Meet The Parents. Pt. 1

By: A. Cosentino

Standard disclaimers. Part 7 of The Merry Man Series. It's a Tank and Courtney story. Enjoy! Warning: Smut, language, and serious social issues, and humor

Tank POV

Courtney had officially moved to Trenton one month ago. We moved into our house and things had finally gotten settled. Courtney hadn't found a job yet and I don't think that she was really in a hurry. She was too busy working on the house, making it her own.

Living with a woman is a lot different than I thought it would be. She has some quirks about her, but I guess I have a few too. I understand what she is doing; she is trying to make this house feel like home. I've let her do almost everything she wanted, but I did balk at painting the bedroom a color Courtney called 'mauve'.

I was sitting on the bed and I looked over at the far wall where she had painted about seven different colors. We have been at odds about this one for a week or so. Courtney glanced at me as she packed her small suitcase.

"I don't know why you are so against the Sunset Mauve. It's a very soothing color," she said shoving a pair of shorts in the bag.

"It a girl color," I answered.

"Fine. It's a soothing 'girl' color then."

"I like the third on from the left," I said glancing looking at the wall. It was a dark brown gray. Courtney looked over her shoulder.

"That is called Dark Cavern."

"I like it."

Courtney stopped what she was doing and stared at the wall for a moment. She was turning her head from side to side, moving while looking at the wall intently. I chuckled. I never knew that picking a color was that big of a deal. She took about 5 steps back and sighed.

"Fine. You win. Dark Cavern it is," she said finally sitting down on the foot of the bed. She looked over at me and grinned. "You ok?" she asked.

I shrugged, "I'm good."

"There is nothing to be nervous about you know. They are going to like you. Even if they don't I still do," she said with a laugh.

Well that is reassuring, I thought with a mental snort.

I sighed and lay back on the bed. Today was the big day. I had avoided it as long as possible, but I knew that it was inevitable. I was meeting Courtney's parents today. They had invited us up for the weekend. We were going to stay at their 'summer cottage' on the Long Island Sound. Today it was brunch at the 'club'. My stomach clenched at the thought.

Even though Court and I come from completely different worlds, we somehow made it work. Court has grown up in the very high-class area of Greenwich, Connecticut. Her father Charles Stratford was a retired corporate attorney that had done very well for himself and his family. Her mother Martha Stratford was the picture perfect stay at home mom. At least that is what I had gathered from Court.

I love Courtney and I know that her family is important to her. So I have decided to do all that I can to get along with them. I was a little nervous about meeting them for the first time. Both her brother Chad, her sister Lauren and her husband were going to be there for brunch. What the hell is brunch anyway?

Courtney was humming to herself and buzzing around the bedroom. She swatted me on the leg as she walked by with four pairs of shoes clasped in her arms. I will never understand why she needs to take that many shoes. We were only going to be gone for three days.

"You better get a move on. We have to drop Sophie at Lester's and you still need to pack. Do you want me to pack for you?" she asked sweetly packing her shoes.

I pulled myself up off the bed. "No, I'll pack," I said standing up. I walked over to my closet and pulled out a couple pairs of jeans and a few shirts. I shoved them in a duffle bag. I noticed Court watching me pack.

"Uh, is that what you are going to wear this weekend?" she asked.

I looked at her for a moment. "Well, I thought I would take a few pairs of jeans and a few shirts. Is that a problem?"

"No, no not at all. Oh, I almost forgot," she said walking back over to her closet and pulling out a bag. "I bought you a few things," she said smiling as she handed me a bag. I looked down at the bag with the Macy's logo plastered all over it. What could I possibly need from Macy's?

I opened the bag and pulled out the clothes that she bought for me. My eyes widened. No way. There is no fucking way, I thought as I looked over at Courtney.

"Do you like them? I thought they would look so good on you. They will be perfect for this weekend," she said with a dazzling smile. I chucked the clothes on the bed and stared down at them.

Three pairs of Chaps khakis, three Ralph Lauren Polo Shirts, pink, powder blue and mint green. As if that wasn't bad enough… "What the hell is this?" I asked holding up a white v-neck sweater.

"It's a tennis sweater," she replied happily, taking it out of my hands. She held it up against my chest. "It might be a little tight. You have such broad shoulders. If it is, you can just drape it over your shoulders. It will look great," she said with a smile.

I looked down at her and blinked a few times. She can't be serious but the look on her face told me that she was.

"I'm not dressing up like a Ken doll," I grumbled.

"Oh, come on. You won't look like a Ken doll, you will look absolutely adorable!" she said with a smile.

"No. I don't do 'adorable'," I said laying the sweater back on the bed.

"You don't like them?" she asked with a slightly hurt look on her face.

"Court, I can't wear that. I will look ridiculous," I said softening my rejection.

"No you won't. You will fit right in," she said studying me. So that is the key here. It suddenly hit me. She wants me to fit in.

"Courtney, are you trying to get me to look like one of the yacht club boys?"

"No, don't be silly. I thought that these would look great on you. You can't just wear SWAT clothes you know," she said turning away and packing a few more things in her bag.

"I hadn't planned on it," I grumbled.

"I didn't think that you had, I just thought… Well, I just thought that you would want to….. I don't know, look like everyone else," she said finally.

"I'm not going to pretend to be someone that I'm not, Court," I said looking at her intently.

"I wasn't suggesting that at all. Look, I love you for who you are. I just thought that it might…might be a little easier for you," she said biting her lower lip.

"Explain," I said crossing my arms across my chest.

Courtney sighed and sat down on the bed. "I don't know how," she said.

I narrowed my eyes. This was something that I had been concerned about. Not everyone is like Courtney. I have dealt with my fair share of racism in my life, and the thought of having to deal with it this weekend made me a little angry.

"Does this have to do with me or the color of my skin?" I asked watching her closely. Courtney snapped her head in my direction. Her cheeks were flushed and she looked pissed. She stood up and glared at me.

"I can't believe that you said that! My family is NOT racist! I would never, EVER put you in a situation with someone who was. Is that what you think of them? I can't believe this, Tank. You should know me well enough by now to know that means NOTHING to me," she huffed crossing her arms across her chest.

"I wasn't talking about you. I was talking about your family," I said quietly.

"You want to hear it? Fine. I thought that if I could dress you up just like the other guys at the club that you would fit in better. It has nothing to do with your skin color. It's you. They way you move, they way you speak. You move with a purpose, almost like a predator. I am perfectly comfortable with that, but it can be a little intimidating. My family is on edge about you already. They don't know anything about you and they are a little freaked that I picked up my whole life and moved four hours away to live with a man they haven't even met! I thought that it would make them a little more comfortable if they saw you as one of them," she said.

I looked at her and saw tears forming in her eyes. I felt like crap. I hate it when she cries. "One of them? What is exactly is 'one of them'?" I asked quietly.

Courtney gave me heart-breaking look. "Them meaning how they are," she said finally.

Snotty? Was the question on the tip of my tongue, but I didn't say it. Courtney sat down on the bed with a soft thump.

"And exactly how are they?" I asked sitting next to her. Courtney sighed and closed her eyes.

"You know what I'm talking about."

"No I don't. I asked you to explain," I said softly.

"They always expected me to end up with someone who came from the same background as me. Honestly, that didn't appeal to me. You did. I don't care where you come from, and I don't care about your background. But they are going to ask you. You seem to have some hang ups about it. You should be proud of all that you have accomplished. Your smart, funny, and not to mention drop dead gorgeous," she said with a hint of a smile.

I grinned at her and pushed a lock of hair behind her ear. "Court, don't worry about me. I can handle almost any situation. It will be fine." I sighed and looked over at the clothes on the bed. "I'll wear them, but I am NOT wearing that stupid sweater," I said finally.

Courtney looked up at me and smiled. "Really?"

"Yeah, it seems important to you," I said glaring at the clothes. Courtney moved over and sat on my lap, wrapping her arms around my neck. She kissed me lightly.

"I didn't mean to offend you. That wasn't my plan at all," she said quietly. I kissed her forehead.

"I know that now."

"I'm sorry if I did," she said with a small smile.

"You didn't. I just jumped to conclusions."

Court looked over at the sweater. "You won't even consider the sweater?" she asked looking at me hopefully.

"Don't push it Court," I growled as I pulled her closer to me.

"Fine. No sweater," she said kissing me. "Come on, we are going to be late," she said hopping off my lap.

I closed my eyes for a moment and prayed for patience. If I make it through this weekend it will be a freaking miracle.

We dropped Sophie off at Lester and Marisa's and headed north on I-95. Courtney was surprisingly quiet. I thought she was still worrying about our discussion earlier. I hadn't meant to jump to conclusions; I guess that it was something that was weighing on my mind too. I feel ridiculous in these clothes. I thought that Santos was going to die when he saw me. He didn't even try to contain his laughter. Asshole, I thought with a grumble. I have to remember I am doing this for Court.

"So is there anything I should know?" I asked Court as we approached Greenwich Country Club. Courtney looked over at me and smiled.

"Not that I can think of. Honey, just be yourself. They will love you," she said reaching over and taking my hand. I squeezed it as we pulled up to the gate. I rolled down the window as the guard came up to the window.

"Can I help you?" he asked looked at me.

"We are meeting the Stratford's for brunch," I answered. Courtney leaned over me.

"Hi, Gary," she said smiling sweetly. Gary looked at her in surprise.

"Hello Ms. Stratford. How are you?"

"Great Gary, are Mom and Dad here already?"

"Yes Ms. Stratford. They arrived a short time ago. Enjoy your brunch," he said stepping back and opening the gate. I pulled through the gate and looked over at Courtney.

"Gated club?" I asked suppressing a smile.

"They have to keep the undesirables out," she said with an eye roll. We pulled up to the front entrance and exited. I handed my keys to the valet and Courtney took me by the hand and led the way.

It was a very posh country club. I don't think that I have ever been anywhere close to a place like this before. We hadn't walked very far when an older lady approached us.

"Courtney Stratford! What brings you here?" the lady said approaching Court and kissing her on the cheek.

"Hello, Mrs. Claremont. We are having brunch with my parents. This is my boyfriend Whitley Baxter," Court said introducing me. Mrs. Claremont looked up and me with wide eyes and a small gasp. I extended my hand and she placed her hand in mine, carefully.

"It's nice to meet you Ma'am," I said smiling at her.

"Oh, it's a pleasure," she returned with a slight flush.

"Excuse us Mrs. Claremont. My parents are expecting us," Courtney said stepping around the lady, pulling me behind her. "She is crazy. Everyone will know that you are here within a few minutes," Court whispered with a giggle.

We walked into the restaurant and Court scanned the area. She waved and took off, pulling me behind her. There was a round table over in the corner. Courtney's family was seated around it. They all stood as we approached. I took a deep breath.

"Courtney, I'm so glad that you made it dear," an older man said stepping forward and hugging her.

"We wouldn't miss it Daddy. Daddy, this is Whitley Baxter," she said turning toward me. She flashed me a dazzling smile that I couldn't help but return. Mr. Stratford stepped forward and extended his hand.

"Charles Stratford. It's a pleasure to finally meet you Whitley. We have heard so much about you," he said with a genuine smile. He stood about 5'10, heavyset with salt and pepper hair. He was wearing his 'Ken doll' clothes. He had blue eyes, just like Courtney.

"The pleasure is mine, Sir," I answered. He stepped back and placed his arm around a very attractive lady next to him. She was about Courtney's height, slim build and blonde hair.

"This is my wife, Martha," he introduced. She stepped forward and hugged me. It took me by surprise.

"It is so nice to finally meet the man that convinced Courtney to leave Connecticut," she said pulling away and smiling. "Allow me to introduce my family," she said turning toward the table. "This is my youngest son Chad. He's a student at Norwich University up in Vermont."

