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.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
As we cruised through September, the days became cooler and crisper. The mountains surrounding Merryton turned golden as the leaves of the aspen trees shed their green in favor of gold. While it was lovely, it made me miss home. I wasn’t looking forward to the cold and snow that would soon be arriving. I also missed Harry and Grams. I found myself wishing they were here to be my support. Easton was still pursuing me, and I was feeling more and more like I needed to speak to Frank. I knew I couldn’t put it off much longer, but the thought terrified me.
Those thoughts all came to a head near the end of September while we attended church. Once again, Pastor Bates spoke to my soul. His sermon about loving the least of our brethren penetrated my heart. He reminded us it was not our job to judge, but to love. I didn’t think I could ever love Frank. I didn’t even think God expected me to, but I felt a stirring inside that I needed to put it to rest. I needed to find a way to forgive the man that haunted me. Just like Emmy was working with a counselor to help her deal with the pain and hurt caused by her mother, I needed to deal with my pain.
Easton was sitting next to me, per his usual as of late. He was politely persistent.
The pastor’s words had tears streaming down my face. It was the first time I let Easton hold my hand during church, though I tried to keep it hidden from the girls and those around us. It wasn’t a romantic gesture; it was comfort. I think Easton knew that.
Both girls were concerned when they saw my tear-stained face as they walked past me on their way to Sunday school. I waved of
f their concern and smiled at them. I did notice Ashley notice who held my hand. I saw her try and hide her grin. That was going to be a problem.
After most of the parishioners had cleared out, we were only left with a few that were very interested in us, including Veronica Riley. Easton turned toward me. The concern and care in his brown eyes wasn’t helping the situation.
“Will you do something for me?” I managed to ask through the tears that I couldn’t seem to stop.
“Anything,” he replied.
“I need to see Frank, but I can’t do it alone.”
He leaned in and pressed his lips against my forehead. “Let me go tell Ashley she needs to take Emmy home with her in your car, and I’ll pull the truck around. Okay?”
I nodded through my last shudder of tears. I watched Easton walk away and I tried to compose myself before I went out to the parking lot. I felt like an idiot for crying like that, but I hadn’t been that scared in a long time. Facing your past is no easy task, and I felt like I had already done so much of that with Easton the last several months.
I was about ready to get up and meet Easton when Veronica Riley made her way toward me. I was surprised she could walk in the nine-inch heels and skin-tight dress she was wearing. She placed her hand across her fairly exposed ample chest. “How touching. I guess the rumors are true. Husband and wife together again,” she said as sweet as snake venom.
“We’re friends,” is all I said in return.
Her lips curled up. “Close friends, from the looks of it.”
I stood up. “Excuse me.”
She grabbed onto my arm with her hand that was adorned with long, blazing teal nails. “I have a close friend, too, and she finds it so very interesting how close the two of you are, especially how close you are to her daughter.”
I yanked my arm away. “You can tell your friend that what I do is none of her concern.”
“Is it not?” she asked.
I walked away as fast as I could. The last person I needed to think about at the moment was Kathryn. I practically ran out the front doors. Easton had parked in front of the church and was standing by the passenger side of his truck waiting for me. He opened the door for me as soon as I approached.
“Thank you.” I stepped into the passenger side and situated myself on the seat.
He shut the door and jogged over to the driver’s side.
At first it was a silent drive over to The Pines, but halfway there, Easton reached over and took my hand. “Are you okay?”
I turned from looking out the window and looked at him. “Not really.”
“I won’t leave your side,” he promised.
“Thank you for taking me. I don’t even know what I’m going to say.”
He squeezed my hand a little tighter. “Don’t worry about that. It will come.”
“Easton, can I ask you a question?” I was trying to forget about what Veronica said, but I was finding it difficult.
“You can ask me anything.”
“Do you ever talk to Kathryn?”
He released my hand and tightly gripped the steering wheel with both hands. “Only when I have to. Why do you ask?”
I relayed my conversation with Veronica to him.
He looked angry enough to pop a vein in his head. “You don’t need to concern yourself with her.”
“Is she concerned about me?”
Easton sighed heavily. “She’s only ever concerned about herself.”
“I’m assuming my name has come up.”
“Taylor, please don’t worry about her. She’s finding out life isn’t everything she thought it would be with her personal trainer and she only wants to stir up trouble. She and Veronica are miserable and they want everyone around them to be just as miserable as they are, so don’t let them get to you. There’s nothing for you to worry about. I promise.” He took my hand back and tried to relax.
I’m glad one of us could. I wasn’t sure I had ever felt so on edge.
The Pines complex was beautiful. It got its name from all the pine trees that dotted the property. In addition, there were lovely gardens placed strategically along walking paths. Several caretakers were out and about, walking or sitting with their patients or loved ones.
Easton took my hand and led us to the entrance. A few of the guests and even residents waved hello to him, almost like he was a celebrity there. We walked through the sliding glass entrance and were greeted at the front desk by a young man who was also a fan of Easton’s.
