Chapter 2
Taylor had been sat in the kitchen at Seth and Summer's house for the best part of an hour, thinking to herself about Frank and Julie's up-coming wedding. Ever since she'd received the invitation over a week ago, she couldn't get it out of her mind. Heading to Seth and Summer's, the only place she was often allowed to go, to hopefully get some guidance from the two people should could count on.
In her head, she couldn't come up with a good enough excuse not to go, Julie had more of a mother to her than her own had ever been.
She was torn, on one hand Ryan might be there and on the other hand Ryan might be there! She would love to see him, even if he no longer felt the same about her as he once had. But, she couldn't help but wonder if by attending she was tempting fate. Was she really ready to see him?
"Taylor, snap out of it" Summer reprimanded as she turned from where she'd been making tea for each of them, only to find Taylor frowning at her thoughts. "Atwood hasn't been back here for four years! He didn't come back when I had parker or for Sophies birthday's, and she's his sister damn it" Taylor looked up and arched an eyebrow.
Summer blew out a breath, "fine, but she is pretty much his sister" Taylor nodded in agreement. Since Sandy and Kirsten had taken him in so many years ago, he had become another son to them.
"Hell, he didn't even come back when you had Jamie" Summer continued "and that's his own son!"
Taylor rose from where she sat to make her way over to the large glass window that overlooked the large pool that Summer and Seth had had installed a few years ago.
"I'm sorry Taylor, but do you really think he's going to come back for their wedding?" Summer questioned gently as she approached Taylor's side. She knew these words were likely hurting her friend, she could see it in the tears that sat in her eyes; but it was the truth.
Sighing, Taylor turned back to her friend; her only friend since starting a relationship with Scott "I know Summer, but…I don't know, I just have this gut feeling that I should just skip the whole thing" Summer's face dropped at the thought of Taylor not being part of the wedding and knew Julie would miss having her there. "I mean, it is his father getting married" Taylor continued, "Do you really think he won't attend?"
Glancing back outside, Taylor focused on her son as he splashed in the shallow area of the pool; Seth tipped buckets of water on both his and Parker's heads as they giggled.
"Honestly" Summer replied, "I really don't. It's been four years Taylor and besides, if you don't go to the wedding then neither are we" emotional blackmail was the only thing Summer had left to try. She'd tried reasoning and even pleading and she hoped that Taylor would realise how upset Julie would be if none of them attended.
Taylor shook her head, a small smile pulling at the corner of her mouth. She couldn't believe Summer would resort to such tactics "C'mon Taylor" Summer whined knowing Taylor was still resisting, "You have to go, you're Julie's maid of honour for godsake" Damn it! Taylor thought. She was Julie's maid of honour. Sighing, she turned to face Summer "Fine! But if Ryan does show up I will personally track you down and…."
"And what?" Summer goaded as she chuckled, "kiss me and thank me for being such an amazing friend?"
Taylor shook her head without answering at the same moment she heard a large squeal from outside. Moving towards the door, both women stepped out to find a drenched and shivering Seth being backed into the corner of the pool area by two small boys; both of which had buckets of water in their hands and were eyeing the man evilly.
Summer and Taylor laughed at the sight before them as Seth looked at them with a pleading look on his face.
Decision made, Taylor couldn't help but lose the smile from her face as her thoughts confirmed 'she was going to the wedding'. Walking forwards, Taylor grabbed a dry towel before reaching Jamie's side to wrap it around him. She couldn't help but smile at his face; full of joy as she realised that although she was dreading the upcoming wedding, Jamie would have a blast with his cousin, Parker.
After lunch Taylor helped Summer clear up before gathering together all the toys Jamie had brought over with him. Promising to pop by before the end of the week, Taylor took Jamie's hand before leaving to wait outside on the steps. This was the one thing she hated! She no longer had her car and other than walking the large distance to Seth and Summer's, she had to wait for Scott to drop her off and pick her up.
"What!" Summer cried as she stepped outside to take out the trash, "He's even dropping you off and picking you up now?" Taylor jumped at the tone in Summer's voice but remained quiet.
"Come on Taylor! Don't you think that's just a bit possessive?" Summer knew Scott was a bad guy, she could feel it and had felt it since the day she'd met the man. Unknowingly, she just didn't know just how right she was!
