My Family, My Life "Sequel To His Butterfly"

Chapter 9: Compromise

The song above by Anthony Hamilton is what helped me to write this chapter. It helped me to think about what Reese was feeling and envision the mental struggles he was battling within himself. Especially with all the times he felt like he had let her down and not being there to protect her.

Reese's POV...

I stood looking out of the window at Emily playing with Asher and Alexia on the large swing set in the front yard. A sense of relief rushed over me that the love of my life still wanted me in her life. I was guaranteed to see Avery's and my two babies face every single morning if I did choose to come home.

My fear of damaging Avery's peace of mind is what was keeping me from making that commitment. This very thought has plagued my mind every single minute of every day for the past month with no sense of easing up a single bit. I couldn't allow my selfish pleasure to take precedent over her sanity and well-being.

Loud boisterous laughter of my precious babies came thundering through the half-cracked window shredding every ounce of the foggy, emotional haze that was surrounding me immediately.

Close behind me, I hear Avery's soft shuffling footsteps walking closer. My heart fluttered wildly in my chest. The very moment she wrapped her tiny arms around me and laid her head on my back my resolve to stay away was quickly wearing away no matter how hard I was trying to stay strong. The scent of her strawberry scented body lotion waffled up my nostril making me mad-crazy with wanting to fill my sexual needs to do with her as I please.

It took everything in me to force myself to step out of her embrace. With slow leisure steps, I walked over to the front door but just as I began to twist the doorknob her hand clasped around my wrist tightly halting my movement. She began to turn me around to face her and the moment I looked upon her beautiful face I was plunged right back into a whirlwind of turmoil from the broken expression that was etched into her eyes. She didn't say a word just wrapped her arms around my neck pulling my face down towards hers.

The moment our lips touched my world was plunged into total darkness and then splintered into luminous, magical fireworks inside me that sprang forth, right before my very eyes. The lights were so bright that it was damn near blinding. When she finally pulled away all I could see was a glowing ball of lights circling Avery from head to toe. For a minute I thought that the world had been cast into total darkness until I looked out the window and saw the sun shining brightly outside. I looked back at Avery, and she was still glowing as bright as before I looked outside.

"I Love and need you, Reese!" Avery mumbled against my still parted lips with fat tears rolling down her cheeks. Those tears were tearing big gaping holes into my already unrecognizable heart. I wanted to say something but couldn't say a damn thing for fear of giving into the temptation of being with her in all the ways that truly mattered between a man and his woman. She already had my heart and if I did this then she may very well possess my soul, that is if she hasn't done so already.

"Don't do this to me, Avery." I finally muttered when she began to slip her hand under my shirt and rubbing them all over my chest. Ignoring my desperate plea, she then lifts my shirt exposing my chest and began to place tiny passionate kisses on it. "Avery honey please don't..."

"Don't do what Reese?" Avery asked, staring at me with fresh tears pouring from her eyes. "Are you telling me that you don't want me to do everything in my power to stop the love of my life from walking out the door? You don't want me to plead, and beg for you to understand that we need you? She yelled at me in full-blown anger.

"No, that's not what I'm saying at all sweetheart." I stammered while trying to put into words what I was really trying to say but failed miserably.

"I will do anything and pull whatever trick I have to in order to get through your thick, hard head that here at home with kids and me is exactly where you need to be! Avery says tapping me lightly on the side of my head. "If hearing me being honest with you about how I feel is bothering you then that's too damn bad." She then adds while cupping my chin in her hand forcing me to look into her eyes. "I've gone through too much bullshit to allow you to throw in the towel all because you may feel that I'm too damaged for you to deal with." She barely gets out when her tears come rushing out of her eyes like a broken water faucet.

"Avery honey I've never thought once that you were damaged," I respond damn near in tears myself. A searing pain hammered straight through my heart when the realization of the unintentional emotional trauma that I was causing her to undergo played out like a sad movie in front of my eyes. My action of trying to protect her from myself was actually causing Avery more harm than helping her.

"Give me your damn phone and car keys!" Avery orders with her right hand stretched out towards me. With no hesitation, I placed them both in the palm of her hand and walked slowly over to the loveseat. Sitting on the edge of the loveseat I lay my head wedged in between the palms of my hands wondering how in the hell did I not see what I was doing to my woman.

"Avery honey I'm sorry..."

"I don't need your sorry all I need is for you to spend the rest of today and tonight with your kids and me. By this time tomorrow if you still want to leave I promise you I won't try to stop you." Avery says standing in front of me.

"Okay sweetheart," I say in mock surrender at least for now.

"Also, we demand your full undivided attention, not this half-assed, feeble attention that you've been bestowing on your mom, brother, and anyone else that has been trying to have a serious conversation with you, Reese," Avery calls out over her shoulder as she walks towards the kitchen with a slight limp.

Hi everyone, I hope that you guys enjoy reading this chapter. Let me know you think about it. Please vote and comment.

Stay safe and God be with you all until next time.

JJNiles...