An unexpected visit!

Steffy and Thomas quickly got used to the idea of their parents back together. For Steffy a dream came true. She had never given up her hope that her parents would one day get reunited. Thomas had also given up his remaining doubts. During the video chats and phone calls, it was impossible to miss how happy their parents were together. It was quite difficult for both of them to keep it a secret. They had promised not to tell anyone about the relationship and that became a real challenge for both of them. It would have been such a satisfaction to rub it under Brooke's nose or share the whole story with their grandparents. Not wanting to lie too much, Steffy and Thomas had told their grandparents about the family dinner and the day they had spent together. It was all too obvious that their grandmother was dying to know what Ridge and Taylor's relationship was like and that she still prayed her son would find his way back to Taylor. Steffy and Thomas found it very difficult to keep their grandmother in the dark, but on the other hand, they could also understand their parents' reasons for not wanting to make their relationship public at this time. It was obvious that once this news started making the rounds, there would be a lot of discussion and turmoil. So it was probably wise to put it off as long as possible.

At any rate, Taylor and Ridge felt no urge to tell the family about their relationship yet. They enjoyed the undisturbed togetherness. That evening, they had made themselves comfortable at home. Actually, they had planned to go out for dinner. Ridge had even made reservations for a table, but by the time they were both winding down with a drink after work, they were so relaxed and cozy that neither of them felt a desire to get up and get ready. Instead, they had heated up some leftover pasta. They were lounging on the couch. Taylor was giving Ridge a massage, and he was lying there completely relaxed, enjoying the treatment. That's when the house phone rang. They both looked at each other in surprise; this could only be security, who guarded the building at night. Taylor scrambled to her feet and answered the call. When Ridge joined her as well, he noticed Taylor had an astonished and partly frightened face.

"No, no that's right! You can send him up." Visibly irritated, Taylor hung up.

"Who's coming for a visit at this time?" Ridge was getting more curious.

"You're not going to believe it. It's my father!"

"Jack?! I thought he was in South Africa?"

"That's what I thought, too. He wasn't supposed to be home for another month, but apparently he's on his way to see us right now."

"And he didn't announce himself at all?"

"No! I would have told you that. I'm as surprised as you are!" Ridge noticed how nervous and frantic Taylor was.

"You don't seem too excited about it?!"

"Yes, I am! Of course I'm excited to see him, it's just that... he has no idea about us. He doesn't even know we're in touch. I wanted to tell him all this in person." Ridge gave her a stunned look.

"You never gave him the slightest hint?"

"No, we just wrote each other a few short emails now and then, and he was often unreachable for days. Besides...I mean...you can't just explain something like that in an email." Ridge understood what she was getting at.

"Well, I guess he'll find out now." He was far more relaxed about the situation. As if on cue, the apartment doorbell was already ringing. Taylor hurried before opening it, taking another deep breath.

"Hey Dad! Good to see you."

"Hello my girl! I hope I did a good job with the surprise!"

"Indeed, I would have expected anything, but not you!"

"I missed you! I have so much to tell you, but now let me look at you, we haven't seen each other for so long. You look good! San Francisco still seems to be doing you well."

"Yes, but that's not all! Because I have something very important to tell you..." But Jack was already on his way to the living area and there he couldn't trust his eyes. There stood his former son-in-law, whom he had thought to be out of his daughter's life for good. Ridge extended his hand to him.

"Jack, nice to see you again! How are you?" Jack ignored his greeting. He just gave him an icy look. He turned to his daughter.

"Can you please explain to me what this man is doing here!" His disagreement could be heard with every word.

"I was just about to explain that to you..." Taylor stuttered. She didn't know how to explain the whole complex story so quickly. "It's like this...Ridge came to town a few months ago...and we've been reconnecting for the past few months..." As she talked, she went next to Ridge and reached for his hand. He put his arm around her shoulder. They gave each other a loving glance.

"Taylor, you're not seriously telling me, that you and this guy..." Jack had to really pull himself together to keep from screaming out loud. Taylor's reaction made him even more agitated.

