Asking anyone for anything was foreign to Sasha. To have the life she wanted with Luke, she was going to have to talk with her father. It’s not that Al was difficult to talk to, it was just that she never had the experience of talking to her father about her mother. Sasha almost laughed out loud at that thought as she rang the doorbell and the door opened. She expected to see Al or Ryan on the other side. No one was there.
“The door is computerized to open at my command. I’m in the Sit Room. Come on back, Sasha.”
She heard Al’s voice, but wasn’t sure where it came from. “Umm, okay,” Sasha replied as she walked by the kitchen to the room she had only been in once before. Even during the few days she stayed with Al, she never went into the room after meeting the President in there. She still wasn’t used to knowing the United States President and the First Lady as her uncle and aunt. The Sit Room door opened. This time someone was on the other side.
“Sasha, I understand congratulations are in order.”
“Umm …” Sasha cleared her throat. “Thank you, sir,” she stammered.
JD pulled her into a bear hug. “I’m not a sir to you. I’m Uncle JD.”
Sasha wasn’t sure what to do. Should she hug the man back, or step away? She looked around the room to find Al laughing at her response. Hell it was hard enough getting up the nerve to talk to Al. She damn sure wasn’t ready to talk to the President.
“Yes … yes … sir, Uncle JD.” She patted his back.
JD laughed then held her at arm’s length. “Just Uncle JD. So when is the wedding?”
Sasha stepped back as she cleared her throat. “My apologies. I did not know you had company.”
“He’s not company. He is family,” Al corrected.
“When Al told us you were on your way over, we decided to hang around to see you. Tracy and I haven’t had the chance to spend time with you,” JD replied as he took a seat. “So, tell me about the wedding.”
Sasha smiled. “You don’t want to know about my wedding. I’m sure you have better things to do with your time.”
“On the contrary,” JD laughed as he sat down. “If we don’t get an invitation to your wedding, I will be sleeping in the doghouse.”
Sasha laughed. “Right. The doghouse is a room at the Hay-Adams or Camp David.”
“Any place without my wife in my arms is a doghouse to me,” JD responded.
“What a loving thing to say,” Sasha had to get used to men speaking of love in an open way. Luke did it all the time, and so did his family members. Now it seemed, so did the President … that is, Uncle JD. She shook her head once again at the thought that this is family.
“Please do not start him up,” Al rolled his eyes upwards.
“My wife, your aunt put those words in my mouth, and I owe it all to your father.”
Sasha looked from JD to Al. “Al introduced you to the First Lady?”
“No. Tracy was my sister’s college roommate. That’s when I first met her.”
“Like most men, he was stupid and let his big head get in the way of love,” Al added. “He was too old for her, or so he thought.”
“She was younger and I was working in the district attorney’s office.” JD explained.
“He broke her heart,” Al stated.
“I did not break … Are you going to let me tell this story or do you want the honor?” JD huffed at him.
“No, no it’s your love story, you tell it. I have my own to tell.”
Sasha tried not to laugh at two grown men competing over love stories. She had to smile as she removed her coat and took a seat to listen.
“It’s because of me you two came back together,” Al chuckled then looked at Sasha. “You know he locked me up?”
“What?” Sasha gasped.
“I did not lock him up,” JD tried to explain.
“Did you put me behind bars?”
“I did not physically place you behind bars. You wisely turned yourself in to me. Which, by the way, I would have eventually brought you down.”
“He put me behind bars so he could have free access to your aunt,” Al explained.
“No … no… that is not what happened,” JD protested. “You asked me to protect your sister while you were locked up.” He looked at Sasha. “I assisted him in cleaning up his life.”
“That’s what you call putting me in prison for forty years?” Al chuckled.
JD gave him an incredulous look. “You did not do forty years.”
“Only because my sister interceded with your heart.” Al looked back at Sasha. “If it had not been for your aunt, I would still be behind bars.”
“You did the crime …”
“So you have to do the time …” the two said in unison, then broke out laughing.
“I think we are telling our age with that one,” Al laughed.
“The truth is somewhere in those lies both of us just told,” JD smiled at Sasha.
“Sounds like you two are good friends in spite of it all.” Sasha smiled.
“We’re family,” JD replied. “And so are you.”
“We realize you are just getting to know us. But we are family. We, all of us, have your back,” Al stated.
“To be open, your father always had your back.” JD sat forward. “Even when he returned from Atlanta heartbroken from your rejection, he continued to keep an eye on you. It’s the reason we knew how to protect you from Dylan Myers. Your father gave us the information on how to watch over you. It was Al who sent Monique for you, without my permission, I might add.”
“You were taking too long,” Al added. “Besides, your focus was on what was best for the country, as it should be. My focus was on what was best for my daughter.”
“You both, did okay,” Sasha acknowledged. “The steps you took brought me here, and I’m pretty grateful to now know all of you. It’s taking me a minute to get used to it all,” she exhaled. “I’ve been pretty much on my own for a while. Learning to include family in my decision-making process is going to take a little time. Unfortunately, my experience with family up until a year ago has been limited to my mother and grandmother.”
Al cleared his throat. “It’s one of the reasons I wanted JD and Tracy here for our conversation. Your situation with your mother concerns us.”
“It concerns the hell out of me,” Sasha released a nervous laugh, then continued to speak. “I know my mother is toxic for me. However, she is my mother, and I would like for her to be a part of my life. I just don’t know if that is fair to Luke. His family is simply wonderful. They are loving, caring, and in-your-face kind of people and I like that. How do I protect them and you all from her?”
“Protect us?” Al asked. “Why do you think you have to protect us?”
Sasha cautioned. “Al, I know you think you know Stephanie, but she can be loving on the surface yet devious at heart. I know she has something up her sleeve. The signs are all there. She was trying to manipulate me with her guilt routine. When that did not get her what she wanted, she switched up to the 'tell me about you, caring mother act'. The problem is …” she let her voice trail off.
“You want her to be a part of your wedding,” JD finished her statement.
“Yes, I do.” Sasha exhaled. “How do I include her without causing everyone else to be uncomfortable?”
“Other people’s comfort is not your concern,” Al declared.
“But it is. I love Luke. The wedding day isn’t just for me, it’s his day, too. I know Stephanie is going to try to do something to ruin it for both of us.”
“That’s where we come in.” JD smiled. “Family looks out for family. Now, we may not like it, but your mother is family, too.”
“We have a shitload of experience with family issues,” Al said, causing him and JD both to laugh.
“Whew,” JD continued, laughing. “I don’t know your mother, however, I bet she has nothing on my mother-in-law.”
Sasha frowned. “Lena? I thought all of you got along.”
“We do now,” Al laughed. “We did not growing up. JD, call Tracy. Sasha needs to hear the story from her point of view.”
“No, don’t bother the First Lady,” Sasha nervously demanded.
“She is not the First Lady to you, Sasha,” JD said as he pushed a button on his phone. “She is your aunt, and this is what family does. We help each other. Hey, Babe,” he said into the phone,” Sasha is here and she needs to talk to you.”
“Don’t you have to go run a country or something?” Sasha asked.
“No, I mean yes, however, we also have a family to love. We set this time aside for you. If anything comes up, my men will let me know.” JD stood as the door opened.
“Whoa, you’re here already?” Sasha stood as Tracy walked into the room.
“I was visiting with Ryan and the baby,” Tracy replied then walked over and hugged her. “I am so happy you finally decided to spend some time with us. Jeffrey told me to be patient and wait my turn.” She took her hand, then sat down on the sofa against the wall. “So, what are we talking about?”
“Mothers,” Al answered.