Wine After Whiskey

The next morning, weather in the town of Wasaga was perfect. Not a cloud in the sky, or any rain scheduled for the next two days. James and Tessa woke Aubree up early and after a big breakfast of more of James’s famous chocolate chip pancakes, they got dressed up in their bathing suits and loads of sunscreen for an afternoon at the beach.

“Momma, I gots sand all over me!” Aubree grumbled with a disgusted face as she tried to wipe the white sand off of her pink-painted feet. It was to no avail as it only caused her to get more sand on her hands and feet. She pouted as both of her parents let out a laugh.

“Has she never been to the beach before, Tess?” James asked with a grin. Tessa slapped him lightly on the back of the head.

“I’ve been a little busy the last four years, y’know?” she poked James in the ribs with a grin. Laying back on the towel, she let out a content sigh and smiled. She, at the moment, had a world in her hands.

“I know you have.” he agreed, leaning back on his elbow and kissing her forehead. She wrinkled her nose, and leaned up to meet his lips. “And I really appreciate how amazing, and wonderful, and beautiful, and all other sorts of fantastic adjectives that I cant currently think of…that you’ve been these past four years before I finally realized how much my princess and my queen meant to my life.”

“You are such a bullshitter? You know that, James Neal?”

“Stop cursing in front of our child. Bad influence.” he chastised, pulling Aubree into his lap. She giggled, and squirmed in her fathers arms, trying to get away.

“I wanna go in the water, daddy!”

“Do you?” she giggled in agreement to her dad. James picked her up from where she was sitting in his lap and set her up on his hip, trying to pull Tessa up with him.

“I don’t want to go in the water right now. Let me tan.” James shook his head as he carried Aubree out to the water with him. Tessa grinned as they walked out to the beach. “Nice ass there, babe!” She called, causing all the families on the beach to look at her in disgust.

_____

James and Aubree stayed out in the water for almost an hour. They played in the knee deep crystal clear liquid, and boogey boarded in the small waves before Aubree began to get tired and wanted to come in. The entire time, Tessa watched from the shore. It was amazing how great two persons who hadn’t known each other just for a little bit, got along so well.

“He’s good with kids… You probably wouldn’t know that though…Since he did leave you and all.” The voice came from behind Tessa, and even before she turned around she knew exactly who it was.

Melanie.

Tessa’s blood began to raise as she turned around. There she was in her itty-bitty blue and white bikini, standing with a smirk on her face. It took every ounce of self-control for Tessa not to get up, and pop that smug son of a bitch right in her face, but Tessa wasn’t raised in a trailer park, so she chose to take the high road and continued to read the book she had in her hand.

“He’ll make a great daddy for our baby.” Melanie squeaked with an obvious grin in her face.

Oh, hell no.

Tessa’s head spun around after she had said those words.

“Excuse me?” she asked with a tone that had more flame than the Great Chicago Fire.

“You heard me. Nine months or so from now, he’ll be leaving the Whale and her little brat for us. We talked about having a baby, sure it’s more planned than yours was.”

Out of pure annoyance, Tessa chuckled. Was she joking? Or was she serious?

“Okay, Melanie. I’m sure that that’s really the case. You are just an attention whore. You know that?” Melanie smirked, she was getting under Tessa’s skin.

_____

From the water James realized who exactly was up on the shoreline with Tessa, quickly he picked up Aubree and balanced her on his hip again, much to her now protests of getting out of the water. Mel didn’t notice him walking up until he began to speak, Tessa looked pissed as hell.

“Melanie, I am here with my family. Please, leave me the hell alone. No longer. I told you.” Melanie still continued to smirk as she looked down at Tessa on the towel.

“You know, I’m going to leave… and Whale? You can let him know of my upcoming event.” As quick as she made her way over to them, Melanie left. She left Tessa glaring up at James, and James who looked like he had no clue what the hell was even going on.

“I think it’s best if we go back to the hotel now.” Tessa simply replied, beginning to pick up the items they had brought with them. James didn’t bother to ask what happened, it looked like Tessa was about to spew like Mount Vesuvius and he didn’t want in particular for that to happen right in the middle of the beach.

But whatever he had done, or she had said was probably a lie, he only hoped.