"Yes we are, that's exactly what I'm trying to tell you. Ridge and I have been a couple for a few weeks now." Taylor couldn't help but smile. It still felt so good to be able to say those words. Her father stared at her in complete shock. There was sheer horror in his eyes. Ridge felt it was now time to say something as well.

"Jack, we can explain this to you. We..."

"I don't want to hear a single word from you! The only thing I want from you is to get out of this apartment and out of my daughter's life!"

"Dad! This is still my apartment! You can't just kick Ridge out and I won't tolerate you talking to him like that either. This is my decision!" She spoke in a firm voice, she could understand that it was hard for her father to accept this circumstance, but he would have to respect her decision. Jack, on the other hand, was furious. Before he had left for South Africa, he had thought the Ridge nightmare was over once and for all for his daughter. She had finally broken free of him and now a few months later he had crept back into her life. But this time he would take care of his little girl. He pulled her away from Ridge and spoke urgently to her.

"Taylor, you can't be serious. Please think about it! Have you forgotten everything that man did to you? All the pain and misery?"

"No, of course I haven't. But please listen to me." She tried to placate him. But Jack did not want to hear any explanations. He turned again to his former son-in-law.

"I don't know how you did it or what your motives are. But one thing I can swear to you, I will not let you break my daughter's heart again. I don't know what curse you put on her, but you can't fool me." Ridge looked him straight in the eye.

"I have no intention of ever hurting Taylor again. I love her and I'm serious."

"That's what you said many times before, and they were just empty promises." Taylor realized there was no point it would work that way.

"Dad, please let it go. May I talk to you in private for a moment in the kitchen? Taylor realized the only way she could resolve the situation was speaking alone with her father.

"Fine by me." He cast one last venomous glance at Ridge and made his way to the kitchen. Taylor hugged her sweetheart.

"I'm so sorry about that, I didn't know he would react this way. I'll clear it with him."

"It's okay. I have to be sorry, your dad is totally right about his reaction. Maybe it really is better if I go."

"No!" Taylor held him back and looked at him pleadingly. "I don't want you to go! Please stay!"

"Alright! It's okay." He took her reassuringly in his arms. For a moment they remained in the embrace, kissing. Then Taylor followed her father, Ridge was hoping she could find the right words. When Taylor stepped into the kitchen, her father was already waiting for her. He still had to pull himself together very hard not to lose his composure.

"Taylor Hamilton Hayes, you know I think you are one of the most intelligent people on this planet, but when I see that man in your living room, I seriously question your sanity. How many times are you going to give this man the opportunity to stomp on you? I thought you had finally managed to break away from him."

"You've got it all wrong. There was a lot going on in the last few months and this thing with us wasn't planned or anything, it just happened. Ridge came to town earlier this year for business reasons. He didn't know I live here at first until he happened to see me downtown."

"And then he had nothing better to do than make goo-goo eyes at you and reel you back in?!"

"No, it wasn't like that. First, we met to work out our differences. It was very important to Ridge to make peace. Then we saw each other more often and we developed a deep friendship and eventually friendship turned into love. We fell in love with each other all over again. Ridge loves me and I love him and we are happy."

"Taylor, how many times have you thought that over the years and how many times have you been disappointed? Have you forgotten what he did to you last year? I haven't forgotten how you suddenly showed up at my door and cried your eyes out for two days, and then right before I left for South Africa, you were on such a good turn. You were finally free of all those hurt feelings and false expectations and now I come back a few months later and discover this man in your apartment. You know how this ends! He's going to hurt you again."

"No, he won't! Ridge has changed. He is well aware of having made serious mistakes in the past. But we have both decided to draw a line under them. And this time everything is different, Ridge is the most loving, attentive and caring partner anyone could ever ask for. He shows me every day through so many small gestures how much he loves me."

"And what about this other woman?"

"Brooke? That's over and done with before Ridge even came to town. He's not interested in her anymore. Brooke is no longer a competitor...Dad, I can imagine this is a shock to you right now and I can understand why you're having to process all of this, but I'm asking you to accept it."

