Chapter 41

"Yes I'll be fine for the 100th time. Now get going before you miss your flight." Tahlia chastised, rolling her eyes at Taker the following day. "I love you, but you're driving me crazy. Now get out of here and go see your son. Call me when you get there so I know you made it safely."

Tahlia had gotten her ass snatched out of a hotel. He was allowed to be paranoid. Nodding, Taker brushed his lips against hers, hearing last call for his flight and knew he had to go. "I'll see you in a few days." He said, turning and walking away, not looking back.

She'd be fine. Tahlia was right though, he had become overprotective. Not that he didn't think he had good reason, because he did. Sighing, he made his way to his first-class seat and settled in for a long, boring flight.

Amanda smiled at the young boy playing his game while she cleaned, lunch already baking in the oven. She didn't know how she'd been blessed with a job like this, but Mr. Calaway was a godsend. She'd gotten a phone call earlier that morning from her boss informing he was coming for a visit and to have Gunner ready. Amanda wasted no time in getting the boy bathed, dressed and now it was just a waiting game. They were on the far outskirts of Texas, near the north, by Oklahoma. Still in Texas, though. Amanda wore a simple pair of jean shorts and a black tank top since it was currently scorching outside. The doorbell ringing made her head snap up as well as Gunner's and he eyeballed her before rushing to the door. Somehow, the boy always knew when his father came for a visit.

The nanny also had a husband, who lived on the grounds doing maintenance and security. The couple had been poor, unemployed, trying desperately to find work. Taker also knew them because of his late ex-wife. He had swept in and gave it to them after background checks and drug tests. They had been fiercely loyal to him and Gunner since. He knew they were wanting to start their own family and had told the husband, Sam, to get busy already. This week they were at Amanda and Sam's house, which was fine. They had always bounced around as the seasons did their subtle change. This allowed Gunner to experience different things like festivals, fairs, theater when he was willing to sit through it, sporting events… as well as learn life out in the country in the completely normal, modern ranch he and his son resided in. There was no way he'd ever take Gunner to the mansion, not so young, he'd kill himself. When the door opened, revealing his very gingery son, he was already crouching, arms open.

Tears filled Amanda's eyes as Gunner clung to his father for dear life, placing a hand on her protruding six-month pregnant belly. "Hello Mark." She greeted, accepting a side hug from him once he stood to his full height with Gunner in his arms. "Lunch is ready whenever you are ready to eat. Just let me know if you need anything."

She retreated to give Mark and Gunner time alone, heading outside to see if her husband needed anything. He was working on the ranch they had come to love as their own. Hopefully one day, they'd be able to buy it off of Mark once he decided to sell it and take Gunner.

Sam wiped the sweat from his brow, looking down at his wife from the ladder he was perched on and immediately hopped down. "What's wrong? Is it the baby?" He was a nervous wreck the closer her due date came.

"No, silly. Mark is here with Gunner and I'm giving them time alone. Also, lunch is ready and you should take a break to eat."

"Lemme finish up and I'll be in, doll face." He kissed her softly before getting back to work.

Amanda turned and walked off, deciding to water the flowers since it was a gorgeous day outside.

"How long are you home?" Gunner asked once they had gotten the initial hugs and greetings out of the way, walking around the small property with his Dad. He wanted to show him some of the things they had been working on in his absence.

"A few days." Taker was examining the flower beds, spotting Amanda in the distance watering them. "I'm wrapping up some things and then I'm taking a few months off."

"Are you hurt?" Gunner squinted up at his Dad suspiciously.

"Nope, just miss you. Is that okay? Or do I need to be hurt to visit?"

"Nah, I like it better when you miss me. Besides, Amanda is going to need time off soon."

"She'll have it, and I'll be home." Perhaps with company.

"Mandy, Dad is gonna be home for a few months soon! So you can have time off for the baby!" Gunner shouted out, not having a care in the world and grinned, looking identical to his father at that moment without realizing it.

"Really?" Amanda hadn't meant to sound shocked, but she knew how strenuous Mark's work schedule was. "Is that true, Mark? Is everything alright?"

