"How did you do all this Cindy?" I tried to get a word in when she came up for air.
"Tanner your sister has been planning state dinners and royal soirees since she was six years old, you should know, you've been her guest for many a high tea over the years."
"Mom…so she told you?" Mom came into the kitchen looking rested.
"Yes, and I'd like to know why you didn't."
"It all happened so fast..."
"That's okay son, your nosy sister explained everything, welcome to the family Anna-Maria, not that you weren't already part of my clan, but it's good to make it official. I couldn't have chosen better for my first born."
Anna hadn't said a word since the interruptions and I looked at her now to find her teary eyed.
I walked over to her side and hugged her close.
She finally found her voice.
"Thanks Tessa, that means a lot, so you really don't mind?"
"Silly girl of course not."
"Okay now that we've got that out of the way, Anna you don't have to go anywhere or do anything, everyone is coming to you, by twelve they should start arriving..."
"Who's arriving for what Cynthia, I still don't know what you're babbling about?"
"Your wedding silly, your hair and makeup people will be here first, your dress is hanging in my room..."
Cynthia kept going but I stopped listening after I ascertained that Anna wasn't about to run screaming from the island, in fact she seemed to be taking it all in stride as she went back to mixing her batter.
"Son, did Cynthia tell you...?"
"I don't see why we have to be here, who ever heard of a tropical Xmas, shouldn't there be snow?"
"You've got to be shitting me." I looked over at Cynthia, no fucking way.
Cynthia scrunched up her face like a sour lemon.
"Trust me we tried to lose her but no dice, I think she figured out that you might be here, or Pamela told her."
"Who? What's going on?"
Before I could answer Anna Yvette and Pamela entered the room.
And this is where my headache began, an actual throbbing behind my eyes.
She of course made a beeline for me but I sidestepped her easily by heading in the opposite direction in the pretense of greeting Pamela.
There was no point in blaming Pamela for any of this, there's no way she could've known that I was newly engaged.
"Tanner it's so amazing to find you here, I've been so worried that no one seemed to now where you were..."
"Hello Yvette how are you?"
"Fine now that you're here."
I saw Anna arch her brow, oh shit; how the fuck do I get out of this situation without too many hurt feelings? Not that I gave a shit about Yvette's feelings but I didn't want Anna thinking that there was anything going on between us, not on her wedding day.
"Anna, I don't recall seeing you board the plane with us."
Pamela looked a little confused.
"That's because she didn't, she's been here with Tanner all this time." I could just see the malicious gleam in the pixie's eyes.
"Who is that?" Yvette had an ugly sneer on her face as she turned to look at Anna from across the room where she'd been in the process of following after me.
"Yvette allow me to introduce you to my new daughter in law."
She screeched, no seriously, I couldn't reproduce that sound if my life depended on it. Then she pointed her well manicured finger at my beauty and declared...
"But she's so...ordinary looking."
And this is the point where the headache became a full blown migraine because my lovely fiancé threw her bowl of whatever the hell she was stirring, one handed I might add, at Yvette.
She didn't miss.
There was batter from the top of her head to the thighs of her designer slacks. You could hear the thump of the heavy ceramic bowl as it connected with her chest.
Cynthia, ever the helpful one caught the bowl before it shattered on the marble floor.
That screeching started up again and my head was done.
"Oops, I guess there'll be no waffles this Xmas." Anna-Maria dead panned.
"Were you making your praline waffles?"
"Yes Cindy I was."
"Oh hell no, I'll help you get the stuff together, I love your waffles."
"What...waff...you're discussing waffles after what that...thing did to me?"
I got between them just in time to save her stupid ass from a face punch if Anna's folded fist was anything to go by.
"Easy there slugger."
"Who is this insect and why is she in my world?" Anna actually growled at me with what looked like murder in her eyes.
Yvette was spluttering all over her face, she really needed to go do something about the mess that she was.
"How dare you, I'm calling the police, what's the number for nine one one in this godforsaken place?"
No one bothered to answer her as she continued her threats. I had to put Anna in a semi headlock to keep her from going after her again.
Dad, Doc and Justin came into the room, obviously to see what all the ruckus was about.
Doc for some inexplicable reason took one look at Yvette, then me, then Anna, and shook his head.
"Okay champ what did she call you, scrawny?"
"Nope, she went with ordinary."
"Oh shit, uh, Yvette is it?"
He walked over to her as I looked at the other players in the room, especially my proper to her bones mother.
