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Chapter 37: Something Wicked This Way Comes
Willow and Tara worked diligently for the next couple hours assisting in any way they could to get ready for the BBQ. They laid out silverware, plates, and cups. Did some minor decorating and helped in the kitchen. Since Tara was less than stellar in the culinary side of life, Willow had given her very basic and easy tasks, while she took on the more complicated, like making the potato salad. Sheila was in and out; seemingly distracted and was fussing over every little thing. Her odd behavior did not go unnoticed by her daughter. Willow knew that come Thursday her mother would be in hyper-drive, but tonight was just a casual family cook out. Try as she might, Willow could not figure out what was going on.
They were currently working on the salad when Willow heard a woman's voice outside; it was loud and animated. Knowing that it wasn't Rachael or Stella, her interest was piqued. She had just finished washing a head of lettuce, she turned to hand the vegetable to Tara, when the backdoor opened.
Willow froze; dropping the lettuce, which bounced across the floor leaving a swath of wetness in its path. The errant bouncing vegetable finally stopped when it hit the back of Tara's leg.
"Willow, what-" Turning, Tara started to say something as well, but she too was struck by the visitor.
"Well hey there ya'll! Oh my gawd..you must be little Willow. Well aren't you just the cutest little thang!" The woman announced, as she strode forward and engulfed the stunned redhead in what could only be described as, the most awkward one-sided hug in the history of awkward one-sided hugs.
The woman released Willow from her death grip, stepping back and holding her at arms length, "Let me just look at you. Grayson darlin', will you please get my camera out of the car. I think I left it on the seat. I just have to get a picture with your baby sister."
Grayson would have made a move towards the car, but he was too busy standing just outside the backdoor, gazing at his reflection in the glass and making sure he looked just so for his first meeting with the famous Hollywood actress; thankful that Rachael had called him the night before. He practiced a few more 'hi, how are you's,' before stepping in the backdoor.
As he entered, Willow looked over the shoulder of the yappy bottle blonde, still caught in her clutches, at her oldest brother and raised her eyebrows in disbelief. Grayson looked as if he'd just stepped out of the pages of Details magazine; his clothing was shiny from head to toe and he was freshly tanned. The young man was dressed to the nines in an expensive ensemble that included black Gucci dress shoes, an Armani sport coat with matching pants and a fuchsia colored dress shirt unbuttoned nearly halfway down his chest.
Right at that moment, Hunter rounded the corner from the family room to see what all the commotion was about and burst out laughing at the sight of his older brother. Then began to cough furiously, failing miserably at trying to cover his obvious amusement.
"Dude, who died and made you Ryan Seacrest?" Hunter quipped.
Grayson ignored his little brother and strode confidently in Tara's direction, "Miss Maclay, it's an absolute pleasure to meet you. I'm a huge fan of yours." He said as he took her hand and kissed the back of it lightly.
"Oh, um…thank you. It's nice to meet you too and please, call me Tara." The blonde replied graciously.
Normally, an incident like that would have thrown Willow into a fit of blind jealously had her brother not looked so utterly ridiculous doing it.
"Oh my gawd! Oh my gawwwwd!" Grayson's girlfriend exclaimed loudly, shoving Willow to the side and turning towards Tara. "Oh my lord! Sweet Jesus! It really is you! The Tara Maclay right her in little 'ol Decker Prairie!"
"Hello and you are?" Tara asked, shaking her hand.
"Oh, where are my manners! I'm Bambi, Bambi Rae Swallows; Grayson's girlfriend."
Tara silently prayed that her efforts to keep a straight face were actually paying off. She wanted to look over at Willow, but she knew that there was no way she would be able to hold it together if she did. So she simply smiled and nodded politely.
"Well, it's um, very nice to meet you…Bambi," Tara said hesitantly.
"Grayson darlin', you just have to get my camera, right now! I just have to get some pictures!" Bambi looked over to Willow, "Darlin' where's your momma? I want to make sure she knows I'm here."
Willow shrugged her shoulders, wondering how it was possible that anyone in the Great State of Texas did not know that Bambi had arrived, "Upstairs, maybe? I dunno." Willow knew that she shouldn't be staring, but she couldn't look away; it was like a train wreck. The buxom bleach blonde definitely knew how to make an entrance. Now that her attention was focused on Tara, Willow was able to get a good look at her brother's girlfriend.
