Max, Kenny & Lucas

She looked up at that. "Being spoiled by her grandparents. What…you're here."

"And you're holding some guys hand," Kenny said. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Why are you here?" she asked. "I thought…you made your opinion of me clear."

"So, you go out and bang some guy?'

"I'm getting a drink with an old friend."

"He's the guy who knocked you up. I found your old yearbooks. The guy who made you abort."

"He didn't make me do anything. We were 16 years old."

"Get the hell away from my wife."

Lucas looked at her for a long moment. "You okay with that, Darlin?"

She nodded. "Yeah. I'll be fine. Thanks for the talk."

"Anytime, you know that. I'll be at the bar."

Kenny watched him go. "Darlin? Why is he calling you that? He's black."

"I'm aware of that…and he's always called me that."

"No other man is calling you something like that. And you were holding his hand."

"I needed someone to talk to. That's all it was. Why do you care? You won't talk to me."

"I care that my wife is sitting here, flirting with some guy, while our daughter is home with her douchebag parents."

"They're better grandparents than parents. And I'm not flirting. He's the person I can talk to about this, it…you've been treating me like I committed some unforgivable crime. I love you, I want us to work…but Kenny? I can't live with you treating me like this. What I did when I was 16 has nothing to do with you. It was my body, my choice. If you can't live with that…we need to explore our options."

"We're not getting divorced."

"Then stop treating me like this."

He looked at her for a long time. "Come home."

What if Taylor does something like this? Will he freeze her out? Will we raise her like this? "I think we need a marriage counselor."

"Not a chance."

"Are you not serious about fixing us?"

"I want the woman I married back."

"I'm still me. You just know…you know a part of me that…it was Lucas' and my secret for a long time."

"I have a hotel. We're not staying with your parents."

"Okay. Taylor is probably sleeping and…tomorrow? Maybe spend some time as a family?"

"Not with your parents."

She nodded. "What hotel? I'll meet you."

"Are you staying here? With him?"

She looked at Lucas at the bar. He's keeping an eye on me, he looks worried. I think a few more kind words, I'd be falling in his arms and bed. "No, I was heading out soon anyway."

"Get your coat. Did you drive?"

She nodded. "Do you need a ride? You can stay with me…I know Taylor would love to see her daddy in the morning."

"I'm not staying there, and neither are you after tomorrow."

I want to stay with Lucas tonight, she thought, no…stop it. My parents and I are okay right now…maybe I can mend fences. They do hate Kenny…and I love Kenny. I do, even right now. "I'll bring her by after breakfast then."

He grabbed her hand and pulled her toward him. "Stay away from that guy, Max."

Something nagging at her, it's familiar, she thought, like déjà vu. No, fix my marriage. "Okay. Walk me to my car?"

He pulled her closer and kissed her hard on the mouth. Mine, he thought, seeing the other man watching them. She is my wife.

Sarah & Lucas

"You are so in love with my sister."

Lucas looked up from where he was wiping the bar down. "I've always loved her. What's up with her marriage? I thought the guy…he was rough with her."

"Max loves him…I don't know why. Or at least she says she does…she'll stay for Taylor."

"Taylor is adorable. You don't take your six-week-old across the country without a reason."

"You know Max loves you too. She cried before she moved to Wisconsin…it was over you. She thought you were going to propose. To go with her. To ask her to stay. Go to her. Tell her before she goes back to him for good."

Max & Kenny

"Did she grow in the last four days?"

Max nodded. "She's a good eater. I think she missed you."

He looked at her sitting cross legged on his hotel bed. My wife, he thought, nothing but leggings, sweater and her hair loose. Hurt, I hurt her…I can't let it go. Then she was with him… "You were talking to him about us."

She looked at him with that. "I was. He's the only one who knows about it…I needed to talk to him."

"I saw how the two of you were looking at each other."

"We never judge each other."

"You were holding his hand."

"He knows how upset I am."

"Where is he now?"

"Work? He has a life here that doesn't involve me."

He laid Taylor in the hotel crib and turned back to her. "I want you to come home."

"Why?"

"Because you're my wife. The mother of my child."

"You've been really mean to me. Judgmental over something that had nothing to do with you. Kenny, having an abortion is the hardest thing I ever did. I was 16 and…I wasn't ready. I was very lucky to have Lucas with me. He was a rock."

"You did something…something that goes against everything I believe in."

"I want our marriage to work, but it can't if you treat me like this."

He sat down next to her and didn't take his eyes off her. "You're my wife, Max."

"Kenny, I need some space. You really hurt me. You took something…you took the hardest thing I ever had to do and threw it in my face. You made me feel horrible about myself. You shoved me away, wouldn't talk to me, sleep in the same room with me. We just had a baby and…I needed you."

"Max."

"No. You do this. You push me away and treat me like crap. Kenny, I can't…I thought you loved me."

"I do love you."

She shook her head. "You wouldn't have treated me like this if you loved me."

"You never told me."

"No one knew beside me and Lucas."

"You never told me about him either."

"Lucas is…I didn't know how. We were together for four years, off and on through college and we slept together whenever we were both single and in the same place."

"Would you have slept with him yesterday?"

"I'm not single."

"I saw how you two were looking at each other."

"I needed a friend."

"A friend who wanted to take you to bed. And I know you. You would have gone to bed with him if I hadn't shown up."

"You think I'll cheat on you?"

"I saw how you looked at him."

"And you assume I'd just blow off my marriage vows? That's your conclusion?"

"You left. Came here. With him."

"I came here because of how you treated me. How you're still treating me. I had an abortion, Kenny, at 16. I don't regret it and you can't judge me for it."

"You killed your baby."