I shook hands with the tall, blonde kid who needed a hair cut. He gave me a friendly smile. You could defiantly tell he was related to Courtney. HE wasn't dressed like a Ken doll, I noticed. In fact he looked like he belonged at some kind of hippy fest somewhere. He was dressed in grubby khaki pants, a bright green t-shirt, and some kind of sandals. Honestly, he looked stoned.

"This is my oldest daughter Lauren and her husband Kyle Willington. They live up in Darien. Kyle is an architect. I shook hands with them both and said hello. Lauren was an attractive woman with long brown hair and blue eyes. She looked like she had stepped off the cover of Vogue, and she gave me a tight smile. Kyle was the classic geek. Tall, lanky with brown hair and large glasses.

"Please, have a seat," Martha said motioning for us to sit in the two seats next to Courtney's father.

I held out the chair for Courtney to sit down, and took my place in between her and her father. Everyone was looking at me, or at least that was how it felt. A silence fell across the table. Court reached under the table and took my hand.

"Did you have a nice drive up?" Chad asked. I glanced over at him.

"It was nice," I replied.

"Have you spent a lot of time in Connecticut?" Martha asked me.

"Some, Ma'am" I answered. Court squeezed my hand under the table.

"So Whitley, Courtney tells me that you are a security expert," Charles said.

I looked over at Charles. "Yes sir. I am employed by a company called RangeMan."

"Did you go to college?" Lauren piped up. I glanced over at Courtney who was giving her sister a death ray.

"Tank went to The University of Louisiana. He was in the Army Special Forces," Court said staring down her sister. Lauren gave me a tight smile. I already didn't like her.

"Tank?" Lauren asked with a small laugh.

"Nickname from the Army," I said quietly.

"Wow, the Army," Chad said, sitting back sipping his Bloody Mary.

"Special Forces? Did you see any action?" Kyle asked leaning forward.

"Yes sir, some," I answered tightly. I didn't like to talk about this sort of thing and I was becoming increasingly uncomfortable. Court must have sensed it and automatically jumped.

"So I have been so busy lately. I have been working on our house. I really love it, but I have been so undecided about colors. Just this morning we were able to agree on a color for the bedroom. I wanted Sunset Mauve, but Tank really didn't like it. We decided on a color finally. OH, you should see the dining room. I was watching HGTV a couple of weeks ago and they were doing Venitan Plaster, it didn't look that hard, so I decided to give it a try. It turned out so wonderful! I was so excited," Courtney paused and took a long sip of her water. She squeezed my hand under the table. I looked over at her and smiled. The way she was talking a mile a minute, I could tell she was nervous. I squeezed her hand reassuringly. She looked up at me and dropped me a wink.

"So Whitley, have you always lived in New Jersey?" Martha asked.

"No Ma'am. I grew up in Louisiana."

"That must have been interesting," Lauren said in a condescending tone. Court shot her another death ray. I noticed Chad glaring at Lauren also.

"So what are you all thinking of having? Do they still do that wonderful chicken dish here?" Court asked picking up her menu.

"I believe so dear," Charles said picking up the menu also. The table lapsed into an uncomfortable silence. A waiter came over and took our orders.

"So tell us about your house, honey," Martha said to Court. Court immediately began rambling on about our house.

"It's so wonderful. It has a lot more room than my house in West Hartford, and a beautiful yard. It's perfect for Sophie," she finished.

"How is Soph by the way?" Chad asked.

"She is great. You wouldn't believe how she has taken to Tank. She practically follows him everywhere," Court said with a smile.

Our food arrived and everyone began to eat. Court's parents asked me a few questions and the conversation was light.

"So are you coming to the cottage, Tank?" Chad asked.

"We had planned on it," I replied.

"I'm so glad that you decided to come. We don't get to see Courtney enough these days and it will be so nice to get to know you a little better," Martha said with a smile.

"Thank you for inviting me Ma'am," I replied.

"Please, call me Martha." I nodded my agreement.

"I guess we should get a move on though. I want to make it to the cottage before dark," Charles said standing. We all stood and walked toward the entrance.

"I'll ride with you guys if that's ok?" Chad asked.

"Of course it is," Court replied. Chad threw his arm around Court and kissed her on the cheek.

"It's been too long sis," he said with a smile.

"Just follow us Whitley. The cottage isn't far," Charles said as he handed the valet his ticket. I followed suit.

"Have you ever been to Long Island Sound?" Martha asked.

"No, Ma'am," I replied.

"I told you call me Martha. You will love it. We bought the cottage about 15 years ago and we spend most of our time in the summer there. It is so nice. It's right on the water. So relaxing," she said laying her hand on my arm. She turned to look over at Lauren. "Are you coming this weekend dear?"

"No, Mom, Kyle has a big project that he is working on and I have an appointment tomorrow. We might make it over Sunday," she said giving me a tight smile.

"Well, I will see you in a few days," Martha said. She hugged Lauren and turned to angle into a brand new Mercedes S600. "We will wait for you dear," she said to me.

I looked as the valet pulled up my H2. I walked over and opened the door for Court. Chad climbed in the back. I looked back over my shoulder and Lauren was standing there looking at us with narrowed eyes. I don't know what her problem is, but I am really glad that she isn't going to be there this weekend.

I climbed behind the wheel and pulled out behind Court's parents.

"Dude, this thing is fucking sweet," Chad said from the back.

"Tank insisted that we bring this. He doesn't like to drive my TT," Court said with a laugh.

"It's not that I don't like it, my knees hit the dash. It's like driving a clown car," I said with a chuckle.

"Honey, I am so sorry if Lauren made you uncomfortable. I should have warned you. She can be nasty," Court said leaning over and taking my hand.

"It was fine," I answered with a smile. I wanted to say that I thought Lauren was a bitch, but I didn't want to hurt Court's feelings.

"Lauren's a bitch," Chad said from the back and I had to stifle a laugh. I like this kid already. "Man, don't sweat her. She has always been that way. Super snotty. Christ you would think she was a one of the Stepford wives."

I glanced over at Court to see her reaction. She looked at me and shrugged. Guess she agreed. Chad and Courtney chatted the whole way to the cottage. I was content to just drive and listen. Apparently Chad was thinking of taking a break from school for a while to follow some band.

"You can't quit school and follow Phish," Court said with a snort. "Mom and Dad would freak."

"Who gives a shit? Dude, it's my life and I'm gonna live it to the max. No regrets," Chad said reclining in the back. "So Tank, you don't mind if I call you Tank do you?"

"No," I answered. I was attempting to keep up with Mr. Stratford. Christ, I live in Jersey and I don't see people drive like this. We were currently cruising at 85 mph, and he didn't show any signs of slowing down.

"How much did this bad boy set you back? Man, these things are sweet," Chad said.

"I think it was about 70," I answered swerving back into traffic, attempting to keep up with Mr. Stratford.

"$70,000! Are you fucking serious? That is cheap! Man, I would love to have one of these," Chad said looking over the back seat to check out the third row.

"What's wrong with your car?" Court asked with a laugh.

"Nothing, but this thing is way cooler."

"What do you drive?" I asked, curious now. It seemed all of the Stratford's liked expensive, foreign cars.

"I have Courts old car. A BMW 355i. It's ok, but I would look awesome in one of these babies."

"Hey, that is a good car. You should be happy I gave it to you," Court said turning and looking over her shoulder.

"Yeah, it was only wreaked what four times?" Chad said teasingly.

I glanced over at Court. I teased her all the time about her driving and was glad to see that I wasn't the only one. She threw me an eye roll and turned back to the front. We rode for about 30 more minutes and I was having a great time listening to Chad and Court yak back and forth. Chad was a funny kid and I caught myself laughing at several of his stories.

We finally got off the highway and wound our way through a small beach town. We were driving right along the water and I had to admit it was beautiful. I followed Court's parents into a driveway that wound around up a hill and I was shocked at the site.

The house was massive. It was a classic colonial looking home that looked out over a private beach, complete with a four-car garage, and pool in the back. If this was a 'cottage' then our house must be a matchbox, I thought. It hit me then the differences between Courtney and I. Obviously she grew up in the lap of luxury. Hell, I grew up thankful if there was enough food on the table for everyone at night.

"Just park in the second garage, honey," Court said gathering her purse and miscellaneous stuff from the front. I pulled into the garage and killed the engine. I noticed a white Jaguar parked beside us. We all hopped out and Chad went to the back to help my carry in our gear.

"That's quite a ride you have their Whitley," Charles said looking at my H2 closely.

"Thank you, sir," I replied grabbing Court's suitcase and my duffle.

"Call me Charles. What did something like that set you back? 50 or so?" he asked looking around to the front of it.

"Try 70, Dad," Chad said walking toward the entrance to the house.

"Not bad," Charles said nodding approvingly. "We just got the S600. We did have a BMW 750 Li, but Martha wanted something with more room. Come along and we will get you two settled in," he said clapping me on the shoulder. I nodded and followed him and Courtney into the house.

We entered in through the garage entrance and into the kitchen. It was a very large kitchen and Martha was already busy making drinks.

"I thought after we got you settled, we could sit out on the veranda and have a few drinks," she said smiling at me. "Do you have a preference, Whitley?"

"No, Ma'am."

"We usually sip Tom Collins', hope that is ok with you," she said turning back to the bar area of the kitchen.

"We are going to stay in my bedroom, Mom," Court called, taking me by the hand and leading me toward the front of the house.

"I thought so dear. I had Maria change the linens in there yesterday, it should be ready," Martha called behind us. Court led me up a huge staircase to the second floor. I followed her down an open hallway into a bedroom.

It was a huge bedroom, with large windows that looked out over the water. I stepped into the room and sat our bags down. Court shut the door behind me and leaned up and kissed me on the lips. I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her close. Court broke the kiss and grinned up at me.

"What was that for?" I asked with a grin.

"Just because. They like you. I told you they would. Don't worry about Lauren. She is just weird. I could have kicked her at brunch today. She really is a nice person; she just has some quirks about her. So what do you think of them? See they are normal," she said with a smile.

"They are all nice," I replied.

"Chad thinks you are way cool," Court said with a laugh.

"Chad's a cool kid," I said pulling her closer to me. I leaned down and kissed her lightly. "I noticed that he wasn't dressed like a Ken doll."

"HA! I haven't seen Chad in anything but Birkenstock's and shorts in years. He was dressed up today," she said with a laugh. "Come on, let's get changed and have a couple of drinks. I want to show you the beach before it gets dark," she said pulling away and grabbing her suitcase.

I watched her for a moment and was over come with how much I really did love her. Even if I thought her family was a little weird. Who asks someone how much they paid for their car? Don't get me wrong they seem like nice people, they just have a different view of things I guess. I looked down at the powder blue polo I was wearing and decided that it must be love, because there was no way in hell I would ever wear this shit for anyone else.

I grabbed my duffle and sat it on the bed. Court was already half naked and I couldn't seem to stop watching her. My God she is beautiful. Wonder if we have time for….. Court looked up at me and grinned.

"I know what you're thinking and no we don't have time," she said with a giggle as she slipped a little white tank top over her head. She unfastened her little pink skirt and grabbed a pair of shorts out of her suitcase.

"How did you know what I was thinking?" I asked defensively taking in the view of her long tan legs and sweet little ass.

"Because you are looking at me like you are hungry, and we just ate," she said sticking her tongue out at me and pulling her shorts on. I sighed. She had me there. I changed out of my preppy clothes and pulled on a pair of khaki shorts and a black RangeMan t-shirt.

"Why don't you wear this other shirt?" Court suggested, pulling a gray t-shirt out of my duffle. I glanced down at my RangeMan shirt.

"What's wrong with this?"

