Taylor Lynne: The Women of Merryton - Book Two (27 page)

“Why?” he whispered
against my lips.

“Easton we—” I said
breathless before his warm lips covered mine. I stopped thinking about why we
shouldn’t. I could only think about him and his body pressed against mine as he
kissed me tenderly and deeply. I remembered how much I missed being held in his
arms. He tasted and felt exactly how I remembered. I pulled him closer to me as
he kissed his way down my neck and settled in there. I loved nothing more than
to be kissed on my neck and he did it perfectly. He used the lightest of
touches, but I could feel every part of his lips against my skin. I ran my
fingers through his hair and sighed loudly. My whole body and soul missed him, wanted
him.

His lips found mine
again, but this time his kiss was hungry. His tender lips were now urgent as he
kissed me deeper. His hand slid down my body and touched my bare thigh. He
groaned and it brought me to my senses.

I pushed him away and
caught my breath. I felt like I had finished running a 5k. “Easton, we can’t do
this,” I said in between catching my breath.

He grinned and moved back
toward me. He brushed my lips once more. “Why? Are you seeing someone?” He
hovered above my lips, waiting to go in for another kiss.

I placed my hand against
his chest, ready to stop him though every part of me wanted him to keep kissing
me. “You know if I was the whole town would already be talking about it.”

“Perfect. I’m not seeing
anyone either.”

He made his move, but I
made myself push back. His eyes, while passionate, also showed delight at my
actions.

“Easton, we’re divorced.”

He laughed low. “I’m glad
you cleared that up.”

I pushed him away and sat
back up. “I’m serious. We shouldn’t be doing this.”

He sat back up, too, but
stayed close and took up my hand. “I’m sorry if I got carried away with you.
I’ll keep my hands more to myself.”

“It’s not that.”

He raised his eyebrow
seductively. “Then what? Give me one good reason why we shouldn’t be together?”

I swallowed hard and
choked down my tears. “Because I didn’t move here to fall right back into your
arms. I moved here so I could finally get over you.”

I was so glad to be home.
I knew it was going to be a weekend I would never forget.

Ashley and I each
unpacked in our separate rooms. It was a pretty quiet car ride home. Easton
allowed Ashley to text Spencer, and Emmy, still exhausted, slept. That left
Easton and I taking turns glancing at one another. We were at odds with one
another. We had spent the whole night arguing after our brief but indulgent
trip through memory lane. There was no denying we had feelings for each other,
and physically we connected like we had never been apart, but you don’t go from
being divorced for almost fourteen years to being … What did you call people at
our age that dated? Whatever it was, we weren’t doing it.

Easton had apparently
been thinking about reconciling for some time. He had a laundry list of reasons
of why we should and could be together. He started with the fact that neither
one of us ever got over the other. I had mistakenly confessed that to him. He
ended with, “Taylor, this is our chance to make it right, to start over again
but this time better. You are the woman I want to share my life and children
with. Let me prove to you that I can be the man I always promised I would be.
We can take it slow, just give me—us—a chance. Please,” he begged.

He made a compelling
case, but we both admitted it wouldn’t be easy and there were children involved,
which made it more complicated and riskier. I wasn’t going to put Ashley or
Emmy through a breakup. And I still planned on moving back to Birmingham. Easton
offered to sell his part of the practice and move back with me if it all worked
out. I couldn’t think like that. He was already thinking about forever and I
was thinking never.

After I started a load of
laundry that smelled like campfire, I sat on my bed staring at the plank wood
floor. I was emotionally and physically exhausted. I needed a vacation to get
over our getaway.

Ashley popped in and
plunked herself right down next to me. I leaned my head against hers. “Hi,
love. Did you get all unpacked?”

She nodded against my
head. “Momma?”

“Yeah?”

“Are you and Dad mad at each
other?”

I thought about it. I
wouldn’t say we were mad. “No, darlin’,”

“Good. Because I like it
when we are all together and so does Emmy. Aaaaand—” she drew out the word forever.

“And what?”

“Dad loves you,” she
blurted out.

“What makes you say that?”

“He told me.”

I pulled my head up and
looked at her flushed face. “When?”

