve had a lot going on lately.” she replied “But, if you want, I can ask Alex to come in here and we can talk it out.” Reaching for the phone on her desk, Kelly called Alex’s office and asked her to join them. When Alex entered the office, the three women sat down together and discussed wedding colors.

  *****

  “Who would have thought that talking about colors would be so exhausting?” Alex asked no one in particular as she plopped down in her office chair. It had taken almost three hours, but she and Kelly had finally decided on a color scheme. Rubbing at her temples to ease the dull ache in her head, Alex wished that they had just decided to go to the courthouse. Oh stop it you ass. This is Kelly’s first marriage and she wants a big wedding. Don’t you remember how important that was to Callie? Give Kelly the same courtesy! She thought to herself. Blowing out a breath of resignation, Alex pulled out her phone and decided to help Kelly out. After making calls to the rest of the ‘wedding people’, as she liked to refer to them, Alex called her mother. “Hi Mama. Are you busy?” she asked when Andrea answered the phone. “No, I’m just wrapping Christmas presents.” The woman answered with a chuckle. “Can I talk to you for a bit?” Alex asked, hoping that her mother could help her. After a moment of rustling and what sounded like a few curse words, her mother agreed. “What’s the matter, Alexis Renee? You sound like your sister took your favorite doll again.” Andrea asked. Laughing at her mother’s insistence on using her given name, Alex began. “Mama, I need some advice. Kelly and I worked things out, and I am over the moon ecstatic about it. But today, the dress maker showed up and needed to know what colors we were using in the wedding. We spent three hours deciding before we managed to agree.” Before she could continue, her mother chimed in. “Cut to the chase, Alexis. What do you need advice on?” the woman said sternly. Rolling her eyes and smiling, Alex went on. “Calm down Mama, I’m getting to it. I can’t wait to marry Kelly, and I am happy to give her the wedding she has always wanted, but I can’t seem to get into the details. Anytime she wants to talk about it, all I feel is annoyed. I mean, I genuinely do not care about any of the details of this wedding. Except for the dress.” She added quickly, remembering how elegant Kelly looked at Marsha’s shop. “When Callie and I got married, I wanted so badly to be a bigger part of the planning, and with Kelly I finally have that chance. So why do I keep getting annoyed and can’t seem to care about anything she asks my opinion on?” Waiting patiently as her mother considered the problem, Alex tapped her pen on her desk. “Listen to me, sweetheart. Each time a person gets married, it’s a different experience. When I married your father, I had the stars in my eyes. I was obsessed with planning the perfect wedding, and your father never seemed to care what my choices were. So we had our grand wedding, and the entire thing was my design. For twenty-five years I never gave a second thought to the challenges that planning a wedding would hold. Mine went so easily that I just assumed it was that way for everyone.” Pausing for a moment to will away the tears that came with the memory, Andrea calmed herself before continuing.

  “When Hank and I got married, I found out i
n a big hurry that I had been wrong. While your father had let me run the whole show, Hank wanted to be a part of it. Each time he would weigh in on something, I found myself irritated and annoyed. His ex-wife noticed this one day when she dropped off the girls and pulled me aside. She said to me, ‘Andrea, you have to let that man help you. After all, it’s not just you who is getting married, it’s both of you.’ You see, Alexis, when you and Callie got married, you saw it the same way. You gave your opinions and tried to make decisions because you knew the wedding would be a part of both of you. With this wedding, you are seeing it as Kelly’s wedding. You are letting her make all the choices and decisions because to you, this is all about her. You need to let yourself be a part of making this wedding happen. When you two look back on that day, do you really want to remember it as being all about Kelly, or do you want to remember it as the day two people came together to become one unit?” Letting her mother’s words settle in, Alex said goodbye and sat back in her chair to think.

