Unexpected Love (30 page)

She gave him a big smile.  “And you still give me goosebumps.”

As she opened the pot of boiling salt water to dump the noodles in, he pulled her against him and kissed her neck.  “Smells good.  Your grandparents are great.  They certainly do believe in speaking their minds.”

She giggled, “I had no idea.”

Her grandfather made a big deal over dinner and gave his wife a big kiss on the lips, “Your apple pie.  I love it.  And you of course.”  They laughed at each other.

He looked over at Taylor, “And you remembered my favorite dish.  It was delicious.  Better than you could get in a restaurant.”

“You’re welcome.  I’m going to clean up so you guys go in and watch TV.”

Sean picked up some dishes and went in to help her.  He usually helped her clean up and he really wasn’t looking forward to being alone with her grandparents.  He wasn’t sure what to say.  It was easier to help Taylor and then go in there with her.

“So, I’m hot?”

She eyed him, “Yep.”

He grinned back.

They all ended up watching a comedy show her grandparents liked.  Taylor sat close to Sean who held her hand and her grandparents sat on the other end of the couch.  Betsy sat in the lounge chair.

When they laughed, Taylor laughed, not at the show but at them enjoying it so much and the silly remarks they made.  Sean looked over at her and smiled.

Her grandparents went to bed early and Taylor, Sean, Betsy, Tango and Bolo watched some more TV.

Sean stood up, “I’m heading for bed.”  He looked at Taylor, “Are you coming?”

She smiled, “In just a minute.”

Taylor stayed behind to talk to Betsy.  “Thank you so much for taking care of my grandparents and coming here to be with them.  It means a lot.”

“Oh, it’s no problem.  I really like them.  They are such a nice couple and they like to look at the bright side of things and laugh.  It makes my job so much easier.  I see why they talk about you a lot.  You are the big topic around the house, especially since you met your boyfriend.”

Taylor giggled, “Yes, life has been very different recently.  I’ll leave you in Tango and Bolo’s hands or should I say paws, and go to bed.  See you tomorrow.”

“Good night.  Your grandmother bragged about what a good cook you are and I can see why.  See you tomorrow.”

Taylor went upstairs.  Sean was already in bed.  She went into the bathroom to change.  When she came out, he smiled at her.

“I’ve seen you without clothes on Taylor.  You don’t have to go in there and change.”

She shrugged, “It’s different.”

“Okay.”

She laid down with her head on his chest, “Sean?”

“Hum?”

“I can’t thank you enough for bringing them here.  They look so much better than I thought they would be.  And I love my pasta roller.”

He kissed her, “They are great.  And I was happy to do it.”

“How was your day?”

“Good.  It was a little slower than usual.  I got held up because of two teenagers after a school activity started fighting and we had to wait for parents to show up.  The girl’s mom wouldn’t come so we took her home.”

“Oh no.  Didn’t get to arrest anyone today?”

He chuckled, “Not today.  Gave a ticket to a really cute girl though.  She tried first to cry and when that didn’t work, she tried to come on to me.”

Taylor punched him in the arm and he laughed.  “You had better not be looking at other women or flirt back.”

“No worries there.  I have all I can handle at home.”

“Handle?  Are you suggesting I am a problem?”

He snickered, “The woman who rescues strays, helps wild animals, breaks windows, crawls into crushed vans, rescues people, can’t paint very well, makes me fall down, gets shot in a school, and fights a homeless man?  No, no problem at all.”

“I told you those were isolated events, mister.  I’m very quiet and mild mannered.”

He laughed, “Yes, I’ve noticed.”

“Are you saying I’m not mild mannered?”  She asked teasingly.

“I don’t need to answer that do I?  You yell at psychos, talk to any dog, owner and kid who comes around, but what do I know?  I’m just your big brother.”

She giggled.  “Go to sleep, old man.”

Eighty-four

Sean came down to go to work.  When he came downstairs, Taylor’s grandparents were already there.  Taylor had said they got up early. 

