New hope!

Ridge was in a splendid mood. He had regained his courage. Taylor's suggestion that Brooke and he should find their own house to become more independent seemed to him as the perfect solution to all their problems. At least it was a first step. Over the next few days, he immediately took action and contacted some real estate agents. He didn't tell Brooke about his plans for now. He didn't want to talk to her about it until he had some concrete offers. Ridge also kept his plans secret from his parents. He suspected they wouldn't necessarily be thrilled and therefore, he didn't want to let them in. They would hear about it soon enough.

Taylor thought often about Ridge and what he had told her. It occupied her mind that Ridge was in such a complicated life situation and she felt for him. Although she didn't know Brooke and had only seen her once before, she didn't have a good impression of her. What kind of woman would go after the son, then his father and then the son again?! Apparently, she seemed to have no pride or dignity at all. Even though Taylor knew it wasn't right, knowing that this woman wasn't carrying Ridge's baby under her heart, satisfied her somehow. At the charity event when they had met Ridge and Brooke, she had naturally assumed he was the father. Back then, the idea another woman would have Ridge's child had stung her. But now as she was aware of all the circumstances, she was quite relieved in a way, even if she didn't exactly know why.

Blake noticed that Taylor's mind was often somewhere else lately. Many times he accused her of neglecting him. He was upset because she never really listened to him and didn't care about him the way she used to. Taylor apologized each time, saying she had so much on her plate because of her practice. This response didn't make Blake feel any better. The practice and Taylor's new career continued to be a thorn in his side. Taylor was constantly on guard, Blake was extremely nervous and irritable. He freaked out over every little incident. Once at dinner they had a terrible argument and Blake swept all the food off the table. All this just because Taylor had prepared mashed potatoes instead of gratin, which he loved so much. He blamed her for being totally blind to his needs.

Taylor withdrew from him more and more. At the same time, she was anxious not to make any mistakes. They sat at the breakfast table in a tense mood. Blake was engrossed in his newspaper and didn't pay her any attention. Only when he was about to leave, he finally mentioned.

"By the way, I wanted to tell you we're going to fly to Texas for a few days soon. I need to take care of my business there." Taylor pondered frantically.

"I'm sorry, but I won't be able to come with you. I've got the practice handover, plus I've got to pay the craftsmen and I have scheduled several interviews for the assistant position."

Blake angrily slammed the paper on the table.

"So you're abandoning me again?! Fine, if the practice is more important to you than me, then I'll go by myself!"

Ignoring her, he got ready and slammed the door behind him. Taylor winced, deep inside she felt a great relief to be alone for a few days. She desperately needed some distance from him. She was very glad she had found the perfect excuse not to go with him.

Ridge's plans of buying a house were making huge progress. He had already obtained a few offers and had already made a small preliminary selection. Tonight, he wanted to talk to Brooke about his idea. He hoped she would be pleased and see the benefits.

After dinner, Brooke and he got comfortable on the couch. Finally, Ridge told her everything. However, he didn't mention Taylor in his report. He simply told Brooke he had thought a lot about their current situation and how they could make the circumstances more bearable for everyone. Brooke's reaction was somewhat hesitant at first. She was deeply concerned how Eric would react to this idea. However, Ridge was able to convince her it would be the best for their little family. Her eyes began to shine when Ridge showed her the synopses of the houses. As she glanced at the pictures, she became extremely excited. If she was honest, the idea of having her own big, beautiful house sounded wonderful. Eric Junior would get a really nice nursery and not just a baby corner in their bedroom. Ridge and she gave themselves to their daydreams and were already making plans how they would like to furnish the house.

Taylor's practice was finished and all the renovation was completed. She was over the moon to finally have this step behind her and to be able to start with her work.

One afternoon, she was setting up her office when there was a knock on the door. Colleen, her new assistant, poked her head in.

"Excuse me, Dr Hayes, Mr. Ridge Forrester would like to see you!" Taylor beamed and her eyes lit up with delight.

"Yes, it's fine. Send him in!"

