Chapter 50
"I don't…" Tahlia stared at the ring in awe, her mouth dropping open as yet another realization crashed over her. "What? No…what? Mark…"
Her heart nearly stopped when he took her left hand and slid the ring back where it'd been moments ago. Tears of happiness and shock slid down her cheeks as Tahlia stared back at him, then at the ring, and back at him again. This was his way of proposing to her…right? No, she couldn't assume anything and took a shaky breath, suddenly needing a huge swig of something strong. The champagne was the only thing this damn limousine had, so the rest of her first glass went down the hatch followed by another.
"What does this mean exactly?" Looking back at him, Tahlia held her left hand up with the diamond sparkling on it. "I need to be absolutely sure this ring on THIS finger means what I think it does."
She hadn't even met his son yet and he was proposing to her?! Taker had watched in amusement as she had chugged that champagne, knowing he had knocked her for a loop or three because, only moments ago, she had professed not caring for the stuff. He chuckled, helping himself to another glass and topping hers off again.
"It's a promise," He explained gently. "Contingent on Gunner and how you two get along." He did have to factor his son into this, fairly certain Gunner would like her. Not crazy her, but the person she was once all that was stripped away, much like him. "It's as close as I can get to proposing. If things go well, then yes, we're getting married."
That was probably not the way most women envisioned a proposal, because he hadn't proposed, he was telling her. She was never going to find someone like him, be happy with someone else and he knew the same went for him. Taking the ring off, Tahlia held it up to where she could read the inscription, not understanding a lick of Latin. Still, it was beautiful and she looked at the ring with a newfound love and admiration. Instead of sliding it on her left ring finger, she opted for the right and leaned over to softly kiss him.
"If things go well with your son, you can switch the ring to my left ring finger. Until then, it's staying on my right."
Technically, they weren't engaged yet – it was a promise ring and those usually went on the right ring finger. He nodded and she gazed at the ring, not believing he'd gone out of his way to buy her a ring…the same ring she had tricked Shane McMahon into thinking he was marrying her. They really were a twisted couple…and Tahlia wouldn't have wanted it any other way. A few minutes later, the limousine came to a stop in the back of the hotel, as instructed by Taker, and Tahlia stepped out with his help, walking with him inside up to the suite he'd gotten them.
Making sure to pass out those bottles of champagne as they went, Taker knew those bottles cost a pretty penny. Some people were being tipped quite generously tonight. He figured once McMahon got back his limo, he'd be pretty pissed off, but hopefully he'd also remember who pulled the strings in the company, not him. Once they were at their suite door, Taker stopped Tahlia and swept her up in his arms. She was a bride tonight, after all. Grinning, he opened the door and carried her inside, kicking it shut behind him with his heel.
"Who knew the Lord of Darkness had a romantic side to him?" Tahlia teased, giggling softly and couldn't believe he just carried her over the threshold.
She accepted a soft kiss from him, touching his face and moaned as he deepened it slightly. She could taste the champagne on his tongue and, for some reason, it lit a fire inside of her. Feeling her feet hit the carpeted floor, Tahlia didn't break the kiss and slid her fingers through his hair as he slowly backed her up to the bed. Her hands moved from his hair to the buttoned up black shirt he had on and unfastened each one, taking her time savoring this. The kiss only broke after his shirt was off and he'd whipped her around to unfasten the clasp on her halter, which kept the dress in place.
He had been married before, so obviously he knew a thing or two about romance. Women didn't walk down the aisle without some sweet talking first. Well, not most women, he amended in his head. Slowly, he unclasped the halter, his hands following the material, helping to ease it down her lush body, palms skimming her breasts and then down to her curvy hips.
"Delicious." He rumbled, brushing his goatee against her throat as he nuzzled her skin.
"Ditto…"
There was no need for a bra because the dress had a built-in one that fit her perfectly. His hands caressing her sides and breasts made her head lull back against his chest, Tahlia giving him free reign of her body. Once the dress was pushed all the way down past her hips, she stepped out of it, leaving her clad in just a pair of black satin panties. She had already kicked her heels off, so Taker towered over her and she preferred it that way. The jacuzzi was long forgotten along with any other plans Taker had in mind as he guided her down on the bed, kissing every square inch of her body.
