Wes opened the door and swept Tabitha up in a tight hug. He held on to her for longer than just a greeting. He buried his face in her neck and moaned.
"It's good to see you too," she laughed when he finally released her. She handed him a bottle of white wine she'd picked up on the way over.
"I'm apologizing in advance. This isn't going to be fun for anyone involved, just remember that I love you and it'll all be over soon."
Tabitha nodded. She hadn't been nervous about meeting his parents until that moment. Wes seemed to have resigned himself to the evening being a disaster. Were his parents horrible enough to scare her off? She thought about her own mother. Nah, there was no way his parents were worse than her mother.
"You look beautiful," said Wes.
Tabitha grinned. She had dressed in a white linen dress with a wide lavender belt and gold flats. She'd worn minimal jewelry, just a pair of gold hoops and a slender gold watch. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail. "Thank you."
Wes gripped her hand and led her into the house.
Clay was walking out of the kitchen when they entered. Wes turned to lock the door just as Clay held out his arms for a hug. Tabitha grinned. "Hi there, beautiful!" Clay exclaimed wrapping his long arms around her.
"Hi, Clay."
"We missed you," he said when he'd let her go. "Some of us more than others." He glanced at Wes and she laughed when a huge grin split across Clay's face.
Jazzy hurried out from the kitchen and hugged her. "Thanks for not breaking my brother's heart."
Tabitha didn't know what to say. "Uh...you're welcome?"
Jazzy laughed. "If you're still around after tonight, I'll be even more grateful." She kissed Tabitha on the cheek before scurrying back into the kitchen.
"I'll go help with dinner," Clay muttered with a shrug. He accepted the bottle of wine from Wes and they shared a look that Tabitha could only describe as foreboding.
"Let's get this over with," Wes groused. He slipped an arm around her waist and walked toward the living room.
The scene in the living room was idyllic. A tall man with almost completely white hair rolled a ball to Blake who grabbed it, clutched it to his chest and giggled. He turned away from his grandfather and hurried over to an older woman with dark hair pulled back into a bun. She patted his head when he buried his face in her leg. After the affectionate pat from his grandmother, Blake went back to playing ball.
"Mom, dad, I'd like you to meet Tabitha, my girlfriend." Tabitha glanced at Wes. She'd never been referred to as a girlfriend before. It sounded strange to her ears. She turned back to the older couple and realized they were both staring at her. She stepped forward and extended her hand to the man on the floor since he was closer.
"This is my father, Stan." Tabitha thought the bones in her hand would crack from the force of Stan's handshake. She moved toward the woman in the chair. "My mom, Lucy." Lucy's handshake was hardly there. Her slim fingers pressed against Tabitha's palm for a barely a second.
Tabitha and Wes sat on the couch, between both parents. There was a long stretch of silence as all four of them watched Blake play with a fire truck a few feet away.
"So, Tabitha," Stan finally said, "what is it that you do for a living?"
"I work in the city planning office."
"Ah, not a singer, dancer, or painter? So, do you secretarial work?"
Tabitha felt her back go straight, but before she could speak, Wes snapped at his father. "Tabitha is not an assistant or secretary. She has her own office."
Stan's brow went up. "Oh."
Lucy gazed at Tabitha for a moment. "Do you have children?"
Tabitha's eyes flew wide. "No. I don't have any children."
Lucy nodded and returned her gaze to Blake.
"I don't get it," Stan said aiming his gaze at Wes. "She doesn't seem like your type."
"You wouldn't know my type if she sat in your lap."
Stan's dark brows shot up.
"Don't worry, I'm not planning on sitting in your lap," Tabitha muttered.
Wes slipped an arm around her waist. "He's just surprised that you have a career and direction."
"That last girl..."
"Stanley," Lucy interrupted, "Now is not the time."
Tabitha looked from the scowl on Stan's face to the glare Wes was shooting his father.
"I'm going to go see if I can help in the kitchen," she announced. "I'm sure you can catch up with your parents without me." She gave Wes a kiss on the cheek and smiled when his expression softened. After sparing a second to give him a reassuring pat on the knee, she hopped up and hurried to join Clay and Jazzy in the kitchen.
***
Tabitha wasn't much help in the kitchen. Jazzy was flitting from one thing to another while she and Clay took orders and stayed out of the way. Finally, Tabitha set the table and helped Jazzy set out the food. She took a moment to appreciate the beautiful table setting. Jazzy had created a feast: standing rib roast, garlic mash, sautéed green beans, an endive salad, and fresh-baked rolls.
Wes gave her a kiss as soon as he took a seat in the chair beside her. She could see stress, strain, and worry in his gold eyes. He wasn't happy.
As they passed the serving dishes around in tense silence, Tabitha had a moment of clarity. Wes and his sister were really no different from her and Dion. Their family situation was different, but the emotional strain was the exact same. She'd grown up wishing she had a mother and a father. She'd thought those kids must have had it easier. However, sitting at the table with what she would have thought to be a "perfect" family and witnessing the tension, was an eye-opener. She and Dion had made their own family; Jazzy and Wes had done the same. The atmosphere when their parents weren't around was happy and relaxed, nothing like the tense meal they were currently having. Tabitha silently thanked God for her big sister, yet again.
Lucy asked polite questions about Clay's band, during which Stan rolled his eyes after every answer. Tabitha couldn't help but notice that Clay had barely eaten a thing; in fact he'd barely spoken a word since he'd greeted her at the door.
Stan met his wife's gaze across the table and cleared his throat.
"Why don't we take Blake home with us for a little while?" asked Lucy, seemingly out of the blue, but obviously prompted by her husband's not-so-subtle signal. "I'll bet you could really use a break."
Tabitha thought the offer was generous but Jazzy rolled her eyes. "We're fine," was her terse response.
Stan laughed; but it came out more like a bark because of the lack of genuine humor. "I don't see how you can say that. Let the boy come home with us. He should at least experience what its like to live with two parents. Somebody should set an example. No sense in my great-grandkids being bastards too."
Jazzy slammed her fork down on the table making her plate jump. The entire table went silent. Her jaw was set and her eyes flashed fire. Clay put a hand on her arm.
"It's okay, babe," he whispered.
"No!" she snapped pulling her arm away. "No, it's not okay. We are married, dad. We've been married since I was three months pregnant with your grandson! If you hadn't been so busy being a dick to Clay, you would have known that...you would have even gotten an invitation!"
Tabitha gasped and gaped, which was the same reaction as Stan and Lucy.
