Chapter 51

"Yeah, he's not going to like her. He's got his damn head set on it."

That was glaringly obvious and Sam sighed. "Sorry, Mark. We're trying. He's just used to it being the three of us."

"Soon to be four."

"I didn't expect this to be easy, just give it some time." Taker settled down on the floor by Amanda, reaching up to rub her stomach, rumbling approval when the baby kicked. "Strong one. Sure it's not mine?"

"If it is, you can pay us child support." Sam was way used to that joke by now and snorted. "So, she seems…"

"Scared."

Water damage due to a busted pipe in the building. FABULOUS! Tahlia felt a headache coming on and couldn't believe she wouldn't be able to go home for several months. They had to redo everything in the building, the entire piping system and fix all the damage done. So even if she wanted to go back to New York, that wasn't an option unless she got a hotel room. Tahlia didn't want to leave Texas…yet. The boy didn't like her and she had no idea how to change his mind…if it was possible. Setting the flip phone beside her, Tahlia rubbed her temples and looked out at the long stretch of land, the warm breeze blowing through her hair. It was time to go back inside as she stood up from the porch steps and walked back in, plastering a smile on her face.

"Sorry about that."

"Everything okay?" Amanda asked, seeing the stress on the woman's face.

"No, actually. Apparently, the water pipe in the building my condo is in burst late last night. It's pretty bad and it's going to take a couple months to fix all the damage." This was the last thing she needed; money wasn't an issue, but she'd JUST moved into that place recently.

"Holy shit! Are the owners paying for it?" Sam felt his eyes grow wide at her explanation. "Was anything damaged?"

"I'm – um – they told me just some furniture would have to be replaced and I'm not sure. I think each owner is responsible for their own condo. It's fine, I'll figure it out. If I have to, I'll just find another place in New York."

"New York? Wow, you're a city girl then."

"Born and bred, yes."

Sam did not miss the curious look on Taker's face as he listened to the women go back and forth. He shook his head, that was an evil little smile and he didn't want to know what the other man was thinking. "Get your paws off my wife already."

"You're only sayin' that cause I'm rubbing her feet." Jodi had loved it, her poor swollen tired feet. Obviously Amanda was too. These feet had chased after his son for 8 years and the woman deserved more than a foot rub.

"Makin' me look bad."

"Ah yes, heaven." Both men were now pampering her. "Do you have renter's insurance? That'd cover everything, right?"

Walking over to join them on the couch, Tahlia took a spot on the other side of Sam while Mark continued rubbing Amanda's feet. She really hoped she hadn't fallen in love with someone who enjoyed an orgy. That was NOT her cup of tea.

"It's a condo, so probably not. I had to pay for it outright, so there's no rent. It's kinda like buying a house, but it's not a house." The girls chuckled at each other. "So how far along are you?"

"Ugh, too damn long. I'm due any day now, actually." Mark had promised to be home by the time the baby was born and he was true to his word. "I can't wait either. This baby is hell on my bladder and feet."

"I can only imagine." Tahlia remembered every hellacious thing her own pregnancy had put her through and it was a miracle she hadn't gotten a single stretch mark from it.

"Do you have any kids, Tahlia?" Sam asked curiously, ignoring the look his wife shot him. "What? We're getting to know each other…"

"No, I don't." Tahlia refused to tell them, especially a pregnant woman, she gave up her only living child.

"Do you want any in the future…I mean after you retire?"

So they did know what Taker did for a living. Interesting. "I haven't really thought about it, to be honest." No definitely not, she added in thought, moving her long waist length hair over her shoulder. Maybe she should've braided it back.

Taker did not miss the looks Sam and Amanda exchanged, rolling his eyes and blew out his mouth in exasperation. "All right guys, enough. You have plenty of time to drill her."

He knew exactly what they were doing. They were 'getting to know her' to see if she would be a good fit in his and Gunner's little family. He appreciated it, he did, but they were going to scare her off and she hadn't even been here an hour.

"Darlin', want me to show you around?" He offered, pushing himself off the floor with a groan.

"Hip again?" Sam nodded when Taker grimaced. "You need to take the sur-" He shut up when he got a threatening fist under his nose. "Yeah, go do the tour."