Taylor looked over her shoulder just as Scott pulled the car up alongside her. As usual, he didn't even look at Summer, let alone talk to her. For the millionth time since meeting Scott, she wished she didn't have to go with him. But, what choice did she have? She couldn't tell people that she was in a domestic violent relationship; she was Taylor Townsend for crying out loud and Townsend's didn't have anything but the best relationships and the best men, according to her mother anyway!
She was supposed to be a strong woman that could hold her own and stand up for herself, but that was the old Taylor. It wasn't the woman she saw now when she looked in a mirror, because behind closed doors she was just a shadow of her former self.
She helped her son into his seat in the back of the car before climbing in herself. She had only just clicked her seatbelt into place when Scott revved the engine. Her hand had only just raised to wave goodbye when he pulled away from the house. As usual, the drive home was quiet. It gave Taylor time to prepare what she wanted to say, the invitation and her chat with Summer swimming around in her thoughts. Before, she could stop herself or chicken out, she turned in her seat to face the man that had become like the devil himself.
"Me and Jamie have been invited to Frank and Julie's wedding this Saturday" she whispered before quickly going quiet again. She noticed Scott's knuckles turn white as he gripped the steering wheel tightly. She felt her heart start to beat quickly in her chest and her hands become clammy, why had she mentioned it? Lord knows what he's going to do to her when they got home. It wasn't a secret that the man loathed both Frank and Julie, but he had made allowances over the years due to the fact that Frank was Jamie's biological grandfather. However, these moments were often few and far between.
After several moments, he turned to face her; a familiar scowl on his face "You know you're not going, don't you" it wasn't a question or a request, it was a command.
Taylor felt her shoulders slump at his words briefly before Summer's words drifted through her mind. Steeling herself, she straightened before trying once more,
"I'm Julie's bridesmaid, Scott, I can't not go"
"I said NO, Taylor" he yelled. Turning in her seat, she saw Jamie had gone quiet but smiled at him gently before turning back to Scott.
"Scott…" she tried "It's just for a few hours" she drifted off thinking about the last wedding she'd attended, Summer and Seth's, and how different it had been. She hadn't had to ask permission to go and she was able to let herself relax and enjoy the day.
"Are you thick or something?" Scott snapped causing Taylor to turn her head away to look out of the window. She hated having to beg or plead with the man and knew he enjoyed her doing so.
"What do you think I'm going to do there Scott?" she questioned and immediately felt herself blush. It was the first time in a long while since she'd voiced the question.
Scott looked over his shoulder towards where Jamie sat in the back, his eyes hardened at the sight of the boy before looking back at Taylor, "I don't know Taylor, what do sluts get up to at wedding's nowadays?"
Taylor sucked in a breath at his words and for a moment she felt the old Taylor resurfacing, "this is bullshit" she cried surprising them both, "I have never given you reason to doubt me Scott and I have always done everything you've asked" it was the first time she'd tried to plead this much and she finally realised how much she wanted to attend the wedding not just for Julie or Jamie, but for herself.
"I have missed birthdays, christenings, bar mitzvahs and Christmases with my family" she ticked each one off on her fingers, "I can't let Julie down with this, she's been like a mother to me" she whispered the last part.
For a moment, Scott simply looked at her silently. It was the first time she'd spoken up to him in such a long time and to be honest he didn't think she had it in her anymore.
He wondered where her outburst had come from but scowled when a picture of Summer Roberts floated through his mind. That girl always was a bad influence. However, he had hoped that Taylor had learned not to answer back to him over two years ago.
"We're going out, so go get dressed" Scott ordered as soon as he arrived home from work. She could tell he was in a foul mood and then remembered that he'd been having a lot more of bad days than good lately.
"Jamie's sick" she started as she rose from the sofa to face him, "I can't go out and just leave him. He needs me" She looked at her son who laid on the sofa, his head resting in the place she'd just risen from. Turning back to Scott, she jumped slightly at the anger he displayed "I said, go get dressed!" he yelled.
Steeling her spine, she stepped forward slightly "And I said, Jamie's sick! If you want to go, then you'll have to go without me!"