The next time they had more than 2 days off work was 3 months later. Tahlia had dropped the Women's championship to Jacqueline, someone who was worthy of holding it, and Taker had a small title run with the WWF championship. Austin had won it back from him and Taker had disbanded the Ministry shortly after, keeping Paul at his side, though. Paul would forever remain by his side, no matter what, but Taker was taking some time off. He had some nagging injuries to work through and, honestly, Tahlia needed a break as well, so she decided to take time off with him. Their relationship had remained strong, unbreakable and every day she fell more in love with him. The ring still remained on her right ring finger because she hadn't met Gunner yet. That was about to change, however.
Taker had called ahead of time to prepare everyone and Sam had told him about how Gunner was becoming a bit territorial over his family. Assumedly, it had something to do with the fact that Amanda was due any time now and he had been warned another woman was about to be brought home. This would be interesting.
"Nervous?" He asked, half teasing, half serious.
"I'd be lying if I said no." Tahlia replied softly, looking back at him and couldn't believe how calm he was.
What if this didn't pan out? What if his son absolutely despised her? Their relationship wouldn't last and everything would fall apart. And even worse, what if Tahlia despised the boy? She never wanted kids, which was why she'd given hers up for adoption before becoming a professional wrestler. Now here she was in a relationship with a man, who wanted to marry her, but had a son that held all the cards. Tahlia hadn't voiced her concerns to Taker for fear of him snapping on her, so she just kept it bottled inside.
"So, who watches your son while you're on the road?" She asked curiously, realizing she'd never asked him that until now.
"I have live-in staff. Amanda is Gunner's primary caretaker, he all but calls her Mom." He said slowly, drumming his fingers on his blue jean clad thigh. "She's been with us since… my wife died. We all grew up together: Jodi, Amanda and me. She was Jodi's best friend, so… she just took over when Jodi passed. She died during childbirth. I was so far up my own ass in grief, didn't know jack about babies and she stepped up and made me do the same." He owed the woman a lot. "Then there's Sam, her husband and he does maintenance on the houses, keeps everything going and plays second Dad when I'm not around."
Tahlia knew he'd been married before, but had no idea she'd died during childbirth. That was very sad to hear. "They sound like amazing people." She murmured, not sure what else to say.
That was a lot to digest, but he was honest with her and she appreciated it. At least she wasn't walking into the house not knowing a damn thing about who the people were. The deep sadness in Taker's voice when he spoke of his dead wife made her stomach clench violently. She was already nauseous about meeting his son. There was a lot to live up to in expectations and Tahlia didn't know if she'd meet them.
"Hold still, Gunner." Amanda ordered, frowning as he shifted impatiently. He had been outside and scuffed the hell out of his clothes. She had made him stand on a chair so she could swat out the dirt, eyeballing Sam who looked amused. "You're next." She informed him with a sweet smile. Mark and his new girlfriend would be here soon and first impressions were important.
"Mandy…" Gunner groaned when he hopped down and immediately was greeted with her licking her finger, then scrubbing at a patch of dirt on his freckled nose. "That's so gross, ew!"
The ranch was on a gorgeous stretch of land, the driveway very long, or it seemed that way. Tahlia took a deep breath, feeling the Silverado truck come to a halt and the ignition cut. She wore a pair of blue jean shorts and a red short-sleeved top that had lace on the hem, red sandals on her feet. Her hair was down, minimal makeup on her face and she had a red headband in her hair. Tahlia winked at him before slipping out of the Silverado and jumped down, shutting the door. She walked around the vehicle to stand in front of Taker and followed him to the front door moments later, taking another silent breath.
"Here goes nothing."
This was it.
The moment of truth.
Blue jeans, hair braided back, and a plain t-shirt. He had shaved off the goatee completely, planning on growing it back out, not the beard thing. He would not be dying them this time around. His hair needed a break. "Come on, darlin'." He took her hand, threading his fingers through hers and led the way up the stone walkway to the front door.
