I've spent the last 8 hours in a car which resulted in this chapter. I'm off to work on my other stories! Please review and tell me what you think?

Chapter 2

"Kelsey Elizabeth Atwood if you do not wake up now I am going to ground you!" I screamed at the top of my lungs up the stairs to my now 15 year old daughter. It had been 10 years since my divorce from Ryan. Since then we have been sharing custody of our three daughters. I've barely said a full sentence to the guy since everything was settled. You'd think the two of us could at least speak to each other after everything we had been through.

The only information I get about Ryan comes from Kelsey or Jory. Even they don't like to tell me much. Kelsey tells me I'm the one who wanted the divorce so I have no right to ask questions about my ex-husband. Her words hadn't caught me off guard, I had always taught my girls to say what exactly was on their mind.

Kelsey had taken the divorce the hardest since she was 5 when it happened. Jory didn't understand anything being only 3 at the time and well Millie wasn't even born yet.

"Mom, you know she's going to wait until the last minute to get up." I turned around to face my 13 year old daughter. I have no idea where I had gone wrong with that girl as I look at the outfit she is wearing. How I have a daughter who only wears black is beyond me.

"Jory, would a little color kill you?" I groaned crossing my arms over my chest. In the past year she had decided to rebel, I guess wearing skimpy black clothes is rebelling enough.

"Don't start, mom." She rolled her eyes at me.

"Go get her or you're both grounded." I huffed and walked off from my daughter. Truth was I could not ground my daughters. I wasn't even sure how one would go about grounding them. From what I've heard Ryan is much harder on them than I could ever be.

"Mama, I can't find my shoes." Millie, my 10 year old, stomped her way down the stairs and into the living room where I was standing.

"They should be by the door where you left them, Mill." I shrugged knowing that's exactly where she usually put them.

"Oh thanks." She flashed me the famous Atwood smile. She looked the most like Ryan. Her personality is all me though. She's very smart for being 10, she's also in these gifted classes in school. When she was younger she never understood why her mommy and daddy didn't live together. I remember explaining it to her numerous times but only in the past year and a half has it really stuck with her. She tells me sometimes she doesn't find it fair, which completely breaks my heart.

Kelsey looks just like I did at her age but has Ryan's broody personality. The girl talks as less as he does, it gets annoying sometimes when you're trying to ask her questions and she just shrugs you off or answers with only one word. She's very into school, though. She's already planning on taking over Ryan's architecture company once she's done with college.

Now, Jory is difficult to explain. She has a mixture of both Ryan and I in her features but her attitude and personality come from somewhere totally different and I haven't been able to point it out exactly. She's the least interested in school as much as I try to push her she just doesn't like it. She says it's a waste of time. I tell her she's wrong but arguing with Jory is like arguing with a brick wall.

"Jordyn, go change now." I said glared at Jory who had just come down the stairs in a different outfit from before. She glared back at me for calling her by her full first time. I particularly loved it but my stubborn daughter just wouldn't have it. She looked down at her attire like she didn't know what was wrong with it.

"What's so wrong with what I'm wearing?" She asks innocently.

"What's wrong with it? Jory your skirt barely covers your butt and that shirt is far too low now go change because I'm pretty sure your father would kill me if he sees you wearing that." I kept my voice stern. "Oh, and take that make-up off of your face while you're at it, too." I yelled after her as she walked up the stairs. I had no idea what to do with that girl.

"Kelsey!" I knocked rapidly on her door. I could hear no movement coming from inside her room. Suddenly the door opened and standing in front of me was a scowling teenager.

"I'll be down in a second." She looked like she was about to bite my head off.

"Kelsey, you're not even dressed! Have you even packed?" I stood there in her doorway with my arms folded across my chest. She rolled her eyes at me.

"Yes, mother." With that she shut her door in my face. It didn't hurt my feelings anymore, not like it had the first time she had done it. I decided to go downstairs to wait on them.

This Saturday morning was no different than every other Saturday morning that the girls went to stay with Ryan for the weekend. He got every other weekend and certain holiday's with the girls, the rest of the time they were living with me in LA.

