by Jo Willow
“The house is that big that we have a choice?”
“Forgive me Beth. I should probably get you ready for this. Have you been to Twelve Oaks?”
“Lots of times. I’ve babysat for Rae and James. It’s that big?”
“It’s that big plus another floor. There’s also a guest house out back where Carie and Claire’s mom and dad live. Bill Bishop is a Pastor and Carol is his crazy wife. She and Pam’s mom Maggie keep the house running and sing old rock and roll songs in the kitchen. They don’t sing them well, but they’re happy so we’re happy. Pam and my brother Tim own antique shops and work all day. Jace their son, is almost two years old and he just started walking. He runs actually and he’s thick as thieves with Julia and Will, Kevin and Carie’s twins. They’re about six months older than him. Rose and Ian have the oldest child, Jem and she rules the roost. She turned four in April and she and Alex, Amber and Phil’s little boy, are inseparable. I cannot stress that enough. If you separate them, there’s screaming and crying and hailstones fall from the heavens. It’s ugly. Charlie, Jem’s little brother, falls between Jace and Faith and is the image of Ian. Faith is Alex’s little sister and she arrived in December. I believe that’s everybody.”
Beth listened to his recitation and wondered how he kept them all straight. It sounded like chaos, but he seemed none the worse for wear. She wondered where they’d fit in.
David reached across the table and squeezed her hand.
“There’s plenty of room and plenty for everyone to do. There’s always a baby to change or cuddle and somebody is always looking for a singing partner. Do you sing by chance?”
“A little bit I guess.”
“Hmm... that’s what Pam said. We’ll explore that later. Are you ready to go?”
“I reckon I am. I’m nervous though and I don’t mind telling you that.”
“Nervous is fine, but you’re gonna love them and they’ll love you right back.”
David called the house and Carie answered the phone. Kevin had already briefed her to the possibility of Beth and the kids coming and she’d readied their rooms the day before. She gave them the group of rooms near Maggie’s suite and it included three bedrooms and two baths. Beth’s room had an attached sitting room done in a pretty pale yellow.
He handed Beth the phone and Carie welcomed her with open arms and kind words. They’d planned hotdogs and hamburgers on the grill that night and the kids would be playing in the pool. Carie asked if she’d packed their swimsuits and Beth smiled and replied that she had. When they hung up, Beth felt worlds better.
“Thank-you David. This means the world to me. What are you gonna tell Mitch if he calls?”
“The truth. I’ll tell him that you packed up and left with the children and said you needed to be alone for awhile. What are YOU gonna tell him when he calls?”
“He won’t call me.”
“Oh he’ll call you alright. If you’re right, he’ll be calling and begging for forgiveness.”
“If I’m right, he won’t call at all because he’ll know it’s over.”
David heard the conviction behind her words and he prayed she was wrong. He kept trying to tell himself that all he had invested in this was the building of a barn. In his heart, he knew the truth. This woman had become another Rose to him. She was as much a sister as Rosie or Carie or Pam. He loved her and he’d protect her even if it meant hiding her from a blood relative.
“Get going sweet pea. You’re three hours from Atlanta if you get lucky with traffic. Do you have a GPS?”
“I’ve got one on my cell phone.”
“Give it here.”
Beth handed him her phone and waited. David programmed in his, Tim’s, and Kevin’s numbers, then he added Ian and Rose’s numbers just for good measure. When he was done, he programmed in the address for Tara and hit, “Go”.
“There you go. It’ll take you right to the gate. Ring the bell and tell them who it is, they’re expecting you. If you get lost or something happens, all the numbers you need are in your phone. Just pick one and dial it. Relax and enjoy yourself Beth. It’s in his lap now.”
“So is she and she’s a lot closer than I am.”
“I can tell you from personal experience. If he really loves you, you’re always close. I travel all over the place and Claire’s with me whether she’s there or not.”
“I’ll hold onto that David. Thank-you. I’ll call you when we get to Tara.”