Everything on her was skin tight, from her black tapered cuff jeans to her hot pink animal print top….to her face. Bambi was wearing a ton of make up and it was clear that she had received collagen in her lips, botox on her forehead and maybe some other miscellaneous work around her eyes. Willow's mind began to wonder. There is absolutely nothing on this woman that's real! Her hair looks like cotton candy! What the hell does he see in her? Oh, duh Willow…huge boobs. Totally not real either.
"Grayson, I need that camera! Now you just run on out and fetch it!" Bambi demanded as she exited the kitchen in search of Sheila.
"I'm fixin' ta…I mean, I'm going," Grayson replied, clearly annoyed as he stomped out the backdoor.
Once the duo was out of earshot, Willow, Tara and Hunter looked at each other and burst out laughing. Willow was doubled over and eventually slid down onto the floor, rolling on her side and clutching her stomach. She eventually sat up, trying to catch her breath as Tara held her hands out to pull her up off the floor.
"Now I know mom is certifiable, 'Gray is dating a gorgeous young woman, she's somewhat of a celebrity; a local beauty queen and she's just lovely,'" Willow mocked her mother's words sarcastically.
"Is that what she told you?" Hunter asked his sister.
"Sure did! She's like a cleavage-y slut bomb. How long have they been dating? And where did they meet?" Willow said in a hushed tone.
Hunter snickered, "A local celebrity, seesh! The only thing she's famous for is swinging on a pole over at the 'Lusty Leopard.'"
"She's a stripper?" Willow shouted.
A resounding, "Shhhh!" came from both Tara and Hunter.
"Sorry, sorry…seriously?"
"Uh huh, Mom and Dad don't know, so don't mention it around them. Mom can't stand her, but she'll never tell Gray. You know…he can do no wrong. Anyway, they actually met about a month ago at a party. Apparently, she's retired and is now working the make up counter over at the Piggley Wiggley."
"So, I don't understand…where does the part about the whole beauty queen thing come in?" Tara asked.
"She was Miss Waller County about ten years ago or something. I'm guessing her pageant career didn't go as planned and she went on to bigger and better things."
"I'll say did you see those boobs?" Willow said.
Tara folded her arms across her chest and raised an eyebrow in Willow's direction.
"What? I mean not that I was looking, although they were kinda hard to miss. I-In a you know, 'Holy cow, did ya see those?' N-not in a seductive, 'Ohhh, did you see those?' kind…of…way." Willow frowned and an embarrassed flush crept over her face.
Hunter snorted, amused at his sister's back peddling babble, "Jeez Will, dig the little deeper. Anyway, I don't think he planned on bringing her home to 'meet the folks,' but they ran into Mom and Dad out at Pappasito's and Dad invited her to Sunday dinner. Mom about blew a gasket, it was so damn funny…let's just say that Bambi's engine's a runnin,' but ain't nobody driving!"
"What's a Pappasito's?" Tara asked.
"Umm, only the best restaurant ever! Hunt, we've gotta take Tara while she's here!" The redhead exclaimed while bouncing on the balls of her feet.
"Hey great idea! How about we go tomorrow? We can double and see a movie too."
"Double date? Hunter Shane Rosenberg! Are you seeing someone?" Willow looked at her brother in disbelief; he hadn't mentioned anything to her about a new girlfriend.
Hunter grinned at her with a goofy smile, "Yeah, her name's Molly and uh she's really great. She um, she teaches at my school."
Willow slapped him on his arm, "How long have you been dating? Why didn't you tell me? Is she coming tonight?"
"Gosh Will, inquisition much?" He chuckled, "A couple months and I was gonna tell you but, all this other stuff came up and I just wanted to see where it was going first. You, of all people, should understand. Anyway, she's not coming tonight, but she is on Thursday."
Willow smiled affectionately at her brother, "I get it, I'm happy for you Hunt and I can't wait to meet her."
Hunter opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by Grayson, muttering to himself, as he finally made it back into the house with Bambi's camera. As soon as he saw Tara he stood up straighter and grinned like an idiot, striding confidently in her direction.
Willow grabbed Tara's hand possessively and entwined their fingers. With her resolve face set firmly in place, she was prepared to drop kick Grayson if he tried another hand kissing maneuver.
