Stay the Night

Chapter 63

December 5th, 2004

Mariah was standing at the kitchen counter making herself some breakfast before she got ready to head to her meeting with LA Reid to start discussing lead singles for her album. She could hear the shuffle of her husband's feet as she swallowed another spoonful of oatmeal.

"Good morning," Michael said, kissing her on the cheek on his way to the refrigerator.

She smiled. "Good morning,"

Her relationship with her husband had improved significantly in recent months. He was attentive, gentle, everything that he was when they first met. She only wished she didn't have to be pushed to her breaking point for them to get to this point.

I guess it means something that he'd rather change than lose me for good.

She stirred her oatmeal and glanced over at Michael prepping to make breakfast for the kids. It was one of the few moments of calm they had in their life, a moment where they were a regular family. She was just a mom getting ready for work and he was the dad staying home with the kids making breakfast in his spiderman pajamas.

"What?" He asked, smirking.

She sighed. "Just thinking about what our lives would be like if we were normal,"

He shook his head. "I wonder the same thing myself every day,"

Mariah finished the last of her oatmeal and walked over to the sink to rinse her bowl.

"I wouldn't be dealing with this trial I know that much," Michael continued. "Then again, I definitely wouldn't have had Rosslyn,"

Mariah froze. It was rare to hear Michael talk about Rosslyn at all, but she never heard him quite so candid about the child. She wondered if she should speak or just let him talk on his own accord.

She forced herself to look over at him and noticed he was watching her.

He looked her directly in the eyes. "It's been fifteen years,"

She searched for words but they failed her.

Do I ask about her? Should ask why he picked Lizzie to name in her honor? What if--

"I'll never forget that day," He murmured. "I know I don't talk about it much, but I remember. It's easier today, I don't know why, but it's easier,"

She crossed the kitchen and rested a hand on his shoulder. "Thank you for sharing that with me. I know it's hard,"

Michael offered her a half-smile and wrapped an arm around her waist.

"It's hard, but you're making it easier,"

December 10th, 2004

Mariah leaned over to kiss Carey on the cheek as she tucked him into bed. Michael was with the girl to give her some much needed alone time with her son. With such a large family, she was trying to make sure each of her kids got their own special time with her.

"Do you want me to sing to you, Care-Bear?" She asked running her hands through his soft curls.

Carey nodded. "I like it when you sing,"

She giggled. "You do? Well alright, I'll sing you a song my mom used to sing to me,"

She softly began singing a song in Italian that she vaguely remembered her mother singing when she was very young. She didn't actually know what the lyrics meant, but it was soothing enough for her to quietly sing to her son.

She kept singing as Carey's wide eyes slowly flickered shut.

Mariah carefully pulled the covers up on her son and walked back to her bedroom across the hall.