All On Contract

Chapter 18 - Family Dinner

Tessa's P.O.V:
It had been 30 minutes since Marshall and I talked and he still hasn't come inside yet. I know I shouldn't have got involved but the way Nathan was looking at me with pleading eyes, I couldn't help my self.

Hailie and Alaina lay the table as Debbie checks on the food and I grab a wine bottle. Marshall walks in and ignores Debbie as he walks past her and sits down by the table.

"Marshall." Nathan says walking into the kitchen.

"What?" Marshall mumbles.

"Kim's on the phone." He says placing the phone infront of him.

"Tell her i'm not home." Marshall sighs.

"It's pretty hard to do that when she parking outside." Nathan grins.

"She's doing what?" Marshall shouts.

"Parking up front." Nathan shrugs, the grin still playing on his lips. Marshall curses under his breath and stands up from his chair, the legs of the chair making a loud scraping noise.

Debbie turns to me with the salad bowl still in her hand. Oh, she expects me to do something since she thinks Marshall and I are really engaged. I look away from the her and hover over Alaina as I help her set the table.

"They'll be fine." I tell Debbie. We hear Marshall and Kim shouting in the foyer. "Trust me it's better if i'm not there." I add.

Debbie nods in response and pulls Hailie on her lap as she takes a seat on one of the chairs that's around the table. I walk back into the kitchen area and get the pasta and check on the cheescake in the fridge and then start to make my way back to the dining area but I stop in my tracks when Kim walks in.

"We have a shared custody!" Marshall shouts as he walks in.

"That was before you announced your engagement to the world! Nathan should have told me where he was taking them! I'm taking the kids." Kim shouts back.

Oh god!

"You ain't taking my damn kids!" Marshall shouts and steps infront of Kim.

"Why didn't you tell me about her first and discussed this engagement properly." Kim argues as the rest of us watch them. "I don't even know her!" Kim adds.

"You can get a chance to know me. It's not too late." I say stepping in. The last thing I want is for Marshall and Kim to argue infront of their two girls. My parents would fight all the time so I know how Hailie and Alaina feel.

"How can I trust you with my kids?" She asks.

"Have dinner with us. That way you can get a chance to know me." I shrug. Marshall throws his hands up in the air as he stands behind Kim and shakes his head.

"What the fuck are you doing?" He mouths.

"If I don't like you then you keep a distance from my daughters." Kim sighs.

"They're not my kids so it's up to you." I shrug. Kim looks at me up and down before she walks past me and walks towards the dining room area.

"Why don't you invite my fucking dad whilst your at it." Marshall says sarcastically before he storms past me and sits down on the dining table, next to Alaina.

Sighing, I make my way towards the dining table and walk towards the empty seat between Nathan and Marshall. Nathan pulls the empty seat out for me.

"Thanks." I smile. Everyone digs into the food without a single word. I glance around the table and look at everyone eating without speaking.

"Could you pour me some of that pasta?" Nathan says. I lean foward and grab the pasta dish and sit back into my seat.