  *****

  After work, the pair had gone to the hospital to see Karen. “You look better, how do you feel?” Alex asked the woman when they entered her room. Over the last few weeks, Karen’s body had accepted Alex’s bone marrow and Dr. Peck had expressed confidence that the woman would make a full recovery. “I feel good. I wish the kids could come up to see me, but I guess seeing you two will have to suffice.” Karen replied playfully. Looking to Alex with a smile, Kelly took her mother’s hand. “Well I suppose we could smuggle them in here, under our coats, for a visit.” she said ruefully. Laughing, Alex just shook her head and sat in the chair at the foot of Karen’s bed. “You will do no such thing, Kelly Shane! My grandchildren will either walk in here on their own, or they won’t come in here at all.” Karen replied, glaring at her daughter. “Relax, Mother. Dr. Peck gave us permission to bring them up for one hour before Christmas, as long as they wear masks.” Kelly said, patting the woman’s hand. Delighted, Karen clapped her hands together and let out a shriek. “Oh what a wonderful Christmas present! When are you bringing them over?” she asked. Standing and moving closer to the bed, it was Alex who answered. “Well, that’s what we need to discuss. Christmas is next Sunday, and we are spending the weekend with my parents. Would you prefer we bring them on Friday when we head up there, or would you like us to bring them before that?” she asked. Mulling over her options, Karen smiled up at the women. “Why don’t you bring them by on your way out of town? Then I can give them their gifts and they will have something to play with on the drive.” she said happily. Nodding, Alex laid her hand on Kelly’s shoulder.

  “Karen, before we go, there’s something we need to talk about.” Alex said, sitting on the edge of the bed. With a worried look, Karen nodded and sat up straight. “It’s about the kids. I know we led you to believe that Kelly is their natural mother, but it’s not true. I gave birth to both of them while I was married to my first wife. They both love Kelly and for all intents and purposes, she is their mother.” Alex explained. Raising an eyebrow, Karen asked “Is that it? That’s what you wanted to talk to me about?” After sharing a look with Kelly, Alex nodded. “Give me some credit, you two! I’m not completely stupid. I know that!” Karen said with a laugh. Shaking her head at the look of confusion on their faces, Karen explained. “Just because I stupidly chose not to see my daughter for eighteen years, doesn’t mean I don’t remember what she looked like as a child. Those pictures hanging on your living room wall were a dead giveaway. I’m assuming that the dark haired little girl was your first wife.” she said, looking to Alex. When the woman nodded, Karen continued “Kelly was blonde as a Barbie doll until she was almost seven. So I knew she wasn’t one of the children on the wall. Dej looks so much like you, Alex that it would be stupid of me to believe for one second that you were not her biological mother. And Zane, while he is an absolutely handsome young man, looks nothing like Kevin so he couldn’t possibly be Kelly’s child. I don’t care who gave birth to them, as long as they call my daughter ‘mom’, they will always be my grandchildren.” When she finished, Karen folded her hands in her lap and addressed Kelly. “Is there anything else you want me to know?” Shaking her head no, Kelly stood and kissed her mother on the cheek. After saying their goodbyes, Alex and Kelly left the hospital to go pick up their children

  CHAPTER 19

  “Lee Joseph Walker, I’m gonna bury you where no one will ever find you!” Andrea shouted as she chased her youngest son through the den. Once everyone had finished opening their gifts that morning, Hank, Alex, and the boys had been holed up in the den putting together various toys. While setting up the Cinderella push bike that his daughter had gotten from Santa, Lee had gotten the bright idea to play a prank on his mother. “Bro, I really wouldn’t do that if I were you. You know Mama will kick your ass.” Alex had warned the young man. Waving off his sister’s concerns, Lee had stepped into the bathroom to gather his supplies. A few moments later the man had emerged clad only in his underwear. He had rubbed himself down with baby oil and made a beard out of shaving cream. Doing his best to be sneaky, Lee had walked through the den shushing his family. When Andrea, who was busy with the other women getting Christmas dinner finished, had turned her back to the doorway, Lee ran into the kitchen, ho-ho-ho-ing as he wrapped his arms around his mother. Startled by the contact, Andrea had let out a squeal and dropped the pan of green bean casserole she had been holding. Laughing uproariously as the scene unfolded, Alex quickly jumped aside when her brother had streamed past her in an attempt to get away from the baking pan wielding matriarch.

  “Catch me if you can Ma!” Lee yelled after Andrea had failed to keep her grip on his arm. Making a quick U-turn, the man ran back through the den and into the kitchen. When he made the attempt to slow down and stop, his bare feet lost their traction on the yellow and beige tile. Afraid that he might hurt himself, Kelly opened the back door just seconds before Lee went sliding through it. Letting out a shriek as his nearly naked body landed on the snow covered deck, Lee scrambled to get his feet under him. “Come on guys, help me out!” he squealed as the baby oil caused his feet to give out and he landed on his face. “Oh no they don’t!” Andrea boomed as she slammed the door closed. Holding her sides while she laughed, Alex went to her mother. “Mama, you can’t leave him out there. He’ll freeze to death and all little Serenity will remember about her daddy is that he died in a tragic, baby-oil-and-snow accident.” she said when the woman stopped her from opening the door. “He’ll have learned his lesson then.” Andrea mumbled under her breath. Letting out a snort, Alex opened the door and went out to help her brother. Before the pair could go back inside, Andrea slammed the door again and turned the lock.