"Nothing, I just like the way that other one looks on you," she said with a smile. I looked at her like she was nuts.

"So there are clothing restrictions at the beach?" I asked.

"No, I just like the way it fits you. Not that you don't look hot in RangeMan gear, but I need to be able to keep my hands off of you for a little while," she said giving me a wicked little smile. I sighed and pulled off the RangeMan shirt and slipped the other one on. I looked down. This isn't my shirt? It had a little polo guy on the pocket. I looked over at Court.

"I bought it at Macy's. Come on," she said slipping on a pair of flip-flops and grabbing my hand. I sighed and followed.

We found her family sitting on a huge deck built onto the front of the house. Everyone was sitting around casually and sipping their cocktails. Court and I pulled up a seat.

"So Whitley, does your family live in Louisiana? Do you have brother's or sisters?" Martha asked.

"Yes Ma'am. I have five brothers and two sisters. Most still live in Louisiana, but one of my sisters lives in Atlanta. My youngest brother Devin lives in Orlando."

"That is a very large family. What do your parent's do?" Charles asked. I glanced over at Courtney and she gave me a smile and a nod of encouragement.

"My father left us when I was 14 so my mother raised us all by herself. She worked in a sewing factory during the day and she worked part time at a shell fish packing plant in the evening," I said with pride in my voice.

My Mama had worked hard to take care of all of us and as far as I could see there was no shame in that.

"She sounds like a very strong woman," Martha said with a smile.

"She is," I replied.

"Come on honey, I want to show you the beach," Court said standing.

"I knew that it wouldn't take you long to get down there. Courtney has always loved the beach," Charles said.

"I haven't been here since last summer. I've missed it," she said taking my hand. "It's still low tide, we can wade out on the sandbars."

I followed Court down to the beach, which might have been 50 yards away. We pulled off our shoes and Court led me into the cool water and we waded out about 30 yards onto a sandbar. There was a great breeze coming in off the water and I looked over at Court.

"I hope they didn't make you uncomfortable," she said.

"They didn't. I knew that they would ask questions. I have nothing to be ashamed of Court."

"I know that. I just didn't know if you would be ok with all of their questions. See that little island over there?" she asked pointing over to a small island about 200 ft to the right. "There are mussels growing on the rocks. When we were kids, Chad and I used to take buckets out there and pick them. Then we would make a big fire on the beach and steam them," she said with a large smile. "Come on let's wade out there."

I followed Court out to the small island. It was obvious that she was having a wonderful time. I had to admit, I was having a pretty good time too. Seeing her so happy made it all worthwhile. We reached the island and Court was telling me all about mussels. I honestly didn't care but listened intently. Court stood up from examining the rocks and looked out over the horizon. The sun was just starting to set and it was beautiful.

"We should head back. The tide is starting to come in," she said wading back toward shore. The water was knee deep on her now. I followed her and Court grabbed my hand. "I'm so glad that we came this weekend. I really love it here. I have a lot of good memories associated with this place."

"You spent a lot of time at the beach?"

"Almost everyday in the summer. It's so relaxing and there is something about just being close to the water," she said with a huge smile. We walked for a little longer. Court screamed out in pain and let go of my hand.

"SHIT!" she said grabbing for her foot.

"What's wrong?" I asked reaching over to her.

"Jelly fish," she said turning pale. I reached down and picked her up. Her left foot was already turning red.

"Hang on, baby," I said carrying her toward the beach. I reached down and grabbed my cell out of my pocket and hit speed dial 4. Bobby answered on the second ring.

"Brown."

"Jelly fish," I said quickly.

"What about them?"

"Court got stung."

"Foot?" he asked.

"Yeah," I said setting her up onto shore.

"Rinse it with seawater. Not fresh. Don't rub it and don't put ice on it. Do you see the stinger?"

I looked down at Court's foot. "Yeah," I answered. Her foot was turning a bright red. Court was whimpering.

"You gotta get it out with tweezers quickly. Don't touch the stinger with your hands. Dump vinegar or alcohol on it. Make a paste of baking soda and put it on it. It will draw out the poison. If she has trouble breathing get her to the hospital," Brown said quickly.

"Anything else?"

"Wrap it with an ace bandage if you have one. Not too tight and keep an eye on it. She needs to keep it still to keep it from spreading. Keep it elevated."

"Thanks," I said and disconnected. "Baby, I gotta rinse it off, ok?" I said as soothingly as I could. I looked up and saw Chad and Charles running down from the house.

"What happened?" Chad asked.

"Jelly fish. Chad I need some vinegar or alcohol from the house. We need to get it on there. It will stop the sting," I said rinsing her foot with salt water. Chad turned and ran back toward the house. Courtney had huge tears streaming down her face. "It's gonna be ok, baby."

"That looks like a nasty one," Charles said leaning over her. "I'll call 911," he said franticly pulling out his cell.

"I don't think you need too. Let's try this first," I said dousing her foot in saltwater.

"It could kill her," he said looking down at me incredulously.

"Daddy, Tank will take care of me," Court sobbed. I looked up at her and smiled. It was good to know that she trusted me that much. I reached down and picked her up carrying her toward the house. I reached the deck where Martha was frantic. Chad came out of the house with a bottle of white vinegar.

"Oh God Courtney! Honey, it will be ok. We will get an ambulance out here soon. Don't worry," she said smoothing Court's hair.

I took the vinegar from Chad and poured it over her foot. "Chad I need tweezers, baking soda and water," I barked. Chad took off back into the house.

"What are you doing?" Martha practically shouted at me.

"I need to get the stinger out fast. The vinegar will stop the sting and the baking soda will draw out the poison," I grumbled pouring more vinegar over her foot. "Baby, you ok?" I asked glancing up at her.

"I'm ok," she said blinking back tears.

"I think we should call the paramedics," Charles said over my shoulder. Chad came out of the house with the things I had asked for. I took the tweezers and glanced up at Court.

"Daddy, I don't need the paramedics. Tank will fix it," she said looking back at me hopefully.

"Hang on Baby, this is going to sting ok?" I said softly. She nodded and I reached down and pulled the stinger out of her foot, Courtney grimaced in pain.

"I got it. It's out. Chad I need to make a paste out of this baking soda," I barked. Chad grabbed a glass off the table and poured some water into it. He handed it to me along with the baking soda. I mixed up a paste and applied it to the sting. I glanced up at Court. "How do you feel? Any trouble breathing?"

"No, it feels much better," she said with a weak smile.

"We need to wrap it with an ace bandage and you need to keep it elevated," I said.

"Thanks honey," Courtney said with a smile.

"I think you should go to the hospital, sweetie. Jelly fish stings are very serious," Charles said.

"Daddy, I'm fine. It doesn't even really hurt now."

I stood and picked her up. "I'm going to take her upstairs so she can lie down. She needs to keep her foot still and elevated. Do you have a bandage?" I asked.

"I don't think so. I'll run down the street to the drug store and get one," Chad said looking at her worriedly.

I nodded and carried Courtney into the house and up the stairs. I sat her on the bed and propped a few pillows under her foot. I sat down beside her and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Are you really ok?" I asked. Courtney nodded and leaned up kissing me lightly.

"I knew you would take care of me," she said with a small grin.

"Always," I said kissing her. Her parents came into the room then interrupting us. Her mother was buzzing around her trying to make Court more comfortable. Her father stood beside the bed watching us.

"Do you need anything dear?" Martha asked.

"Mom, I'm fine. It doesn't even hurt anymore," Courtney said with a smile.

"If you start to feel funny, we are taking you to the hospital," Charles said as he leaned down and kissed her on the forehead.

"Daddy, I'm going to be fine."

"I know, but I still don't like to see my little girl in pain," he said.

"Thank you so much Whitley. I don't know what we would have done if you weren't here," Martha said coming over and hugging me. I looked at Court over her shoulder and she was suppressing a giggle. I patted Martha lightly.

"It wasn't a problem," I said. Martha pulled away wiping tears from her eyes.

"How did you know what to do?" she asked.

"I called a very good friend. He was a medic in the Rangers. He told me what to do," I said.

"It was quick thinking," Charles said nodding to me. He looked down at Courtney. "Why don't you rest? Chad should be back any minute. We can get your foot wrapped up and you can rest for the remainder of the evening."

"I feel fine, Daddy."

"No arguing. You are going to rest and that is final," Charles said. Chad came bustling into the room.

"Dude, I got a few different kinds," he said handing me the bag. I looked into the bag. It looked like Chad had raided the first aid isle. There were boxes of gauze, tape, four ace bandages, some Benadryl, and six chocolate bars. I glanced up at Chad. "Thought she would want a chocolate bar," he said with a shrug.

I sat down and wrapped her foot. The redness had already subsided some and there was some swelling. "Does it itch?" I asked grabbing the box of Benadryl out of the bag.

"It's starting to," Court answered. I popped two pills out of the blister pack and handed them to her. Chad left the room and came back with a glass of water. Court took the pills and lay back on the bed.

"Those will make you sleepy," I said with a grin.

"Come along Whitley, let's leave her for a little while. Maybe she can get some sleep," Martha said. She leaned over and kissed Court on the forehead. "If you need anything honey, just let us know." She left the room, pulling Charles behind her.

"Don't overdose on chocolate, Court," Chad said with a laugh as he left the room.

"Do you want me to stay with you?" I asked quietly.

"Just for a little while. I'm going to take a nap," she said with a grin. I nodded and leaned over and kissed her soundly on the lips. I pulled away and stretched out beside her on the bed. Courtney moved closer to me and cuddled up next to my left side. "I love you," she said stifling a yawn.

"Love you too, Baby. Get some rest," I said softly. I lay there and stroked her hair for a while until her breathing was even. I watched her sleeping contently. Finally after I decided that she wasn't having any trouble breathing, I slipped away from her and went downstairs.

I found her family in the kitchen.

"How is she Whitley?" Martha asked.

"She's fine. She's sleeping now," I replied. I glanced down at my watch and saw that it was almost 7.

"We were going to order some dinner. Do you have any preferences?" Martha asked.

"No, Ma'am," I answered.

"I vote for pizza," Chad said cracking open a beer.

"You always vote for pizza," Martha said grinning at him. "That is fine while you are at school, but not here," she said picking up the phone. She ordered five 2lb lobsters and sides. She hung up the phone and looked over at me. "Do you like lobster, Whitley?"

"Yes, Ma'am," I replied.

"There is this wonderful fish market not far from here. They always have the best lobster," she said.

"You can ride with me Whitley to pick it up," Charles said. I looked over at him.

"That will be fine, sir. I will go and check on Courtney and meet you back down here," I said turning and walking up the stairs. I checked in on Court and she was still napping away. I looked at her foot and it looked a lot better than it had earlier. I made a mental note to thank Brown when I saw him.

I watched Courtney sleep for a few moments. I leaned down and kissed her lightly on the forehead and headed back down stairs with a sinking feeling in my stomach. I knew what this was all about. He wanted to talk to me, which was fine, but I had the feeling that he was still upset that we hadn't called the paramedics.

I walked back into the kitchen where Martha was pulling out all the utensils for the lobsters.

"I thought we could eat out on the veranda. How is Courtney?" she asked with a worried look.

"She's fine. Her foot looks much better. It isn't as red as before, but it is swelling. She is still napping. While I am gone, could you please look in on her every 15 minutes or so? I just want to make sure that she isn't having some kind of reaction to the sting," I said.

"I'm on it Dude," Chad said with a grin. I nodded to him.

"Are you ready Whitley?" Charles asked walking into the kitchen.

"Yes, sir," I replied and followed him out the door and into the garage.

