Taylor let go of her Mother, and backed away. Roger put a comforting hand on her shoulder, and squeezed ever so slightly.
"You okay Tay?" he asked. Taylor nodded and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
"Yeah, I'm fine," she lied. Bethany was thrilled that her two youngest children were back.
"How have you two
been?" she asked. "I haven't heard from either one of you in
years."
"We've been good Mom," replied Taylor. "I 'm
married now with a thirteen month old and a two month old." Kate
nearly fell over when she heard this.
"Are they here?" Bethany asked.
"They're downstairs with my girlfriend and their Dad getting something to eat," Roger explained.
"You guys go ahead downstairs then. I have a few things to see to here." Michael took Kate's hand. "Michael, introduce Kate to them for God's sake!" Michael blushed.
"Kate, this is my younger brother Roger, and my younger sister Taylor. Roger, Taylor, this is my fiancé Kate." This time, Taylor was the one that was surprised.
"Your fiancé?" she repeated. Kate smiled smugly, and wrapped her arm around Michael's waist.
"We're getting married next year sometime." Michael looked at his watch. "We should go downstairs before people start to worry." Michael and Kate walked downstairs, but Roger held Taylor back.
"How do you know Kate?" the rocker asked his twin in a low voice. Taylor stared at the ground. Roger put his finger under her chin, tipped her face up towards him, and looked deep into her eyes. "How do you know Kate?" he repeated much slower.
"That's Frank's sister."
"Frank?" Roger stopped to think. A sudden realization washed over him. "That jack ass ex-boyfriend of yours? That's his sister; the one who gave you all that grief?" Taylor nodded. "Oh wait until I give her a piece of my mind." Taylor grabbed Roger's arm when he tried to storm out of the church.
"Please don't do anything," she pleaded. "I can take care of myself. Don't tell anyone, this isn't the time or place." Roger sighed. Very rarely did Taylor beg like that. Roger looked deep into her pained eyes.
"Fine, but only if you promise to tell Mark by tomorrow." Taylor nodded; she was still clinging to Roger for dear life. Roger ran his fingers through Taylor's shoulder length hair. "Come on, let's go." Side by side, the siblings went downstairs.
At the luncheon, Mark and Mimi were talking to Michael and Kate at one of the circular tables.
"Mama!" Matthew
exclaimed as he slid off Mark's lap, and ran over to Taylor.
Taylor scooped her son up in her arms. "Where you go?"
"I
was talking to Uncle Roger if that's okay with you." Matthew
shrugged. Taylor shifted him from one hip to the other. "You're
going to get too heavy for this soon." Matthew threw his pudgy
arms around his Mother's neck, and kissed her cheek.
"Love you Mama!"
"I love you too."
Taylor sat down next to Mark with Matthew on her lap, and Roger took a seat next to Mimi. An uncomfortable since fell over the table until Bethany sat down between Mark and Michael.
"Mom, this is my husband, Mark Cohen," Taylor told her. "You've met him before, he's Roger's best friend." Mark and Bethany shook hands.
"Nice to see you again, Mark. I haven't seen you in a few years," Bethany said.
"It's good to see you too, Ms. Willows."
"Call me Bethany. Apparently we're family now." Sensing the slightly callous tone, Taylor spoke up to their defense.
"Mom, our wedding was just us; we couldn't afford a really lavish one or anything."
"It's fine, I just wish that you called me or something to tell me, instead of telling me at your Father's funeral." Taylor sighed and took a sip of her water.
"Look, I'm sorry, Mom." Before Taylor could continue apologizing, the waiters arrived to serve everyone their lunch
During lunch, Taylor kept feeling Kate's eyes on her. Mark reached under the table, and squeezed his wife's knee. He could sense her discomfort, but thought that it was because of her Mother and the funeral. The mood at the table slowly rose. Much to Roger's dismay, the topic of discussion changed to the times that he had screwed up. Taylor got up, and retreated to the bathroom. A few seconds later, Kate followed in suit.
Sighing, Taylor looked in the mirror. She had dark circles under her eyes from the lack of sleep due to nightmares, stress, and midnight feedings.
Suddenly, the bathroom door swung open, and Kate exclaimed, "We need to talk." Jaw set tight, Taylor spun around.
"There's nothing to talk about," she replied firmly.
"Oh yes there is. You married that guy, had kids, and totally forgot about you family and what you did to Frank. You tore my family apart by walking out on him!"
"Frank beat me, degraded me, made me feel worthless, and then left me for a hooker! I felt like a nothing, and Mark was there for me when I needed someone to lean on. Like I said, there's nothing to talk about."
"Yes there is! You've dropped out of this family, and screwed your life up. Now, you're back, and the only reason you've been welcomed with open arms is because your Mom doesn't know about your failure. Coming back was the biggest mistake you could have ever made." Taylor almost bought Kate's little speech, but something in her mind snapped.
"No! You're just as horrible as Frank! I can't believe I'm even listening to you. I'll see you later, Kate."
Taylor slid stiffly past Kate, and stormed out to the reception area. She grabbed her jacket and purse from off her chair.
"This was a mistake, I'm leaving," she told Mark. She stormed out of the room before anyone could protest. Kate slid back into her seat silently.
"What happened?" Roger demanded as Mark got up to follow after Taylor. Kate shrugged.
"I don't know," she replied with an innocent tone. "I offered my condolences, but she flipped out and told me to stop trying to weasel my way into her family."
"Why do I have the feeling that you're lying? Oh, because you most likely are!" Roger exclaimed.
"Roger!" Bethany scolded.
"That's not like Taylor to do something like that! She's different than how you once knew her. If anyone yells in the same room as her, she cringes; in large crowds, especially if it's mostly men, she'll hyperventilate; and if you grab her and she feels threatened, she has an emotional breakdown. You want to know why Taylor will never be the same again? Ask Kate, she can tell you all about her brother who ruined her life." Michael turned to Kate who was staring at her lap.
"Kate, what's going on?" he asked. Before Kate could come up with an answer, a very stressed Mark returned from outside.
"Guys, Taylor's gone."
A/N: There you go, chapter 4. I finished chapter 5 already, I just have to type it. There's the biggest football of the season tomorrow, so I'm going to be down there support my Jags! Much love!
Tina101
