Chapter 7
Our Family
Tasha
I sit with my two-year-old, Sunny, in my arms as the rest of the kids chatter among themselves and play. Jess and Meg are sitting with their little sister, Karen, while she pours them imaginary tea. At three, Karen is full of personality, and her older sisters adore her.
LaSalle spoils her with a new tea set every time he travels. She’s using the latest one Misha sent her after LaSalle couldn’t pick it up before having to return home. Her uncle Misha refused to allow her to be disappointed.
Misha has become as protective of my children as we are. Karen has perfected the puppy face that gets her anything from the males in our lives. LaSalle, Logan, Misha, Uri, and all the others—no one is immune to our little girl.
Not even her older sisters. My heart is so full as I look around me. The ache isn’t there today, not right now. I look down into my son’s face and smile.
He’s a brown version of his father with a sprinkle of me. LaSalle wouldn’t be able to deny not one of his kids, those with Ellen or me.
Not that he would try. He loves being a father, as one can see from the number of children we have. I was pregnant every year for four years.
War or no war, nothing stopped me and LaSalle from growing our family. The only year I wasn’t pregnant was that first year after Elijah. Sometimes I believe my husband kept me pregnant as if that would sit me down.
Things are quieter now, but our loss has been an echo over the last year. I would like to have just one more, but that doesn’t seem to be in the cards.
I haven’t gotten pregnant since Lucia. That heartbreak and devastation have been so hard on us. It took a while for me to be ready to try again, but now I’m ready.
That’s why I’m taking not getting pregnant this time so hard. We’ve been trying for six months. I thought I would have been carrying our next by now.
One more. I would love another girl. However, it seems I was meant to be a boy mom. Three boys and one and a half girls. If not for Jessica and Megan, poor Karen and I would be outnumbered by the testosterone-carrying members around here.
“Is it my turn yet?” Elijah asks as he sits next to his brother while Sammy plays video games.
“Not yet, hold on.”
“You said that an hour ago. You promised I could play too, Sammy.”
“I know. It’s taking me longer than I would like to beat the last two levels,” Sammy says in frustration.
“Okay, I will be patient. Thank you,” Elijah says sweetly and scoots a little closer to his older brother.
At six, Elijah is forever testing his brother’s boundaries to see what kind of mood he’s in and if he’ll allow him in closer. He has learned that Sammy has days when he’s too overwhelmed to have his younger siblings up under him, no matter how much they love to be around him.
“I want a turn too,” Paulie says and rushes over with his apple to sit on Sammy’s other side on the floor.
“You’re going to need to wash your hands. I don’t want my controller to get all sticky from that apple.”
“Mom, Sammy isn’t sharing with me. I want a turn too,” Paulie whines.
“Don’t tell lies. I hate lies. Be honest and stop tattling. Follow directions and you can have a turn too.”
“Mom,” Paulie protests.
“Your brother is right. He didn’t say you couldn’t have a turn. He asked you to wash your hands first,” I say.
Paulie is four and loves to tell on his siblings when he isn’t getting his way. I love my son, but I know he’s a spin master when it comes to him getting what he wants. That mess doesn’t work around here though.
LaSalle can’t stand it. It’s a behavior I’ve been trying to help Paulie grow out of. Some days, he really tests my patience with it.
“Paulie, I told you to stay at the table with that apple.” LaSalle’s voice booms through the room.
Paulie jumps up like God himself just spoke. I can’t help the laugh that bubbles to my lips as my son looks back at his father then at his brothers. He then runs his little butt back to the table where he should be sitting to eat the apple he had to have before LaSalle had to take a call.
As he places the apple on the table, then scrambles to get back into his seat, LaSalle walks over to him and lifts him into the chair to help him.
Paulie looks up at his father, waiting to be chastised some more.
However, LaSalle only dips to kiss the top of his head before whispering something in his ear then patting his headful of curls.
Paulie’s eyes sparkle as he looks back at his father. All my children love their father deeply. LaSalle is firm but loving. He probably promised Paulie to play with him when it’s his turn if he stops with the tattling and storytelling.
Sunny begins to squirm in my lap. I lift him against my shoulder and begin to rub his back. He’s been cranky for the last half hour because he’s fighting off his nap. LaSalle comes over and kisses the top of my head before plucking our son out of my arms.
“You want to go take a bath and relax before dinner? Our reservations are for seven,” he murmurs as he pats Sunny’s back while swaying with him in his arms.
“Daddy,” Karen sings. “Come have tea?”
“Give me one sec, sweetheart. Save me some of those cookies you baked.”
Karen smiles from ear to ear as she pulls the plate of imaginary cookies away from her sisters to save them for her father. She looks adorable in her little apron with her thick curls pulled into a single puff on top of her head.
