“Yes, Natasha, I practise every night before bed. Now, Daddy,” he started, making Jim even more suspicious.
“Daddy? This sounds expensive son, go on.”
“Auntie Abby thinks we should throw a party to celebrate your engagement, rearranged wedding and the fact that Tasha is well. Friday night, what do you say?” Philip almost spat out.
“I assume you’ve been put in charge of planning?”
Jim’s response surprised Tasha in as much as he appeared to be considering this idea when she would have expected a simple and straightforward no. Not only was she expecting it, she was hoping for it.
“Yes, I am planning from here and Auntie Abby is at the end of the phone.” Philip grinned, holding his mobile phone aloft as if to demonstrate Abby's location.
“Jim, it's short notice and with everything else that's going on.” Tasha hoped to encourage and support thenoshe thought would be a foregone conclusion. The truth was she was nervous. Scared at the prospect of a houseful of people, most of them she was sure would be strangers and with everything that had happened in recent weeks people scared her, strangers. Although, her life had taught her that whilst you should have a healthy distrust of strangers, those closest to you couldn’t always be trusted.
“I want to see the guest list before any invitations are extended,” replied Jim seemingly ignoring Tasha's input.
“Jim,” she cried.
“What? Baby, it will be fun and a nice way to start our little vacation,” he said seriously, ending any discussion she thought there may be.
“Oh, Daddy, you will not regret this,” squealed Philip.
“I beg to differ,” snapped Tasha petulantly as she stormed off towards the front door.
“Where are you going?” called Jim, concerned suddenly.
“To see Juan. You know, the one person around here that actually listens to me and hears what I say,” she snapped back before slamming the door behind her.
Turning back to his son, Jim smiled warmly.
“Did I do good, Daddy?” he asked as if in a conspiracy.
“You did good, son. Now text Juan and make sure Tasha has arrived safely and then do whatever you need to do while I make some calls to make the end game.” Jim ruffled his son's hair before heading into his office.
Philip followed his father once Juan returned his call and stood in the doorway as Jim prepared to end his call.
“Yes, thank you Sargent and I appreciate you coming to me in the morning. See you then,” he said hanging up.
“Tasha is with Juan and he's got her to agree to dinner with him at ours while she bitches about you, which may mean Juan is bitching about me, so you've got a couple of hours at least and he'll let us know when they're done before he walks her back,” said Philip.
“Good, thank you. Now scoot while I call Uncle Bobby and Katy Myers,” he told the young man watching him intently. “What?”
“She's the one, isn't she? Tasha?” asked Philip seriously.
“She sure is. Come in.” He suddenly wanted to reassure his son as Tasha had reassured his daughter. “I loved your mom when we married and the day you and then Lizzie were born really were the happiest of my life. I’d never felt love like I did, still do for the two of you. You both gave me a purpose I’d never felt before or since, until Tasha, but I should never have married any of the others. I'm not entirely sure why I did except for the fact that I did love them in my own way and I really believe in marriage. I want to be married, like my parents are, but had kind of settled for never marrying again when I met Tasha. I figured that whilst I believed in marriage, I seemed to be very bad at it. When I met Tasha I thought she was the most beautiful girl I’d ever met and within an hour of that meeting I liked her too, so much so that I talked to her about being wife number seven, albeit a little tongue in cheek but by the time she flew out here it was a done deal for me, Philip. I was completely hooked.”
“A yes would have done,” teased Philip, smiling at his father's obvious happiness.
Jim laughed at his son's slightly uncomfortable expression. “Sorry, but she will definitely be your final stepmother because if I can't make a marriage with Tasha work then I can't make it work with anyone,” he said candidly.
“I’m no expert in these things but do not write that into your vows,I am marrying Tasha because if I can't make it work with her I can't make it work with anyone. Even I as a gay man know that chicks do not dig that sentiment.”
“Duly noted.” Jim smiled. “Now, I really need to get on so if you're okay with what you're doing.”
“Yeah, I'm good.” He smiled back. “Oh, and I’m glad you found Tasha, she's good for you, for us all and she not only puts up with Lizzie but she cares that she's okay with everything including feeling pushed out this afternoon.” Philip left his father alone smiling, thinking that in a matter of days Tasha would be his wife and Mickie should no longer be a concern.
Chapter 9
“You don’t want a party?” Juan was about to make some coffee until Tasha brushed past him to open a bottle of wine.
