Pawned Virtue - #wattys2015 BK4 TPBS - Completed 1st draft

-52-

Not edited.

Tara ran up the steps of the beach house with Keiran, Jace and Peter following at a more leisurely pace.

She had news.

She found herself almost bouncing as she waited for the door to be answered. Two cars drove up the driveway and she smiled.

Jones got out of his car with a goofy grin. He already knew.

Lucas saw Tara and sighed a large sigh of relief that she was all right. Her message had almost been cryptic and when he asked her if anything was wrong she'd only replied that she was ok but there was something she needed to talk to him about.

He was surprised to see that Peter was there as well. He'd stepped up in the father role that Tara had dreamed of and knowing that made Lucas extremely happy.

Maggie had told him that Tara now called her Mum which was the first step to Tara actually feeling like she belonged, like she had a family. The next was Peter being her father. She'd had Keiran as an adopted brother for years and Jace had stuck by her as well.

She'd charmed everyone who'd come in contact with her and had no idea that she was doing it. She had a gift that came from the heart. He himself never expected to love again but dammit of he didn't love her with every fibre of his being.

His door opened and he realised that he'd been just sitting and staring off into space.

She reached in and grabbed his hand.

"Come on slow coach. Everyone's waiting."

He unfolded himself from the car in bemusement and followed as she led him towards the house.

"Baby what's going on?"

She stopped and turned back suddenly and smiled. He was lost in that smile. Completely floored to the point of being a whimpering idiot. Oh yeh that smile... that reached her eyes... turned the big bad boss into a little boy. He couldn't help but wonder if he should tell the guys that if they need him they just had to dial one-two-three-Tara-owns-me...

"It's a secret."

He shook himself back to the present.

"Oh baby... please" he tried the old puppy look that people always claimed worked... hell it worked on him.. but with Tara... nope. She wasn't buying it.

"I became immune to that look when Ke abused is power."

He scowled.

"Damn seventeen year old!"

Tara laughed and he stiffened.

Oh hell! Thinks of something else.... nope, nope... Oh hell... HELP!

"Come on you two!"

Thank you Peter!

He followed as she led. The puppy look didn't work but his impression of being one surely deserved an award?

Holy crap he really is gorgeous! He almost had her with those eyes. Thank you Keiran! She couldn't help but grin at what she was about to tell them all. Jones knew, he was there when she found out. She had the grades to do anything she wanted. She'd passed everything with honours. She'd finally achieved what her father had told her she wouldn't. Life was good.

"Does anyone know what's going on?" he asked a bewildered group of people who sat waiting in the kitchen.

Jones looked at Tara with a grin that was returned. The secret was safe but only needed to be just for a few more minutes.

"Oh... You must be Peter, Keiran's dad?" Maggie had turned from the cake container she'd just emptied onto plates.

"That'd be me. You must be the famous Maggie I've heard so much about?"

He walked over to the counter and reached out to take her hand in his that to the unsuspecting eye would be two people shaking hands as they met. It wasn't however unnoticed that Maggie had blushed or that the handshake had lingered for a few more seconds than was necessary.

"Ah well I don't know about being famous..."

"Awww come on Mum. You're famous to us." Tara said with a grin just moments after she and Ke had shared a knowing look.

Again Magge blushed.

"Hey..." Keiran spoke up "if Tara calls you Mum and she's my sister cause calls my Dad, Dad.. does that mean your my Mum too?"

Tara grinned as Maggie looked at him in shock.

"Of course you can call me Mum. I'd be..."

"Mummy!" Keiran ran around the table, and pushed his father out of the way to go around the counter and hurl himself at Maggie as she grinned widely while hugging him.

While Lucas was happy for them and laughed as everyone else did at Keiran's behaviour he wanted to know why Tara had called them all there.

"Ok... time's up" He turned Tara to look at him. "Why are we here? What's the secret?"

She smiled again.

"Ok. Everyone sit."

Lucas groaned and sat down but refused to let go of her hand as she went to sit.

"Ok. So I made some calls today.."

"Hey! I thought this was about..." Jones started.

Tara nodded.

"It sorta is."

"What sorta is?" Adam asked as he walked in from doing a walk of the perimeter.

"Well I passed all my courses"

There was a round of congratulations and hugs with them all saying how proud they were of her and questions for Keiran and Jace about how they went with their results.

"That's my girl" Lucas said with a grin as he pulled away from the hug he finally got to give his wife.

"There's more" Tara said as Lucas sat back down and pulled her onto his lap with a proud grin.

"What? Oh my God... did you?" Keiran asked.

She nodded.

"I did." She looked around at the expectant faces. "Well, it's about where I'll be living while I'm at university.."

"Baby I told you that..."

"No Lucas. It's all sorted. I'm staying with Peter and Keiran."

Lucas turned her to him and asked with wide, almost scared eyes.

"What? You're..."

She nodded.

"Because of my results I was able to change my university choice."

He gulped.

"I'm staying."