“Morning, Elma, Grant.”  It felt a little awkward calling them that, but he wasn’t going to call them grandparents, now was he?

“Good morning dear.  Off to work?”

“Yes, ma’am.  Keep an eye on Taylor for me.”

Her grandfather asked, “She getting into trouble a lot?”

Sean shook his head, “No, sir.”  He knew she did not want them to know about most of things that had happened to her recently.

“Don’t you worry, sweetie.  We won’t let her even look at another guy.”

Sean was taken aback and must have had a surprised look on his face because her grandfather cackled.  “She’s just kidding.  Taylor would not look at anyone.  She’s too crazy about you.”

He smiled at them and left.

Taylor came down to find her grandparents and Betsy eating breakfast.  Betsy made her some eggs and she sat with them and ate.  She smiled at Betsy, “These are good.”  Normally she didn’t eat much breakfast, but she enjoyed the eggs.

Betsy beamed, “Thanks.  That coming from you is a compliment.”

Taylor said, “I’m not the best chef.”

“Don’t put your skills down, sweetie.”  Her grandmother told her.

Her grandfather spoke up, “Tango and Bolo kept staring at me so I gave them both a bite of egg.”

Taylor smiled, “They are hard to resist.”

“I bet not as hard to resist as that Sean of yours.”  Her grandmother winked at her.

Taylor smiled, “Yeah, he is pretty irresistible.”

They spent the day watching TV and talking.  They showed Taylor how to play cards and the four of them played for a couple of hours.  Taylor asked them what they wanted for dinner.

Her grandfather spoke first, “How about some beer can chicken like you made us last time we saw you?”

She hadn’t cooked that in quite a while so she smiled, “Great.” 

She really didn’t remember the recipe.  Maybe she should have suggested something else, but too late now.  She had to make it.  She went upstairs and got onto her laptop to look up the recipe to remind her how to fix it. 

She came down and told them she needed to run to the store and she would be back in half an hour.  She left Tango and Bolo to keep an eye on them and drove to the store.  She needed some beer and some spices.  Sean didn’t really drink much beer and she didn’t like it so there was none in the house.  She only needed two bottles and she was pleased to find she could buy it individually at the store without having to get a whole pack of beer.

On the way home, she heard a thumping noise and the car started to handle badly.  She pulled over and got out to find she had a flat right front tire.  She blew out an exacerbated breath of air.  Great.  She was like a magnet for trouble.  How did one go about changing the driving force of magnetic poles or forces so that she could turn her luck around?  Well, not too much around.  She had Sean and two dogs, didn’t she?

She went to the trunk and found a spare.  She laughed.  She actually knew nothing about changing a tire or using a jack.  How dumb was that?  She drove so she should know, but she didn’t.  She picked up the jack.  Maybe she could call someone.

A car pulled up behind her.  It was a police car but she could not see who was inside.  She wasn’t going to be lucky enough for Sean and John to show up, was she?  She was dreading that it might be Barrett and his partner.  

When they got out of the car, it was the two cops she did not want to see.  Darn it.  Maybe she could tell them she had called for help.  She could call Sean.

She pulled out her cell phone before they could approach and called Sean. 

“Hey.”

“Sean, who can I call?  I have a flat tire and my cop friend and his partner just showed up.”

“Barrett?”

“Yep.”

“Damn.”

He heard Miller talking.  “Do you need help?”

Taylor stared at him and then at Barrett.  They recognized her.  They were staring back. 

She couldn’t think of what to say.  “Uhmm.  I think I have it, but thanks anyways.”

“You aren’t completely off the road so you should be careful.”  Miller was staring at her.  Was it her or were they a bit hostile?

“I’ll be careful.”  She looked from one to the other.  They weren’t going back to their car. 

She turned towards Sean’s car and picked up the jack.  She really didn’t know how to use it.  Maybe take the lugs or whatever they were called off first?  She wanted to look like she knew what she was doing.  She looked over at them, “I’ve got this, thanks.”  They still didn’t leave.