“Saturday night before we
fell asleep we were talking about you, and Dad was saying how much Emmy loved
you and how happy he was that we moved back here. He told me about the first
time that he saw you, how it was love at first sight for him, and he still
feels that way every time he looks at you. He kept saying how sorry he was he
ever let us go.”

I could hear the emotion
in her voice.

“Honey, you know that
even if two people love each other it doesn’t mean that they should be
together, right?”

She wiped at her eyes and
looked at me squarely. “Do you still love him?”

I reached up and ran my
hand across her beautiful smooth cheek. “He gave me you, and for that, I will
always love him.”

She smiled, but it was
subdued. “But what about him?”

“It’s complicated,” I
sighed. “Just know that your dad and I will always love you and be there for
you and Emmy.”

I meant that. Ashley and
Emmy deserved that. For them, I would get over myself and place myself in
Easton’s life—as a friend and co-parent—even though I knew how difficult it
would be. I told Easton the same thing, and though he accepted the offer, he
wanted more.

I had tried to explain to
him that was only the oxytocin and dopamine making him feel that way. Like
Jessie and Rachel, he laughed at my hypothesis, then said, “Do you think so
little of me or yourself? I’m a doctor—I get the science of it all— but the way
I feel for you is real. Please don’t discount that.”

I wanted to discount it
because I didn’t want to deal with it. I meant what I said. I came here to get
over him. I came to deal with my demons, not jump into their arms. Though I did
love being in his arms. It was always different with him. No one had ever made
me feel so alive or wanted.

That brochure was hands
down the falsest piece of advertising there ever was. I never expected this.

***

I was usually a little
down about the first day of school, but this year I welcomed it. I welcomed
routine and anything to take my mind off Easton, who wasn’t going to let us go
without a fight. Where was this Easton fourteen years ago? It’s not like he was
stalking me, but he made it clear he wanted a second chance.

I was doing my best to
keep it at the co-parent and friends only level, right down to packing lunches
for both Ashley and Emmy. I even did Emmy’s hair the first day of school, then
we took pictures of both girls before Ashley headed off for her first day. Emmy
ran inside to check her hair one more time.

My eyes misted as I
watched Ashley drive off. I missed the days where I got to hold her hand and
walk her to her classroom. Where had the time gone?

Easton, taking some
liberty, kissed my cheek as we stood on the front porch together watching our
daughter go. “You’ve done a good job with her.”

I shook my head at him.
He knew he was pushing the limits.

“Do you want to take Emmy
to school with me?” he asked.

I did, but … “I don’t
think that’s a good idea.”

For a second, his eyes
narrowed in frustration, but he quickly recovered. “We shouldn’t care what
people think.”

“If I go with you, it
would suddenly become all about us. Emmy doesn’t deserve that. Today is all
about her.”

He smiled with his lips
pressed together. “You’re right.”

Emmy came out of the
house, and it was a good thing she did. Her dad was about ready to make me test
my resolve against him. I could tell by the look in his eyes he was angling for
a goodbye kiss. That wasn’t happening; at least I was almost sure it wasn’t.

I turned my attention to
Emmy and squeezed her extra tight. “Have a fantastic day, darlin’.”

“Are you picking me up
after school?”

“I’ll be there at five
thirty,” I assured her.

Easton had late
appointments and Ashley had volleyball practice every day after school, so I
volunteered to get her from the after-school care program.

“We better get going,”
Easton said.

I needed to get going,
too. I was booked solid all week, which made me happy. The program for new moms
was really taking off, and my moms were seeing good results. “Have a good day,”
I said blandly to Easton.

He wasn’t buying what I
was trying my best to sell. He kissed my cheek again and whispered in my ear,
“Say you’ll have a late dinner with me tonight?”

I shook my head no.

He wasn’t deterred. He grinned.
“I can be patient.”

“Go to work.”

He laughed as he walked
away with Emmy.

I looked up to see Fran
and Gerri walking past my house. They each wore a wicked grin. I could hear the
gossip now.
The good doctor was kissing his ex-wife goodbye this morning on
her front porch. Looks like he is making house calls, or maybe having
sleepovers.

I knew those little old
ladies and their friends met at Jessie Belle’s every morning, so I was sure I
would be getting a call from Jessie later on to fill me in on what was
apparently happening in my life.