“Please do, I’ll worry if you don’t.”
Beth went out the back door to join her children. She belted them securely into the van and started the trip into Tanner territory.
Mitch was on a short flight to Paris. Marla was next to him, her head on his shoulder. He couldn’t stop smiling and she finally had to ask him what he was so happy about this morning.
“I talked to Beth last night and we worked it out. I’m gonna buy a ring in Paris and surprise her when I get home. I need her and I’m ready for the commitment.”
“Congratulations Mitch. It’s nice to see your life coming together. A gallery, a wife, a decision to follow your calling. It’s quite a banner year for you. I’m happy for you.”
Mitch looked at her and she was smiling, her face close to his.
“Thanks Marla, I appreciate that.”
She leaned over and pressed her lips to his firmly. When she pulled back, he was looking at her mouth.
“I meant what I said. I’m going to marry Beth.”
“I heard you Mitch, but you’re not married yet. You haven’t even asked her yet.”
She kissed him again and he felt the familiar pull. He tugged on her bottom lip with his teeth and smiled when she whimpered.
“Don’t do this Marla. I promised her. I swore to her that this wouldn’t happen.”
“And it never did if you don’t tell her. Come on Mitch, you know as well as I do that it has to happen at least once more. If we don’t get this out of our system, we’ll be chasing each other all over Savannah. It’ll never end. Just you and me. One more time, in Paris. Wherever you want, whenever you say.”
She moved closer still and spoke against his lips.
“Please Mitch? Please?”
His tongue invaded her mouth and she pulled his hair to bring him closer. When he realized he had his hand on her bare thigh, he pulled back and looked around quickly. They were in an empty row in the back of the plane, but he still blushed. He pulled away from her and closed his eyes while he counted himself down. With every number he recited in his head, he felt Beth slipping further away.
Organized chaos was the only way to describe it. When she pulled up to the gate, Patty unbuckled herself and looked between the seats out the front window.
“Mama, is this Disneyland?”
“It sure looks like it sweetheart. Now get back in your carseat and be a good girl. Both of you, I expect your best behaviour. Do you understand?”
Two little voices chimed in with, “Yes ma’am” in perfect southern drawls.
Beth drove through the gates and around to the side as directed. Several cars were parked in a miniature parking lot and she pulled her van alongside a white Jeep Cherokee. It was late Saturday morning and it looked like everyone was home. Before she could help the kids from the van, four men and three women were standing beside her.
She recognized Kevin so she greeted him first with a smile. He stepped forward and hugged her, prompting her to hug him back.
“Beth, it’s good to have you here. This is my wife Carie.”
Carie stepped forward and hugged her next. Beth soon came to realize that everyone would be hugging her so she wasn’t surprised when Tim came forward and introduced himself and Pam. When Rose stepped forward, she blinked because she recognized her from the billboards and her TV appearances.
Rose knew the look and moved to immediately put her at ease. She wrapped her in a hug and then stepped back and reached for Scott. Scott went to her and she pulled him in, keeping her arm around his s
houlder. Beth was still reeling but regained enough composure to introduce her children.
“That’s Scott my oldest, and the little shy one is Patty.”
Ian opened his arms and Patty flew into them. He laughed, lifted her high over his head and swung her around. She giggled and squealed and Phil leaned over towards Beth.
“Shy? There’s not a little girl alive that’s shy around Ian. He belongs to Rose. I’m Phil and I belong to Amber. She’s inside trying to talk Faith into eating. I swear she’s the only six month old anorexic I’ve ever met in my life.”
Beth laughed and patted him on the back.
“Maybe she’s allergic to what you’re feeding her.”
“What?”
Beth and Phil were deep in conversation about baby formula and walking towards the back door. Kevin and Tim had luggage and Ian had Patty on his hip and a massage table in his other hand. Carie carried the familiar assortment of massage supplies. Scotty was asking Rose questions and she was patiently answering them.