"Hold it right there!" Willow exclaimed, holding out her free hand in a stopping position, "You just stay where you are and keep your lips to yourself. I let you slide once, but that was it. No one else's lips but mine should be touching Tara!"
"Gosh Will, I was just gonna give you a hug."
"Well, I guess that's ok," Willow let go of Tara and hugged her older brother tenderly.
Tara took the moment to study Grayson a little closer, without Bambi's interference. When she'd met Hunter, she could see his resemblance to her girlfriend immediately…red hair, freckles, fair skin, and green eyes; they could be twins they look so similar. She could also see it in Rachael as well; same eyes, skin tone, etc., but Grayson looked completely different. Grayson was the textbook definition of tall, dark and handsome. Standing over 6' tall with jet black hair and piercing blue eyes, he reminded Tara of her friend and actor Eddie Cahill. His stark differences from the other Rosenberg's had Tara contemplating the possibility that perhaps Sheila had hooked up with the milkman.
Willow and Grayson started chatting and Tara turned her attention back to the salad. She re-rinsed the lettuce, chopped it and spun it dry. Thankfully, Willow had taught her how to use the salad spinner earlier, so there was no embarrassing kitchen device malfunctions. She was almost done when she felt two arms snake their way around her waist and a chin rest on her left shoulder; flooding her with warmth and giving her a tingly sensation in her tummy. She smiled sweetly and leaned her head into Willow's.
"Hey you," Willow whispered.
"Hey yourself," Tara replied.
"Sorry you had to finish by yourself."
"It's fine sweetie, besides it's good for you to catch up with your brother."
Willow squeezed Tara a little tighter, "Thanks…I love you," she whispered softly and kissed her girlfriend on the cheek.
"I love you too," Tara whispered back; placing her hands on Willow's.
Tara thought for sure that Willow would release her and go back to chatting with her brothers, but she didn't. She tightened her grip and began swaying them as if they were dancing; only there was no music. Tara swayed with Willow; fighting the urge to turn in her lovers arms and kiss her senseless. Both women were aware that the boys were still in the room, but neither cared; the moment was just too precious to abandon.
Grayson had been watching the scene unfold from across the kitchen while trying to pay attention to Hunter's idle chatter; muttering an 'uh huh', every few seconds, but not having a clue as to what he was saying. This went on for about a minute until he felt a sharp stinging sensation across the back of his neck.
"Ow, what the hell dude?" He asked, rubbing the back of his neck and turning towards his little brother.
"Quit staring," Hunter whispered, "Grab a couple beers and let's sit out on the porch."
Grayson nodded reluctantly, reaching into the refrigerator, grabbing two brown bottles and then following Hunter out the back door. He handed his brother a bottle and they both deposited themselves in a couple of chairs.
"You know, you didn't have to slap me. That fuckin' hurt," he protested.
"Oh shut up, you big baby," Hunter laughed at the sight of his tough older brother rubbing the beer bottle on back of his neck, "Listen, Will has enough issues dealing with Mom, she doesn't need you ogling her girlfriend."
Grayson smirked and rolled his eyes, "I can't help it, it's Tara Maclay dude. The same woman I've had a crush on since I was a teenager. It's so God damn surreal, I mean she's in our kitchen right now!"
"Yeah, and she very much belongs to our baby sister. So, you'd better just get the fuck over it." Hunter warned.
"I know, I know…how the hell did they meet anyway? I mean Willow doesn't exactly hang with the coolest kids on the block. I just can't imagine how in the world they crossed paths, and I thought Tara was straight. Hey, do you think Willow turned her?"
Hunter looked at his brother in utter disbelief, "Are you serious?"
"What? It's a legitimate question."
"Uh, no it's not…you can't turn someone gay. What's wrong with you? Did you just fall off the turnip truck or has Bambi sucked all logical thought from your brain?" Hunter asked, fighting the urge to slap his brother again.
"All I'm saying is that a lot of those Hollywood guys are gay, so maybe she just needs a real man."
"Oh and I'm sure you'd be more than willing to offer your services," Hunter spat as he raised his foot and kicked Grayson hard on the side of his leg, "Moron!"
"Hey! That hurt and watch the pants!" Grayson protested as he rubbed his leg.
