Taylor Lynne: The Women of Merryton - Book Two (32 page)

Easton and I were
suddenly old news, thank goodness. We had been upended by the most adorable
baby boy I had ever seen, Tristan Ryan Summers. He had a full head of dark hair
that stood up all over, and chubby cheeks that begged to be kissed. He was
perfect, and his parents and sister were in heaven.

Easton and I, along with
the girls, dropped off a baby gift a couple of weeks after they brought him
home. I had been dying to see him, but I knew they had been inundated with
visitors. It was the biggest coup ever, keeping the baby a secret. The only
people they had told were Jessie’s parents and Easton. I think Abby and
Cheyenne were a little miffed they weren’t in on it, but they quickly got over
it when they saw how happy their best friend was.

I’ve never seen parents
so enthralled with a baby. Neither Blake nor Jessie could keep their eyes or
hands off him. They allowed me to hold him, but each of them sat near me, one
touching his tiny foot and the other his tiny hand. After all they had been
through, I couldn’t blame them. Their daughter Maddie was also pretty smitten.
You could tell she loved being able to call herself a sister.

I loved the feel of a
baby in my arms. I missed it. “He’s perfect.” I held Tristan as close as I
could and breathed him in.

“Isn’t he?” Jessie
sighed. “And he is such a good baby. He only fusses when he’s hungry or needs
to be changed.”

“Are you getting any
sleep?” I asked.

“A few hours here and
there, but I don’t mind; I think I could watch him all day. And Blake gets up
with him as much as I do in the middle of the night. We almost fight to see who
can get him.”

Blake affectionately
kissed his wife’s head. He didn’t say much, but I could tell how much he loved
his wife and family.

“My turn, Mom,” Maddie
said to Jessie when I handed back little Tristan.

I stood up and let Maddie
take my place. I watched as Jessie placed her son in her daughter’s arms. When
Maddie securely held him, Jessie wrapped her arm around Maddie’s shoulders. She
kissed Maddie’s cheek. “I love you, sweetie.”

“Love you,” Maddie
replied. She adoringly cooed at her brother.

Maybe for the Summers’
sake Maddie would find being around her brother was better than hanging out
with Connor. It was highly unlikely, but you never know.

As we walked to the car,
Ashley commented, “It must be weird for Maddie.”

“Why?” Easton and I both
asked.

“Because her parents are
… you know, kind of old to have a baby, and she’s in high school.”

I glanced up to Easton as
if to say I told you so.

He looked over at Ashley.
“I think you would be surprised by how many of your friends have much younger
siblings.”

She shrugged. “It’s still
kind of weird.”

“I wish I had a younger
brother or sister,” Emmy said.

It was Easton’s turn to
look at me and grin mischievously. I think he was serious about having another
baby. When he opened my car door, he whispered in my ear, “Can I tell you what
a turn on it was to see you with a baby in your arms?”

“Stop it,” I said
playfully before I got into the passenger side of my car; Easton was driving. I
enjoyed the levity, though, as our next stop for the day was going to be
anything but light.

I had been going to see
Frank a couple of times each week, either during my lunch hour or after work.
Most of the time I didn’t think he knew I was there. I think Easton was right;
his time was almost gone. I spent most of my visits sitting by his bedside,
praying and asking for God’s help to forgive him, to let go. During my last
visit, he was coherent enough to ask me—to plead with me—to bring Ashley the
next time I came. I talked it over with her and she agreed to go. I think she
was more curious than anything.

Easton and I agreed it
wasn’t a good idea for Emmy to see Frank the way he was. She was still too
fragile to deal with his appearance, so we dropped her off at the Parkers’
house so she could play with Avery. Besides, Emmy needed to be around kids her
own age more. I had been encouraging her to invite some of her friends from
school over, but she hadn’t worked up to it yet.

I think we all tried to
talk about anything besides what we were really doing on the drive over. The
conversation mainly focused on what we would be making for Thanksgiving, which was
coming up in a little less than two weeks. I was not only excited that we would
all be together for the holiday, but Grams and Harry were coming, too. They
would be here in a week.

“As long as you make your
homemade stuffing, that’s all I need,” Easton said. “I’ve missed it, among
other things.” He grinned my way.