"Taylor, you are my only daughter, all I want for you is that you are happy!"

"I'm fine, to be honest, I've never been better. I can't remember the last time I was this content in my life."

"The only question is how long that will last. You said yourself he's here for business. What if he goes back to LA one day and then he sees Brooke again? Are you sure he really broke up with her for good? It wouldn't be the first time he hasn't been honest with you about this."

"Dad please! It's over between Brooke and Ridge and it was over long before we even had met again. He doesn't want anything to do with her anymore and that's final."

"But they're still in contact with each other, aren't they?"

"There's no way around it, they have a child together. Brooke will always be a part of the family, I can't change that and neither can Ridge. But she's not a threat to our relationship."

"You say that now because you're here in San Francisco and Brooke is in LA...but well, you're an adult. You have grown children of your own. I can't tell you how to live your life. All I can advise you is to take care of yourself and as far as I'm concerned...you can't expect me to put Ridge back in my arms so soon."

"I'm not asking you to do that. All I ask is that you at least give him a chance, for my sake."

"I'll have to think about it. I'm going back to the hotel for now. I'll stay until the day after tomorrow. I'd be glad to see you for dinner tomorrow night." The two left the kitchen. Without looking at Ridge, Jack said goodbye to his daughter and left.

"You don't seem to have really won him over yet." Taylor flopped down on the couch next to Ridge. He put his arm around her and she snuggled up to him.

"Well, the whole thing just isn't easy for him. He doesn't believe you're serious this time, and he's scared for me."

"I actually understand his concerns very well, if it were about Steffy I would probably react the same way."

"Maybe he just needs time to get used to the situation. That's what I'm hoping, anyway. I just wish he would respect our relationship." Ridge tried his best to comfort her. It hurt him to see her suffer so much and to know that he was the reason.

"I'm sorry, this is all my fault!"

"No, it isn't. It's no one's fault, it's just complicated and in the end I'm not completely innocent either. When I left LA last year, I was with him for a few days and it was all so fresh then. I was so angry and disappointed and hurt and I was pretty honest with him about everything and now he's just suspicious." They talked about the messy situation for a while until they went to bed.

The next afternoon, Ridge made his way to his former father-in-law's hotel. He had made a decision. He had noticed during the night how restlessly Taylor had slept, and even though she tried not to show it, he could tell how much the situation was bothering her. He walked up to the front desk.

"Good afternoon, I'm looking for Jack Hamilton."

"One moment please...yes he is a guest here. Are you related to him?"

"Yes, I'm his son-in-law, my wife and I want to surprise him."

"Oh, I see. He's room number 506, the elevators are right over there."

"Thank you!" A short time later, Ridge knocked on said room door.

"Room service!" The door opened and Jack looked at him in surprise, then horror.

"What are you doing here?" Ridge pushed past him and stepped into the modest room.

"I need to talk to you, and whether you want to or not, but you're going to listen to me for a few minutes!"

"Give me one reason why I should do that?"

"The reason is Taylor, your daughter, whose welfare I care about as much as you do."

"If you had Taylor's best interests at heart, you would finally stop playing your games with her and leave her alone."

"I can't because I love her." Jack was puzzled by this answer.

"You know, for so many years I believed in you and in your love and I was convinced for many years that you are the right man for my little girl. That you could make her happy and you were a happy family for some time, but after all you've done to her over the last years, you can't expect me to believe you now."

"It's true though! I know I've made a lot of mistakes, and being a father myself, I can very well understand why you want to protect Taylor. But a lot has happened in the last few months. and I have sincerely and wholeheartedly fallen in love with her. That's the reason why I'm here. I don't want Taylor to feel like she's standing between us. When we started our relationship, I vowed to always be there for her and do everything I can to make her happy. Jack couldn't deny, those words touched him.

"And what about this other woman?"