  “Anyone lets them in and you’ll all be eating ramen in the garage.” Andrea said menacingly to the group that had gathered in the kitchen. Walking over to clean up the mess of green beans, mushroom soup, and fried onions that littered her floor, Andrea smirked as Alex and Lee began banging on the door. Concerned that one of them might get sick, Kelly spoke up. “Mama, how long are you going to leave them out there? Lee’s naked and Alex doesn’t have a coat on.” she asked. “Don’t worry, Kelly. She won’t let them freeze. In a few minutes, she’ll let them in and give them what for.” Angie explained when her mother didn’t answer. As her daughter had predicted, once Andrea had cleaned up the ruined casserole, she let Alex and Lee inside. “Now, what did you two learn?” she asked the pair, with her hands on her hips and a scowl on her face. “Never mess with Mama.” Alex and Lee said in unison, their teeth chattering. With a satisfied smile, Andrea excused her children to go get warm.

  *****

  A few hours later, as the family sat down for their holiday meal, Kelly was bombarded by questions. “How’s your mother doing, Kelly?” Andrea asked. “She’s doing great, Mama. Dr. Peck is confident that she will be able to start out-patient care after the beginning of the year. He said her body is handling Alex’s bone marrow very well, and he doesn’t foresee any complications a
s long as she sticks to her post-transplant regimen.” Kelly replied happily. “Do you think she will stay the way she is, or go back to being a homophobic bigot once she’s better?” Ryan asked. Taking Kelly’s hand and squeezing it gently, Alex answered for her. “We aren’t sure yet, to be honest. We’re going to give it some time, but if she goes back to her old ways, Kelly’s going to sever all ties with her.” She explained matter-of-factly. After a few more questions from the adults, Kelly was shocked into seething silence when J.J. voiced his opinion on the subject.

  “If your so called mother has treated you like crap for most of your life, why didn’t you just let her die?” the boy asked, causing the room to go still. Looking around at the shocked faces of his family, J.J shrugged and demanded to know what everyone was staring at. “Don’t talk about my grandma like that!” Dej screamed, throwing her fork at her cousin. When Melissa scolded the girl for throwing the utensil at her son, chaos erupted in the dining room. “Don’t talk to my daughter like that!” Kelly commanded, her teeth clenched tight. “Then tell the spoiled little brat not to throw things at her elders!” James said, shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly. Launching herself across John and Cheyenne, who were seated to her right, Alex grabbed her younger brother by the front of his shirt. “Don’t you dare talk about my daughter that way! You wanna talk spoiled little brats, take a good long look at your own kids!” she screamed in the man’s terrified face. While Alex’s step sisters took the younger children out of the room, Hank grabbed her around the waist and tried to separate the two.

  “Let him go Alex, it’s not worth the fight.” he said as the woman struggled against his hold. “Let go of my husband, you bitch!” Melissa said, smacking Alex on the arms as she tried to pry the woman off. “Hey, butt out!” Angie said, tugging Melissa back by her hair. When the other adults joined the brawl against James and Melissa in Alex’s defense, Andrea stood up on her chair and threw the bread basket at her son and daughter. “That is enough!” she bellowed. Glaring at her family when they all turned to stare at her, the family matriarch placed her hands on her hips. “What in the hell has gotten into you all? Since when do you attack each other instead of talking things out? That is not how your father and I raised you!” Letting her brother go, Alex apologized to her mom. “I’m sorry Mama. But I can’t just sit by and let them say those things anymore.” she said, straightening her clothes. “Don’t worry Alexis, you won’t have to hear it anymore.” James said, fixing his collar. “If you people want to placate the dykes, that’s your prerogative. But my family and I don’t have to be a part of something so vile. The same goes for the fairies.” he added, tilting his head toward Ryan and Raul. Without another word, James grabbed his wife’s hand and the pair stormed out of the house with their children right behind them.