“Okay,” Ashley chimed in
from the backseat. “Your child is present.”

We both laughed at her,
but the laughter ceased when Easton turned into The Pines.

I was suddenly filled
with anxiety. It was getting better every time I came, but facing Frank was
never easy. And this time around I wasn’t sure how to feel about letting him
meet our daughter. I was conflicted. On one hand, I wanted to have compassion
on him, he was in an unbelievably poor state and it seemed to be his dying
wish. On the other hand, I wondered if it made me weak to give in to the man
that gave me no love or tenderness for so many years as I grew up. He had
probably told me a hundred times how sorry he was during my last few visits—even
if he wasn’t fully awake, he would repeat the sentiment. When I talked to
Easton about it, he responded, “I think erring on the side of compassion is
always a good rule of thumb, if not for them, for you.”

His words were wise. I
knew I needed to forgive Frank, more for me than for him. I was trying my best.

We checked in at the
front desk. Dwayne wasn’t there today; instead we were greeted by a pleasant
older woman named Rita. I held Ashley’s hand as we walked down the hall to room
149. She squeezed tight. I think she was more nervous than she was letting on.

“What should I call him?”
Ashley asked us before we entered.

Easton looked at me to
answer. My first instinct was to say Frank, or even nothing, but instead I
said, “Whatever you feel most comfortable with.”

Easton smiled warmly at
me before kissing my head like he was proud of me.

We entered the well-lit
room to find Frank awake. He was mostly prostrate, but had his head propped up
with several pillows. It looked like he had recently been bathed. When he
noticed who we brought with us, his eyes began to water. “Ashley,” he said with
great trembling.

Easton moved our daughter
forward while holding on to her.

Frank looked between
Ashley and myself. “Thank you,” he cried.

And for the first time, I
felt a twinge of mercy for him, maybe even sympathy.

He reached out to touch
Ashley, and she cautiously reached for his hand with her own. He said nothing
as he held her hand, but you could tell the peace it brought him by the utter
contentment on his face.

Easton stood back and
joined me. He put his arms around me and I gladly took refuge in them as I
watched on.

Ashley gently stroked
Frank’s hand with her free one. She was naturally compassionate, like her dad.

“Be better than me,”
Frank struggled to say to Ashley. He could barely keep his eyes open.

Ashley nodded.

“I’m sorry,” he slurred.
“Be good,” he mumbled, before he lost it. His hand dropped out of Ashley’s.

She looked frightened,
like perhaps he had died.

Easton was first to her
and hugged her tight. “It’s okay, honey. He can’t stay awake for very long. I’m
so proud of you.”  

We left his room to the
sound of his very weak heartbeat on the monitor. I felt like it wouldn’t be
long now.

And it wasn’t. We had
barely made it back to my house after picking Emmy up and going out to dinner
before Easton received a call informing him Frank had passed away.

Easton held me tight in
the kitchen.

It was me comforting him.
“I know you cared for him. I’m sorry,” I said while I stroked his hair. He was
crying into my neck. I ached to see him hurting. “I love you,” I whispered.

He looked up into my eyes
and smiled. “You haven’t said those words to me in a long time.”

“I mean them.”

“I’ve wanted to say them for
some time now, but I was afraid of scaring you,” he replied.

“Well, now might be a
good time.”

He wrapped me up in his
arms and pulled me as close as I could get. “I love you, Taylor,” he whispered
against my ear.

For a moment, as he held
me close and kissed me, all felt right in the world even though Frank passed
away before I could verbally tell him I forgave him. I felt a peace knowing
that I could take my time and really forgive. At least I was working on it. And
a part of me was glad to know that he died happy, or at least knowing I tried
to forgive him while he was still alive.

The holidays were
approaching, which always made things hectic, but I didn’t notice so much this
year because I was euphorically in love. It’s amazing the rose colored glasses
you wear when oxytocin and dopamine are coursing through your body. But I knew it
was more than a chemical reaction. I felt connected to Easton in a way I never
had previously.

He had taken care of all
the arrangements for Frank. We decided cremation would be best and to hold no
formal service. Frank had died practically friendless. Only Easton could be
counted as such. We did purchase a small headstone, but I insisted it be placed
in the cemetery in town, not by my mother’s grave. She couldn’t escape him in
life, but I made sure she did in death.