“What’s up, my man?” the desk clerk—his nametag said Dwayne—asked. He stood up to greet Easton with a fist bump. It looked like this was their usual greeting. “What are you doing here today, Doc Cole?” Dwayne asked.
Easton smiled at me before answering him. “I’m here to see a patient.”
“You bringing your girlfriends to work with you now?” Dwayne asked.
“She’s more than my girlfriend,” Easton responded.
I raised my eyebrow in scrutiny at his comment before turning toward Dwayne. “I’m his ex-wife.”
“What! Ex-wife?” Dwayne exclaimed.
I had to laugh a little at his reaction.
Easton cleared his throat. I could tell he didn’t like to refer to me that way, though I couldn’t understand why. We had been divorced twice as long as we had been married.
“She’s the mother of my oldest daughter.” Easton gazed down at me. “And someone I care deeply for.”
I think I may have blushed, but I quickly recovered when Dwayne responded.
“You have kids together? Well you better work it out then,” he advised us.
I felt Easton squeeze my hand as if he agreed with Dwayne’s counsel. I refrained from pulling away from him; I needed his comfort at the moment.
“You know the drill, Doc, sign in here,” Dwayne instructed.
Once we were signed in and I had a visitor’s badge, Dwayne opened the automatic doors for us with the push of a button. Easton led the way down the well-lit hallway. Several staff members greeted Easton and took a glance at our clasped hands.
I suddenly felt like I couldn’t breathe. I stopped Easton in the middle of the hall. “I don’t want to do this,” I whispered.
He pulled me off to the side into a little alcove. He drew me to him, and for a moment neither of us spoke as I listened to the rhythm of his heartbeat. It was a familiar tune.
“You don’t have to do this. No one would blame you if you didn’t,” he spoke quietly in my ear.
“What about God?” I asked.
“He understands your pain better than anyone.”
“I feel like he wants me to forgive Frank.”
“Then I have no doubt you will.”
“He was terrible, Easton. He made my life a living hell and he crushed my mother’s soul.”
“I know, and Frank knows that, too.”
“You don’t know how bad it was living like that.”
He took my face and cupped it in his hands. His brown eyes looked so warm as he stared into my own. “No, I don’t, but I’m here for you if you want to talk about it. I wish you could have trusted me enough to tell me when we were married.”
My eyes began to well up with tears. “I wanted to, but I didn’t know how.”
“Maybe,” he said with regret, “if I had been a better husband, you would have.”
I shook my head. “I don’t know.”
“Do you want to go home?” he asked.
“Yes, but … I need to do this.”
“Have I told you how beautiful and amazing I think you are?”
“Yes, and you should stop.”
A laugh rumbled from his chest. “You aren’t getting rid of me that easy.”
I sighed. My resistance was waning, but I wasn’t sure that was a good thing.
He dropped his hands from my face and took up holding my hand again. “Come on,” he encouraged.
I followed silently. I concentrated on the sound my high heels made and kept my
eyes locked on the sterile floor. I wasn’t even bothered by the subtle glances of several of the staff members. Easton was definitely doing his best to keep up the reconciliation rumors.
We stopped in front of room 149.
Easton glanced down at me and gave me a reassuring smile before he opened the door. I almost turned and ran away, but I had promised myself no more running. I had to do this.
I reluctantly walked into the semi-dark, lifeless room. The first thing I noticed was the smell of antiseptic. Then I saw Frank. The only reason I knew he was alive was because of the sound coming from the heart-rate monitor near his bed. The room almost mirrored that of a hospital room, but there were personal effects scattered about, including a dresser, recliner, and pictures. I held back a gasp when I realized who was in the frames.
There I was, nine months pregnant, looking ready to pop at any moment. There were more pictures that I had been missing, like those with my mother, Ashley, and me all together. “Where did he get these?” I whispered. I hoped not to wake up Frank.
Easton looked sheepish and wouldn’t quite meet my eyes. “I made copies for him and gave them to him,” he reluctantly admitted. “It seemed to mean a lot to him.”
I wasn’t sure how to feel about it other than bothered, but I couldn’t dwell on it at the moment. I had bigger issues in front of me, literally. I looked at Frank’s almost lifeless body. He appeared worse than the last time I saw him in the hospital. His shallow breaths were hard fought and his skin tone was even more sallow than before. His sunken cheeks made him look like he was knocking on death’s door.
“Has his condition worsened?” I eked out.
Easton nodded gravely.
I was surprised Easton hadn’t told me or pushed me to see him in light of that information.
Easton carefully situated two chairs by the bed. I let Easton take the one closest to him, or more like insisted that he did. Once we were seated, it was me that reached for Easton’s hand. He held it firmly and kept me steady. I felt ill. I looked at the dying man and still had hard time reconciling that he was my father.
“I’m going to open up the blinds,” Easton informed me. “The sunlight will be good for him.”
Taylor Lynne: The Women of Merryton - Book Two Page 25