I Could Rest Beneath Your Smile

Brooklyn sighed as she woke up in an empty bed. She figured Max must have left to go to practice without waking her, knowing that she hadn’t gotten too much sleep the night before since the babies had kept crying. The phone began ringing, and she reached over, picking it up, assuming it was Max calling telling her he forgot something. “Hey, babe, what’d you forget this time?” she asked jokingly.

“So, that’s how you greet your mother who you haven’t seen since the wedding?” she heard her mother, Eve, say, and she immediately sprung up, her eyes going wide. Her mother rarely called her, and that’s the way Brooklyn liked it. She and Eve had never been that close, and they drifted even further apart after Eve and Brooklyn’s father, Deacon, had gotten divorce when Brooklyn was sixteen.

“Sorry, Mom,” Brooklyn apologized. “I thought you were Max,” she explained.

“He’s not there again?” Eve asked in a snotty tone, and Brooklyn rolled her eyes at her mother. Eve had never approved of Max, not liking that her daughter was with a hockey player who wasn’t around half the time since he was with the team.

“He’s at practice, Mom,” Brooklyn told her.

“Well, he should be there taking care of those two children of his. He always expects you to do that, and that’s not fair,” Eve stated.

“Mom, he does take care of Noah and Elise,” Brooklyn assured her, not wanting to get into an argument with her mother, even though it appeared inevitable. “And, he doesn’t just expect me to watch them all the time. Not that it would matter either way. I’m their mother,” she reminded her.

“And, he’s their father,” Eve argued.

“Mom, did you just call to argue with me?” Brooklyn asked, rubbing her forehead. “Because I have better things to do with my time.”

She could practically see Eve roll her eyes before she spoke. “That is not the reason I called, Brooklyn. I actually called to tell you I’m coming to town,” she stated.

“What?” Brooklyn cried.

“Don’t sound so excited,” her mother scolded. “And, yes, I’m coming to Pittsburgh next week. I’ll be staying there for two weeks, and I can’t wait to see my two grandchildren. I have to go, but I’ll call you later with the details,” she assured her, hanging up the phone. Brooklyn groaned, collapsing back on the bed before she heard one of the babies crying, and she immediately stood up, going to take care of them.

***

“She’s coming here?” Jocelyn asked in disbelief as she, Tia, and Brooklyn sat in her living room while the twins slept. Brooklyn had just told them about her conversation with Eve earlier that day.

“That was my reaction,” Brooklyn laughed. “I don’t get why she’s coming here. She said something about seeing Noah and Elise, but it’s not like she’s shown interest in them before now. She didn’t even call when they were born.”

“Why does she have to come?” Jocelyn groaned.

“I don’t get what’s so bad about your mother coming,” Tia spoke up.

“You don’t know our mother,” Jocelyn stated, and Brooklyn nodded in agreement. “I mean, you saw a little bit of her at the wedding, but you didn’t really get to know her.”

“She’s crazy,” Brooklyn told her. “She’s hates that I’m with Max, and she tried to get me to break up with him ever since I started dating him. She doesn’t think he’s good enough because he’s a hockey player. But, she and I have never gotten along. I was always the bad kid, and I only proved her point when I got pregnant before I got married. And, even then, she hated Max so much that she didn’t want me to marry him. She told me I could raise the twins on my own,” Brooklyn explained.

“And, what about you, Jocelyn? How does she feel about you dating Sid?” Tia asked, looking over at Jocelyn who was playing with a strand of her blonde hair.

“Oh, Mom loves her,” Brooklyn said with a laugh.

Tia turned to look at Jocelyn, confused by Brooklyn’s statement. “She’s right. Mom has always treated me better than Brook, not that I’ve ever asked for it. And, as far as Sid goes, she wasn’t happy, but she didn’t go off on me like she did on Brooklyn when she found out about Max. Now, Dad, on the other hand, he was happy about both of our relationships,” she told her.