"Shit, they're here!"
Gunner giggled at the panicked look on Amanda's face, popping his head up into the window to get a peek.
"Honey, you need to calm down before you go into premature labor." Sam reasoned, placing a hand on his wife's shoulder and could tell she was anxious about meeting this woman Mark was bringing home. It'd never happened, not in all the years they'd known him and Gunner. "Breathe…"
"I know – I know…" Amanda placed a hand over her husband's while Gunner continued peeking out the window, but he couldn't see anything from where his father parked the truck. The front door opened as Amanda took a deep breath, pushing herself up off the couch to go greet Mark and his new lady.
Stepping inside the front door, Tahlia looked around while Taker headed down the hallway with her following suit. She let him guide her wherever he wanted her to go. The hallway opened up into a beautiful huge living room that had rugs, showing some of the splendid wood floors. Taker let go of her hand to greet Amanda with a kiss on the cheek and shook Sam's hand, being a perfect gentleman. Then he turned to her and Tahlia smiled tentatively, stepping forward and blinked when she was bombarded with a hug by a nine-month pregnant woman she never met before.
Amanda was not a handshaker and instead waddled right up to Tahlia, giving her a loving embrace. "It's so nice to finally meet you, Tahlia." She was gorgeous; it was no wonder the man was smitten.
The hug surprisingly made her feel a little more at ease. "You too, Amanda." She'd remembered the names, so that was a good start, right?
"I thought you said you were afraid she was going to be a royal bi-"
"Boy, don't you dare finish that sentence." He shot a look at Sam.
Amanda was mortified. "Jesus Gunner, remember that talk we had about stuff that we say, how some of it is just between us?"
"Well, you did say." Gunner nestled up alongside his father's side, smiling sweetly. "Hi."
He grunted when he was hip checked, cursing his own fool self out for teaching his son that trick. "You're not funny. Come meet Tahlia."
Tahlia didn't take it to heart what Amanda and Sam thought because they didn't know her. The real her. However, she could see the devil horns sticking out of Gunner's forehead from a mile away and could already feel his resistance. He was the main reason she was here, so it was time to suck it up and make the first move toward the boy.
"So you are the infamous Gunner I've heard so much about." He was also very tall for a boy his age. She guessed around 8 or 9, but could've been way off. "I'm Tahlia Morgan." She extended her hand with a soft smile. "It's good to finally meet you."
When Gunner didn't immediately take her hand, Amanda cleared her throat warningly. "Gunner, do you have something to say to Tahlia?" She could tell this was hard for the boy already and felt her heart break, feeling Sam wrap an arm around her shoulders.
Sam wanted to say something, but since Mark was here, he felt it wasn't his place.
In this house, Taker was king when he was home. Sam and Amanda made sure that Gunner knew who was in charge. That had been established early on and it was the way it remained. If they had issues, they'd voice them in private, away from Gunner, but before the boy, all was a united front. He wasn't going to push Gunner into anything because he knew his son. He'd balk and that'd just make things worse.
"It's nice to meet ya." Gunner said after a moment, wrinkling his nose before glancing at Amanda. He was scared of the pregnant woman; she was an emotional train wreck.
Fighting the urge to run out of the house, Tahlia pulled her hand back and nodded, standing straight up again. This boy wanted NOTHING to do with her. Fabulous. This was extremely awkward, to say the least and the tension couldn't be cut with a knife.
"Am I done? I wanna go play outside." Gunner looked up at his father, gaining his approval and took off out the side door to go in the backyard.
"He's – um – shy…" Amanda rubbed the back of her neck and moved to sit down on the couch.
"It'll be fine, he just needs to get to know you a little better." Sam joined in, trying to make the woman feel better about the situation.
"It's fine. Kids will be kids." Her cell phone began to ring and Tahlia saw it was her contractor to the condo. "Excuse me, I have to take this." She'd been expecting this call and couldn't ignore it, leaving the room to step outside to talk.