"Yup, he just misses me. Who wouldn't?" He was also as arrogant as his old man at times.

Amanda laughed softly, nodding. "I stand corrected, of course he misses you. Why don't you go clean up and I'll serve some lunch? I'm sure your father is hungry."

Nodding, Gunner ran into the house to wash his hands and obeyed the lady he had come to love like a mother.

"Alright mister, out with it. What's really going on? I saw you holding your back when you bent down earlier." Amanda wasn't afraid of the giant and acted as a sister figure to him ever since he'd given her and Sam a new beginning in life. "You're injured, aren't you? How bad is it?"

"I'm fine, Mandy, really." She was kind of like Tahlia in a way, dangerous, but her type of danger was of the mothering kind. Amanda had also known him for the better part of a decade, so… she probably felt she could get away with it. "Just general aches and pains, darlin'." Taker dropped a kiss on her brow. "Been getting my ass handed to me lately." Not really, but the constant fighting did take a toll on his large body. Some downtime would fix all of that. "Besides, I need to come home for a bit. Spend some time with my son. Let you and Sam take some time for yourselves." Not that they hadn't… her swollen belly was proof of that. "How do you think he'd take it if I brought a woman home?" Something he had never done before.

"Well, you told him to get busy and he didn't disappoint."

She laughed, remembering Mark clapping Sam on the shoulder and telling him to knock his wife up already. They didn't have to stop their lives because they worked for him and watched over his son. Amanda was intrigued at this newfound information, looping her arm through Mark's and smirked.

"He'd probably keel over from shock since you've never done that before. She must be VERY special to you." Mark hadn't brought a woman around his son since the mother died 8 years ago during childbirth and he was forced to take responsibility for Gunner. "What's her name?"

"Tahlia." He said after a moment. "She's a… co-worker." That was pretty much the truth of things. "We've been getting… to know each other, and we're together." Also true, on both accounts, they had even made it official with labels and everything. "She knows about Gunner. I just need to let him know about her." Gunner might not take kindly to another woman after having basically been raised by Amanda in the female role.

"I thought there was something different about you, but I couldn't put my finger on it…until you mentioned her. She's the one who's changed you…and for the better, I might add. You seem happier, Mark." Amanda pointed out, waving over at Sam who was still hard at work painting their garage. "You're worried Gunner won't accept her, aren't you?" It wasn't a question. She could read Mark better than most, especially after all the time knowing him and his son. "You know I love Gunner like he was my own, but at the end of the day, he's not. And I'm sure any woman you bring around him, he'll love as much as you do. Your boy is a lot smarter than you realize, Mark." The boy had straight A's in school and absorbed information like nothing Amanda and Sam ever seen. "You deserve to be happy, remember that. You're a good man with a big heart, even if you don't want to admit it. Oh damn, there go the hormones." Amanda moved her glasses out of the way to wipe tears, sniffling.

"Yeah, I know I'm a damn good man." He teased, pulling the bandana out of his back pocket in order to pass it to her, smiling down at her.

Taker remembered his own wife's hormone issues when she had been pregnant with Gunner. He had made several mouth mistakes and paid dearly for them. He was someone who only needed to learn a lesson once; it stuck and he didn't do it again.

"But that's because I got damn good people around me."

"That you do. Sorry for my blubbering. I can't wait to pop this baby out so I can go back to feeling normal. I swear, I accidentally burnt a pie yesterday and had a complete breakdown over it. Sam looked at me like I was crazy." She let out a watery laugh, wiping her tears away with the bandana and shook herself mentally.

"Hey, are you guys coming or what? I set the table already!" Gunner called out the door, sounding impatient. He was a growing boy and needed to eat!

"I swear, he's gonna eat us out of house and home." Amanda joked, knowing that wasn't a possibility with the generous funds Mark provided. "We'd better get inside before he sends the Calvary after us. By the way, it's a girl." She referred to the current bundle growing inside of her. "And we've decided on a name already, but I'll let Sam tell you. Come on." Guiding Mark inside the house, Amanda shut the screen door and sat down, kissing the top of Gunner's head before heading into the living room to rest her feet so they could eat privately.