"How about you drive? I always wanted to ride in one of these," Charles said walking over to the passenger side of my H2. I nodded to him and climbed up behind the wheel. I started to pull down the driveway and Charles was talking about the navigation system I had installed. He gave me brief directions to the fish market and we were on our way.

We rode in an uncomfortable silence for a few moments.

"I assume you know why I wanted you to come with me?" he asked suddenly.

"Yes, sir," I replied.

"I don't want to come across as the overprotective father but Courtney is my little girl. I know she is almost 30, but she is still my baby. There is nothing that I want more than to see her happy. With that said it poses a question. What are your intentions with my daughter?"

I glanced over at him. Charles was staring at me intently. I was kind of prepared for this, but I hadn't expected this so soon. I had to respect the man for being straightforward.

"Sir, I care about Courtney. You will never have to worry about her being taken care of," I replied.

"That is all fine and good but it doesn't answer my question."

I took a deep breath. "No I guess it doesn't."

"So what exactly are your intentions?"

"I love her. It's as simple as that."

"You love her which is good, but what kind of life can you offer her? Are you thinking of marriage, or is this just something to pass the time?" he asked glaring at me.

I bit back my initial response. I didn't want to piss the man off, but I don't like him questioning me either. I pulled into the fish market and killed the engine. We both sat there for a moment.

"Sir, I made a promise to Courtney that I would always make her happy and I intend to keep it. I make a good living and I can provide her with almost anything that she could ever want. We haven't discussed marriage, but I see it in the future at some point. This is not just a passing thing. I love her," I answered as I turned to look at him.

Charles studied me for a moment and then nodded his head. "I don't mean to be pushy, it's just that you are the first man that Courtney has brought home in a very long time. The fact that she just chose to move to Trenton without ever introducing you to us has weighed heavily on my mind. I'm not going to lie to you, I had you checked out."

I looked over at him suddenly. This was unexpected. Although I couldn't blame him, I would have done the same thing.

"And?" I asked.

"I have a few connections, son. I found out a few interesting things. I understand that you were in Desert Storm?" he asked.

"Yes sir."

"You received several commendations is that correct?"

"Yes sir," I replied. Why did I suddenly feel like I was on trial? What could my public military record have to do with anything? He might have some connections, but I doubted that they were strong enough to get into my black file. Black files are classified information pertaining mainly to Delta Force, which is an elite military group. They are the best of the best.

"I am going to be perfectly honest with you Whitley. When Courtney first told us about you I had my doubts. All she said was that she was in a fender bender with a black man in Hartford. The report that we got from Lauren wasn't very flattering. Of course she hadn't met you and was jumping to conclusions. I know that now. Next thing we know she was spending a lot of time in Trenton. Then she drops the bomb on us that she is leaving Connecticut. I wasn't very happy with her decision. Courtney was doing very well at the PR firm and I could see a very bright future for her there. I want all of my children to succeed, especially Courtney."

I nodded my agreement, but had to grind my teeth at the mention of Lauren. I knew she was going to be trouble.

Charles took a deep breath and continued. "It is very obvious that Courtney cares a great deal for you. I'm not going to tell my daughter how to live her life, but I want something to be perfectly clear. I am not happy with her decision to move to Trenton, but I think that you are a good man. 35 years as an attorney and you get to be able to read people. What you did today showed me that you have her best interests at heart."

"I do, sir."

"Then this shouldn't come as a surprise to you then. If you hurt my daughter, I will not be happy."

I looked over at him. I don't respond well to threats. I'm not sure if that was how he intended it to sound, but that was how it came across. I couldn't blame the man though. If I had a daughter, I doubt that I would have been as nice as he was being.

"I can assure you sir, that I will not hurt Courtney. I do love her and I plan to provide her with a good life," I replied.

"That is what I wanted to hear, son," he said clapping me on the shoulder. "Come on, let's get these lobsters and head back," he said climbing out of the SUV.

After we picked up the food, the ride back to the house was nice. Charles chatted about the beach house, and told me a few stories about Court. It was a pleasant ride. When we arrived at the house, we entered through the back door. I sat the food I was carrying down on the kitchen counter.

"I'm going to check on Courtney," I said and started up the stairs. When I arrived at her bedroom, I heard laughing.

"So I'm doing this keg stand and Josh is holding me by my feet and Craig was so freaking wasted that he stumbled into Josh and he dropped me! I fell over and crashed into the keg, man it was a fucking mess!" Chad was saying as I walked though the door. Court was propped up on the bed laughing and munching on a chocolate bar. She turned and looked at me as I entered.

"Hey, sweetie. Chad told me that Daddy wanted you to 'help him get the food'. Everything ok?" she asked.

"It's great. You feel like eating?" I asked.

"I've never turned down lobster," she said standing up.

"Court, you shouldn't be walking on it yet," I said walking over and picking her up.

"Are you going to carry me all weekend?" Court asked with a mock glare.

"If I have too," I replied with a smile. Chad hooted his laughter from behind me.

"You better shut up and do what the man says, Court," Chad said with a chuckle. He exited the bedroom and I followed carrying Courtney.

"Did everything really go ok?" she whispered.

"It was fine, baby. Charles just wanted to make sure we were on the same page, that's all."

"What does that mean? Did he ask you if we were getting married?" she asked.

"Yes."

"And what did you say?"

I looked down at her and smiled. "Eventually."

Courtney looked at me in surprise. "Well we haven't even talked about that yet. I knew that he would get around to asking that question. He does it with every guy that I bring home. Did he have the 'what's your intentions' talk?"

"Something like that," I said as we walked down the stairs. I saw Court's family sitting out on the deck. I carried Court out and sat her down in a chair. I pulled another chair over so she could prop her foot up.

"It's looking better," Charles said looking down at her foot. "Are you still feeling ok?"

"I'm great Daddy. Now give me my lobster, I'm starving," Court said happily. I sat down next to her and we all proceeded to crack our lobsters. It was a great dinner. Chad kept everyone entertained with his numerous stories. It was growing late, but no one wanted to go inside. It was such a nice night, but I could see that Court was getting tired.

"You ready to go inside?" I leaned over and whispered. She looked at me and nodded.

"I'm going up to bed," she said attempting to stand. I reached out and steadied her.

"You wanna try to walk?" I asked.

"Tired of carrying me?" she giggled. I bent down and picked her up.

"Not at all," I said with a grin. Everyone said their goodnights and I carried Court up the steps. I got her settled on the bed, and began to help her get undressed.

"I'm not helpless Tank," she grumbled pulling her tank top off.

"I know," I said with a wolf like grin.

"You are too much," she said with a giggle. Court stood up and shimmied out of her shorts. I pulled one of my RangeMan shirts that she sleeps in out of her bag and turned to hand it to her. Courtney was standing completely naked, wearing nothing but a smile.

"You must be feeling better," I said grinning.

"I will be," she returned. I walked over and pulled her against me. Court leaned up and crushed her lips against mine. She ran her hands under my shirt and was stroking my chest. I slid my hands around and cupped her breasts, brushing my thumbs across her nipples. Courtney made a whimpering noise in the back of her throat and leaned into me.

She pushed up my shirt and I reached behind me and pulled it off. Court sat down on the bed watching me. Her bright blue eyes were almost a sapphire color. I walked over and killed the lights. I quickly pulled off me shoes and shorts and climbed into bed. Courtney immediately snuggled closer to me, pressing hot open-mouthed kisses down my chest.

She was tracing a hot pattern across my stomach with her tongue and I reached down and wove my fingers into her long blonde hair. Courtney looked up at me with a wicked little smile. The moonlight streamed through the windows and illuminated her features. I don't think that I had ever seen anyone so beautiful.

Courtney continued to rain hot kisses across my stomach. She slipped her hand down and grasped me. I moaned as she began to stroke me in her small hands, and it took every ounce of control that I have to not explode the second her tongue circled my head. She took me further into her mouth and was stroking me in time with her hand. I felt a tightening in my lower stomach and knew that I wouldn't last much longer.

I reached down and grasped her under her arms and hauled her up until she was straddling my waist. Courtney leaned down and kissed me, pulling my bottom lip in between her teeth and sucking. I laced my fingers into her hair and pulled her tighter against me. I wrapped my arm around her small waist and guided her down onto my cock. Court gasped and moaned as I entered her hot wetness.

She sat back, rocking on me and I leaned up and circled her rock hard nipple with my tongue. Court whimpered and ground against me. I looked into her deep blue eyes. Her face was flushed and she grasped me and kissed me. I grasped her hips and moved her against me. Court broke the kiss and leaned back with her weight on her hands. I watched as she rocked her weight back on her hands and moved against me. I reached down and brushed my thumb across her clit and I felt her tighten down on me.

As the first tremors shook through her body I thrust up into her hot tightness. Court bit her lip to stifle a scream. In one quick motion I flipped her onto her back and stilled my movements. She looked up at me panting.

I have never felt like this with any woman that I have ever been with. It's always special with Courtney. She gives so much of herself, unselfishly, and I think that is one of the reasons that I love her so much. I grinned down at her and kissed her lightly. I began to move slowly at first, attempting to keep my control. She felt so wonderfully tight and hot. Court arched against me and I had to grind me teeth to keep from crying out.

She was planting hot kisses on my neck and I thrust into her a little harder. I could feel her hot breath on my neck as she bit down on me lightly. I buried my face against her neck and thrust completely inside of her. Courtney groaned in response and wrapped her legs around my waist, trapping me fully inside of her.

"Shit, Court," I ground out as she tightened her inner muscles down on me. Court kissed my neck and moved up to trace the shell of my ear with her tongue. A shiver of pleasure slipped down my spine as she sucked on my earlobe. I thrust into her hard and fast. She arched against me and cried out. I balanced my weight on my forearms as I pounded into her. I cupped her face with my hands and looked into the dark blue depths of her eyes as her orgasm crashed over her.

She clamped down on me so hard that before I realized it I was following her over the edge. I collapsed and rolled off of her to keep from crushing her. I lay on my back, willing my breathing to return too normal. Court curled up beside me with a content sigh. I pulled he close and she laid her head on my chest.

"How's you foot?" I asked quietly.

"It's fine. It doesn't even itch anymore," she said stifling a yawn. She snuggled down under the covers and intertwined her limbs with mine. "Love you," she whispered.

"Love you too, baby," I said kissing her hair. Within moments her breathing was deep and even. I lay there for a long moment and thought over today's events.

I had to admit, it had went better than I had expected. Courtney's family with the exception of Lauren, had been nothing but nice to me. They were nice people. I couldn't really blame Charles for having a talk with me. After listening to everything that he said, it was understandable that they would be worried about her.

I didn't realize that Court hadn't told them anymore about me than she had. I guess that I would be worried too if my daughter called me up and said that she was moving away to live with a man she had a fender bender with. Court sighed in he sleep and wrapped her arms around me tighter. That was another thing that had been hard to get used to. Court was a snuggler. There were mornings that I would wake up and she as practically laying on top of me. I really didn't mind though.

I put my arm around her and breathed in her scent. How much I love this woman scares me. I know without a shadow of a doubt that I would do everything possible to protect her. I knew that she trusted me with her life; she had made that abundantly clear earlier today. With a content sigh, I closed my eyes and drifted off to a dreamless sleep.

I awoke Saturday morning with Courtney lying on top of me. I kissed the top of her head and glanced at my watch. Damn, it was already 0800. I NEVER sleep this late. I untangled Court's body from mine and slipped into the bathroom. I took a quick shower and walked back into the bedroom. Courtney was staggering toward the bathroom. I reached down and hugged her.

"Mornin' baby," I said kissing her hair.

"Ugh," she responded.

"How does your foot feel?"

"It's ok. A little sore, but it will be fine," she said leaning up and giving a quick peck on the lips. She pulled away from me and headed into the bathroom. I heard her switch on the shower, as I got dressed. I walked over to the huge windows and looked out over the water.

