Ashley
Life was hard. I knew that. And as I laid in my bed, my pillow hugged close, I wondered if life with Tyrell was too much. The girls were easy to love, and Mrs. Harris—Gigi—was a dream. But the drama with Sabra gave me pause. Did I want to deal with her for the foreseeable future?
The minute I had heard Tyrell’s voice, I knew he was my future. I knew I couldn’t walk away again. Regardless of him having kids. He was my soulmate, my best friend, and my rock. We could weather any storm together. And if he could weather my parents, I could weather Sabra Thomas.
My thoughts then turned to the girls. Didn’t they deserve a woman in their corner? Both their grandmothers were, of course, but they had raised their children and couldn’t easily keep up with Sami and Saffi. Their mother certainly loved them—I could see that—but she had a convoluted way of showing it at times. They were completely worth the hassle.
I fell asleep weighing the pros and cons of everything and woke up knowing that regardless of how many things were on the cons side, the weight of the pros would win. I had told Tyrell I was in this with him, and I meant it.
My phone rang as I finished getting ready for work. My mother’s name appeared on the screen. With a roll of my eyes, I answered. “Good morning, Mother.”
“Did you just wake up? You don’t sound very enthusiastic.” Neither did she, but that was beside the point. “We haven’t spoken since that boy came and tried to blackmail your father. Let’s clear the air, Ashley.”
Tying my sneakers, I put the phone on the coffee table and put my mother on speaker. “You’re right. Let’s clear a few things. First, Tyrell is no longer a boy. He’s thirty. He’s a man and deserves to be treated as one.” I took a fortifying breath. “Second, Daddy tried to pay him off to stop seeing me. That is a horrid, horrid thing to do. There is no blackmail. Tyrell did not ask for anything, nor did he air the very clear evidence he has against Daddy.”
Before my mother could come up with a retort, I continued, “And another thing—I will no longer be accepting the allowance you and Daddy dole out every month. I have a job; I have good investments; and I own a decent share of Gloss Enterprises. I don’t need your money or your control. Unless you are willing to accept me for me—and that includes Tyrell and his girls—you can hang up now.”
Silence. For a brief moment, I thought my mother had actually hung up, but then I could hear her breathing. With a shaky voice, she finally spoke. “You’re right. You are a grown woman, and you can make your own decisions. I think…I need some time to think. I’ll call you soon.”
With that, she hung up. I laid back on my bed and took a deep breath, letting the tiny tear that formed escape into my hair. If nothing else, I had stood up for myself, and that was something. Hopefully, my parents would see the error of their ways.
If for some reason they didn’t, I had a family. I had Mrs. Harris and Tyrell. I had the girls. And I was fairly certain Tanner wouldn’t give up on me. Even though we struggled, he seemed accepting of Tyrell. In fact… I pulled out my phone again and texted.
Ashley: Tanner, why don’t you and Morgan bring Jonny and meet us for dinner tonight?
A reply only took a few moments.
Tanner: Us?
Ashley: Me, Tyrell, and the girls.
Tanner: Where?
Ashley: Luck’s?
Tanner: That greasy spoon is still standing? Let me check with Morgan.
Ashley: Please, Tanner. It would mean a lot.
My phone went silent, and I hoped my brother was actually checking with Morgan. I got in the car and made my way to the preschool. As I got out of the car, my phone alerted me to a text.
Tanner: We’re in. Six o’clock?
Ashley: See you there.
A huge smile broke out on my face, and I quickly fired off a text to Tyrell telling him about the plans. He responded when he dropped the girls off, cautiously saying it sounded good.
Wary was a good word to use as we all convened that night at Luck’s. It was fairly busy, and we just blended into the crowd. Morgan looked a little grossed out by the well-worn décor and tables, but she would get over it. Tyrell and Tanner shook hands as we met, and I gave them both a cautious smile.
My sweet Jonny launched himself from his father’s arms to mine upon seeing me, and he blew a raspberry on my cheek.
“Ashley, who is he?” Sami’s giant eyes took in Jonny. He was in the place she liked to occupy herself.
“This is my nephew, Jonny. I babysit him a lot, and we have a lot of fun.” I knelt down so they could be eye to eye. “Can you say hi to him?”
There was a small amount of stink eye going from Sami to Jonny, but she greeted him cautiously. Saffi, on the other hand, immediately began to coo at him and play peek-a-boo.
At the table, we put the girls and Jonny on one side and the adults on the other. Tanner and I sat side by side, buffering our partners. Morgan wasn’t too happy to be in a dive, and Tyrell wasn’t too sure about Tanner’s sincerity. While we eyed each other with suspicion, the kids were happily playing peek-a-boo and giggling uncontrollably.
“What prompted this night out, Ash?” Tanner never was one to beat around the bush.
The rhythm of my heart picked up, and I licked my lips. “You haven’t seen Tyrell since we were kids, and I wanted you two to meet again. On my terms. And since I think he and the girls will be a big part of my life from here on out, I wanted your family to meet my new family.”
Under the table, Tyrell gripped my hand and squeezed it tightly. I squeezed back.
Morgan clutched her hands to her chest. Whether she was actually touched or just putting on a show, I wasn’t sure, but I could only hope her display was sincere. “So, are you two engaged? I don’t see a diamond.”
I shook my head. “We’re not. At least, not yet. We’re not rushing things. But this man and these little girls are my future, and I need someone in my family to see that and realize it’s a good thing.” Tears shone in my eyes, and I willed them to stay put. “Tanner? Please.”
We might have fought like cats and dogs as kids, and I might roll my eyes at him now; but I only had one brother, and he was it. He cocked his head to the side and looked from me to Tyrell, then to the girls. With a nod, he took a deep breath. “So, Tyrell, tell me about working at the news station.”
I released a pent-up breath and closed my eyes for a moment. This was my brother trying. I knew that, and Tyrell seemed to recognize it as well. He launched into telling Tanner and Morgan about the station, about his crazy co-workers, and everything else. Morgan had wanted to be an anchor, so she regaled us with stories of her internship in college.
The children ate. Jonny cried. Sami accused Saffi of stealing a french fry, and we all tried to appease all three children with crayons and sippy cups and, finally, ice cream. We all talked and even laughed a little bit, and by the end of the night, I felt like something was resembling normal. A little bit, at least.
When we all left the restaurant, Tanner hugged me. The girls hugged Jonny. Tanner and Tyrell even shook hands again. I walked Tyrell and the girls to their car. He buckled Sami while I buckled Saffi, and we smiled at each other as the girls jabbered on about Jonny. I walked to his door and lingered a moment.
“Thank you for coming. It means a lot to me.” Tears once again threatened, but I shook my head, hoping they would stay put.
A strong hand caressed my cheek. “Hey, Dream Girl, anything for you. You know that. I know your family is important to you, and hopefully, your brother sees how important we are as well.”
He leaned over and kissed me thoroughly, and even though we heard the girls begin to giggle at us from inside the car, Tyrell did not let go right away. When he did, he kissed my forehead and pulled me closer. “I’ll see you soon.”
“You’ll see me in the morning at drop-off.” I laughed.
“But that’s so far away.”
“I think you’ll survive.”
“See you then.”