With Frank’s passing, the
knot in my chest had become looser—it was almost non-existent—and I was even
more comfortable talking to Easton about the future, our future.

But life has a way of
throwing you curve balls just when you think you can relax. I was finally
feeling like maybe I had come full circle; that I had worked my way through my
issues.

It was the Friday before
Thanksgiving and I was feeling more than content. Easton had met me for lunch
in the hospital cafeteria where we ate lunches prepared by me. I figured if I
was going to keep him for myself, I wanted him to live for a long time to come,
which meant he needed to eat better. He was all for it. We sat there like two
kids in love, not paying attention to anyone else around us. We were both
excited for Grams and Harry to fly in Sunday night.

“I hope you don’t have
any emergencies over Thanksgiving,” I mentioned to him as we sat there. The
only downer was he would be on call over the holiday. He and his partner switched
off every year. But at least it meant he wouldn’t be on call for Christmas.

“Just make sure to save
some stuffing for me,” he teased.

“I’ll save a lot more for
you than that,” I said with no hint of teasing.

He smiled alluringly
before he leaned across the table and kissed me once. “Keep talking like that,”
he said for my pleasure only, “and I may have to make you my wife again.”

I playfully pushed him
away. “You better get back to work.”

He groaned. “I suppose,
but tonight I want to pick up where we left off.”

I smiled as I watched him
walk away. I think he was ready to make a trip to the courthouse, while I was
happy to take things slow.

I walked back to my
office, as happy as I could be.

That came to a crashing
halt as I opened my door to find an unwelcome visitor.

“Excuse me, who let you
in here?”

Kathryn turned from the
food guide chart she was looking at on my wall and faced me.

For a moment I fell ill.
On the outside she was as gorgeous as ever. Still in great shape, with long
legs and beautiful blonde hair that was probably dyed, but all the same, she
was a knockout. But from her countenance you could tell she had an ugly inside.

“I still have friends in
this town,” she hissed.

“Then maybe you should be
seeing them instead.”

“Very good,” she said,
“It looks like you finally grew a backbone.”

I opened my door wide.
“You can leave now.”

She took a seat in one of
the chairs in front of my desk. “I don’t think so; you’re going to want to hear
what I have to say.”

I highly doubted that,
but she was not budging. I took a deep breath and made my way to my office
chair. I sat across from her and glared. I wanted to tell her what a horrible
person I thought she was for everything she had put Emmy through, but I knew
she wouldn’t care.

She smiled, her teeth too
white. “So, you and Easton have reconciled. How precious is that?”

We were not playing this
game. I stared at her without replying.

“I’ve heard what a happy
little family you have now, playing house with my daughter.”

Don’t rise,
I
told myself. I held my ground and continued to stare at her as firm as steel.
She was not going to manipulate me.

She leaned forward and
smirked. “I have to say I’m surprised, but I guess you’re weaker than I
thought.”

“And what is that supposed
to mean?” I asked when she didn’t continue.

“If it were me, I could
never go back to a man that had cheated on me.”

I thought that was rich
coming from a woman who blatantly cheated on her spouse, but I didn’t mention
it. “I guess it’s a good thing I’m not then.”

She laughed maniacally.
“Is that what he told you? You are naïve, aren’t you?”

I stood up. “I think it’s
time for you to be going.”

She stood up too, and for
a second I thought she was going to leave, but she had plenty of weapons left
in her arsenal. She leaned her hands on my desk. “Do you really think all those
late nights at his office were spent alone, or with just me?”

I clenched my jaw and
forced myself not to cry in front of the vile woman.

“Oh, you did?” she said
with fake sympathy. “Believe me, Easton was anything but innocent or in love
with you. He was so happy when you finally got the hint and left. And I mean,
why wouldn’t he when he had me every night?” She looked down at herself like
she was in love with her own self.

I stood there stunned,
but I wasn’t going to give her the satisfaction of knowing she was killing me.
“Go.”

“One more thing. If you
are spineless enough to stay with Easton, just know I’ll make your life a
living hell. You will never be a mother to my daughter. I’ll do everything I
can to get Emmy if you don’t stay away from her and Easton.” Without another
word she turned around and walked out my door, slamming it as she went.