Her shoulders were shaking, her eyes were watery as she covered her lower face with her hand, she was literally crying with laughter.
Thanks mom.
I rolled my eyes at her she just shrugged and turned her face into dad's chest.
The Doc carried on his conversation with the uninvited Yvette.
"Well now, you said something about the police, I think it only fair to warn you that I'm a deputy back home, that's my daughter, we law enforcement types like to stick together if you know what I mean so I'm afraid that won't do you any good."
"But that's back in America."
"Uh, this is American soil child, besides, I'm sure you have something even more smashing to wear. Are you a model?"
"At the pound..."
I squeezed Anna's neck a little to get her to shut up, she turned her head and tried to bite off my nipple.
"Ow..."
I cut off my growl as everyone turned their attention to us, when she released me and they'd gone back to minding their business I whispered in her ear.
"You're gonna pay for that later."
“Yeah yeah, big talk old man."
Doc was now leading Yvette from the room he stopped in the door and looked back at us with a what the hell look and an eye roll.
"Okay let me say this now with all the players in the room, Yvette is never invited to another holiday get together, I will not have my wife being uncomfortable in her own family."
"But she's my cousin...."
"Pamela, kill that shit, you heard my brother, besides I've told you two before, if Tanner wasn't interested in the beginning he's never going to be, your cousin has other family and friends she can spend the holidays with, you and I both know the only reason she's been hanging around is because she's been trying to snag my brother."
"Yes, and my son was willing to forgo Xmas with his own family to avoid her, did you think I would ever allow that again, not in this lifetime."
Mom went over to help Cynthia and Anna with whatever the hell they were doing as they carried on like nothing out of the ordinary had happened.
Dad just gave me a thumbs up and went to see what smelled so good in the oven.
"Tanner that is not going to be a tradition."
Fuck, I'm marrying a fighter...HooYah.
Chapter 10
So the rest of the household has finally stirred and Tanner introduced me to his team, Paul Frank and Tim, they're a bunch of rowdy guys who seemed to love the ground their lieutenant walke
d on.
They were the three in the living room, I found out why there wasn't enough room when Tracy, Carol, Lauren and Mike came down the stairs, followed by Greg and Mark, there was one room left I think, but the guys preferred to stay up all night telling war stories apparently and had fallen asleep down here.
I hadn't seen the she wolf since dad had taken her out the kitchen and wasn't looking forward to that happy occurrence any time soon.
After the introductions were made (and I can't believe Cynthia had brought Mike here not to mention Mark.)
When I introduced Tanner to Mark Tanner gave Mark the death glare until he was satisfied that Mark really wasn't interested in me in that way.
Mike was another story, I couldn't change Tanner's mind when he clasped Mike behind his neck and with a' let's take a walk' disappeared outside.
"You told him you played touchy-feely with Mike didn't you?"
"Shut it Mark before I tell him you use to climb through my bedroom window."
" Hey, that was only so we could prank people." He looked seriously concerned that I would tell Tanner that mess.
"He doesn't know that."
"And I was like ten the last time I did that, you better not, dude looks like he's looking for any excuse to end me. I hope he lets old Mikey boy live."
Mark seemed to think that was funny but I wasn't too sure he was far off the mark.
By the time I had breakfast organized everyone was gathered around the dining room table.
Mike looked a little jumpy but still in one piece, Yvette was back with that same sour look on her face and Cynthia was trying to rush everyone through their meal because her torture posse was expected any minute now.
"So Tanner, how long have you known... what was it again, Annalisa?"
Oh this bitch was back in full form.
"I've known Anna-Maria for a while now."
"This wedding is kind of sudden isn't it?"
"You..."
Before I could finish letting the towheaded hussy have it my soon-to-be father-in-law cut in.
"Yvette dear that ship has sailed, now Anna has spent a lot of time putting together this lovely meal and I for one would like to enjoy it."
"Well I don't think I'm hungry."
"Go choke on your fingers hoochie."
I said it only loud enough for those closest to me to hear that would be me, Tanner, Cynthia, Troy and Yvette.
They of course laughed well all except her of course.
She drew in her breath and stood from the table in a huff before flouncing out of the room.
Good riddance, now maybe I could enjoy my food in peace.
The guys were fun and I finally got to hear how Cynthia pulled off getting everyone here to the island.
She'd lured Tracy and the others with an island getaway, enough said.
Tanner's teammates were the only ones she let in on her little secret after swearing them to secrecy and according to them, there was no way they were going to miss their Lieu taking the plunge.
