by Naomi Niles
I thought I loved her.
As much as I wished I didn’t, I did. I couldn’t say it. She might run the other way. I brushed a hair out of her eyes. “I better get dressed so I can greet the pizza man. I don’t want to be naked. You stay here.”
She crawled of off me, grabbing her purse from the floor. She handed me cash to pay for the food. I pulled on a pair of sweats and a t-shirt, then I sat on the edge of the bed. “I’m really glad you came here tonight, Taylor.”
She smiled, her head on my pillow and curled up on her side. I wanted to crawl back in there with her.
“Helena is a great friend for covering for me.”
“She is.”
She looked so right in my bed. I wanted this all to be true, but she’d go back to her house tomorrow and I’d be stuck here. Someone knocked on the door.
“Pizza man. Stay here.”
She smiled and nodded. I grabbed the cash and met the man at the door. The pizza smelled great and my stomach rumbled.
“Coast is clear, Taylor,” I called after the delivery man left.
She walked out of the bedroom wearing one of my shirts. God, she looked sexy. Down boy, I told myself. I needed food before we went at it again. We sat at my kitchen table like a poor, married couple. I didn’t want to be anywhere else. This was the best night ever.
Chapter Thirty Six
Taylor
Dylan looked stressed when I saw him at school a few days later. He’d been out of class, but he’d assured me it was just work. He wasn’t sick. I hoped he was keeping up with his school work. I hated to see him get behind. He had such potential, and now, he had ambition.
I stopped him before math class. “What’s wrong?”
“My uncle is selling the land and the trailer I’m living in. In a few months, I’m going to be homeless. I can’t afford rent.”
“Oh, Dylan. That’s terrible.”
He frowned. “I know, but don’t worry. I’ll figure it out.”
“You shouldn’t have to go through this alone.”
“But I am alone, Taylor.”
I shook my head. “You have me.”
“What can you do?”
“I’m sure I can figure this out. Trust me, Dylan. Don’t do anything drastic until I’ve exhausted all possibilities,” I said.
I would fix this. I can’t imagine that my father would let Dylan be homeless. I had to appeal to him. Dylan smiled down at me. “Thanks for being on my side, Taylor.”
The day couldn’t go fast enough. I really wanted to talk to my dad.
“I don’t think he’s going to change his mind and he might be mad that you still talk to Dylan,” Helena said at lunch.
“I have to risk it. Dylan will be homeless.”
“Won’t his uncle take him in?”
“No, and his uncle doesn’t live here. He lives somewhere else and wants nothing to do with Dylan because of his mother.”
“I wonder where Dylan’s father is. He should be stepping in.”
“Dylan doesn’t know. He’s never seen his birth certificate.”
“Maybe he should find it and find out who his father is. The man needs to step up and take care of his son.”
I nodded. “I’ll suggest that to him, but in the meantime, I’m going to talk to my father. I have to make him see that Dylan needs us. That he took responsibility for him once and needs to do it again.”
“Boy, when you get on a subject, you are unstoppable,” Helena said. “I’ve never seen you like this.”
“I’ve never felt about anyone the way I feel about Dylan.”
“Oh?”
“I think I love him, Helena.”
“Wow. That’s deep. And, sort of cool. I can’t say I’ve ever loved a boy.”
“He isn’t a boy. He’s a man and he likes me back. Me. Selfish, immature Taylor Dean.”
“Go figure, but I don’t think that you are as selfish as you once were, Taylor,” Helena said.
That made me feel good. I smiled at her. “Thanks, Helena. That means a lot to me.”
“Let me think about Dylan’s dilemma. If I come up with anything, I’ll text you,” she said.
“Thanks.”
I pondered the situation for the rest of the school day. I probably should have paid more attention, but the thought of Dylan homeless made me nuts. That was so unfair. Life sucked.
Where would he live? Where would he get mail? He had to go to college.
I sighed. Daddy picked me up after practice since my car was in the shop. This was the only part of Dylan being gone that I liked. I had my dad all to myself.
“Hi, Daddy.”
“Hello, kitten.”
I kissed him on the cheek. “I have something to talk to you about.”
“Sure, Taylor.”
I took a deep breath. “Dylan’s uncle is selling the trailer. He’s going to be homeless.”
“His uncle won’t take him?”
“No, he won’t. Dylan won’t have a place to stay. I’m worried about him.”
“You shouldn’t even be talking to him, Taylor.”
“We are in math together. I see him five days a week. You can’t expect me to go from being his friend to ignoring him,” I said.
“It was being more than his friend that was the problem.”
“Daddy, you know more about Dylan than you did any other guy who took me on a date. You invited him into our home.”
“Not to date my daughter.”
“I know that, but think about it. You know what his family life is like. You knew where he lived.”
“He can’t live with us. He betrayed my trust.”
“I did, too, Daddy, but you didn’t kick me out.”
He stared at me for a moment and I thought I might be getting through to him. “It’s not the same. You’re my daughter.”
“You said he was the son you never had,” I countered. I was going to play on every emotion of his that I could. I was going to win this.