Courtney had been right. There is something about being close to the water that is relaxing. I heard my cell vibrating over on the nightstand and I walked over and looked at the screen. Brown.

"Yo," I answered.

"How's Court?"

"Good. Thanks for yesterday man."

"No problem. She didn't have a reaction did she?"

"No, she seems fine. The swelling and redness has gone down. All quiet?"

"Yeah, for the most part. Man, Ranger is walking around with the biggest shit eating grin on his face," Brown chuckled. I had a feeling that I knew why, and it had something to do with a 5'8" brunette.

"Not a surprise," I laughed.

"How's meeting the parent's going?"

"So far so good."

"Great. See you in a few days."

"Later," I said and disconnected. I turned as Court came out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her body and a turban on her head. She smiled at me and pulled some clothes out of her bag.

"So what do you want to today?" I asked stretching out on the bed.

"I'm sure Mom and Dad have something planned," she said drying her hair with the towel. She slipped into a little lacy thong and pulled on a little khaki skirt. She put her foot up on the bed and I leaned forward to look at it. It looked much better than yesterday. She had removed the bandage and her foot was looking more like normal now. Court finished dressing quickly.

"Let's get some breakfast," she said smiling at me. She reached out and took my hand and pulled me up. She glanced at my clothes and smiled. Christ, there has to be something wrong with me. Who would have ever thought that I would be dressing up in khaki's and a polo shirt just to go to breakfast? She tugged me behind her as we left the room.

We heard voices as we walked down the steps.

"But Mom, you don't know anything about him," Lauren said in a high-pitched voice. I glanced down at Court and she gave me an eye roll.

"Good morning all," Court called as she breezed into the kitchen. Martha, Lauren and Charles were all sitting around having coffee.

"Good morning honey. How is your foot?" Martha asked.

"It's great. What are you doing here Lauren? I thought you couldn't get away this weekend?" Courtney asked her as she poured two cups of coffee. She turned and handed me one and gave me a dazzling smile.

"I canceled my appointment and thought I would drive out here. I haven't seen you in ages," Lauren said sipping her coffee and looking at me over the rim.

For some reason this woman puts me on edge. Maybe it's just the condescending tone that she uses, or the way that she looks at me. I already don't like her, I thought. I have to be nice to her though, she's Courts sister.

"Have a seat Whitley," Charles said motioning me to sit next to him. I pulled out a chair for Court, and took the seat in between Charles and Courtney.

"Are you enjoying your stay, um, Tank?" Lauren asked with a tight smile.

"It's beautiful here," I replied.

"Yes, well not everyone is as fortunate as we to have a place like this to come too," she said tightly. I glanced over at Court who was staring at her with malice. I looked over at Martha who was giving Lauren a glare. "Do you and Courtney plan on buying a vacation home?" she asked.

"We haven't thought about it. I am happy with our house," Courtney answered.

"Well I guess that there isn't many places to vacation in New Jersey anyway. Unless you count the Jersey Shore, but it is so…tacky," Lauren said with a sniff.

"I think that the Jersey Shore is very nice. We have been there several times. Atlantic City is fun," Martha chimed in looking over at Lauren. Lauren gave a small shrug and picked a piece of lint off of her sleeve.

"So what do you guys want to do today?" Charles asked.

"If you want to go for your run honey, there is a great path close by, or you can run on the beach. I don't think I will run this morning, but feel free to go if you want," Court said smiling at me.

"You shouldn't run on your foot," I answered.

"I heard about what happened yesterday. You are very lucky Courtney, Jelly fish stings are deadly," Lauren said looking at her sister.

"It was fine. Tank took care of me. He always does," Court returned with a bright smile. She slipped her hand into mine under the table and squeezed it.

"How fortunate for you," Lauren retorted.

"I think I will go for a run," I said standing and leaning down and kissing Court on the forehead. In truth, I needed to get away from Lauren. That woman's snotty ass attitude was wearing my nerves pretty thin. I was afraid that if I stayed much longer, I would be forced to say something that I would regret.

"Ok, sweetie," Courtney beamed up at me.

"When you get back Whitley, I will take you over to the marina and show you my boat. Martha mentioned something about taking Courtney shopping today, if she is up to it. I for one can do without shopping. We will opt for a more manly activity don't you think?" Charles asked with a laugh.

"Sounds good," I said nodding to everyone. I walked up the stairs to change clothes. Damn that Lauren, she was getting on my last nerve. I think my best plan of action is to avoid her. It's obvious that she doesn't like me, and the feeling is mutual, I thought changing into my running clothes.

As I left the bedroom I ran into Chad in the hallway. "Dude, what time is it?" he asked groggily, scratching his messy blonde hair.

"0830," I answered.

"Christ, it's to damn early," he grumbled and followed me down the stairs. "Where are you going?" he asked.

"For a run. Wanna come?" I asked with a grin.

"Shit, I wouldn't make it a mile. It's all you dude," he said with a crooked grin and headed into the kitchen. I headed out the front door and opted to run on the beach. I took off at a slow pace to get warmed up.

As I ran my thoughts kept shifting back to Lauren. What in the hell was her problem? Everyone seemed to notice that she always had some nasty comment to make. She was everything that I had expected Courtney to be when I had first met her. Thank God I had wrong about her.

I ran about four miles and decided to turn back. It was a beautiful day and the sun was beating down on me. I pulled off my shirt as I ran and tucked it into the pocket of my shorts. I arrived back at the house a while later and was doing some stretches to cool off when Lauren came strolling out of the house. Shit.

"Did you enjoy you run?" she asked staring down at me from the deck.

"It was good," I replied. I watched as Lauren walked down the steps.

"Mom and Courtney already left. They should be back later. I was hoping I could have a word with you," she said approaching me.

"I have to meet your father," I said as I stretched.

"Oh, it will only take a moment," she said moving to stand in front of me. I stood up and looked down at her. Shit, this wasn't going to be good. I could just feel it.

"Just so you know, you may have everyone else fooled, but I know what you are after. You just want to get to Courtney's money and I will be damned if I will stand by and see my sister hurt," Lauren spat at me. She looked up at me and I could see hatred in her dark eyes.

"I don't want Courtney's money," I answered through clenched teeth.

"Oh, come on now. Why else would you be interested? Courtney is a beautiful woman that much is true, but I can see that you are only interested in one thing. Did you honestly think that you could dress the part and everyone would accept you? HA! I can see you for what you are. You may have charmed my brother and parents, but they will eventually come around," Lauren said placing her hands on her hips.

"What I am? And what would that be, Lauren?" I asked sliding my blank mask on. I couldn't give her the satisfaction of knowing how she got under my skin.

Lauren sniffed and cocked her nose a little higher. "A street thug playing dress up. My sister has become enamored with you, but it is just a phase. She will wake up and see that you are not good enough for her and just out to get what you can. All you types are the same," she said turning and walking back toward the steps.

I ground my teeth and attempted to keep the rage that shot through me in check. Who in the hell was this bitch?

"Lauren," I said in a deadly quiet voice. She stopped and looked at me with disgust. "I am only going to say this once, so I suggest that you listen. You don't like me? I could care less. I could give a shit about Court's money. I have enough of my own. But get used to the fact that I am with Courtney and I'm not going anywhere."

"Not until you bleed her dry," she sneered at me as she turned and stomped back up the steps.

FUCK! Eight miles suddenly didn't feel like enough. I was shaking with anger, but had somehow managed to keep it together as I listened to her shit. I took a few deep breaths. I can get through this. I can get through this, I chanted over and over. Who in the hell does she think she is? She doesn't know a damn thing about me, or my relationship with Court.

Chad came strolling out onto the deck with a cup of coffee in his hand. He stretched and rubbed his eyes. He looked down and saw me, a grin spread across his face. He walked down and sat on the bottom step.

"Good run?" he asked. I nodded my response. "I passed Lauren on the way out. She's got her panties in a wad about something," he said looking over at me. I shrugged and pulled on my shirt.

"Did she say something to you?" he asked.

"Not really," I answered having a seat next to him.

"Dude, don't even worry about her. She just likes to stick her nose into everything," he said taking a sip of his coffee. "She wants everyone to be like her and if they aren't she always has something to say about it."

I sighed and leaned back on the steps and looked out over the water.

"What did she say?" Chad asked leaning back beside me.

"Nothing."

"Ah, bullshit. She spouted some shit off. Come on tell me."

I looked over at Chad and contemplated telling him. I didn't want Courtney to know about Lauren's conversation with me. It would just piss her off and ruin her weekend. On the other hand though, it would be good to have an ally if this thing escalated, which unfortunately I saw happening.

"She thinks I'm only after Court's money," I grumbled.

"Are you fucking serious? It's obvious that you care about Court and she is hopelessly in love with you. Lauren has no idea what she's talking about. Don't worry about her. The rest of us like you. I think you're a pretty cool dude," he said clapping me on the shoulder.

"Don't say anything to Court," I said glancing over at him.

"Man, Court hears that shit, it will be World War fucking three," he said shaking his head.

"I don't want to ruin her weekend."

"I won't say anything, dude. I promise, but she should know that Lauren is giving you problems."

"I'll deal with it."

"Yeah, but if she finds out about it you will have to deal with Court too. Man, that is no fun," he said with a slight grin. "I'm sure you've seen her temper by now. Dude, she gets going and watch out," he said throwing his hand up and laughing. I had to agree. Court has a wicked temper that she doesn't loose that often.

"Just don't mention it ok?"

"You got it. Come on Dad is dying to show off his boat," he said standing and walking back up the stairs.

"You coming?" I asked.

"Nope. I'm going to hang around here and keep Lauren company," he said with a grin.

"I can fight my own battles Chad. Leave it alone," I warned.

"Dude, I have no doubt. But someone should put her in her place. I know you can't do it, but I sure as shit can," he said walking into the house. I groaned and closed my eyes, and prayed for patience.

I met up with Charles after I took a shower and changed. He drove me over to the marina and beamed with pride as he showed me his 41 foot Sea Ray Sundancer. It was named Sapphire Blue. I listened as he droned an about his baby.

It was a beautiful boat and he should be proud of it. I was attempting to concentrate on everything he was telling me but my mind kept wandering back to my earlier conversation with Lauren. I think it was pretty safe to say that she had ruined my weekend. One more night. We are going back to Trenton tomorrow. Even if I have to call and invent some emergency, I am not above doing that. It would be a last resort though.

I cleared my thoughts and concentrated on what Charles was saying.

"We should try to take you out on it while you're here," he said smiling at me. "You spend much time on the water, Tank?" he asked. I couldn't help but smile. It was the first time he had called me by my nickname. "If you don't mind me asking how did you get that name anyway?" he asked with a chuckle.

"I guess first and foremost, my size. It wasn't until we were in Desert Storm that it stuck. We were on a recon mission and got ambushed. I took one in the arm and two in the thigh and managed to pull three of my teammates out of the crossfire. One of the guys in my core group said I was like a tank, nothing could take me down," I said with a chuckle. Lester had come up with that quip and it had just stuck.

Charles let out a hearty laugh. "You enjoyed your time in the service didn't you?" he asked.

"Yes sir," I replied.

"It's an honorable thing and I admire anyone who would put their life at stake for a cause they believe in," he said clapping me on the shoulder. "Come on, let's head back. It's getting close to lunch and I'm sure the girls will be back shortly."

I followed Charles back to his S600 and we headed back toward the house. As we pulled up I noticed the white Jag I had saw earlier parked outside the garage, next to a new BMW X5. That must me Lauren's. Great she's still here, I thought with a mental eye roll.

"Ah, I see the girls are back," Charles said pulling into the garage. We entered the house and I immediately heard Courtney yelling and I looked over at Charles. He had a crease in his brow and I walked toward the noise.