"Kelsey! Jory! The car is pulling out of the driveway in 5 minutes and if you aren't in it then you aren't going!" I yelled up the stairs. That seemed to work because the next second they were both running down the stairs with their overnight bags. Jory had changed from her skirt into a pair of long black pants, she hadn't even changed the shirt. I decided to just let it go and let Ryan deal with it.

"Daddy said he would teach me how to drive today." Kelsey said propping her feet up against the dashboard in the car. I quickly hit her legs to put them down but got returned with a scowl. She reluctantly put them back on the floor.

"You should drive Rebecca's car and wreck it." Jory snickered in the back. Rebecca was Ryan's current girlfriend. He'd been with her for the past couple of years. Sometimes it hurts to think he could move on from me but then I realize this was all my choice so I have to deal with him being with someone else.

"That sounds like a great idea," Kelsey's face brightened up. From their conversations about Rebecca I gathered that the girls didn't like her. Summer Cohen, my best friend and Ryan's sister-in-law, told me that Rebecca was a complete bitch only being with Ryan for his money. I didn't care how she treated Ryan as long as she was nice to my daughters. They loved their visits with Ryan and I hated to think they were ruined by this other woman.

"That's not very nice, what has Rebecca done to you?" Millie spoke up from the back. She never talked about her father's girlfriend so I never asked if she liked her or not.

"Mill, you can't be serious! She's a bitch!" Kelsey said loudly.

"Watch your mouth." I told her strictly.

"Whatever, but she is." Kelsey slumped back in her seat crossing her chest with her arms. I glanced in the back to look at Millie. She was reading some sort of book, she looked very entranced in it.

"What are you reading there, Mills?" I asked the ten year old. I heard her take a deep breath before explaining to me the book she had in her lap. She always had a book in her hands, the girls picked on her saying she was a book worm or a nerd. I had told them there was nothing bad about reading a lot and liking school as much as Millie did. I just hoped to God my daughter would have friends throughout her school years. I had none at Harbor. I didn't have any friends really until I had started dating Ryan at Berkeley, that's when Summer and I had become best friends, too.

"Mama, can you please stay for a little bit at Grandma and Grandpa's?" Millie asked out of nowhere. I hadn't been inside the Cohen's house in ten years since that day that I had asked Sandy to help me with the divorce. I just didn't want to be reminded of everything I'd been through with Ryan. I didn't know what to tell her but as I looked in the rearview mirror I just couldn't tell her no.

"I can stay for a little bit." I'm pretty sure I shocked my daughters by saying that. It hadn't been the first time one of them had asked me to stay but it was the first time that I had agreed to stay. As we pulled up into the Cohen's driveway I saw that Ryan's car was already there. I took a deep breath and parked the vehicle. I was suddenly rethinking this visit. I couldn't disappoint Millie though. She had asked so sweetly for me to stay.

"Mom, are you sure about this?" Kelsey put her hand on my arm to for reassurance. I nodded and gave her a genuine smile. "Only if you're sure, I know you haven't been in the same room with daddy in so long and on top of that I'm pretty sure Rebecca will be here with him."

"Kelse, I think I can handle being in the same room as your father. It's not like I'm still in love with him." I hadn't noticed that I had bitten my lip until Kelsey gave me this strange look. She said that every time I was lying it's exactly what I did. I never noticed it but Kelsey would be the one to, she was very perceptive.

"If you're sure." She took a deep breath and the two of us got out of the car. Standing in front of that door brought back way too many memories. I took Kelsey's hand and she gave mine a squeeze.

"Promise not to leave my side." I glanced at my 15 year old daughter.

"Promise." She smiled at me letting go of my hand and opening the door to the Cohen mansion. Stepping inside was like going back to ten years ago when Ryan and I were truly happy. As soon as we walked into the house I ran into a dark haired tall woman. She was beautiful, she looked so much like a model. I gasped realizing this was Ryan's girlfriend but glancing down and catching the glimmer of a diamond I realized she wasn't just a girlfriend anymore, she was a fiancé.

"Mom, come on." Kelsey urged me into the kitchen. Rebecca gave me a strange look, she hadn't been expecting me to come into the house. Upon walking into the kitchen I realized my other two daughters were talking to Ryan about something or other.

"Taylor!" I heard the squeal of my best friend from behind me. I turned around was met with a grinning Summer Cohen.