It’s LaSalle’s signature style. The only one he can manage on his own without looking and feeling lost while trying to do our youngest daughter’s hair on his own. I love the man for even trying.
Karen will wear whatever her daddy does. LaSalle can do no wrong in her little eyes. She’s as smitten with him as he is with her. I cover my mouth to keep from laughing when Jessica reaches for another imaginary cookie and Karen glares at her.
“Go on, baby. I’ve got them,” LaSalle says, pulling me from my musing.
“I don’t want to oversleep. I’m excited about tonight.”
I am. It’s been a while since we had a night out and I can’t wait to get some alone time with my husband.
“Don’t worry. I’ll wake you in time to get ready. You look as tired as this guy,” he says, nodding to a passed-out Sunny in his arms.
Watching this man with our children just does something to me. I know the other side of LaSalle, so to see how gentle he can be with our brood always warms my heart.
“A bath and a glass of wine do sound good. Thanks. Let me know if they start to drive you crazy.”
He winks at me. “I’ve got them. I’m going to put this one down in his room and then I’m going to sit with my girls for tea. Maybe my boys will let me play a round once they’ve all had a turn.”
“You won’t have time. You’re going to be late if you choose to play. The restaurant has mixed up your reservation, and you will lose your table if you delay. The wait will make you angry,” Sammy says.
“Thanks, buddy,” LaSalle says. “I’ll call to double-check.”
“That’s not going to help. The person who will answer your call is the problem. They are new and overwhelmed.”
LaSalle chuckles and shakes his head. “I guess we’ll have to be on time. Go rest,” he says to me and nods toward our room.
I get up and round the couch to where my husband stands. He dips his head to peck my lips. I smile up at him in anticipation of later tonight.
Another smile comes to my lips as I can feel his eyes on me as I walk away. Almost eight years and it still feels like the day we got married and bound our lives together forever. Would I marry this man all over again?
I look over my shoulder and confirm his gray eyes are locked on me. Yes, I would. I’d marry him again and again. He’s the love of my life and our children are all icing on the cake.
LaSalle
I shake my head as Tasha adds an extra sway to her hips as she leaves to go relax. I have plans for us later. Some time alone for us to relax and focus on ourselves.
This date feels needed and earned. With so much always going on between raising our family and running the Alliance, we don’t get a lot of moments to call our own without some type of interruption.
Tonight will be about us. No outside people and no little ones who need our attention. Tasha has demanded to be a hands-on mother.
We have staff to help, but she’s always there for our children when they need her. The nannies pretty much collect free money. However, since things can change so quickly around here, they are a necessity to keep around.
“I will take him,” Mary, one of the nannies, says as she appears to take Sunny from my arms.
“Thank you.”
She takes Sunny and I go over to sit for tea with Karen, Jess, and Meg at Karen’s little table. She has the new tea set I had specially made for her in Russia set up. I had to head there to check in with Misha for a bit.
“Two sugars or one, Daddy?” Karen asks happily as I take my seat.
“Let me see, you can count to ten. I’ll take five cubes and a slice of lemon, please.”
“Okay, one, two … two, um.” She pauses and knits her brows. I know I’ve made her nervous because she’s been an excellent counter since she was two.
“You got this, baby. Take your time.”
“Three, four, five,” she says with a smile. “I did it, Daddy. Yay.”
“You did. That was great. What kind of cookies did you bake today?”
“We have sugar and chip.”
I chuckle as she calls the chocolate chip cookies chip. Her sisters sit along with us with proud looks on their faces. I love how invested they are in playing with their little sister.
“I’ll take three sugars and four chocolate chip, please.”
“Okay,” she sings as she counts out my cookies.
“The chocolate chip cookies came out so good today,” Jess says as she looks longingly at the plate as if real cookies are on there.
I have to bite back my laughter. However, the smile that comes to Karen’s face makes me so proud of Jess. She’s so good with her younger siblings.
At thirteen, she’s become so mature. Megan is right along with her. My girls have grown up so fast. I can’t believe I will have two teenagers by next year.
I glance at my oldest son. Sammy will be eleven soon. His special day is coming. I’m so proud of him and all the progress he’s been making.
Suddenly, as if feeling my eyes on him or as if knowing I’m thinking about him, Sammy freezes and turns to look me in the eyes from where he’s sitting with his younger brothers.
“She wrote a letter for this birthday. You will have to give it to me. There will be one for you this year too. Don’t ignore it. That may have been their final major challenge against you.
“It is me they will challenge head-on next. Her words will free you for what’s to come, what the others have to do. Who I must become,” he says.
With that, he hands Elijah the controller, then stands and turns to walk off as if he said nothing. I look after him with my brows knit. After a moment, I shake it off and turn back to the girls to finish our teatime.
However, my thoughts remain with my son. Something is about to change.