“Fine, what do you want?” Dan was going out of his way to be awkward and prickly, which was very un-Dan like, but that was before he’d become involved with their parents again.
“Want? I want my wife to be happy and not worried sick about you, so how about you lose the attitude and think about how you want this to go down and we will talk later, at dinner.” Jim got to his feet as if he was dealing with a business issue then turned to Tasha. “Baby, let's go and get ready and we'll spend the day with Connor. Maybe we could go to the zoo.”
“I thought we were talking to Dan now,” replied Tasha confused.
“We were, but I think he needs some time to order his thoughts, so if you'll all excuse us.” With a smile for Pippa and Celia, Jim lifted Connor up into his arms and strode from the room leaving Tasha staring at her family members looking at her.
“What the fuck is his problem?” snapped Dan venomously. “He is not my dad and I don't see why I have to put up with his shit when you're the one who married him, not us,” Dan told his oldest sister before leaping over the mark she didn't think he'd ever overstep. “You go on about how manipulative our parents were, what awful people they are, how they used us, used you and took advantage and yet you appear to have married a man who knocks their controlling ways into oblivion.”
Without a first thought, never mind a second one she raised her hand and struck Dan's face with her open palm, hard, loud and judging by the way he held his cheek, painfully so.
“How dare you! Don't you ever compare my husband to them. He is controlling because he loves me, me and Connor. He wants to make me happy which means taking care of us all.” She trembled with sadness and anger that doubled when she saw her brother throw his eyebrows to the heavens as if to dispute her claims. “He has made me a better person. He accepts me with all of the crap I come with courtesy of them and he saved all of us from our wonderful parents. He bankrolled a legal team, P.R. everything to allow us to be free of them. They prostituted me for their own ends, beat us all, me more than you and never ever loved us, so don't compare my husband to those people. There is nothing he won’t do to keep us all safe which is why we're here, to find out what the fuck you’re doing allowing them back into your life, after everything they’ve done. Potentially you’ll let them in to all of our lives. So, we'll see you at dinner,” Tasha told her brother and left the room where her grandmother said nothing as Pippa glared at Dan and muttered curses at him.
Paul was the only one who spoke calmly. “Dan, she loves you, we all do, but we're scared that you're going to get drawn into their web and swallowed up. I know Jim and I haven't always seen eye to eye, but I'm with him on this. You need to keep away from them, while you can. Look what they did to Nat, they took money for dirt on her, dirt they'd facilitated and then your father tried to murder her, for cash and your mother had to have known what was going on. It's no wonder she took exception to you comparing Jim to them. He's done nothing but love her and take care of her so you should apologise.”
Dan said nothing and left with a slam of the front door.
****
They were just walking away from the meerkats that had been Tasha's favourites, especially the babies, although, smiling, Jim realised that every enclosure they'd visited so far had been Tasha's favourite, especially the babies making him realise that motherhood really had changed his wife.
They both turned to look for the source of a voice they could hear calling her name.
“You are kidding me.” Sighed Jim disbelievingly as they both saw Gerry and Kara walking towards them. Gerry held the hand of the toddler at his side and Kara pushed her empty pushchair nearby.
“Sorry,” said Tasha with an apologetic smile, not that she’d known they'd be visiting the same zoo on the same day.
“Tash, how the devil are you?” cried Gerry. “I didn't even know you were over here.” He pulled her to him and hugged her warmly with his free arm. “Hi, Jim.” Gerry turned to face the other man before looking down into the pushchair and smiling down at the little boy gurgling up at him. “Hiya, matey, how are you?”
Kara looked on uncomfortably until Tasha turned to face her and with a smile simply said, “Hi Kara, how are you?”
“Erm—good—fine, thanks,” she stammered nervously. “How are you, you look really well, motherhood must agree with you.”
“Thanks, I think so, unless it's three in the morning. We were just going to get a drink, would you like to join us?” Tasha surprised everyone else with the invitation she'd extended.
Sitting around a wooden picnic table outside the cafe Tasha wasted no time in using Gerry's possible knowledge to her advantage.
“How are your parents?” She liked them, always had and was genuinely interested in their wellbeing.
“They're fine, thanks. They ask about you all the time and were thrilled to hear about Connor,” Gerry replied with a smile.
“Connor?” Kara sounded annoyed as she watched her daughter standing over a sleeping Connor repeating the wordsbaby, babyover and over.
“Yes.” Tasha frowned in confusion at her former friend’s unusual interest in her son’s name. “Connor.”
“I knew you'd had a little boy, I just wasn't aware of his name. That's what Gerry wanted to call Lottie if she'd been a boy, Connor” announced Kara and without even risking a sideways glance towards her husband Tasha knew he was glaring with a dark and angry stare.
“Then he has very good taste,” replied Tasha in a voice that was just a little too high pitched, betraying her nervousness. “Anyway, Gerry, back to your parents, do they still live next door?” She had fond memories of the house next to her family home, identical in construction, yet so, so different. It had been filled with love and goodness rather than hatred and evil.
“Yeah, for now anyway. It's up for sale. They're finally making a move out of town slightly. Why do you ask? Or shall I just talk all things Dan?”
“Sorry,” said Tasha sincerely. “That's why we've come over, Dan.”
“I did wonder. Look I don't know much, Tash. Just what my mum's said and seen and from the fleeting conversations I've had with Dan. He has been visiting your mum, a couple of times a week. He does some shopping, tidies the garden and spends time with her. I believe he went to visit your dad with her last week.”
“Oh no.” Tasha sighed as Jim intervened.
“You believe?” Jim hoped to gain all of the facts he could.