I fell into my chair and
shook. I refused to believe what she had said about Easton. He wasn’t that kind
of man, right? I knew him, right? But did it matter? I couldn’t and wouldn’t
risk Emmy being taken away from Easton. I didn’t care how much I loved him. I
loved Emmy like she was my own and I would never allow Kathryn to have her. Never.

As I sat there shaking, I
felt as if I couldn’t breathe. The doubt started creeping in. Did he really
cheat on me? Was I being naïve like my mother?

I felt anger bubbling up
inside of me. I didn’t know what to do as I sat there and bawled at my desk. And
then, as if my silent prayer had been answered, Grams’ number popped up on my
cell phone. She must have known I needed her. “Grams,” I cried.

“Oh, sugar.”

I instantly knew she had
not called out of some intuition. “What’s wrong?”

“It’s your grandpa.”

She never called him my
grandpa. I braced for the worst.

“He’s had a stroke. We’re
at the hospital now, but they aren’t telling me anything,” she cried.

I didn’t even have to
think, which was good since I felt like I couldn’t think or breathe at the moment.
“Ashley and I will be on the next flight.”

“Hurry,” she eked out.

Her plea got me out of my
stupor. I grabbed my bag and ran out of my office. I yelled to Devon something
about a family emergency and that I would call later. I probably shouldn’t have,
but I called Ashley’s school to have her dismissed while driving home and crying
my eyes out. In one fell swoop I was losing the two men I loved, though all I
could feel for Easton at the moment was confusion.

Ashley called me on her
way home as I was frantically throwing a bag together for her and me. I wasn’t
even sure what I was packing.

“Momma, what’s wrong?”

“It’s Harry, honey. He’s
had a stroke and we need to get to the airport.”

I figured I would book a
flight when we got there, or maybe Ashley could do it from my phone on the
drive to Denver. I didn’t know. All I knew was I wanted to be as far away from
Merryton as possible. I wanted to go home.

“Does dad know?” she
asked.

Her dad? What was I going
to do about her dad? I didn’t know and I didn’t have time to think about it at
the moment. “Just hurry home please.”

“Momma?”

I felt bad, but I hung
up. I couldn’t go into any details with her at the moment.

Moments later Ashley came
crashing through the door and into my arms. “Is Harry going to be okay?”

I stroked her hair. “I
don’t know, honey, but we need to get going. I threw a bag together for you.”

“Momma, we need to call
Dad.”

I couldn’t help but cry. I
had no idea what to say or do. Part of me desperately wanted to fall into his
arms and have him make it all better, but what if I could never have him? Or
what if I never had him? “We need to go. Grams needs us.”

She looked more confused
than ever. I felt terrible for that, but I couldn’t do anything about it at the
moment.

While Ashley ran upstairs
to use the restroom and put together her own small bag, I rolled my suitcase
out to my car. While I waited for her I decided to call Easton. I needed to
talk to him. I called his cell phone, but it went straight to voice mail. In desperation
I called his office. Faye answered.

“Faye, is Easton
available?”

“No, honey, he just
rushed over the hospital. He has a patient with a ruptured spleen.”

Timing was not on my side
today. “Okay,” I cried.

“Are you all right?”

“Not really. Could you
please tell him my grandfather’s had a stroke and I’m on my way to Birmingham?”

“Oh, dear, yes.”

 I didn’t even say
goodbye.

Ashley joined me with her
bag in hand. I pulled her to me. In her I always found strength.

We sped toward the
airport. I tried my best to keep my eyes on the road while my mind raced.
How
could I have been so stupid to think it was ever going to work out between us? The
cards were always going to be stacked against us.

I kept Ashley busy
looking up flights on my phone. The only tickets available this short of notice
right before the holiday were first-class seats. I would worry later about the
cost and the bite it would take out of my savings account. I had more pressing
matters. 

“Momma, please tell me
what happened.”

I reached over carefully
and rested my hand on her cheek for a small moment. “I can’t right now.”

As if she could read my
thoughts, she responded, “I don’t want to leave Merryton.”

That was going to be a
problem, because after today, I wasn’t sure if we could stay.