"That's over and done with forever and it was over before Taylor and I met again. My love for Taylor has nothing to do with Brooke, even if Taylor and I hadn't met here, it wouldn't change the situation between Brooke and me."

"So you can swear to me, if you return to LA one day, you won't develop any feelings for her again and my daughter will be forgotten?"

"I solemnly promise you that. I have no intention of ever leaving or letting Taylor go again, just as I have no intention of disappointing and abandoning the kids again."

"So that means they both know?"

"Yes they are the only ones of the family besides you that know so far. They visited us here together recently and we told them and they are both thrilled about it. They have always wanted us to be a family again. We haven't told the rest of the family yet because we just want to wait a little bit before we face all the turmoil, but we don't have a secret relationship. All our friends, acquaintances and colleagues here in San Francisco know." Jack listened intently to what Ridge reported. For a while he said nothing, thinking hard.

"I can only hope that you really mean it this time. I saw yesterday how much Taylor believes in you and I can't say anything else, I saw how happy she was. So I can only advise you not to put it all on the line again. Don't hurt her again!"

"I would never do that, believe me if I could I would turn back the time and do so many things differently. I realize now I didn't treat Taylor the way she deserved. But that's over. In the last few months, I got to know her on a whole new level. I love her and not because of our past or the kids. I love her for the woman she is today. With her, life is so uncomplicated and cheerful without any drama. She gives me a feeling of security, when I come home at night and dinner is ready and she falls around my neck to greet me, then I know I am home. At the same time it is good to see how grateful she is for everything I do for her. The sparkle in her eyes when I bring her flowers, her joy when we go out on a date. I've finally found my place in life." As he spoke, Jack looked him straight in the eye. His speech finally melted the ice. Silently, he put his hand on Ridge's. The latter understood the gesture. No words were needed. They were silent for a while, then they started small talk. Jack talked about his projects in South Africa and Ridge about his boutique. Jack got to his feet.

"You probably know I invited Taylor to dinner. I think it would mean a lot to her if you join us and I would be delighted too.

"I'd love to! I really appreciate the invitation." Ridge smirked with satisfaction. He had hoped this conversation would lead to this result. They were a little early, so they decided to pick up Taylor at her office. She was more than surprised to see the two of them together.

"Did I miss anything crucial?" Ridge replied, unimpressed.

"No! How do you come up with this idea?" Jack continued.

"We just came to pick you up for dinner." Taylor looked confused from one to the other. Ridge snapped her out of her thoughts.

"So are you ready? Your two men are hungry!"

"Give me five minutes." The five minutes ended up being 20. However, when Taylor stood in front of them all styled up and dressed in an elegant red evening gown, both of them were speechless and any commentary stuck in their throats.

At dinner, Jack watched very closely the interaction between Ridge and Taylor. Like all the other people before, he immediately noticed the many little caresses. He sensed the love and magic between them.

"Do you really have to leave tomorrow Dad, why don't you stay a few more days?"

"I'm afraid I can't. I know it's a shame but I have to go home." He turned to Ridge. "I'm counting on you. Take good care of my little girl!"

"Of course! You don't have to worry about it!" He wrapped Taylor in his arms.

"Hey! I'm a grown strong woman, I think I can stand up for myself very well, besides I'll have to watch out for you so you don't do anything stupid."

"Excuse me? I am a serious and earnest businessman. So what foolishness are you talking about?" He continued in a whisper. "Except the ones I make with you!" Taylor poked him in the ribs. She felt herself blush.

A short time later, Jack headed to the restroom. Taylor stroked Ridge's face.

"Thank you! Thanks for working things out with my dad. I can't tell you how much that means to me."

"No big deal, I just want you to be happy. Besides, I did it for my own safety, too. You slept so fitfully last night, you hit me twice."

"Oops, sorry! I swear tonight I won't get violent." She leaned in and gave him a tender kiss. None of them noticed Jack watching them from a distance. It filled his heart with joy to see his girl so glowing. He wished for her this time the happiness would last.

Next chapter, the family learns about their love. What do you think? How will Stephanie and the others react?