There was a lot of teasing about some picture but when I asked all Tanner would say was later.
Dad had an idea what was going on when she'd talked him onto the plane and of course Tessa knew.
"Dad, who's watching over the town while you're here?"
I teased my father; he would never shirk his duties for anything so it meant a lot that he was here.
"James is in charge, he's a good kid he can hold down the fort for a few days while I see my baby girl get hitched."
Cynthia had finally let the others in on the secret since we'd already been outed by Yvette and her screeching earlier.
I'd barely swallowed a few mouthfuls before Cynthia was whisking me away from the table.
As we turned the corner we caught the tail end of a conversation her skankiness was having with someone on the phone.
"I mean obviously she's trying to trap him, I bet the little whore got pregnant on purpose cause there's no way a guy like Tanner would fall for that thing..."
I was on her before she knew I was even there, I don't pull hair, I didn't grow up part boy with Mark and his friends for nothing, I could throw down.
Cynthia didn't even try to stop me as I pummeled the shit out of her. She got me with a scratch to the neck, but other than that I kept my fist in her face.
She was screaming loud enough to raise the dead, good thing Cynthia had had the presence of mind to turn off the phone.
I heard running feet before I was being lifted off her screeching form.
"Next time you call me out my name I'll fuck your shit up worst, try me skank."
I was huffing like a locomotive; there was still some fight left in me as Tanner pulled me away.
"What the fuck happened here, and what the fuck is that on your neck?"
By then everyone had gathered no one saw fit to help the victim off the floor, not even her cousin.
Tanner was busy using the tail of his shirt to dab at the scratches on my neck she'd broken the skin.
"Great, now I need rabies shots."
"That's it, Cindy is Pete still on the mainland?"
"Nah, he went home to be with his family for Xmas but...she can always stay at a hotel on the mainland until she gets a flight out."
"Good enough, I want her out of here right fucking now...."
"I'll kill you..."
She got up screaming again her face was a bloody mess, busted lip, and two already swelling eyes. Good job me.
"You put hands on her again and I'll forget you're a woman, do...not...fuck...with...her."
Tanner pushed me behind his back while he yelled at the idiot.
Is it sick to admit I wanted to jump him right then and there?
I don't know what happened after that, I did hear the motor running a little while later as someone took the skanky one off the island.
Tanner was pissed for a good minute until I snuck him away and gave him a little taste. Literally.
Bent over the bathroom counter, he ate the cooch until he was happy and all was right in the world again.
Then we were battling Cynthia because I decided I wanted to go barefoot, my dress was such that it could go either way.
It's a champagne colored off the shoulder backless gown that flows to the ankles, the bodice has heavy beading but the skirt is plain, it's elegantly simple and I love it.
Tanner said that he too would go barefoot, but somehow the pixie got wind of our intentions and threw a tantrum that made the fuehrer's look like child's play.
Needless to say, we're wearing shoes.
The ceremony was amazing for something that had been thrown together last minute there were white star shaped lights strung along the chairs and around the palm trees on the beach.
There was an arbor with hibiscus and lilies, hydrangea and whatever tropical flower Cynthia could get her hands on.
There was no one color scheme but everything flowed well together.
The stylist did my hair in this simple twist on my nape and thankfully the make up people had something to cover the claw marks on my neck.
We said our I dos as the sun set beyond the sea, it was picture-perfect and just us, no muss no fuss.
There were tears of happiness from the parents and ribald toasts from Justin and the team.
The food I'd prepared would be for tomorrow obviously, since Cynthia had the whole thing catered and I must admit, the island spread was spectacular, especially the lamb roasting on a spit.
The champagne flowed like water; there was nothing but laughter and well wishes as I was held securely in the crook of my husband's arm.
Well it's done, we're married, she's finally mine, don't let anyone tell you marriage is just a piece of paper, it's so much more than that.
There's a feeling that comes over you when you realize that this person is yours, totally, lawfully yours.
You've claimed each other for all the world to see, it's like making a statement of intent.
Like th
is woman or this man belongs to me, I'm going to go forth and build a life with them we'll set up house together, have children, raise a family and along the way try to contribute positively to the world around us, but I'll be doing it with this person at my side.
I couldn't imagine taking this journey with anyone other than my beauty, my Xmas girl, looks like the fat bastard finally got one right.
Nah, I'll thank God for this one.
THE END
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His Xmas Surprise Page 6