She wiped her tears and stood up with that. "I think…I don't think we should be together anymore. We need to work something out with Taylor."

"We are not getting divorced."

"Why do you even want to be married to me? Do you still love me?"

"I can learn to forgive you."

"Forgive me? I didn't do anything wrong! I don't need your forgiveness!"

"You murdered a baby!"

"You weren't there! You didn't know me then!" she cried, as he grabbed her arm and pulled her up with him. "Let go!"

"You're my wife, Max! You're not supposed to be this whore who had an abortion and wants to have an affair!"

"I'm not a whore!"

"You're mine!"

"Let go of me!"

"You make me insane!" he continued. "You are not leaving me!"

"You're hurting me!"

He tossed her on the bed again. "Undress."

She scrambled to her feet. "Taylor and I are leaving."

"You are not taking my daughter."

"She needs me more than you."

"You bitch. You're going to him."

"I'm not going to Lucas! I'm not having an affair with him!" she cried, as he pushed her back on the bed. "Stop!"

"You're not going anywhere."
"Get off me!"

He pinned her down. "Stop fighting me."

I can't move, she thought, he's too strong. He's going to…no…he can't. He won't hurt me. Kenny could never hurt me. "Are you going to…force me? Rape me?"

"Max," he said, looking at her terrified expression. "Max."

She leaped back to her feet as he backed away from her. Grabbing her coat and purse, as he sunk down in the chair. Picking up her sleeping daughter, she backed away from him, her heart shattering as she did. Not saying anything, she fled.

Max & Lucas

"Darlin?"

Max looked up from where she was watching the lake, with Taylor snug against her chest. Lucas…of course it's Luc. "Hi."

She looks wrecked, he thought, shaken. Ah, she's been crying. "What are you doing out here?"

"I wanted to be alone."

"We used to come here. It was one of the few places I could afford to take you."

She smiled at that. "Hamburgers from that school bus was our first date."

"You want to talk about it?"

She shook her head. "No."

Sighing as he wrapped his arm around her and squeezed her tightly. "It's getting cold. How about we go get a coffee or something? Warm up?"

She looked at a sleeping Taylor before back at him. My family, it's…Kenny…I want to crawl into bed and never wake up. No, I need to be here for Taylor. I need a lawyer. I shouldn't be with Luc right now… "Okay."

Kenny

Max, he thought, her expression burned in his mind. Was I going to…she makes me crazy? She's…she's going to leave me.

Max & Lucas

"How is the adorable baby?"

She wrapped her hands around her coffee cup. "She's the best thing in my life."

"She's lucky to have you."

"My marriage is over."

He looked at her for a long time with that. "You don't mean that."

She gulped back her tears at that. Pushing her sleeve where the places Kenny grabbed her turning purple. "I can't."

He ran his thumb over her bruises. "Are you okay? Physically?"

She nodded. "He pinned me to the bed and…I thought…he didn't… I can't."

I'll kill him, Lucas thought, no, just be there for her. She needs a friend, nothing else right now. "He won't touch you again."

"I loved him. I wanted us to be a family."

He squeezed her hand in his. "I know."

"I thought we'd be together forever."

"I know you did."

"How can I do this? We're…How do I do this? How do I walk away and…He's a good father?"

"Talk to me, Darlin."

"How do I do this to Taylor? How do I break up our home?"

"You're going to give her an amazing home."

"I don't want to do this alone."

"You're not alone."

"I meant everything I said when I married him."

"I saw pictures of your wedding. I liked the blonde hair…not as much as the blue and purple though."

"You liked me no matter what I looked like."

"My preppy princess went wild…you were always you underneath it all. You know, we might not have talked or saw each other for months, but as soon as we did? It was like no time passed. You always made me smile, Darlin, you still do."

She looked at her hand in his. "I was never a princess."

"You had a sweater set and a pleated skirt. Pearls."

She smiled despite herself. "And you still liked me."

"You were the prettiest girl I had ever seen…you still are. It hit me in the gut…and then I realized how smart, funny, independent, and…I couldn't believe you wanted to hang out with the scholarship kid."

She looked at him. "Uh the scholarship kid was cute and charming…and you let me be myself with you. Who I was underneath…the preppy princess thing. And you liked that person, flaws and all. Kenny, he…I wasn't who he wanted. Not deep down."

He looked at her. "He's really lucky that you loved him."

"He had this idea of me. He couldn't handle when I wasn't what he thought, what he needed me to be. He could forgive me when we were just friends…not as his wife. I thought that us loving each other would be enough."

"You have options. He should have never…those bruises. If you love him…"

She looked at him. "What if he treats Taylor like this?"

"You won't let him. You're going to make sure Taylor is loved and happy."

"How do you know the right thing to say?"

"We've known each other for almost 20 years. We're connected, Darlin."

"I know."

"And I'm here…for whatever you need."

"I know."

Ah, I love her, he thought, no, don't. She's vulnerable and hurt. She doesn't know what she wants. Why didn't I marry her? Why did I ever let her go? I should have been selfish and asked her to stay. To marry me…where would we be? Would we have made it work? Just be her friend right now. That's all she needs from me. Ah look at her with Taylor. I love watching her being a mom. "How about I give you and that adorable baby a ride back to your parents? Unless you…you want to hang out?"

"I should put her to bed. I'm so tired, Luc…I just want to crash and…I need to get a lawyer and…"

"One thing at a time."

"Thanks."

He squeezed her hand again. "Anytime. Come on. Let's get you home."

Kenny

That slut, he thought, watching her climb out of his car. Of course, she was with him. she probably slept with him already. I'm not losing my wife and daughter. Not now. Not ever. He isn't leaving until she's inside. What a gentleman. Following him down the street, he isn't taking her away from me.

TBC