Hoping that would be the end of the conversation, Taylor turned to sit back down with Jamie, but stopped when she felt his hand wrap around her hair. He pulled her back towards him roughly and held it so tight she thought her scalp would detach. As she struggled for him to let go, Jamie started to scream. That was all it took, a spilt second!
Before she knew what was happening, Scott released Taylor's hair before stepping closer to her son. She watched in almost slow motion as he lunged at Jamie before Taylor managed to insert herself between them. Scott's fists had come crashing down on her face, not once but over and over until Scott seemed to run out of steam.
It had hurt so much, the pain unbearable. She was black and blue for weeks and couldn't even leave the house. She knew people would ask too many questions so she did the only thing she could; she hid herself away. After that night the beatings got worse and more frequent. But, Scott adapted and became clever, instead of bruising her face, he would just hit her in places people couldn't see.
They were nearly home and Taylor could feel the tension that something was coming. She just hoped that she could get Jamie out of the car and into his room before Scott started anything. It was bad enough that she had to put up with the beatings and abuse Scott provided on nearly a daily basis but it didn't mean her son had to witness it any more than was necessary.
What she couldn't wrap her head around was her behaviour. Why had she spoken up? Pleased with the man? She just couldn't understand where the anger and strength had come from. She could only think that it was because she hoped that Ryan would be back in Newport Beach soon.
Nothing happened that night, which surprised Taylor, as she thought for sure that Scott was going to do something. Instead, he'd simply headed for the kitchen as Taylor ushered Jamie to his room, where they stayed behind a locked door for until the following day. Although Jamie had a lock on his door, Taylor had felt unsettled all night, imaging Scott breaking the door down; she knew that not even a lock would stop him.
Everywhere looked so beautiful. Julie had outdone herself on such another glorious wedding. Flowers lined almost every surface and whilst small twinkling lights lit up any shadows.
Almost everyone was a frantic mess as they ushered people to their seats or to the bar to wait until the ceremony began. She had received word from the preacher that the ceremony was due to start shortly, so she left Jamie with Seth and Parker before excusing herself to the room where Julie was getting herself ready.
As she made her way through the throngs of people, Taylor breathed a small sigh of relief; she had not seen any sign of Ryan. So he's really not coming!she thought to herself.
A familiar voice sounded behind her as she walked the hall to Julie's room, "I haven't seen him" Taylor turned and saw Frank Atwood smiling at her in an understanding way "I don't think he's coming, Taylor" she moved to approach him and lent into his embrace. His arms so much like his son's that if she closed her eyes, she could imagine he was Ryan instead.
"It's good to see you" Frank told her honestly as she pulled back "We've missed you"
Frank's eyes darted behind her as he searched the hallway around them and then he spotted him "Where's my grandson?" Frank questioned gently.
Linking her arm through his, she walked him the way she'd just come. As they reached the last step and stepped into the foyer of the building, she pointed through a crowd to where Seth stood with Jamie and Parker on either side of him. The boys clearly laughing at whatever story Seth was telling them.
Frank followed the line of sight that Taylor pointed out. The air whooshed from his chest at how much his grandson had changed. "Wow, would you look at him! He's gotten so big" he marvelled before looking at Taylor. "He looks just like Ryan when he was that age" he reminisced before realising what he'd said. He knew things had been tough for Taylor over the years, and whilst him and Julie had always tried to be there for her and Jamie, they'd noticed that she'd been slowly pulling away from them.
Changing the subject, Taylor lent forward and swiped a hand over the shoulders of his suit "Frank, the weddings about to start and I should go help Julie finish…" Frank nodded and leant forward to drop a kiss to her forehead before starting to walk away.
"Aren't you supposed to be marrying Julie Cooper?" a voice asked causing them both to pause before looking over to where the person stood.
"Ryan?"
Taylor's breath stuck in her throat as she looked at him and she wondered how he could still do that to her. How he could make her heart beat faster just by looking at him.
"Ryan, you're here, you made it" Frank boomed as he rushed to embrace his son.
Ryan simply smiled before returning a manly slap to his father's back "Hey, you can't get married without a best man, right?"
Looking past his father's shoulder, he noticed Taylor hovering in the background. God, she looked exactly the same as when he last saw her. The only difference was that she had some new curves that were enhanced by the long gold mermaid dress that adorned her body. For a split second he realised just how much he'd missed her.