Grayson was about to retaliate when the backdoor opened and Willow and Tara emerged on to the porch, causing Grayson to stand immediately, smoothing out his slacks and trying to look cool by leaning against the railing.
Willow furrowed her brow and tugged Tara a little bit closer, "We're uh, just going to see if Dad needs any help." She said as she pulled Tara down the steps and off towards the pool patio to the outdoor kitchen.
Once out of sight, Tara turned towards Willow, gently pushing her into the bushes and up against the side of the house, running her hands down Willow's sides and gripping her hips; pulling their bodies close. She smiled briefly as Willow wound her hands around Tara's neck and their lips collided. Both moaning into the kiss as if it were painful that they were ever forced to be apart. After a few minutes, Tara shifted and began kissing down the soft skin of Willow's neck; paying particular attention to her pulse point.
"Hmmhmm, baby…what's gotten into you," Willow moaned.
"I can stop," Tara pulled back a bit, grinning mischievously.
"Nuh uh," Willow mumbled, tilting her head to allow Tara better access.
"I…just can't…seem to…get enough of…you today," Tara breathed as her lips made their way back up to meet Willow's.
"And that's different from any other day?"
"Ssshhh…it's been entirely too long since I got to taste you," Their lips collided once again and they kissed deeply for what felt like hours; completely lost in each other. Until they heard someone behind them coughing loudly.
Ira had been on his way to the kitchen when he, nonchalantly, rounded the corner of the house to find his youngest daughter caught up in a serious lip lock with the Hollywood actress. He cleared his throat loudly, going completely unnoticed until he faked a loud cough, finally getting Willow and Tara's attention.
The girls flew apart as if they'd been struck by lightening, both tripping and nearly falling down. Ira stood his ground with his arms folded across his chest and trying to look as serious as possible. Unfortunately, between the tripping, the blushing and looks of utter horror on their faces…he couldn't help but laugh.
"I'd say, 'get a room,' but don't you already have one?"
"Oh God Dad, I'm so sorry," Willow blurted, embarrassed beyond words.
Ira simply raised his hand, "I've caught your brothers doing much worse."
Willow stood up straighter and cocked her head, slowly inching towards her Dad, "Really? When was this?"
Ira chuckled, "When you see Eli, ask him about Christmas Day 2003."
"Hmm I will, but seriously Dad I-"
"I was just going to get the meat and I could use a hand. Tara?"
Tara gulped, "O-Ok," She stammered.
"Willow, I need you to help your Mom with the sauce and bring it out when she's done."
"Sure," Willow nodded towards her father and smiled sweetly at Tara, taking her hand and falling into step with her father.
Once in the kitchen, Ira loaded up Tara's arms and they headed out to the grill, leaving Willow with her mother and Bambi in the kitchen.
Ira and Tara walked in silence out to the patio, giving Tara entirely too much time to think. The fairly short walk stretched into what seemed like a hundred miles to Tara. Should I say something? What do we talk about? Oh God, does he expect me to cook? Jesus Tara, get it together. Ok, you can do this. You can talk to the father of your girlfriend, yeah no problem. We can discuss the w-weather or maybe how I like Texas or m-maybe even what he does for a living. Great, now I'm stuttering in my head! He's just a regular guy…just a guy that not ten minutes ago caught you with your tongue down his daughter's throat. Ugh!
Ira set his trays down and then turned to relieve Tara of hers, "Thanks for your help Tara."
"Oh, i-it's no problem. Thank you for having me this week."
Ira smiled warmly, "Anytime."
An awkward silence fell over them and Tara began to panic, "Thank you, I really l-love your property; it's q-quite beautiful. I mean Willow described it to me, but it's m-much more beautiful in person. N-Not that she gave me a poor description or anything it's just that, you know it didn't really do it justice…" Tara's words trailed off when she noticed Ira chuckling softly. Oh God, someone shoot me now!
"Well it looks like someone picked up a little case of 'Willow-Babble.'"
Tara laughed; raising two fingers to her lips, "I guess it does tend to rub off."
"You know it's funny, Willow was such a shy and quite child; she didn't actually talk until she was almost 3, although you'd never know it now."
Tara became extremely curious as she processed this new information, "Really?"