Now what?  She looked at the tire.  She didn’t see lugs.  Of course, dummy, they were behind the wheel cover.  She could feel them staring as she bent down to try to pry off the cover.

She could tell one of them walked up.  “Need help with that?”

She didn’t look up.  “I can get it.” 

Another car pulled behind them.  It was too much to hope that it was John and Sean.  She was relieved to see Sargent Mayfield.

Mayfield could sense the tension.  “Taylor, what’s going on?”

“I got a flat.”

Miller looked at him, “We were just offering to help her.”

Mayfield nodded, “I’ll get it, go back out.”  He looked at Taylor, “I’m pretty good at changing a tire.”

Taylor smiled at him gratefully as the other two left.  Mayfield took her cell phone.  He could hear Sean shouting.  “Sean, will you shut up?  You are not helping the situation.  I have it.”  He hung up and Taylor giggled.

“He certainly is protective of you but I can understand that.  I feel the same way about Allison.”

“I like Allison a lot.  She’s so nice.”

“She likes you too.  She gave me her opinion of you and Sean the other night.”  He laughed at her worried look.  “She thinks you are perfect for each other and she can’t wait to see you two married.”

Taylor got a big smile on her face, “What do you think Sargent?”

He chuckled.  “I agree with my wife.”

After he changed the tire he looked at her, “Taylor, don’t worry about Miller and Barrett.  They are probably more scared of dealing with you now than you are of them.  Just treat them like any other cops and remember what I said.”

She gave him a smile, “Thanks.”

“I’d call Sean back and tell him you are on the way home before he pops a vein.”

Eight-five

When she got back home, she carried the light bag into the house.  When she first got here she could not do even that.  She walked in to find the three of them watching TV.  Tango and Bolo were both was sitting on the couch between her grandparents.

“Hi, sweetie.  We were getting worried.  Everything okay?”

“I had a flat tire but Sean’s boss changed it for me.”

“Do you need any help?”

“No, I have it, but thanks.  I’ll be back in a minute.”

She took the stuff into the kitchen and her phone vibrated.  A text from Sean. 

I won’t make it home until 6:30 sorry.  LU

She texted back. 
Okay dinner when u come home.  LU

LU was their short hand for texting I love you. 

She sat with her grandparents and watched TV and talked to them.  Her grandmother winked at her.

“How is that young man of yours liking us?”

She laughed, “He likes you.”

Sean’s home phone rang.  Taylor was not certain if she should answer it.  It rarely rang.  Everyone she knew called him on his cell phone.  She got up and picked it up.  “Hello?”

“I must have the wrong number.  I was looking for Sean Reed.”

“This is his phone.”

“Oh, is he there?  I’m his father.  I was hoping to catch up with him.  I just moved back to the US.”

“He’s not here right now.”  His father, that was a shock.

“Can you give him my number or do you know when he will be there?”

“Sure, I can take your number.”  She wrote it down.  “I’ll give him the message.”

“May I ask who you are?”

“I’m his fiancée.”

“Oh, I see.  When are you two getting married?”

“In a few days.”

“Well, I wouldn’t recommend getting married to him.  I’ve been divorced three and his mother has been divorced four times.  I think it’s in our genes.  We don’t stay married long and can’t seem to get along with another person more than a few weeks or months.”

“If you knew Sean, which you obviously don’t, you would know he is not like that.  He’s a good person.”

“I think I know him better than you do.  I’m his father and spent 17 years with him.  Trust me, good is not the word I would use to describe him.”

Now she was mad.  He was just like her mother.  “You know what?  You’re an idiot.  You know nothing about the kind of man your son is.”

“Maybe you should face reality, young lady.   And get out of your fantasy world.  Life is not that simple and neither is Sean.  I can’t tell you how many times he got in trouble.  He has a wild streak and then he left his family to come here and used my credit card to buy a ticket.”

“I think as his father that was the least you could do for him since you obviously did not know how to be a father to him.”

“He’s a bad investment, girl.  And don’t you dare tell me what I do and do not know about being a father.  Are you going to give him my number or not?”