“Yeah, Dad is great,” Brooklyn said with a nod of her head. “He’s always been supportive of my relationship with Max. But, I’m pretty sure he’d be happy if I chose any hockey player,” she added with a laugh.

“Why couldn’t he have come instead of Mom?” Jocelyn whined.

“Because Mom knows we don’t want her here,” Brooklyn joked.

“Have you told Max yet?” Jocelyn asked, knowing Max wasn’t going to be happy that Eve was coming. She never kept it a secret how much she disliked him. Brooklyn shook her head, and Jocelyn knew she was dreading the moment she had to tell him. “Well, I can’t help you out telling him, but I can watch the kids tonight, if you want. You know, you can seduce him and then tell him,” she said jokingly.

The other two girls started laughing. “Yeah, let me just have sex with him, and then when we’re lying there afterwards, I’ll turn to him and say ‘by the way, my mom is coming.’ That’ll work really well,” Brooklyn laughed.

“Well, the offer still stands about me watching the twins,” Jocelyn told her.

“Really?” Brooklyn asked.

“Yeah, sure,” Jocelyn said. “Why don’t you go home and make Max a nice meal? You know, butter him up? And, while you’re at it, you might want to stop at Victoria’s Secret to get something nice for him,” she winked.

“Thank you,” Brooklyn said, standing up. “I’ll see you two later.”

***

Max walked in the front door, and he could immediately smell the food wafting through the house from the kitchen. He walked in a little further seeing Brooklyn standing there in one of his old t-shirts and nothing else. “Is it my birthday?” he joked, putting his arms around Brooklyn and pulling her in for a kiss.

“Not quite,” Brooklyn said with a small smile.

“Then to what do I owe this pleasure?” he asked, eyeing her up and down. “And, I do mean a pleasure,” he added with a wink. “By the way, where are the kids?”

“They’re staying with Jocelyn tonight,” she replied. “And, I have something to tell you,” she confessed.

“Uh oh,” he said, the smile from his face suddenly dropping. “You’re fixing dinner. You’re looking sexy in my shirt. You’re about to tell me something bad, aren’t you?” he asked.

“Yeah,” Brooklyn said quietly. “Why don’t we sit down?”

“Brook, what’s wrong?” Max asked, getting more concerned as the seconds passed.

“My mom called me today,” she spoke. “She’s coming to stay here for two weeks starting next week,” she said quickly, wanting to just get the words out.

“What?” Max cried, his eyes going wide.

“I’m sorry!” Brooklyn apologized. “But, it’s not like she gave me a choice. She didn’t even ask. She just told me she was coming next week and staying for two weeks. And, then she hung up on me. I’m sorry,” she repeated.

“Don’t apologize,” Max told her, rubbing up and down her arms. “We’ll figure this out. I just don’t get why she’s coming.”

“Jocelyn and I couldn’t figure that out either,” Brooklyn admitted. “She did say something about seeing Noah and Elise.”

“Why do I have a feeling she has something up her sleeve?” Max asked.

“Probably for the same reason I do,” Brooklyn told him. “I wish it was my dad coming instead. I miss him,” she said.

“I wish it was your dad, too,” Max said. “He actually likes me,” he added with a laugh. “When was the last time you talked to him?”

“A couple of weeks ago,” Brooklyn said. “He’s been busy in Russia, so he hasn’t had time to talk too much. He did say that as soon as he comes back to the U.S. he’s going to come to visit, though,” she added.

“Well, we’re going to have to get through your mother first,” Max told her, and Brooklyn nodded in agreement. “So, is that what this is all for? The dinner and the outfit? You know I can’t resist you when you’re in my clothes,” Max said with a smirk.

“Yeah,” Brooklyn admitted, nodding her head. “It was Jocelyn’s idea to seduce you first and then tell you,” she added with a laugh.

“Your sister’s a smart woman,” Max told her, pulling her in close and pressing his lips to hers.