When they walked in the back door, Beth knew she’d worried for nothing. Children were toddling or crying, two older women looked up and smiled while they rolled out some kind of dough and the smell of fresh coffee permeated the air. She looked over and Patty was whispering in Ian’s ear. He smiled and whispered back, then set her down.
Patty was two years older than Jem but about the same size. She was tiny like her mother with the same red hair, but she had her father’s blue eyes. Almost the same shade of blue as Mitch’s. She walked into the next room where Jem and Alex sat on the floor playing with a huge pile of Legos. She sat down next to them and Jem sized her up. She decided she liked what she saw and pushed a pile of blocks towards Patty. Patty smiled and started to play and chatter away with her new friends.
Beth mumbled and Rose smiled at her.
“That was quick. I only hope Scott fits in as quickly.”
Scott was standing aside, close to the back door. He looked uncomfortable and awkward, being the oldest at eight years old. Amber looked at him and then at Beth.
“I’ll make a deal with you Beth. You get miss fussy pants here to eat, and I’ll take Scott to the dojo. It’s time for my work out and I think he’ll like what I can show him.”
Scott looked at the pretty lady and wondered what she meant.
“What are you going to show me ma’am?”
Amber smiled and put her arm around his shoulder.
“Scott, I’m the resident Judo instructor around here. What do you think about that?”
His eyes got huge and he looked at his mother.
“I can really learn Judo? Mom, is it okay? Please?”
“Hey, tear yourself up. You just behave yourself and do what Amber tells you to do. She’s going to keep you safe, but you have to listen. Understand?”
“Yes ma’am. I will, I promise.”
Amber led Scott out the door and he started asking question after question once they hit the porch. Beth picked up Faith.
“Now what do we have here little lady?”
She tried the bottle and the baby wouldn’t take it. She turned to Rose.
“What formula is this Rose?”
Rose pulled the package from the cabinet and showed it to Beth, then poured them both a cup of coffee.
Beth read the package and smiled.
“Do you happen to have any soy or rice milk?”
“We’ve got soy milk, Alex is lactose intolerant.”
“Isn’t Alex her brother?”
Rose filled a bottle with soy milk and put it in the warmer. When the bell rang, she handed it to Beth.
“Beth we’re gonna shoot ourselves if it’s as simple as that. We keep thinking there’s something wrong with the baby.”
“I’m thinking she’s like her brother.”
Beth put the new bottle in Faith’s mouth and she took a tentative pull. Then she wrapped her little hands around the bottle and started to drink like she was starved.
“That’s a good girl.”
Beth looked up and smiled at Rose who was watching her closely.
“You’re going to fit right in here Beth. Our kids get along, you can handle a baby and you’ve got a Tanner male in knots. Welcome to the family.”
“I’m not too sure about that last bit Rose.”
Beth lifted Faith and put her to her shoulder, then began rubbing her back until she burped. She continued feeding her, enjoying the closeness of a baby.
“Mitch is off in Europe with his other choice. I’d say I’m the one in knots, not him.”
“He’ll come around. He lives in Georgia, not Europe. He had zero interest in her when he was home. He’ll lose interest again when he comes back. Especially once he finds out she burned down his damned barn and trashed his business. Wait until she finds out we bought her gallery out from under her. The bitch’ll think twice before she screws with a Tanner again, that’s for sure.”
Beth cocked her head at Rose.
“You bought what?”
“We bought her gallery this morning. The place will be cleared out and ready for Mitch by Tuesday. We ordered the new sign and cut the rent in half. He’ll own it in no time.”
“He’ll never accept it from you Rose. Never in a million years. He was fit to be tied when he found out what Ian paid for the urn. Thank-you for that by the way, but he won’t accept it.”
“He doesn’t have a choice. It was direct deposited into his account and Carie used the number to pay the lumberyard in full yesterday. The barn is paid for Beth. She called and paid for the order at the pottery shop too. The things you ordered are paid off as well. Everything is brand new, free and clear. The barn will be done by Tuesday and fully stocked by Wednesday when he gets home. He just has to start working again.”