"Sum!" I cried running and hugging her tightly. I hadn't seen her in 5 months only keeping in contact with her through calls and emails. I had missed her so much.

"I can't believe you're actually in here." She laughed as we broke away form our hug. I shrugged knowing that she knew I was really uncomfortable being in here. I turned around to be met with a hug from Sandy. Through the years I had even lost contact with him and his wife. I would just drop the girls off here for Ryan to take them back to his house, the same one I had once lived in with him. Now it was some other woman's house.

"This is a surprise." Sandy smiled at me. He was aging quickly but other than that the man hadn't changed much since the last time I had seen him.

"I know, Millie wanted me to stay for a little bit and I just couldn't tell her no plus I haven't seen you or Kirsten in awhile so I thought why not." I said nervously. Sandy just nodded me before telling me that Kirsten was at the store and that she would be very happy to see me.

"Mama, did you meet Rebecca?" Millie came up next to me. I saw the look in my baby girl's eyes and I knew she wanted me to be nice to the woman. I gave her a slight smile before pulling her into a hug.

"I ran into her upon entering the house but I haven't been formally introduced to her."

"Taylor, can we talk in the other room." Ryan's voice as surprised me. I looked up and saw my 40 year old ex-husband standing in front of me looking more handsome than ever. I wasn't sure if I was ready for this even after 10 years. I nodded and followed him into the living room sitting down on the couch as far away form him as I could possibly get. I heard him take a shaky breath running his hand through his blonde hair that was graying ever so slightly.

"I need to talk to you about the girls staying with me this summer. I really want them to spend the whole summer. I think it'd help them get used to the idea of Rebecca being around and I really what them to like her." He spoke quickly. I was about protest when I realized this was really the girl's decision. I would miss them dearly but if this was they wanted then I knew I couldn't say no.

"You'll have to speak to them but I don't see why not. How old is she, Ryan?" I asked nosily. He looked at me like it was none of my business, truth was it really wasn't.

"I don't see why that's any use to you but she's 25." The woman was only ten years older than our oldest daughter. I couldn't believe he'd really go for such a young woman who was barely even out of her teens. I don't know why it bothered me so much but it really did.

"Sorry, it's just she looked so young. Are you two getting married?" I could tell he didn't want to talk about this with me but I just wanted to know something about his life even if I had given up that right ten years ago when I asked for that divorce.

"Her age doesn't mean I can't love her, Taylor. Yeah, we are getting married but I have no idea why you even care. You're the one who left me." Ryan said bitterly. He was right, I did leave him. I gave up on us when I should have stuck around and at least tried to have stuck around and at least tried to repair out marriage. I had taken the easy way out afraid that he'd end up leaving me anyways.

"And I regret it every single day." I hadn't meant for him to hear that but he had and I instantly wished I could take it back, I couldn't though.

"I waited years for you to tell me that, Taylor but you're too late." With that he stood up and walked away just like I had ten years ago.

"Mom what just happened?" Kelsey came into the living room where I was still sitting.

"I basically just told your father that I still loved him." I took a deep breath.

"I knew it! She yelled loudly.

"I miss him so much." My voice was shaky as Kelsey put her around my shoulder. I couldn't believe it was my 15 year old daughter comforting me. "I'm going to head on home. Tell Kirsten to call me later and I'll explain to her why I left before she got back. I love you." I said and with that I slipped out of the house unnoticed. I felt bad not telling my younger girls bye but I knew Kelsey would explain to them why I had to leave quickly.

"It wasn't any better once I returned home. I knew right away how I was spending my weekend. I took out the Ben and Jerry's, planting my butt right on the couch in front of the television. The Lifetime channel was good at making me cry and to be very honest I could use a good cry. Before I went to bed I had my regular talk with the girls. Kelsey had told them everything and to my surprise they completely understood.

Waking up Sunday morning I busied myself with cleaning the house before Ryan dropped the girls off around 5. I took a shower after every room in my house was spick and span. Dinner was next knowing the girls would come home starving.

I heard the door open and slam shut at 5:30 just as dinner was coming out of the oven. I could hear the girls talking about something or more like arguing and I knew it was Kelsey and Jory at it. Millie hated confrontations when it came to her sisters.