"Jackass."

"Sure…"

Tahlia took his hand and let him guide her out of the living room, knowing they didn't like her either. This was great. Everyone in Taker's life despised her except those they worked with in the disbanded Ministry. Tahlia tried to push it all in the back of her mind and went on the grand tour, breathless at how big everything was. Then again, Taker was a big man, so it shouldn't have come as a shock to her. They arrived outside in the backyard, which was every little boy's dream come true. Gunner was currently playing basketball by himself, shooting hoops and Tahlia noticed how good he was. There was also a tennis court, small golf course and a go-cart track in the far distance she noticed. Taker explained to her how many acres the land was and the logistics of everything, including the barn in the far distance full of animals.

"This is spectacular."

"Now, it's rollin' into summer, which is why we're out here. In school season, we have a house closer to home, so Gunner doesn't have to commute since it's… quite a trip." He laughed, unaware of her thoughts. Taker knew they were withholding judgment as to whether they liked her or not, nobody could make that decision after like… 15 minutes of conversation. "Creek back there for wadin', or building forts nearby. Gunner has a couple out there, but be careful if you go out because he digs trenches and then covers them up with shit." He had fallen into one, not one of his finer moments.

"I'll keep that in mind."

Tahlia wasn't much of a naturistic type of woman, but she did enjoy being outside. New York was noisy, so the quiet was a nice reprieve. Did she miss New York? Always. Would she move to Texas in order to be with Taker? Absolutely. They continued walking around the property until Gunner came up to them, asking his Dad to play some ball with him. Amanda and Sam had gone home to give them time alone. Whenever Taker was home, they always left Gunner with him since he had full custody of the boy. Tahlia smiled, watching father and son play basketball together and sat on the sidelines, enjoying Taker in his father element. Where was her dark Lord that swept her off her feet, saved her career and captured her heart? She had to admit, only to herself, seeing him like this with his son was refreshing and it made her realize something. He wasn't total darkness.

When he was home, all that darkness was shelved. He was just Mark. A man with his son. He enjoyed playing basketball with Gunner, not so much when the little jerk kept hip checking him. He really regretted teaching him that. He did it to Gunner, snorting when his son went down on his bony little ass. His hip check was more like his hip colliding with Gunner's head.

"How'd that feel?" He winked at Tahlia.

"You…" Gunner was back up. "You're a cheat."

"Oh really?"

Tahlia laughed softly, sitting Indian style and caught the ball when it came toward her rather fast. "Do you want to play with me, Gunner?" She spun the basketball on one fingertip, arching a brow and chuckled at Taker's bemused expression.

"Umm…you know how to play?" Gunner didn't believe her, tilting his head. "Prove it."

He was a cocky little shit, Tahlia thought, rising to her feet and from where she sat, which was quite a distance, tossed the ball to squish it through the net. "Proof enough?"

Growing up in New York, there was only one sport Tahlia played throughout middle and high school. She was one of the best basketball players on the girl's team and they'd actually made Nationals. That was something Taker didn't know about her. Smirking when the boy tossed the basketball harshly at her, Tahlia was game as she began testing him on the court, blocking and moving with grace. Then she jumped in the air and made the perfect shot from the center of the court, beads of sweat on her forehead, breathing heavily.

"You play to win." She hadn't played in years and it felt great to get back on the court again. "Check in, Mark. I need some water and I'll grab you guys some too."

"You both cheat."

"Say it again, Gunner, and I'm going to drop your pants and blister your behind, got me boy?" He was tired of being called a cheat. His son was acting like a spoiled little brat today and he knew why.

As slowly as possible, Gunner turned until he was facing Tahlia. "I'm sorry, Miss Morgan." He apologized, actually managing to sound somewhat sorry.

"Me too," Taker said, checking in as she had suggested. She had played, that was obvious and he could see them doing some one-on-one. "He's normally not a little pain."