Shortly after, Ridge entered the room.

"Hey, good to see you!" The two hugged joyfully.

"Hey, it's nice to see you too! It's been a while since we last saw each other!"

"Yeah, I know! I've been pretty busy the last few days!"

"It's been the same for me, but at least the practice is ready!"

"Yes and it turned out really beautiful. You must be very proud!"

Taylor nodded sheepishly. Ridge eyed her, then he startled. A large band-aid stuck on her forehead.

"What happened there?" Taylor blushed and stuttered.

"Oh...nothing...I just slipped in the bathroom!" Ridge gave her a skeptical look, Taylor tried to hide the band-aid with her hair and made an effort to distract him.

"So tell me, how are you doing? To be honest, I've been thinking about you a lot. Because of what you told me."

"That's exactly why I'm here!" explained Ridge. "I wanted to thank you. Your idea was just phenomenal! You really saved my life!" Taylor's blushes increased and she waved him off.

"Oh now, don't exaggerate Ridge! I was just giving you an impulse."

"Yeah, but the right one! I've talked to Brooke in the meantime and she's just as fired up as I am. We've already looked at a few properties."

"Oh yeah? Well, I'm happy for you guys, so that means you've gotten your relationship back on track?"

"Seems so, definitely we're on a much better path now. For the first time in months, I have hope again that everything will work out for us!"

Taylor felt an uneasiness in her guts but covered it up.

"Good, I'm really glad you're doing so well!"

"And it's all thanks to your support! Actually, that sounds like a reason to celebrate. By the way, I still owe you a drink anyway!"

"Yeah, right! If you have some time, how about right now? I don't have anything else to do here!" she suggested. Ridge was now a little surprised at her spontaneous invitation.

"Yeah, sure, I'd love to! But don't you have to get home?" he inquired. She shook her head.

"No, I'm all by myself right now. Blake is in Texas for business!"

"Oh, so you must be feeling very lonely?!"

"Not at all!" she gushed. "It's nice to be alone and undisturbed for a change!" Somewhat hesitantly, she added.

"Of course I miss him, but after all, it's only a few days, I'll be able to stand it! Shall we go?" In a rush, she began to pack up her stuff.

Later, they sat in a bar and toasted each other. Ridge told her about the houses they had already looked at. During their conversation, he noticed once again how much Taylor had changed. She seemed tense and uncertain and there was a strange, melancholy and frightened, serious expression in her eyes. Moreover, she was conspicuously silent. Finally, he gave himself a jolt.

"And what about you? Are you alright? I mean, I've noticed...you've changed a lot over the used to be so cheerful and energetic and now you've become so quiet and reserved. Sorry to be so blunt about it, but is everything okay with you?"

Taylor didn't know what to say at first. Hesitantly, she explained.

"Yes, everything is okay! It's just...at the moment things aren't so easy...I already mentioned that Blake is having some difficulties with his business. It's just not that easy to get a foothold in a city like Los Angeles. That's a burden on him, of course and on me, too. But it's not so tragic! That's just the way it is in a marriage!"

Ridge noticed she had turned quite pale, and as she talked, she barely looked at him.

"Are you sure that's all to it?"

"Ridge, believe me! Other than that, I'm doing fine! Times have changed. I mean, back in college, we were so young. We were practically still kids. We've both grown up now!"

"Yeah, it looks so! It's pretty scary, actually!"

The two started laughing. Ridge wasn't necessarily convinced Taylor was telling the truth, but he dropped the subject for now and didn't probe any further.

Over another drink, the two reminisced and rekindled their shared past.

It was getting pretty late as Ridge drove Taylor home. This time, since she didn't have to be afraid about Blake seeing her, she let him drive her to her front door. As they said goodbye, they hugged each other tightly one more time and Ridge pressed a kiss to her cheek.

Taylor was all dreamy and exhilarated when she entered the house. She danced around the living room and finally dropped onto the couch. As she dreamed, she brushed her fingers over the spot where Ridge had kissed her.