"How dare you! HOW DARE YOU!" Courtney was screaming as I walked into the living room. I looked over at Lauren standing in front of Courtney. Martha was sitting on the sofa fighting back tears. Chad sat in the chair. He looked up and saw me. He raised his hands in defense.

"Dude, it wasn't me," he said suddenly. Courtney turned to look at me. She walked over and took my hand. I looked down at her.

"You ok?" I asked quietly.

"Hell NO! I was just having a conversation with my bull headed sister," Courtney spat at Lauren. I looked over at Lauren whose face was beat red. She glared at me.

"What in the world is going on here?" Charles' voice boomed.

"You aren't going to believe the crap she said Daddy," Court said as she whirled around to face him. "Lauren had the audacity to insinuate that Tank is only with me for my money! Can you believe that?"

Charles looked over at me and then at Lauren in disbelief. "Is that true Lauren?"

"He has you all fooled. Why can't you see him for what he is? He's a gold digger!" Lauren yelled. Courtney lunged for her and I grabbed her around the waist.

"It's ok, baby," I said quietly. "Just calm down."

"I don't want to calm down. I've had enough of this! I am not going to stand by and let her say those things about you," Courtney said pulling out of my grasp. She walked over to Lauren. "You don't know anything about him. You don't know anything about us. I love him and he loves me. Why would Tank need my money? He has more than enough for both of us! Don't you ever, EVER say anything about him again. Do you understand? I mean it Lauren, NEVER," she said poking her sister in the chest.

"I think that we all just need to calm down and talk about this," Charles said walking into the room and standing beside Martha. I walked over and placed a hand on Courtney's shoulder. This was not good. Court was riled up and I knew her well enough to know that this would not end well.

"Why can't you see it Courtney?" Lauren pleaded.

"See what Lauren? That he is crazy about me? That he would do anything for me? That he takes care of me?" Courtney spat.

"That you are just going to get hurt. He's not right for you," Lauren said in a quiet voice.

"And you know what is right for me huh? Just because I'm not with someone like Kyle doesn't mean that I can't be happy," Courtney said. I tightened my hand on Court's shoulder. "I can tell you one damn thing, Tank would never have an affair, unlike Kyle," Courtney spat. Everyone in the room gasped.

Lauren's mouth dropped open and lightening quick she slapped Court across the face. Court lunged for her and I grabbed her by the waist and lifted her against me, taking a step back. Lauren took a step towards her. Courtney kicked her leg out, catching Lauren in the shin. Lauren howled in pail.

"Oh shit," Chad said standing up. He moved over to grasp Lauren by the arm.

"You….you…." Lauren was sputtering trying to get to Court.

"Let me go, Tank. She started this, I'm going to finish it," she said squirming against me.

"Let it go Courtney," I said soothingly.

"Just stop this!" Martha said standing from the sofa. Everyone looked over at her. Tears were streaming down her face. "Just stop this nonsense! Lauren, I will not tolerate this kind of behavior! You apologize to Courtney and Whitley right now."

"But Mom….." Lauren started.

"You are out of line Lauren. This is unacceptable behavior. You have upset your mother as well as myself. I know that we raised you better than to act like this. You will apologize," Charles said putting his arm around Martha.

"I will not!" Lauren said.

"You should. You said some mean shit. You owe them both an apology," Chad said. He looked at me and nodded.

"Don't bother," Court said pulling out of my grasp. "I don't care. Come on honey," she said grabbing my hand. "Let's go home."

I looked over at Charles and Martha and then over to Lauren. Courtney stormed out of the room, trying to tug me behind her. I stood fast.

"Wait, Court. I need to say something," I said quietly. Courtney stopped and looked up at me. I took a deep breath and turned to Lauren.

"I'm really sorry that you feel this way about me and Courtney's relationship. I wish that there were some way that I could convince you that I have her best interests at heart. I do love her and I only want what's best for her. I never wanted to cause any problems between you and your sister," I said looking at her. Lauren stared up at me. I looked over at Charles and Martha.

"I apologize that this had to happen. Thank you for your hospitality. I have enjoyed my time here," I said and turned to follow Courtney out of the room.

"Wait," Martha called. We both stopped and turned to look at her. She walked over and stood in front of me. "Please don't go. I know that this little episode hasn't been very pleasant, but I don't want you two to leave because of it. Whitley, we all realize that you care very much for my daughter. I don't believe the accusations that Lauren has made for a moment. Courtney is an excellent judge of character as well as my husband. They have both given you their stamp of approval and you have mine. You are welcome into my home at anytime," she said laying her hand on my arm and squeezing.

Before either Courtney or I could answer Lauren walked over to us.

"If I have misjudged you, I apologize," Lauren said glaring up at me. "I guess that time will tell."

"You were out of line. I will forgive you Lauren, but I won't forget," Courtney promised. Lauren nodded and walked toward the kitchen.

"Stay Courtney. I will leave. This is not at all what I hoped to accomplish by coming over here today," she said and walked away.

I glanced down at Courtney as she ran her fingers through her hair and sighed. Chad came over and hugged her. Charles followed Lauren out of the living room.

"Yo, sis, it's ok," Chad said pulling away from her. "You know how she can be. She gets an idea in her head and runs with it, right or wrong."

"I know," Court sighed.

"I'm sorry you had to see this Whitley," Martha said quietly. "We can't let this ruin our weekend though. It isn't often that I get to have all of my children together," she said leaning forward and kissing Courtney on the cheek.

"I need to speak with you," Courtney said looking up at me. I nodded and followed her up the steps. She didn't say anything until we were in the bedroom with the door closed. "I'm so sorry," she said as she burst into tears.

I walked over and hugged her to my chest. "Baby, you have nothing to be sorry for," I said soothingly.

"Yes, I do. I tried to change you. I tried to make you into someone else. I made you wear these clothes that you would never wear. I tried to make you into someone that I thought my family would approve of," she said sobbing against my chest. I hugged her tight and took a deep breath.

"Courtney, it's ok. I understand," I said gently.

"But how could you? You would never do that to me," she said pulling away and looking up at me. I brushed a tear from her cheek with my thumb.

"Sweetie, why would I change you? Your perfect," I said kissing her lightly.

"No I'm not. I'm a terrible person. I should have never done that to you," she said wrapping her arms around me. "Lauren said some terrible things."

"She loves you. She's worried about you," I said murmured into her hair.

"Yeah, but she is completely wrong!" Courtney said pulling away from me. "She ruined everything," she said walking over and sitting on the bed. I sighed and sat down beside her.

"Do you want to leave?" I asked.

"No, but I don't know if we should stay either."

"It's up to you, baby. If you want to leave and go back to Trenton, I have no problem with that. If you want to stay hang out with your family, that is fine too."

Courtney looked up at me, with her big blue eyes shining with tears. "Really? You don't want to get as far away from here as possible?"

"No. You haven't seen your family in a couple of months. When was the last time you saw Chad?" I asked.

"It's been almost four months since I saw Chad. I've missed him," she said quietly. It was very clear that Chad and Courtney had a bond that neither of them shared with Lauren. Court talked about Chad all of the time and they were constantly on the phone. I knew that this weekend meant a lot to her.

"Then we'll stay," I said pulling her closer. Court laid her head on my shoulder and sighed.

"I'm really sorry, Tank. I had no idea that Lauren would go to such extremes," Court sniffed.

"It's fine. We will just have to prove her wrong, ok?" I said grinning down at her. Court looked up at me and flashed me a dazzling smile.

"Your right," she said standing. She moved until she was standing in between my legs and wrapped her arms around my neck. She leaned down and kissed me. "Let's get out of here for a while. I need to get away from this house for a bit," she said stepping away. "There is a great little place not far from here. Let's go grab some lunch. We'll take Chad with us."

"Sounds good, but I am changing clothes first," I said with a grin. I stood up and shucked my khaki's and polo shirt. I grabbed a pair of jeans and a RangeMan t-shirt out of my bag. Courtney was laughing.

"I think I prefer you this way anyway," she said with a grin. "Come on," she said taking my hand.

I could use a little break myself. Today had just started off as a seriously shitty day and I could see that it was wearing Courtney pretty thin. I followed her back down the stairs. Chad was sitting in the living room.

"You ok, sis?" he asked as we walked in. Courtney nodded.

"We are getting out of here for a little while. You want to come?" she asked.

"Where we going?" Chad asked standing up.

"I was thinking that we would go over to The Seahorse Tavern," Court said with a twinkle in her eye. Chad whooped with laughter.

"Hopefully they don't remember us from the last time," he said throwing his arm around her shoulder. I looked at the two of them and shook my head. I have a feeling this isn't going to turn out well. I followed them into the kitchen. Charles and Martha were leaning against the bar talking in hushed voices. When we walked in, they both got quiet and turned toward us.

"We are going to stay. I haven't seen Chad in four months and I'm not going to let Lauren ruin this weekend," Courtney announced.

"Your sister loves you, honey. She is just concerned about you," Martha said reaching out and taking her hand. She looked up at me. "I apologize on her behalf, Whitley."

"It's fine, Ma'am. I understand that she is concerned," I answered.

"It doesn't excuse her behavior though, Tank," Charles said. "Lauren was off base with her accusations. She has always been on to jump to conclusions."

"Well, we are getting out of here for a little while. We are going over to The Seahorse Tavern for lunch. I don't know when we will be back," Courtney said.

"If you guys are going for lunch, I think your mother and I will try to get 9 holes in before dinner. Enjoy your lunch and have a wonderful time. Make sure that you show Tank around. The next time he comes here he will be more familiar with the area," Charles said with a smile. "Assuming that you would want to come back."

"Thank you, Sir," I said nodding to him. Courtney laced her fingers through mine.

"See you later. Have a good time on the course," Chad said following us out into the garage.

"I'll drive," Courtney said taking the keys out of my hand.

"I don't think so," I said taking them back. Court frowned up at me.

"You never let me drive the H2."

"I'm sure there is a reason for that," Chad said with a laugh. Court frowned at him. "Let's face it, you are a shitty driver!" Chad said climbing into the backseat. Court looked up at me and I shrugged. She was mumbling under her breath as she climbed into the passenger seat. I hopped up into the driver seat and rolled the engine over.

As we pulled out of the driveway, Court gave me directions to The Seahorse Tavern. Chad was relaying the stories from their last visit there.

"Dude, we had to carry Court out of there. She was fucking hammered!" he said laughing.

"I was not," Court returned.

"HA! You sucked down four Big Boy Margarita's in like an hour. You were wasted!" Chad laughed.

I looked over at Court. I could believe it. She was a lightweight. Shit, the night of Bobby and Elle's wedding she had four glasses of wine, and she was done for. Not to mention the first time we got together. She shot gunned three Cosmo's and ended up throwing herself at me. I couldn't help but smile at the memory.

"What are you smiling at?" Court asked looking at me suspiciously.

"I was just remembering that night at Max's Oyster Bar," I said grinning.

"What happened at Max's?" Chad asked from the back.

"You wouldn't dare," Court said glaring at me. I laughed.

"Now you have to tell me," Chad piped in from the back.

"Nothing happened," Courtney said over her shoulder. I broke out in to a fit of laughter.

"Oh, shit. It must be good," Chad said sitting up in between the seats. He looked at Courtney expectantly. "You may as well just tell me," he said with a grin.

Court sighed and looked over at me. I was attempting to contain my laughter but doing a shitty job of it. "Fine, let Tank tell the story," she said sticking her tongue out at me.

"The first day that I met Court, that night, I was at Max's having dinner. Court walked by with Sophie and we chatted. I went back in to have dinner and she came back. Dressed to kill," I said throwing her a wicked grin.

