Tracy glanced around the room. “What did they tell you?” She frowned.
“The truth,” JD chuckled. “How your mother was a bitch on wheels.”
“Jeffrey, don’t refer to women as that word,” Tracy insisted. “It's not nice.” She turned to Sasha. “My mother was a challenge.”
“Ha,” Al laughed out. “Is that what you called Lena back in the day, a challenge?”
“We did not have the best of what some call ‘a mother-daughter relationship,’” Tracy explained. “However, it is a wonderful relationship now.”
“Tell her about how your mother tried to charge me to have a relationship with you,” JD stated.
“Or how she charged me monthly to let you live with her as a child?” Al raised an eyebrow.
“Or how she tried to …” JD began.
“Okay,” Tracy cut him off. “There were some challenges with Lena, however, do I need to remind you, it was Lena who walked me down the aisle when I was shell-shocked at the entrance? Or that it was Lena who eventually got me to open up to my father?”
“Or that it was Lena who watched as the children put laundry detergent in the fountain that cost me a few grand to get cleaned out?” JD added.
Tracy and Al laughed. “That was funny.”
“I didn’t think it was funny at the time, and neither did you, Al,” Ryan said as she walked into the room with the baby monitor in her hand. “Why are we talking about things that happened years ago?”
“Sasha is having mother issues and we are trying to help her figure out how to deal with Stephanie,” Al explained.
“Whip that ass,” Ryan replied.
“Yes, well, from what I was told you tried that,” JD laughed.
“You did,” Sasha laughed.
“The woman is a trained police officer who fought with your mother and you are laughing?” Tracy exclaimed. “You are your father’s child.”
“What?” Al replied with a smug look, “She deserved it, and I was not going to get in between Morgan and a well-deserved ass whipping.”
“Thank you, baby,” Ryan leaned over and kissed Al.
“You are so gone,” Sasha laughed at Al’s silly grin.
JD chuckled at Al. “You went down fighting, but you are gone.”
“You did,” Tracy smiled at Al. “Both of you did.”
“Me?” Ryan raised an eyebrow. “I was good to go.”
“Hell no you weren’t,” JD exclaimed. “Tracy and I had to use the kids to lock you both in our basement for days to get you to open up to each other.”
“You locked them in the basement?” Sasha gasped.
“We have conquered some issues for love in this family,” Tracy commented.
Al nodded. “We fight for what’s important in our family. You and your happiness are important to us.”
“That’s right,” Tracy squeezed her hand. “We know how to deal with challenging mothers.”
“And fathers,” Ryan added.
“Whew, do we have to tell her that?” Al huffed.
“Hell, yeah,” JD laughed. “I’m just sorry I had to get that story secondhand. I would have loved to have seen you fighting Williams.”
“Why, because he is dating your mother now?” Sasha asked.
“Ooh … She got you on that one.” Ryan laughed. “You know you have an issue with my dad and your mother.”
“He does not have an issue with them as a couple,” Tracy explained. “He just did not like the way he found out about it.”
“Hell, I would give anything to have been told about it rather than seeing them both naked,” Ryan shook her head.
“Oh sookie, sookie now. We had naked bodies?” Sasha laughed.
“That was an interesting day,” Tracy laughed.
“You were there, too?” Sasha asked.
“Yes, and it was rather embarrassing for both Chief Williams and Martha,” Tracy replied.
“Martha was not embarrassed,” Ryan laughed. “I distinctly remember her telling all three of us to mind our business.”
Tracy laughed. “She sure did.”
“I do not find any of this funny,” JD scoffed.
“If you had been there to see the expression on Ryan’s and Ashley’s faces, you would have.” Tracy laughed.
“Who’s Ashley?” Sasha asked.
“My friend from college and JD’s sister, which makes her your aunt, too,” Tracy explained.
“She was hot that day,” Ryan added.
“Yes, she was, but not as hot as JD when he found out,” Tracy remarked good-naturedly. “I had to pull all kinds of stunts in the hospital to keep him under control.”
“I remember seeing that.” Sasha smiled. “Kaylan told me about the two of them when you were trying to keep … JD from saying something.”
“I missed that,” Ryan laughed.
“You and Al were still in new baby bliss at the time,” Tracy said as she smiled at JD. “He was a little salty then, but I think he has come around now.”
“He might as well,” Ryan chuckled. “The Chief and Martha are still going hot and heavy.”
“Can we discuss something else please?” JD insisted. “This is not helping Sasha with her situation at all.”
“On the contrary, Uncle JD,” Sasha emphasized. “This lets me know I’m not the only one dealing with a special mother situation.”
“Not at all,” Tracy smiled at her. “I think at some point we all have issues with someone we love who has challenges with loving us back the way we want. I know Lena gave me a run for my money for years. My refuge came when I moved away to college and never went back. I spent my holidays on campus until Ashley and I got an apartment. Looking back, it seems like a lonely life, however, it made me the person I am today. Being forced to be on my own caused me to be a little standoffish when it came to people, but then I was blessed to meet Ashley and JD. They showed me what family life could be. It was my choice to open the door and walk in.”
“How did you keep your mother from interfering in your life?” Sasha asked.
“I had a lot of help from people around me who saw Lena for who she was. Instead of eliminating her from our lives we found a way to include her. Now, she is a loving part of our family,” said Tracy.
“We all have challenges and obstacles in our lives we have to overcome,” Al disclosed. “Some are harder than others. What I discovered was those obstacles were easier to move out of the way with others helping me. Family is the strength that gets us over those tough times. You are more fortunate than most.”
“How so?” Sasha asked.
“You have two powerful families at your back. The Lassiters, who are as dangerous to cross as they are loving, and us. We will kill to protect who we love. That is just the reality of our family. You love your mother. Why, I do not know. But since you do, it is my job as your father to protect those you love. Invite your mother to the wedding. Between Luke and I, we will make sure she does not disrupt anything for you. You have my word on that.”
“Mine as well,” Tracy smiled. “We are family, and together we are going to get you down that aisle.”
“Hey, if we fail, there is always Monique,” JD stated.
Sasha laughed. “Let’s hope we do not have to turn to that. Thank you for sharing your stories with me.”
She looked at Al. “Will you give me away?” The look of surprise in Al’s eyes made Sasha hesitate. “I mean, you don’t have to.”
It took him a minute to reply. “It will be my honor.”
Sasha exhaled with a smile. “Thank you. I will admit, I’m a little intimidated by some of you.”
“You are one of us,” Al reassured, “The good, the bad and the evil.”
“Evil Lena,” Tracy said, causing all of them to laugh.
“That is what we called your grandmother for years,” Al chuckled. “Now, she is just Lena.”
“I get the feeling she does not like my mother too much.”
Ryan laughed. “That is an understatement. Hey, I say put her in charge of covering Stephanie.”
“No … no … no, no, no no,” Al objected. “The country will end up in an international affair.”
“International?” JD raised an eyebrow.
“Oh, you don’t know. We are getting married at sea in international waters,” Sasha explained. “We are taking everyone on a cruise to Barcelona, Spain.”
“And we can just throw your mother overboard when she acts up.” Al smiled.
“Do you mind if I get to meet her first?” Tracy asked.
“Okay,” Al shrugged. “We can wait until then.”
Everyone in the room laughed.