Beth was staring at Rose with her mouth partially open and her eyes blinking rapidly.
“Don’t look surprised Sis’, we stick together. Just because Mitch has never asked for help, doesn’t mean that we weren’t willing to help him. He’s family, just like you. We got a good deal on the barn because David told him we were going to need lumber to build a house. That’ll start next week on the other side of Rae and James’ place. It’s a nice two story like David’s. Four bedrooms, three baths and a garage. It’ll sit in the middle of three acres, easy to take care of and your neighbors will be Rae and James.”
“MY neighbors? My neighbor is Mitch for now. At least until I can fix the place up and sell it.”
Rose put her arm around Beth and gave her a hug.
“Don’t you worry about that. We’ll get you moved into the new place and then we’ll fret about the old one.”
“Rose, I don’t need no new house. Mitch helps me take care of the old one, we’re fine.”
“You just finished saying he was off in Europe with some woman, Beth. Are you telling me you’ll accept his help when he gets back?”
Beth started crying again and she noticed that Faith had fallen asleep. She held her close and kissed her little head.
“I am so confused Rose. I keep telling myself that it doesn’t matter. He doesn’t love her, he loves me and I can take him back and forgive him if he comes home to me. I want to believe that, but I’m afraid it isn’t true. I’m afraid I’ll never get it out of my mind and it’ll eat at me until it poisons everything we do.”
She looked at Rose who was quickly becoming as distressed as she was.
“I don’t know what to do.”
Rose wrapped her arms around her and hugged her tighter while she cried. Patty heard the commotion in the kitchen and recognized the sound of her mother’s voice. She cautiously came into the kitchen and approached her crying mother and the pretty lady that was hugging her.
“Mama, Mitch isn’t coming home is he? He doesn’t love us anymore, right?”
Rose scooped the little girl into her arms and just like David a few hours earlier, she came up with about ten different ways to castrate Mitch the next time she saw him.
&
nbsp; “Mitch is coming home sweetheart and he loves you just fine. Would you like to talk to him?”
Patty started trembling and she hugged Rose tightly around the neck.
“Oh yes please. I need to tell him something awfully bad.”
Rose ignored Beth who was shaking her head adamantly, and sat down at the table. She settled Patty onto her lap and pulled her cell phone from her pocket. She thumbed through the contacts until she found his. She smiled at the little girl and hit the button.
Mitch was in an elevator in a Paris hotel. He had one hand on Marla’s bottom as they both faced forward and waited impatiently for it to stop on the fourth floor. As they were walking down the hall heading for their rooms, Mitch felt his phone vibrate. When he reached for it, Marla grabbed his hand.
“Not again Mitch. Not this time.”
Mitch looked at her, then curiosity got the better of him. He pulled it out and Rose’s name was on the screen.
“It’s my cousin Rose, I have to take it. It could be a family emergency.”
At the name of his wealthy cousin, Marla dropped back, allowing him privacy.
“This is Mitch.”
“Hi Mitch!”
“Who is this please?”
“It’s Patty. I miss you, do you miss me?”
Mitch’s face lit up and he smiled at the sound of the little girl’s voice.
“I sure do buttercup. Are you okay?”
“We took a long ride and now I think we’re in Disneyland. There’s a lot of kids here and there’s a swimming pool. We’re gonna have hot dogs later. Scott said we had to leave because you didn’t love us anymore. Then he said you had to leave because you didn’t love mommy anymore. Do you not love us anymore Mitch?”
“Of course I love you baby, you know I do. I’ll always love you and Scott.”
“What about Mommy. Do you love mommy?”
Mitch looked over at Marla who looked bored out of her mind.
“I love your Mommy more than anything in the world. Patty, would you like me to be your Dad?”
“Really Mitch? You’d really be my dad? I could call you Daddy and it would be okay?”