Taker took stock of Gunner's plate, knowing the boy was going to wind up his size if the appetite was any indicator. He was fairly average size so far, just gangly, and perhaps a bit on the tall side. His ears were large; Taker's had been too, it was a curse on the male side in his family. He'd grow into his looks and so far, he was the spitting image of Taker. Which was sad, he had hoped to see more of his wife in their son. But no, the boy was him through and through, except that smile.

"What're you smilin' about, Dad?"

"Just thinking." Taker caught himself, chuckled and began loading his plate, shaking his head.

"So, Mark met a woman he works with and wants to introduce her to Gunner."

Sam about spit out his food, blinking and coughing, pounding his chest since it'd gone down the wrong tube. "Really?" In the 8 years they'd known him, Mark had NEVER brought a woman near Gunner. "She must really be somethin'."

"That's what I said. I just hope she doesn't break his heart. They've been through so much…" Amanda placed a hand on her belly along with Sam, both of them smiling at each other. "I told him he deserves to be happy. And anyone he brings home, Gunner will love them as much as him."

"We're gonna meet her too." Sam was overprotective of the boy, for obvious reasons. "I trust Mark, but…we still should meet her if she's gonna stick around."

"Whatever he wants to do, Sam, but I'm sure he'll want to introduce her to us."

Sam hoped and went back to eating.

The thought of not introducing Tahlia to Sam and Amanda had never crossed his mind. His family, such as it was, was them and Gunner. "So, Gunner, I have something to talk with you about." Taker said after they had cleared most of their lunch, now just chewing and chatting on nearly full stomachs and sipping Amanda's sweet tea with lemonade.

"Yeah?" Gunner was considering the fresh baked pie in the middle of the table.

"I'd like you to meet a friend of mine. A woman, Gunner," He was watching his son carefully. If Gunner didn't want to, then that would be that. "I've been seeing her for a while, and I'd like you to meet her."

"Someone from work?" He sounded a bit disbelieving.

With the upcoming dark wedding approaching in a couple weeks, Tahlia had to get on the ball to find a suitable dress for the occasion. She smiled at the thought of Shane freaking out watching her walk down the aisle, thinking he was actually about to be forced to marry her. He wasn't the brightest man on the planet and would fall for it hook, line and sinker. Taker was off with his son – it was still a shock to discover he actually had a child – so Tahlia figured this was the perfect time to go browsing the shops of East side New York. It took a while and 3 different dress shops, but Tahlia finally found what she was looking for and immediately purchased it. It was a beautiful black silhouette ballgown with a sheath hemline, a court train, scalloped-edged back and the front was a halter. There was white throughout the black, near the front mostly, but than that it was black lace. Tahlia tried it on to make sure it fit before purchasing and then went to find shoes to match.

"A woman – woman?"

"Yes, Gunner, a woman. Like Amanda." They had dessert and were now back outside, playing basketball in the driveway. Mark had played in high school, he had been good too. It was something Gunner liked and his old man was knowledgeable enough to have taught him the basics. "Only, she's a wrestler."

"She has her own money, right?"

"Now… that is a weird question." Taker had to stop, regretting it instantly when he got shoulder checked in his hip. "You little-" He whirled, watching as Gunner aimed and made his shot.

"You're rich. I'm just… makin' sure." When he was younger, he had heard his Dad and Sam talking about women and money. They had been drinking out of 'Daddy's jug of poison', as Amanda had deemed it when both men woke up sicker than dogs.

"She has her own money."

By the time Tahlia arrived home, the day was gone and night had fallen. Hopefully Taker would approve what she'd purchased for the upcoming events they had in store for the Ministry. She had also bought a couple things for him when they were alone...things he would no doubt rip off of her body the first chance presented. Tahlia recalled his order of going shopping to buy negligee and used those exact words about ripping it off of her. It'd been a while since she last wore one and decided tonight she would treat herself along with a bottle of wine. The only thing missing from the perfect evening was the man himself. She hoped he was having a blast with his son, smiling at the thought and turned a movie on, laying on the couch.