Easton wasn’t helping the
matter any. He had sent flowers to my office the day before. It was a beautiful
fall bouquet filled with sunflowers. He was killing me and giving the women’s
center staff plenty to talk about. The only positive side effect was Dr.
Carmichael avoided me now unless he had something work-related to talk about.

So I got my routine, but
it included keeping my ex-husband at bay. He wasn’t pushing himself on me, it
was more like he was proving to me that he was the man I fell in love with—the
new and improved version. He made sure to come to each and every home game of
Ashley’s. He even took time off to attend some of her away games. He cheered
the loudest and donated the funds the team needed to attend a weekend camp in
Denver. At church, he decided he should not only sit in the same pew as me, but
right next to me. He would either keep his arm across the back of the pew,
making it look like he had his arm around me, or he would tickle my fingers to
test the waters. I had yet to take the bait.

I quit going to Sunday
school and spent that time in the small upstairs room. Rachel and Jessie
frequently made an appearance. Jessie could never stay long since Blake and
Maddie were now attending with her, but she couldn’t resist getting the scoop
on my friendly battle with Easton.

“I don’t understand why
he can’t be happy being friends?” I lamented to my friends during one of our
Sunday pow-wows.

They both snickered.

“I love sitting behind
you two and watching the game of cat and mouse,” Rachel said.

I rubbed my face. “Is
that what it looks like?”

Both women nodded with
toothy grins.

“Blake says it makes
church worth going to, so thank you,” Jessie added.

“Well, I’m glad some good
has come from it,” I replied with oozing sarcasm.

“All I have to say is I’m
impressed with your powers of resistance,” Rachel commented.

“Let’s change the
subject. How’s Drew liking football this season?” I asked Rachel.

Her facial features tightened.
“Drew loves it. I’m trying my best not to run onto the field every time some
kid lands on him. Unfortunately, he’s really good at it. The coaches say he has
an amazing arm for a seven-year-old. I think I have a lot of years of football
ahead of me.”

“You should have gone
with the safer option of baseball,” Jessie teased.

“No thanks. At least he’s
not learning how to spit and grab his crotch.”

We all laughed.

“How’s Blake doing after
he caught Maddie and Connor kissing?” I asked Jessie.

She shook her head as if
she wanted to shake the thought out of her mind. “He’s still not over it. It
happened two weeks ago, but every night when he comes home from work, the first
thing he asks Maddie is if she’s staying away from Connor. I feel bad for Connor—I
don’t think he’ll ever want to kiss another girl after Blake read him the riot
act. And Maddie is barely talking to her dad. I’m trying to convince Blake to
tone it down. I know he’s afraid because of Sabrina, but we can’t lock her
away.”

“It’s so hard to watch
them grow up and let them go,” I said.

“I wished we could have
watched her grow up,” Jessie said. “I think that would have made it easier. We
could have had more influence early on.”

I reached out and took
Jessie’s hand and squeezed it. “I think you’re doing an amazing job. I can’t
imagine having a teenager right off the bat, especially under the
circumstances. Grams used to say, ‘Love is powerful. It may not make the
mountain move, but it will always get you over it.’ Maddie knows you and Blake
love her.”

Jessie’s eyes watered. “I
hope so. Outside of Blake, I’ve never loved anyone more than her.”

“We don’t have to be the
ones to birth them to bear with them,” Rachel wisely added.

I immediately thought of
Emmy. “Amen,” I agreed.

“Speaking of bearing
things,” Jessie said. “Would you be willing to help out with the PTA booth
during Oktoberfest?” she asked me.

“Sure.” It was getting
harder and harder to not become involved in the community, but I wanted to
support Ashley’s school. I always had. Living in Merryton shouldn’t change
that.

She looked relieved.
“Thank you. You don’t know how hard it is to get people to volunteer. I’ll call
you later with the details. I better go find Blake before he ‘accidentally’
runs into Connor.”

“I should go, too,”
Rachel said.

Both women looked at me
from the door and grinned. I wasn’t ready to leave, yet.

“Good luck resisting the
charms of your ex-husband!” Jessie said on the way out as she and Rachel both
laughed.

I needed more than luck.