"Um hmm, she had four older siblings that talked for her, so I guess she didn't think that she had to."
"How did you get her to start talking?"
"Oh, I don't think we did anything special. One day she just started talking and she hasn't stopped since!" Ira's eyes met Tara's and they shared a laugh, "Having children is an adventure and having five is a life lesson."
"What do you mean?"
Ira chuckled to himself as he readied the grill, "You see Tara, when they're little, you have all these dreams and expectations, then as they grow you realize that what 'You' want for them and what 'They' want are two different things entirely."
Tara mulled this over, suddenly feeling more uncomfortable than before; wondering if this was Ira's subtle way of voicing his disappointment regarding Willow's sexuality or her choice in a partner. She remained quiet and allowed him to continue.
"They have their own personality and they each bring something new and different to the table; you learn that very quickly from the first one. When Rachael was little I was bound and determined to get her into sports. I figured if I started her young, then I'd have a prodigy by the time she was 15. So, I enrolled her in soccer when she was four; she wanted to take dance, but I totally ignored her. I thought, 'how does a 4 year old know what they want?' I'd stand on the sidelines and cheer her on at every game. All the while, picturing her someday in the Olympics scoring the winning goal. The only problem was that she was never all that interested, or athletic. Then about five games into the season, the coach put her in as the goalie. There she stood, crouched with her little hands on her knees and ready for anything. Then the first ball was kicked in her direction…she jumped out of the way and let it pass right by!" Ira laughed heartily at the memory, "That was the end to her soccer career and a sobering moment for me as the dream bubble above my head completely burst!"
Tara laughed with Ira, feeling a little less tense after hearing him tell the story, "I guess you never know where they'll end up."
Ira shook his head, "No and all you can do is help guide them and hope that they're happy. They have to make their own way in the world, their own decisions and figure out what they like."
"Well, it looks like you hit the jackpot with Willow, err sports wise…that is."
"Indeed, she is quite something, isn't she?"
Tara's smiled widely, "Yes, she really is…in so many ways."
Ira's demeanor turned a bit serious as he caught Tara's eye, "Tara, I don't normally go around meddling in my children's lives," Oh God, here it comes Tara thought, "But Willow, she's my baby and I worry about her more than the others. She acts tough on the outside, but she's the most sensitive one of the bunch; she doesn't do anything half way and tends to wear her heart on her sleeve. I guess what I'm trying to say is-"
"…I'll never hurt her Ira, ever. I love her very much; he means the world to me." Tara, for all intents and purposes, was shocked with herself. She'd just proclaimed her love for this man's daughter with more conviction than she thought she had and she wasn't sorry she'd done it; even though her face was about ten shades of red and fire hot. She actually felt faint and had to brace herself by grabbing on to the back of a lawn chair, but she was still not sorry she'd said it.
Ira was quite amused as he watched the play of emotions across Tara's face, "Well then, welcome to the family."
Tara was thrilled and dumbfounded all at the same time; she instantly loved Ira.
"Hey," a voice called from behind Tara, "Are you two talking about me?" The redhead said as she approached with a large covered pot.
"Yep," Ira answered, "I've been regaling Tara with all kinds of embarrassing childhood stories," He said, winking at Tara.
"Oh God Dad, you didn't tell her about the cotton incident, did you?" Willow blurted, handing the pot to her Dad and siding up to Tara.
Ira snorted, "No Willow, but I think you just did."
Tara gazed at Willow with a raised eyebrow, "The cotton incident?"
"Uh, how about we just forget I ever mentioned it ok? So, how's the meat coming along, Dad?"
"WILLOW! WILLOW!" Sheila yelled from the back porch.
"YEAH?" Willow answered.
"SOMEONE'S HERE TO SEE YOU!"
"OK, BE RIGHT THERE! Hey baby, wanna come with and see who it is? Dad?"
Ira waved the BBQ tongs and smiled with his approval in losing his assistant.
"Thanks Dad!" Willow called as she began walking away; pulling Tara with her.
On their way back they snuck into the bushes once again and exchanged a long kiss. Then continued on their way giggling like a couple of teenagers as Willow opened the back door and they stumbled inside.
"Surprise!" Called a tall young man with dark hair, jumping up from his seat and thrusting a bouquet of flowers in Willow's face.
"Robby?"