"Taylor" he smiled as he moved to step past his father in her direction.
He watched her face change before she rushed out "Sorry, gotta go help the bride" before taking off up the stairs and out of sight.
Her chest heart and she was sure she was about to pass out. She leaned against the door to Julie's room trying to calm her breath, "it's fine Taylor, you've got this" she told herself over and over.
…
The ceremony was short and sweet, and everybody laughed and cried in the right places. Taylor and Summer stood near to Julie whilst Ryan and Sandy stood opposite on Frank's side. Throughout the entire service, Taylor had felt Ryan's gaze on her and had purposely looked out across the room to the exit, where she focused on the glowing green sign above the door.
Ryan hadn't been able to take his eyes off Taylor at all, he couldn't even tell you what the preacher had said, as he hadn't heard a word of it. He'd been hoping to catch her after the ceremony, but as soon as his father and Julie had walked back down the aisle as husband and wife, Taylor had disappeared.
As the day progressed, through the photos and cutting the cake, Ryan had barely caught more than a glimpse of Taylor and he wondered why was she avoiding him. It was her that had stopped contacting him, right?
Taylor was nervously holding the phone as she began to dial, she almost passed out she was shaking that much when it began to ring.
She had already prepared herself several times on what she was going to say, but when that familiar click of the line signalling someone had picked up the call happened, her mind went blank.
"Hello" answered a female voice
Taylor pulled the phone away from her ear to check she'd dialled the correct number before frowning. Why was a strange woman answering Ryan's phone
Sucking in a breath, she asked "Hi, I'm sorry, I must of dialled the wrong number. I'm looking for Ryan Atwood?"
Without hesitation, the woman answered "I'm sorry, but he's in the shower. Can I take a message?" the woman sounded sly almost as if she had a huge smug smile on her face at the words she was speaking.
Taylor didn't want her worst fears confirmed, that Ryan had moved on from her so quickly, so she hung up the line as fast as she could; before deleting the number from her phone.
Ryan had someone else. It was the only reasonable explanation she could think of, but why hadn't he told her. They'd spoke on the phone most nights following his arrival, and he'd never said a word. After the first week or so, the calls had become less and less frequent, until they'd stopped altogether.
After that particular call, she knew she no longer held a place in his heart but she'd be damned if he would do the same to their baby, so she decided the easiest thing to do was to write to him. She wrote letters every week detailing her pregnancy, scan pictures, Jamie's wrist tag from the hospital when he was born, photos of him all the time so he could see how fast he was growing. But, after a year of sending letters Taylor had stopped. Why should she bother when they had all come back opened but return to sender, he obviously wasn't interested
Ryan had been in the shower when he heard his phone ringing in the other room. A flash of excitement went through him as he wondered whether it was Taylor, but then he shook his head to clear the thought.
When he'd first arrived in London, they'd spoken daily however that soon tapered off until he no longer heard from her. Although they were no longer in contact, it didn't stop him thinking of Taylor several times throughout the day.
It hurt so much now that they were apart, but at least they were keeping in touch; or had been keeping in touch that was. Surely, she knew how important this job was to him. Hell, it had been her idea to apply and it's not that he didn't consider her important to him, but he wanted to do this. It was such a promising job which could open new opportunities for him, that he would be a fool to pass it up.
Ryan was so deep in thought as he pulled his towel around his waist that he didn't hear the woman in his lounge talking on his phone. It was only as he stepped into the room that he noticed his assistant Libby standing at the table where he'd dumped his keys, wallet and phone. His phone that she held clutched in her hand.
Frowning slightly, Ryan stepped forward. One hand clinching the towel at his waist as he began to feel self- conscious and the other held out for his phone.
"Did I miss a call?" he enquired as he glanced down at the screen.
Looking back up, he noticed a strange look on her face before she stepped towards him. Libby had made no secret of the fact that she found him attractive but he'd always tried to remain professional; she was after all his assistant and she definitely was not Taylor.
"It was just a wrong number" she replied off handily before running a finger down his bare chest.
His hand snapped up to capture hers and he was positive he heard her purr. Pushing her hand back towards her, he stepped backwards to gain some space between them.