“I’ll give it to him.  How can you act like everything is fine between you?  How could you treat him like you did when he was a kid?  He’s not a kid anymore.  He’s a good, kind, caring man.  Not that you would know.”

“What did he tell you?  Did he give you some sob story about how I didn’t love him?”

“Did you love him?”

“It’s none of your business.”

“I’ll tell Sean to call you but don’t expect to come here.  I’m not interested in meeting a small minded jerk like you.”  She slammed the phone down.

She was more than angry.  She didn’t know what to think when she hung up.  She knew how she and her mother got along even now, but maybe Sean wanted a chance to have a relationship with his father.  His father was not going to have a good opinion of her, that’s for sure.  He probably hated her already.

If Sean called him, would his father try to convince him to get rid of her?  What if Sean was caught between them?  Maybe she should have done a better job of talking to him rather than getting angry.   It was obvious he did not know Sean.  All he remembered was the 17 year old who had tried for years to get his parents attention and then given up.

Taylor went to the kitchen and started dinner.  She vigorously peeled potatoes, which made her feel a little better to slice the skins off with a slicer. 

Her grandmother came in, “Taylor, what’s wrong?”

Taylor shook her head, “Nothing, Gran.  Really.”

“Do you think I believe that?”

Gran was perceptive, like Sean.  Taylor turned from the potatoes, “That was Sean’s father.  I wasn’t very nice to him.  Sean and I have bad parents in common.  He said something nasty things about Sean and I gave him a piece of my mind.  But maybe I was wrong.  Maybe Sean wants his father in his life.  But his father and I are not going to get along.  He shouldn’t have to make a choice between us or get caught in the middle.  It’s not fair to Sean.  What if I just ruined a chance for him to get to know his father or they can make amends?”  She wiped a tear away from her cheek.

“Sit down.”

Taylor sat at the table, but looked down at her hands.  Her grandmother took her hands in hers, “Sweetie.  You know from experiences with your mother that not all parents are good parents.  Even though I loved Bobby, he could have been a better father to you too.”  Taylor started to say something but her grandmother cut her off.

“Taylor, be honest with yourself.  He could have taken you away from your mother if he had really tried.  I know how much you loved him and so did I.  That doesn’t mean I wasn’t disappointed in what kind of father he was.  He left you hanging and I know you wanted him to love you and pay more attention to you.”

Taylor looked at her grandmother, she understood more than Taylor had known. 

“It’s Sean’s choice and he is smart and kind and he loves you very much.  He can make his own decisions about his family.  Besides, if his father is a jerk, someone needed to set the man straight.”

Taylor half laughed as she wiped the tears on her cheeks.

“You can’t possibly think Sean would leave you over his father.  Maybe they can get along, but Sean would never make you unhappy or uncomfortable.  You know that.”

Taylor grimaced at her, “What if he is mad because of what I said?”

Her grandmother laughed, “If I could tell you the number of times I have made your grandfather mad, but we always worked it out.  I told your grandfather one time when he was mad at me that he would get over it.  Then I walked away which made him even madder but when he thought about it, he realized I was right.”

“You said that to him?”

“Oh, I said more than that.  I also told him to forget sex.  I wasn’t interested until he apologized to me.”

Taylor’s mouth dropped open, “You said that?”

“Of course.  If there was one thing I could rely on was the fact that he liked the sex and we did it four or five times a week for the first three years we were married.”  She started laughing.  “Of course, I liked it too, but when I was mad, it was the only thing I could think of to say.  Plus he loved me and we both knew it.  Sean loves you, Taylor.  I suspect more has gone on between you two and what you have been through than you are going to tell me.”

How could Gran possible know that?  She had never said anything and Sean would never say anything either.

Her Gran knew she was thinking about what she had just said.  “Don’t worry, Taylor.  It’s just a feeling I have.  You and Sean are very close and I suspect there are things that have made you both that way.”

Taylor grinned at her, “Thanks Gran.”  She kissed her cheek and went back to cooking.