“Yeah, some words just don't work for me, but you'll have to get used to it because not only is your husband American, your child is too.”
“He is, isn't he? I knew that but hadn't really thought about it. Which means, once again that my husband was right and I really am going to have to get fluent in American English.”
Once upstairs, Tasha placed Connor in the huge white crib that almost filled one wall of his nursery that was the room next to her own. Closing the blinds, she leaned in and kissed her son whose yawning made her smile.
“You are so cute, baby, but Mommy needs an hour tops then we'll go out. Maybe we could visit Daddy after a trip to the park or something, okay?” she asked as Connor yawned again before closing his eyes and succumbing to sleep.
Two and a half hours later Tasha was entering the studios where she now had clearance to enter at will rather than having to wait while security phoned through to have her visit authorised. Most of the security people knew her as did the admin staff in the office block, but many hadn't yet seen Connor so it seemed to take forever to get as far as Amanda who immediately rushed to greet Tasha warmly before gushing over Connor who she’d seen several times since his birth.
“How are you finding it?” Tasha gestured towards the other woman's expanding baby bump.
“Tiring and I’m looking forward to starting my leave next week.” She excitedly shook the rattling toy attached to Connor's stroller, ignoring the fact that the baby was still sleeping.
“The last few weeks seem to take an eternity to pass, don’t they?” Tasha asked and smiled as Amanda nodded with a grimace. “We'll have to get together and do lunch with the babies when yours appears,” suggested Tasha before considering the implication of Amanda not being in the office. “Who'll cover your job when you're away?”
“One of the girls from the pool has been appointed. She's in with Mr Maybury at the moment,” replied Amanda but before she could say any more Tasha laughed.
“I thought you were over your Mr Maybury thing. Jim told me you’d resorted to a very stern Jim when I was in hospital.” Tasha smirked, stopping just short of laughter, unlike the other woman who along with a laugh, blushed.
“Yes, well, I needed to get his attention, but here I will stick to Mr Maybury, as should everyone.” Amanda suddenly looked very uncomfortable once her cryptic words were out. She scurried back to her desk making Tasha suspicious about her husband’s new P.A. but before she could speak the sound of Marc's laughter and that of a woman screeching from behind her interrupted them. Tasha continued to gently rock Connor, soothing his startled response to the woman's ear-piercing laugh before turning to greet them where she found Marc smiling warmly. The woman, a tall, willowy blonde who was probably only in her late twenties with big blue eyes and pouty lips viewed her with a very unfriendly expression.
In that instant, Tasha was very aware of the short comings of her post baby body that still had about half a stone to shed and some serious toning up to do. Despite her outfit of black skinny jeans and bright yellow t-shirt that flattered her current shape she couldn't compete with the woman opposite. She studied her for a few seconds more and knew she was someone who could turn any man's head, including Jim’s.
Despite having come very close during their heavy duty petting sessions, or making out as Jim called it, they still hadn't had sex, and she was still two weeks shy of her post-delivery check-up. All through their relationship sex was the one consistent thing they had and during much of her pregnancy she had been even more desperate and demanding of him courtesy of the raging hormones flooding her body.
Marc broke her thoughts as he reached across and kissed her cheek before turning back to the woman who was now joined by Jim who made some comment that caused this woman before her to shrill again, waking Connor abruptly, causing him to cry loudly. The woman, rather than apologise pulled a distasteful expression incensing Tasha further.
“Hey, baby.” Smiled Jim, moving beyond the woman and Marc to kiss his wife and look down at his crying son. “Hey buddy, did Rachel wake you up?” He unfastened the little boy from his restraints to lift him out, soothing him immediately.
Rachel, as Tasha now knew her, pushed past Marc and steered herself between Tasha and Jim, turning her back on Tasha to reach across Jim's arms to stroke Connor's face, then ran her fingers across Jim's arm as she returned her own arm to her side.
“He's very handsome. He looks like you,” she told Jim causing Tasha to stare between this woman, Amanda and Marc before rolling her eyes. “He'll be a real heart breaker, like you,” she added now making Amanda stare as wildly as Tasha while Marc shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other.
“Can I hold him? I’m really good with babies, love them. I can't wait to have my own,” gushed Rachel, completely pissing Tasha off who knew there was only one reason for her to be telling Jim this.
It looked as though Jim was about to hand their son over to this woman when Tasha intervened by removing her son from her husband's arms.
“Sorry, he's fussy and more importantly, so am I,” she told the other woman before turning to her husband with Connor in one arm and steering the pushchair with the other. “I'll wait in your office.”
Marc called after her, “I love you, Tasha. You need to drop in more often.”
“I may do that,” she called over her shoulder but didn't look back, she just settled herself on the sofa and waited for Jim.
“What the hell was that?” he asked closing the door behind him.
“I was about to ask you the same thing,” she retorted.
“Tasha, she works in the pool—”
“And she's your new Amanda,” Tasha finished.
“You don't like her,” he said flatly as he sat next to her and reached across to take Connor from her. “If I'm allowed, if you and he aren't too fussy.” He lifted the baby onto his shoulder. “Have you been for a trip out with Mommy?”
“She fancies you,” Tasha stated, ignoring Jim's question to Connor.
“I fancy you,” he replied, making her smile a little.
“Mmm, but do you fancy her, too? Rachel.” Tasha somehow managed to make the woman's name sound like she was mocking it.