"You came back?" Chad asked with a chuckle.

"Yeah, well, just tell the damn story," Court frowned.

"She came back and she was so damn nervous, she shot gunned three Cosmo's in about 20 minutes. She was wasted. So I took her home," I said with a grin. I looked over at Courtney.

"And I threw myself at him. I climbed across the console and hopped on his lap and tried to get him to come inside and have sex with me. There are you happy?" she said looking at Chad.

Chad burst into laughter and I glanced over at Court. She was grinning and shaking her head.

"Well did you?" Chad asked me from the back.

"No, he turned me down cold. He didn't want to take advantage," Court said reaching over and taking my hand. I squeezed it and smiled at her.

"Well isn't that sweet," Chad laughed.

"I was kicking the shit out of myself later, for being such a nice guy," I said. Court looked at me and smiled as I pulled into the parking lot.

"Yeah, well it worked out for the best anyway didn't it?" she asked.

"Yeah, it did," I said killing the engine. We climbed out and headed into the restaurant. The hostess seated us on the back deck of the restaurant that looked out over the water and we ordered lunch. Chad and I were kicked back sipping our beers and Court was working on a Big Boy Margarita. Yep, this isn't going to turn out well, I thought watching her suck on the straw in the giant glass.

Chad was telling me stories about him and Court when they were kids. Sounds to me like these two were a handful. Courtney had relaxed quite a bit by the time we finished our meal. She was giggling as she ordered another Big Boy Margarita. I wasn't going to say anything. She needed to unwind some and if mainlining tequila was what she was in the mood for, I wasn't going to stop her.

We sat and laughed and drank for a few hours. Courtney was pretty much shit faced and Chad wasn't far behind her. Chad was putting away Jaeger bombs like they were water. I swear the more he drank the funnier the kid got. I caught myself several times, rolling laughing at some crazy shit he was saying.

The sun was starting to set and I looked at my watch. Hell we had sat there for four hours. Chad stood up.

"Court, let's go to The Drunken Clam," he said excitedly. Oh shit. Did he just say The Drunken Clam? God, I can only imagine. I looked over at Court who was nodding her agreement.

I looked around the restaurant. It was beginning to fill up with people. It probably was a good idea if I get these two drunks out of here. We had already been given a few looks anyway.

"You ok to drive, honey?" Court asked. Hell I had only had about six beers. Takes a little more than that to impair me.

"Yeah, I'm good," I said motioning the waitress over to the table. I asked for the check and she returned shortly. I threw a few bills on the table and stood up. Court went to stand and she fell back in her chair. "Come on, baby. I'll help you out of here," I said taking her hand.

Courtney walked around the side of the table and Chad threw his arm around her shoulders.

"Dude, remember the last time that we were at The Drunken Clam?" Chad said slurring his words slightly. I walked behind them shaking my head. They were a mess. We were almost to the door when I heard a high-pitched voice.

"Is that Courtney and Chad Stratford? How are you?" an older woman said walking toward Court and Chad. "I haven't seen you in ages? Are you staying at your parents cottage?"

"Hello, Mrs. Williams. How are you?" Court said hugging the older woman.

"I'm wonderful Courtney," Mrs. Williams returned.

"Mrs. Williams, I would like to introduce you to the love of my life, Tank," Court said turning and grabbing my hand. I looked down at the older woman who gazed up at me with wide eyes. Court wrapped herself around my arm. "Tank this is Mrs. Williams, she lives a few blocks over from my parents in Greenwich. She has a beach house not far from here," Court slurred.

"Nice to meet you, Ma'am," I said extending my hand. Mrs. Williams placed hers in my hand carefully, as if I might bite. She blinked a few times and pulled away.

"The pleasure is all mine, Mr. uh, Tank," she said with a tight smile. She turned her attention to Chad.

"How is school going Chad?" she asked.

"Oh you know, it sucks, but what you gonna do?" Chad said shrugging. "Oh man, I remember when we toilet papered your house that one time on Halloween. Remember when the cops chased us that night, Court? Hey, does your son Gerald still have those buckteeth? They made him look kind of like a horse."

The look on Mrs. Williams face was one of total shock. I grabbed Chad by the shoulder and started toward the doorway.

"Enjoy your dinner. It was nice to meet you," I said hurriedly as I pulled Chad and Court out of the restaurant. They were both screeching with laughter. I got them settled into the H2. "What are you two a couple of delinquents?" I asked suppressing a laugh.

"Dude, it was Court that hit her Jag with the eggs," he said howling with laughter. I looked over at Courtney.

"Her son stood me up for the prom," she said with a shrug.

"We needed revenge!" Chad said wiping his eyes.

"You wanted to go to the prom with someone with a horse face?" I asked.

"He was nice," Courtney said defensively. "And I really liked him."

"Yeah, Court had it bad for old horse face," Chad said. I looked over at Court in amusement.

"Oh, shut up Chad. Let's go to The Drunken Clam," she said happily.

"Sure that's a good idea?" I asked pulling out of the parking lot.

"Oh, fuck yeah!" Chad called from the back. "Dude, can I hook up my I Pod in here?" he asked handing it to me.

"Yeah," I answered plugging it into the slot.

"Awesome, I need to listen to some tunes. Court remember this one?" he said scrolling through.

Within moments there was some hillbilly type music blaring, but when they started to sing it was the words to Gin and Juice by Snoop Dogg, but with a definite southern twang. It was the most ridiculous thing I had ever heard. I looked over at Courtney who was singing along at the top of her lungs. Chad reached up in between us and cranked it. Oh man, you have got to be kidding me.

"Who is this?" I asked.

"Phish, dude," Chad called back as he went back to singing. I reached up and turned it down some. I looked over at Courtney, her face was flushed and she was rolling laughing and singing.

"We used to listen to this every time that I went up to Vermont to see Chad. We went to a Phish show one time and it was the first thing that they played when we went through the gates. It's our theme song," she said with a giggle.

"I would have never thought you liked gangster rap," I said with a laugh.

"Dude, everyone loves Phish. Oh, The Clam is up here on the left," he said pointing. This place looked like a fucking dump. I'm no stranger to rough ass places. Hell my favorite pizza place Shorty's is a shit hole, but at least I know everyone there. Well they know me, or enough to know not to fuck with me.

I pulled in and parked, scanning the lot. I looked over at Courtney. She looked excited and was already hopping out of the H2. "They have the best freakin' steamers here," she slurred. Chad stumbled out of the back and they started toward the door.

I reached into the glove box and pulled my Sig 220 out and checked the clip. I exited the H2 and stuck it in the small of my back. This looked like the type of place that it might come in handy.

I caught up with them just before they entered. Drunk and drunker stumbled through the door still singing that ridiculous song, and I followed. I scanned the room as we walked in. Yep, it's a dump. The rickety tables were scuffed and scarred; there were a few people in there that looked in our direction as we walked in. I spotted a booth in the back and steered Court and Chad in that direction.

I got them settled into the booth, and I sat with my back to the wall. At least I had a good vantage point, I thought scanning the room. This was not the type of place that I would ever picture Courtney. EVER. It was dirty and dark. I was surprised how happy she was to be here. She never ceased to amaze me. She could adapt almost anywhere.

A waitress came over and took our drink orders. She looked at me out of the corner of her eye. Chad ordered another Jaeger bomb, and Court went for Bass Ale. I stuck with Bud Light, shit I can drink those all night and never feel a thing. Court and Chad ordered three-dozen steamers.

"Have you ever had steamers?" Chad asked.

"No," I answered.

"Oh, honey you will love them. They are steamed clams, they look gross, but you gotta dip them in salt water to rinse them and then in butter. They are awesome!" Court said sliding closer to me.

"You ok, baby?" I asked her quietly. Her eyes were looking a little bleary and she had been giggling non-stop for the past hour or so.

"I'm great! I haven't felt this good in a long time," she said smiling up at me. The waitress brought our drinks over.

"I need to propose a toast," Chad said. We both looked at him as he held a shot Jaeger in one had and a beer in the other. Court raised her beer and I followed suit. "To family! Welcome to the family Tank!" he said dropping his shot into his beer and downing the whole damn thing. I laughed and shook my head. Crazy ass college kid, I thought with a chuckle.

"Thanks Chad," I said taking a sip of my beer. Court giggled.

"Did I thank you?" she asked turning toward me.

"For what?" I asked looking at her puzzled.

"For being the most wonderful man on the planet. Thank you for keeping me from kicking Lauren's ass earlier, and thank you for this. I needed this," she said leaning up and kissing me lightly. I chuckled and shook my head.

"Dude, I thought you we were going to see a real life cat fight earlier. The claws were out. REEEAARRRR!" Chad said making claws with his hands and hissing.

I was still laughing when the waitress brought the steamers. Chad and Court descended on them immediately. Court showed me how to eat them, and I figured what the hell. They weren't bad, but I think that I prefer oysters on the half shell.

I sat back and sipped my beer. "Can I come to Trenton and visit?" Chad asked in between bites.

"Of course you can. When do you want to come?" Court asked licking her fingers.

"I don't know. Is it cool if I come visit Tank?" he asked.

"Of course. You're always welcome," I said draining my beer.

"Cool. I want to come and see Sophie and your new house. Phish is doing a show in New Jersey in a few months. I'm gonna drive down for that one. If it's cool I'll just crash with you guys," he said ordering another beer.

"Anytime, man," I said.

"Sweet," Chad answered draining half of his beer. "Man I am so glad that you guys came this weekend. It would have been boring as shit if you hadn't. I like you Tank. You are WAY fucking cooler than the losers that Court has dated in the past. What was that one guys name? You know the one that sounded like Robin Leach?"

"Colin," Court mumbled in between bites.

"Yeah, Colin," Chad said doing his impression of Robin Leach. "What a fucking tool."

"Yeah, he was a fucking tool," Court said, draining her beer. I glanced over at Court. She was defiantly drunk. I can count the times on one hand that I have ever heard her use the work 'fuck'. Hell and all of those times were while we were in the act of doing just that.

"You know what we need? Some fucking tunes," Chad said jumping up and heading towards an ancient jukebox in the corner. Court sighed and leaned her head on my arm.

"You ok?" I asked looking down at her.

"Mmm hummm. I'm drunk," she slurred.

"No shit," I said with a chuckle.

"So," she said sitting up. "You have met my family, when do I get to meet yours?"

"Whenever you want. Just say the word and I'll call Mama," I answered. I shot a glance over toward the jukebox where The Allman Borther's "Whippin' Post" began to blare. Chad came dancing back to the table.

"Let's go, sis," he said pulling Court out of the booth. Courtney laughed a full laugh and followed him out into the middle of the floor. I laughed as I watched drunk and drunker dance. These two are a trip. Everyone else was watching too. Court is hard to keep your eyes off of. Dancing in her little khaki skirt, pink tank top, her long tan legs looking a mile long in those high-heeled sandals, her long blonde hair swinging against her back. She looked amazing.

I sighed and sat back. Courtney had handled this whole situation better than I thought. I know how important it was to her that I got along with her whole family. I liked them, especially Chad, that kid is a fucking riot. Lauren was still bothering me though.

I watched as Chad went to dip Courtney and dropped her. She was laying on the dirty floor laughing. I shook my head and stood up. Chad tried to help her up and she pulled him down too. They were both laying on the floor laughing. I stood over them chuckling.

"Alright, guys. I think it's time to head home," I said reaching down and helping Courtney up.

"Dude there is one more place we need to go," Chad said standing up. Courtney looked at him and grinned.

"I think we have done enough tonight," I said.

"I want to go," Courtney said. I looked at her and shook my head.

"Baby, I think that if you drink anymore you are going to pass out cold," I said.

"But you will take care of me," she said with a grin. She was right. I would.