“Taylor, that isn’t fair. Both of you acted irresponsibly.”
“Then you’ll set rules for us.”
“You’d stop seeing him and not go with him to the prom if I let him back in the house?”
“Yes, Daddy. It’s that important to me. Who taught me that? You.”
He eyed me as if he was seeing me for the first time. I must have impressed him because his face softened. “Let me think on it.”
“Thank you, Daddy. Wouldn’t you feel guilty if in five years you saw him working at a gas station having never gone to college?”
“I probably would, kitten, but both of you have to follow the rules. You aren’t together. Someone else takes you to the prom.”
I would get past the prom issue, but not today. My mother always said to pick your battles. “Whatever rules you lay down, we’ll abide by them. I’ll go to the prom with someone else. We won’t be boyfriend and girlfriend. Promise.”
“Okay. Let me talk to you mother, and if she has additional rules, you follow them.”
“Of course, Daddy. I just want Dylan to be safe. That’s important to me.”
And, I would follow all the rules. Well, except for prom. I really wanted to go to that with Dylan. I could convince my father that it would be okay. Dylan was a good kid.
Chapter Thirty Seven
Dylan
Mr. Dean picked me up from school that day to take me to the trailer so I could pack and move back with them. I had no idea what deal Taylor made, but I figured I was going to find out. She was pretty amazing.
Happy to be back in the Dean household, I listened carefully to what Mr. Dean said. “You and Taylor cannot date. You cannot go out on a date with each other or among friends.”
“Okay.”
Right now, I’d do almost anything to stay in the Dean house. The trailer was getting to me, leaving me hopeless. I wasn’t going to do anything to screw myself here. Taylor would have to behave and if she didn’t, I would have to deal with it.
&n
bsp; Or tell on her, which I would hate to do.
Yes, I was giving up sex so I could have a home. What teenager could do that? Well, I’d grown up some since I’d been living on my own. It was time to be a man. Taylor could still be a teenage girl. I would have to take control of the situation and be strong.
“You can’t be in each other’s room. And we’d prefer if you weren’t home alone with each other. I know sometimes that is tough, but with preplanning, you can do it,” he said.
“I’m still keeping my job, so that will keep me pretty busy. I can change my schedule so I’m out of the house when Mrs. Dean is in class.”
“That would be helpful. Welcome back, Dylan. Taylor really pushed for you.”
“I know and I’ve thanked her. That was very sweet.”
“Yes, I know. Don’t think about it that way. As much as I love my daughter, she does sometimes bend the rules to fit what she wants to do.”
I laughed. “I’ll stay strong. I hated my time at the trailer. Cole kept saying it was cool, but he didn’t have to stay there. He wanted to have a party.”
“Did you?”
“No, sir. I don’t drink. I saw what that did to my mother. I want to be more than a minimum wage job.”
We pulled into the garage, and Mr. Dean clapped me on the shoulder. “You are a good kid, Dylan. Just keep your nose clean. We don’t mind if you and Taylor do homework together, but you have to be either in the dining room or the basement where we can see you.”
“Understood, Mr. Dean.”
I unpacked, then went into the basement to do some homework. Taylor was there, and she smiled when she saw me.
“Thanks for working so hard to get me back here.”
“Next job, prom.”
I shook my head. “Taylor, you don’t understand. I don’t want to go back to the trailer. I think we should just quit.”
She pouted and my heart threatened to melt. My stay here was contingent upon me behaving. The Deans had no idea that we’d had sex, and I didn’t want them to know. I wanted to stay here. I wanted to be part of the Dean family.
That meant that I had to stay away from Taylor. Now might be a good time.
“I’m going to work in my room.”
She pouted more. “Why?”
“Because at this point, you are too much temptation,” I said.
I brought my stuff up to my room. I’d assumed that Taylor had been told the rules. I know she would flout some of them, but I wasn’t going to push any boundaries. To stay here, I had to be good.
Even if I thought I could get away with something, I wouldn’t. My focus was on catching up at school. I’d missed a few days because of work and I was behind.
Taylor appeared in my doorway.
“Taylor, please go away,” I said.
“Why?”
“Because we are not allowed into each other’s room. Didn’t your father tell you the rules? If we don’t follow them, I might as well move out. It’s going to come to that.”
She stood in the doorway as if she was pondering what I said. I walked over to close the door when Mrs. Dean walked past. I must have looked guilty.
“What’s going on?” she said.
“I was just closing my door,” I said.
She looked from Taylor to me then back again. I shrugged. “You know the rules.”
And of course, Mrs. Dean would be looking for a reason to send me back. She was the only one who hadn’t seen the trailer. “We weren’t doing anything.”
Tailor nodded. “It was my fault, Mom. Dylan was telling me to leave.”
“I’m not comfortable with this arrangement, so the moment you step out of line, either of you, he’s back home.”
I nodded.
Taylor frowned then walked away. Mrs. Dean kept looking at me. I wanted to scream that it was her daughter who came into my room.
“I’ll keep my door closed and locked from now on,” I said.
“That might be in your best interest,” she said.
