Page 30 of Undo Me

“That’s cheating, Benjamin.”

“Your thoughts are too jumbled. Talk. Now.”

BD sighed. “Let’s just say that after our adventure with the djab, they decided it would be better for me to stay on the other side for a while.” He saw the guilty expression on Ben’s face and shook his head. “It would have happened anyway. You were all correct, I was hiding from judgment, but I don’t regret asking for their help to get that thing away from you. And perhaps they’re right that I’ve become too attached. Not just to living here, but to you in particular. Allegra, Michelle, your mothers…” Bethany. “I should never have lingered so long.”

Perhaps if he hadn’t been entangled with a man like Celestine Rousseau for so long, a man who was good and loyal to his core, BD could have taken a darker road.

Rousseau looked troubled. “This feels wrong.”

BD raised his eyebrows. “You’ve been trying to get rid of me for years. Think of it as a wedding present.”

Rousseau ignored that. “We need to talk to Mambo Toussaint before the wedding. Ben, go get her, will you?”

Ben instantly strode toward the door, but as soon as he opened it he paused, his ready smile reappearing. “Speak of the devils.”

Standing outside, carrying trays of food and drink, were the two women everyone called The Mamas. Elise Adair and Annemarie Toussaint.

“Are you decent?”

“Are you kidding?” Ben chuckled. “You two must be psychic. We were just coming to find you.”

“Why?”

“We have a situation. Oh. Is that pie?”

Mambo Toussaint smacked his hand. “Benjamin Beauregard Adair, that pie is special. It’s for Bone Daddy. You can have a crawfish cake.”

BD backed up as the women filled the room with their presence, along with the delicious aroma of food. His stomach growled obscenely, and Elise Adair smiled.

“Looks like our perfect timing strikes again. Loa aren’t supposed to starve themselves on their special day to feast. This is your first one, so we weren’t sure you knew. Either way, we made plenty, so you dig right in.”

“You’re in time in more ways than one.” Rousseau embraced the two women, his expression somber. “BD has a problem.”

“This is your wedding day, child. Yours and Allegra’s, and that’s all you need to be thinking about. Do you really think we’d let anything interfere with that?”

Mambo Toussaint patted her purple head scarf and narrowed her eyes. “You wear humanity well, Bone Daddy. Better than most Loa. Were we right about this being your first All Saints’?”

Ben swallowed one fried crawfish cake and reached for two more, handing one to a grateful BD. “And his last, apparently. They’re kicking him out. Banning him from the bar. They think he’s too attached to us.”

“They would think that.” She nodded agreeably. “And wouldn’t we be full of ourselves if we questioned their wisdom?”

The food stuck in his throat when she studied him closer, as if she saw beyond him, into him. “On the other hand, we were created to be curious. To think for ourselves, weren’t we?”

Before he could answer she nodded firmly, as if she’d answered her own question to her satisfaction. “You saved my daughter’s life. My son’s as well. He bought an apartment here, and we’re getting to know each other. You made that possible.”

“You helped Michelle and Ben find each other again,” Elise added. “Made my son happier than he’s ever been. Not to mention healing Allegra’s injuries. We do love that girl. Add it all up, son, and we owe you a boon.”

Son. He smiled, leaning forward to place a kiss on each of their foreheads. Gratitude felt like a comforting hand slipping into his. Annemarie, the mambo and compassionate healer. Elise, the maternal warrior and empath. These women were the epitome of power and grace. “You owe me nothing. But perhaps I will have some of that pie.”

Ben’s mother tilted her head, her silvery blonde bob brushing her shoulder. “You are a beautiful man.” Her son made a choking sound, and she pursed her perfectly glossed lips in irritation. “What? I’m still human, and not so old that I’m immune to something like that.”

BD winked at her, making her blush, much to his delight. But then she reached out and took his hand. He could feel her energy searching his, it was deeper, different from Ben’s powers, and he had to admit, he was worried at what she would find.

“I can see why she’s always so drawn to you, and you to her. You circle each other, drawn together. Soulmates, despite the obstacles you face. But there’s something else. So much more it’s hard to—” She pulled her hand back, looking confused and a little wary.

“Bone Daddy,” she whispered. “But not. You shouldn’t be what you are.”

Mambo Toussaint took her friend by the shoulders and met her gaze. “Elise? Is it what we thought?”

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