Chad grabbed Court's hand and they took off outside. I settled up at the bar and followed. I walked out just in time to see Courtney getting sick in front of the H2. Chad was holding her hair.

"Oh man, that is fucking gross," he said cringing. Courtney stood up and leaned against the front of the H2.

"That's it. We are heading home," I said helping her climb up into the H2. Chad climbed into the back and we started back to the beach house. I hadn't driven very far when I noticed Court sleeping in the seat.

"She has always been a lightweight," Chad said from the back.

"Yeah, it goes straight to her head," I said pulling into the driveway. I parked in the garage and lifted Court out of the passenger seat. Chad held the door open and I carried her in. Court curled up next to my chest.

Martha and Charles were sitting on the deck, and Chad went out to talk to them. I carried Courtney up the stairs and got her settled. I laid her on the bed and undressed her. I slipped the covers up around her and kissed her on the forehead. There was no doubt that she would be hurting tomorrow. I walked back downstairs and out onto the deck.

"She needed to blow off some steam," Charles said as I walked out. "How's she doing?" he asked me.

"She's ok. Out cold. She will have a hell of a headache tomorrow," I said with a chuckle. I glanced at my watch and saw that it was almost 11pm.

"Well I am going to call it a night too. See you all in the morning," I said and climbed back up the stairs.

I chucked my clothes and settled in next to Courtney. She instantly curled up next to my left side. I wrapped my arms around her and held her close. I stifled a yawn and moved to try to get comfortable. This is the last night here. Tomorrow night I will be sleeping in my own bed. I closed my eyes and drifted off to sleep.

I awoke early the next morning and Courtney was lying on top of me. I stroked my hands up and down her smooth back and gently rolled her off of me. I got up and headed into the bathroom. I took a quick shower and when I returned to the bedroom, Court was rolling over in the bed and groaning.

"Rise and shine," I said pulling the curtains back.

"Oh Christ," she said rolling over and pulling the covers over her head. "Just shoot me, Tank. Put me out of my misery," she grumbled. I chuckled and pulled the covers back.

"Come on, baby. It isn't that bad is it?"

"Oh God, I think I'm dying," she groaned rolling over and throwing her arm over her eyes.

"All you need is some breakfast and you'll feel as good as new," I said chuckling, reaching for my bag.

"Did I actually fall down at The Drunken Clam?" she asked sitting up.

"Honey, you were rolling on the floor laughing," I said.

"Oh God! I was on that filthy floor," she said crawling out of bed. "I need to sanitize myself," she grumbled walking to the bathroom.

"I doubt Chad is much better," I called after her. I got dressed and stretched out on the bed. Courtney returned a little while later looking a little more alive.

"Ugh. The next time I decide to go for the Big Boy Margarita, remind me that it is a very bad idea," she said towel drying her hair. She looked rough. Her eyes were blood shot and she had dark circles under them. I watched as she dried herself and got dressed. She pulled on a pair of white shorts and a Yale hoodie. "Coffee. I need coffee," she said stumbling out of the bedroom.

I laughed and followed her downstairs. Martha and Charles were already up and coffee was brewing. Courtney stumbled to the coffeepot and helped herself.

"Did you have a good time last night dear?" Martha asked.

"Not so loud," Court said holding her head.

"From the looks of it I would say yes," Charles said laughing. Court collapsed into a kitchen chair with a thud. She put her head on the table and groaned.

"Where did you guys go last night?" Martha asked.

"The Drunken Clam," Court grumbled.

"Oh Courtney you didn't! That place is horrible! I with the city would shut it down. It only attracts riff raft. That is no place for a lady," Martha exclaimed.

"Turn down the volume Mom," Court groaned. I grabbed a cup of coffee and leaned against the counter.

"So do you have to go back to Trenton today Tank?" Charles asked.

"Yes sir. I have to work tomorrow morning and we have to pick Sophie up," I answered sipping my coffee.

"It's to bad that you can't stay another night. They are doing a Hawaiian Luau at The Club tonight. I am sure that you would enjoy that," Martha said.

"Maybe next time," I said. Martha nodded.

"I need food," Court said standing. She walked over and grabbed a bagel and placed it in the toaster. She leaned her head against my chest. I wrapped my arm around her and hugged her close.

"It will get better," I said kissing her head. I looked over at Martha who was smiling.

"They make a very striking couple don't they Charles," she said.

"Yes they do," he replied. Courtney's bagel popped up and she pulled away from me and grabbed it. She put some cream cheese on it and plopped back down at the table and began to munch on her bagel.

"Would you like for me to fix you some breakfast Whitley?" Martha asked standing and walking to the fridge.

"No, Ma'am I'm fine with coffee," I said sitting down next to Court.

"He never eats breakfast," Court said in between bites. "He's like a machine. He never gets tired or hungry."

"I'm sure they taught you that in the military," Charles said opening the paper.

"Yes, sir," I answered. We chatted with Charles and Martha for a while. I could tell that Courtney was starting to feel better. She was actually laughing when Chad came dragging downstairs.

"Coffee," he said stumbling toward the coffee maker.

"I see your feeling chipper this morning," Courtney teased.

"Ugh," Chad responded. He collapsed at the kitchen table.

"You up for a run this morning?" I asked with a grin.

"God no," he grumbled sipping his coffee.

"Come on, we'll knock out eight miles in no time," I teased.

"Eight miles? Are you freaking nuts?" Chad said.

"He usually does 10," Court said standing to get more coffee.

"10? Shit," Chad replied.

"Chad, language," Martha scolded. I glanced at my watch and saw that it was already 0900.

"We should get a move on Court," I said standing.

"I guess so," she said leaning against the counter.

"I will go and pack our stuff. You stay and visit with your family," I said kissing her on the forehead. I exited the kitchen and walked up the stairs. I quickly gathered all of our things. I was anxious to get home. I needed to relax. Even though this was supposed to be a relaxing weekend it had been anything but. I carried our bags back downstairs and out to the Hummer.

I walked back into the kitchen and found it empty. Everyone was out on the deck. I walked out and joined them. Courtney stood and smiled over at me. Martha stood and walked around the table. She hugged Courtney tightly.

"I miss you. Don't wait so long to come back," she said with tears forming in her eyes.

"You guys can always come and visit. We aren't that far away," Court said.

"I would like to see your house. Maybe I can get down there in a few weeks. I just feel like I don't get to see you enough," Martha said pulling away and kissing her on the cheek.

"I know I miss you guys too," Court said in a cracked voice. "Please don't cry Mom. It will just make me cry," she said walking over and hugging her father.

"Take care honey," he said hugging her tight. "We will come and visit soon," he said kissing her on the forehead.

Court walked over to Chad and hugged him. "Take it easy little bro," she said with a sad smile.

"You got it sis. I will see you soon ok?" Chad said. Court pulled away and nodded. She walked over to stand next to me, leaning against my arm.

"Whitley, I am so glad that we got to meet you. I feel so much better about Courtney living in New Jersey after meeting you," Martha said walking over and hugging me.

"Thank you so much for having me," I answered. Charles came over and shook my head.

"Take care of my little girl," he said. I nodded.

"Always sir."

Chad came over and bumped fists with me. "Dude, it's been a real trip. Can't wait to get together again. I'll see you guys in a few months," he said doing the man hug.

"Look forward to it," I said. I looked down at Courtney. "Ready?" I asked.

"Yeah. I love you all so much. I will see you soon," she said with tears forming in her eyes.

"We love you too honey. Have a safe trip," Martha said hugging her again. When she pulled away they were both crying.

Court stepped back next to me and I wrapped my arm around her shoulders. I nodded to everyone and lead Courtney out to the garage. I opened the door for her and she climbed in. I climbed behind the wheel and pulled out. We looked back toward the house and saw everyone standing on the back deck waving. Court waved back and we were on our way.

The drive back to Trenton was quiet. Courtney was asleep by the time that we got on 95 South. She slept almost the whole way. I pulled into Lester's driveway and she woke up. Court stretched and stifled a yawn.

"We're here already?" she asked.

"Yeah, you slept the whole way," I answered climbing out of the H2. Court climbed out and we walked to the door. I rang the bell and heard footsteps running behind the door.

"Hang on, little man," I heard Santos say as he opened the door. "Hey guys. Have a good time?" he asked. Cayden came rushing out the door, with Sophie hot on his heels.

"It was great. Did she give you any trouble?" Courtney asked turning to watch Cayden wrestle with Sophie.

"Nope. She was great. She slept next to Cade every night," he said with a chuckle.

"Shit Sophie," Cayden said pointing at Sophie. Sophie sat down.

"Is that what I'm doing wrong?" Courtney said with a laugh. "She won't sit for me," she told Santos.

"Watch the language buddy," Santos warned with a smirk on his face.

"Getting him started right?" I asked with a chuckle. Santos shook his head and walked over scooping Cayden up. Cayden let out a squeal. He perched him up on his shoulders.

"Come on in guys," he said swooping Cayden down into his arms. We followed him in and collected Sophie's things.

"Thanks for watching her," I said.

"Hey it was no problem. Tell Sophie bye Cade," he said nudging Cayden forward.

"Sophie no go bye by," he said hugging her around her neck. Sophie immediately bathed him in doggie kisses.

"I'm sorry little man, but she has to go home with Uncle Tank and Aunt Courtney," Santos said hunching down next to him.

"No! Tay!" Cayden yelled.

"You can come and visit her," Courtney said squatting down to Cayden's level. Cayden pouted his lips and frowned. He shook his head no.

"She tay wif me," he said.

"But she misses her mommy and daddy," Santos explained. Cayden looked at him for a long moment and released Sophie.

"Bye," he said and leaned forward and kissed her on the head.

"Let's go Soph," I said as I hooked up her leash.

"Thanks again Les," Courtney said as we walked out the door.

"Anytime. Wave bye Cade," he said. They stood in the doorway waving until we pulled away.

We arrived at the house a short time later. I opened the back and Sophie jumped out and dashed for the house. I grabbed our bags and met up with Court as she walked around the front of the H2.

"Looks like we aren't the only ones glad to be home," she said taking the keys from me. She punched in the security code and opened the door. Sophie bounded through the door and I followed Courtney in. I sat the bags by the door and walked into our living room.

I collapsed on the sofa. Damn, it's good to be home. Court came over and collapsed beside me.

"I'm glad to be home," she said leaning against me. I wrapped my arm around her.

"Sure is," I agreed. We sat there for a long moment in a comfortable silence that you can only have with someone you love. My cell phone vibrated in my pocket. I moved to pull it out and looked at the screen.

"Ugh. Back to reality," Court said lying back on the sofa.

"Yep," I said opening the phone. "Hey Mama."

"Hi, baby. How did it go?" she asked.

"It was good," I said pulling Courts leg up onto my lap.

"Hunh. They a snotty bunch?" she asked and I couldn't help but smile. Mama never did beat around the bush.

"No, they were fine."

"So when you gonna bring her to meet me? You been with her how long and you still haven't brought her home to meet Mama? That's not right. I'm starting to think there is something that you don't want me to know. Is she pregnant?" she asked

"No she isn't pregnant," I said with a chuckle. Court's eyes got wide and I smiled. "Not yet anyway." Court sat up and swatted me on the arm.

"Well what's the problem? Do I need to call Carlos and tell him you need to get some time off and get your butt down to Louisiana?" she asked. The scary part is that Mama wouldn't hesitate to call Ranger. There aren't many things that Ranger fears, but Mama Baxter ranked pretty high on the list.

"No, Mama. I a few weeks I think," I said.

"A few weeks? Well that is more like it," she said.

I looked over at Courtney and smiled. She looked at me puzzled. I was looking forward to Court meeting Mama. This was going to be fun.