I’d dodged a bullet, and I wanted to tell Taylor where to go. She’d almost ruined it for me. She didn’t get that our actions had consequences – that I would be out on my ass if we didn’t do what her parents said.
It continually amazed me how much Taylor had grown up and how much she hadn’t. She sent me a text. “Sorry. You’re right. We need to stay apart, but I’m still going to see if we can go to prom.”
I sighed. Hopefully, she would still feel that way and remember it the next time she wanted to flout the rules. I didn’t want to be homeless.
I didn’t care about the prom. I know she did, but I thought she should go with someone else who would appreciate it. Someone her parents approved of. It was only prom, not the end of the world. At least, not for me.
Chapter Thirty Eight
Taylor
I’d had no luck convincing my father to let Dylan and I go to the prom. I’m sure he’d heard stories about how girls lost their virginity on prom night. Well, that ship had sailed. Of course, my father didn’t know that. He wouldn’t suspect.
I turned to my mother for help. I wanted her to see what a good guy Dylan was, that he needed to stay, and that at least he was a known variable in the dating world. At least they knew who he was.
So, I decided to make my mother feel sorry for him – to realize that he was a good guy, despite where he’d come from. As a mother, her heart had to go out for his situation.
To do this, I asked my mother to go for a drive.
“Me?” she said.
“Yes, you, Mom.”
She looked at me as if I had two heads. “You sure you don’t want to go with your father?”
“No, Mom, you.”
“Okay.”
I directed her as she drove. I wanted her to see Dylan’s trailer. I wanted her to see what we’d saved him from.
“Why are we going down this rutted driveway?” she said. “Who lives here?”
“I’ll explain when we get there.”
She pressed her lips together, but kept driving. When we came in view of the trailer, she stopped the car. “Why are we here, Taylor? I don’t have time for games.”
“No, games. I want to show you something.”
I urged her to park closer, so she did. We climbed out of the car. I retrieved Dylan’s spare key, then unlocked the front door. We stepped into the place that hadn’t been aired for a few days. It stunk of gasoline from Dylan’s uniforms. My mother had made him take off his uniform in the garage his first night working and living with us. He kept sweats in the garage so he wouldn’t have to walk through the house in his underwear.
Not that I would mind.
“Who lives here?” my mother said, standing in the doorway.
“This is Dylan’s trailer. Or where he was living.”
“Why did you bring me here?”
“Because I want you to see what will happen if you kick him out. This is the best there is to offer him. After it’s sold, he has no place to live.”
“Then he needs to keep his nose clean.”
“He has been, Mom. I’m the one who has been screwing up. Not him. I don’t have anything to lose but privileges.”
“Why are you telling me this?”
“Because I don’t want him to be homeless because I’ve been stupid. I’m trying to abide by the rules, but I love him, Mom.”
Her mouth opened slightly at my revelation. I don’t think she realized until that moment that I had real feelings for him. I think she thought I was just playing. I had to prove to her that I wasn’t playing, that I was growing up.
She leaned against the closed door behind her. “Did I ever tell you about the first boy I loved?”
“No, Mom.”
“Your father wasn’t my first love and that’s okay. He’s my last.”
She glanced around as if she’d been here before, or she was going somewhere in her mind.
“Go ahead,” I said.
I leaned against the back of the
couch. Waiting. I didn’t know much about my mother’s past.
“I never told you about my childhood, either.”
“No,” I said.
I knew lots about my father’s family and how he grew up. My mother was always tight-lipped about what went on in her childhood.
“I grew up in a trailer just like this.”
I gasped. I never would have guessed. My mother was frugal when she could be, but she’d never spared any expense for me. “Okay.”
“I mean, just like this. Same lack of space. Same smell, almost.”
“Wow.”
“Yeah. Never thought about your mother that way. My parents loved me. There were happy times, but I was always eager to be out. I never wanted to be reminded that we were poor.”
I would never have known. “Then why didn’t you have compassion for Dylan?”
“I’ve never thought about that trailer once I graduated from college. I had a good job. I met your father, who had a good job. I never was poor again. My parents died not long after I graduated. They both died in a fire in that trailer. I figured if I never thought about it again, I’d never be touched by it.”
“I don’t understand.”
“I hated being poor. I wanted to forget that I was ever that way. With Dylan in our lives, I had to remember.”
I walked over and hugged her. “He’s a good person even if he’s poor.”
“I know that. At least, some part of me knows that. Not that I’m thrilled that you have feelings for him.”
I stepped away from her. “Think about it this way. You know more about him than you would know about any other guy I could date. You know where he came from. You know his influences. You know that he wants to do anything he can to stay in our house, so he isn’t going to do anything to hurt me.”
My mother looked down at me as if she had never seen me before. “You’re growing up.”
“I am. I’m glad you noticed.”
“You really care about him?”
“I do. He’s good to me. He’s more mature than the other guys at high school.”
“That’s good and bad.”
I knew she was talking about a physical relationship. He would want that. Well, I wanted it, too, but that didn’t need to be said here. “You need to trust me. You need to trust Dylan. We both have plans for our future and neither of us want to mess that up.”