Tahlia waved him off dismissively, not bothered by being called a cheat. He was a kid acting out because his old man brought home someone that wasn't Amanda or his Mom. It was understandable. Tahlia didn't like it, but she understood. She jogged off toward the house to grab the bottles of water and took her time drinking hers, wiping sweat from her forehead. Then she decided to braid her hair back since it was getting on her nerves, leaving the headband in. Then she took her time to look around the living room at all the pictures of Gunner and Taker, though most of them were of his son. He really did love that boy and it made Tahlia's heart both lift and ache. Something told her if Gunner didn't warm up to her by the time their small vacation was over with, she would lose Taker for good. Shaking that thought out of her head, Tahlia headed back outside to rejoin them with waters in hand. Taker felt like she was a walking oasis in a scorching desert because Gunner had gone out of his way to try winning and made his ass run up and down that court. He was regretting the full-sized basketball court and taking Gunner up on that offer to play a proper game of one-on-one.

"Your turn, darlin'." He downed the water, half of it and the rest went over his head.

"Thank you." Gunner said, just as red as his Dad and downed his as well. "Ready to go again?"

"Man, you're wearin' my ass out. Give me a few."

Gunner watched out of wide eyes as his Dad dropped a kiss on Tahlia's head. "Gross!"

"Rest, I got this."

Tahlia smirked, standing up and caught the ball Gunner threw at her, beginning to dribble it. She had amazing feet work while dribbling the ball between her legs expertly, not stopping for a second. Gunner had a lot of skill for a boy his age.

"Nope!"

She spun when he went to hip check her, continuing to pound the ball into the court and blocking every move he attempted. Then she faked him out, stopping and made her shot, hearing the squish. Nothing but net.

"Okay, I'm gonna show you something, so watch me. You see this?" She dribbled the ball, moving back and forth to show him some feet work, moves that got her to Nationals in school. "The faster you are on the court, the better you can block your opponent." She threw the ball at him, not surprised he caught it. "Now let me see your feet work." When he mimicked what she did, Tahlia grinned proudly and nodded, clapping her hands. "Fast learner, kiddo."

"Can be." Gunner may not have formed an opinion on her, outside of initial dislike because he was a stubborn little brat, but even he was impressed by her ability. "Where'd you learn to play? You play for school? My Dad did. He was gonna go pro, but-"

"But I liked wrestling better. Yeah Tahlia, where'd you learn to play?" He was curious too and reminded just how much they did not know about each other.

The boy was interested in her background, so that was a good sign. "I played all throughout middle school and high school." She raised a brow at Taker, not knowing he'd played basketball as well and couldn't believe they had this in common with each other. "I made it to Nationals, too. Would've won, but…a girl on our team blew her knee out in the final seconds of the game and we lost. That was my senior year. I got a full ride scholarship after that to go play overseas, but…I found professional wrestling and it's been my passion ever since." That wasn't entirely true – the pregnancy is what stopped her from going overseas and after she had the baby, she began exploring professional wrestling. "Where'd you learn to play, Mark?"

"Well… I played in college," He was a bit unnerved by how much their earlier lives had paralleled each other's. Obviously this was the woman meant for him, if only Gunner got on board. His son was such a pain in his ass sometimes, but… patience. He needed patience and, if there was anything Taker possessed in abundance, it was being able to wait out the long game. "I was offered the chance to go play overseas, France actually, but uh… I liked wrestlin', that's what I wanted to do."

This was too strange. Tahlia was a believer in fate, but this was a whole new sign from somewhere beyond their understanding. "France…I was offered Spain. Interesting."

Somehow, both of them had been deterred from the college roads and found professional wrestling. That wasn't a coincidence. They were brought together for a reason and Tahlia hoped it all worked out the way she wanted. Her focus turned back to Gunner, who had sat down on the court to take a small breather along with her. She could tell his passion was basketball by how he played and had a feeling he would end up following in his father's footsteps. Only he would actually go overseas to play instead of finding a completely different profession.

"I don't know about you guys, but that worked up my appetite. How about we break and eat something, hmm?"

"Uh… what time is it?" Gunner looked up at the sky, frowning. "Bet'cha Amanda would be okay if we had a late lunch… she wasn't able to eat this mornin'."

"She's uncomfortable, it'll pass."

"She's uh, fat. She hates her ankles." Gunner said conversationally, pushing himself up and already heading for the house. "Don't tell her that though."

"Kids… oh my Lord…" Taker stood as well, bending down to help Tahlia up.