Taylor stared at him in disbelief when Matty told him the same thing. "You told her that?" he asked, wondering when the fuck his life had become a
group effort. "You told her to leave me?"
"I told her if she goes to stay gone. It's her decision if she leaves in the first place," Matty said calmly. He was angry with both of them. He was angry with Stevie for putting herself in a no win situation again after she'd struggled to get her life together. He was angry with Taylor for knocking her up in the first place.
"Why do you think she's going to leave?" Taylor demanded, sensing something was not being said.
"Because she's trying to," Matty said.
"And you didn't think I needed to know that?" Taylor asked.
"I'm telling you, aren't I?" Matty snapped back. "You always put me in this place with her, Taylor. You can't deal with her, not entirely, so you push and she reacts and I have to be the one to straighten it out so no one loses an eye! Do you think I like doing that? Do you think it was any fucking fun the first time? Do you think it was any easier this time?"
"I didn't ask you to do this! It's been a fucking week, Matty! Could the world give me a fucking minute to try and get my shit together? Could anyone give me the benefit of the doubt and back the fuck off so I can think? Or do you just all assume the only thing I'm capable of is pointing and shooting?"
"Taylor, you don't get it," Matty said. "You can't have her and not your baby. She is a package deal now. You can't fuck with her and walk away. You can't put her in a box and take her out when you feel like it. I know you love her, I get that, I see that, but that's over with as you know it! You have a baby coming whether you like it or not."
When Taylor found her at Marbles place she was sitting on the floor in the main room, surrounded by bags that turned out to be filled with Christmas tree ornaments. She was unwrapping each, taking off the tags and adding hooks as she listened to music on her iPod.
She hadn't heard him come in and it gave him a few seconds to watch her. He couldn't believe she was a young woman. She'd been such a kid when they'd met, a kid who had gone through some very adult shit but still a kid.
Now it was impossible to see her as anything but the woman he still loved. She was still his favorite and only redhead, her hair tumbling and curling down her back. He thought it might be darker than he remembered. She'd pulled the sides up off her face and he got to see how her cute profile had turned deadly. Then there was the body that had gone from obnoxiously hot to impossibly seductive. Now it was full of new curves that were accentuated by the clinging, stretchy shirt she had on. She still wore the jeans she'd had on when shopping and had earrings and light make-up on her face. She sat quietly as she went about her task, neat little rows of ornaments surrounding her.
He carefully maneuvered her mine field and crouched down in front of her. She watched him with her stormy gray eyes before she paused her iPod and took the earbuds out.
"Hi, Shorty," he said, his eyes noticing that she looked tired, looked like she'd been crying. Her sweet face was lined with things he didn't know.
"Hey," she said as she cut the tag off a snowman. Christmas hadn't been as fun in Florida without snow.
"Find any places you liked?" he asked as he moved away and fell onto the couch across from where she was sitting in front of the huge Christmas tree. While his mom had obviously never celebrated the holiday, he was used to it from all of the time he'd spend with the guys while they were growing up. He didn't have any particular feelings one way or another about any of them.
"Nope," she said as she unwrapped the tissue paper from a delicate hand painted bulb.
"Still think you should move in with me."
"Still think I'm not going to," she said as she folded the empty shopping bag. She realized she'd boxed herself in and had no more room within arms reach to spread things out.
"Why not?" he asked for the hundredth time.
"Taylor, do we have to have this fight yet again?" she asked as she carefully stood up and stepped over her ornaments.
"Yes," he said. "I want you with me."
"Are you going to hang a tie on the front door when you bring a hot date home with you or just use the other place you have?" she asked as she sat down in a new area and began another bag of ornaments.
Taylor blinked at her words. He decided he was going to kill whoever had told her about the second apartment. He'd had it awhile, before she'd come back, but he hadn't gotten rid of it and he supposed that was going to be an issue.
"I thought I'd just send you down here to stay with Marbles," he said.
She paused and looked over to him, her eyes angry. He yelped when she suddenly flung the scissors at him. "That's not funny, you fucking asshole! That's not funny at all!" she yelled.
"Either is your attitude!" he shot back.
She stuck her ear buds back into her ears and turned her iPod back on. She ignored him until he got fed up and left the condo.
"I told her if she goes to stay gone. It's her decision if she leaves in the first place," Matty said calmly. He was angry with both of them. He was angry with Stevie for putting herself in a no win situation again after she'd struggled to get her life together. He was angry with Taylor for knocking her up in the first place.
"Why do you think she's going to leave?" Taylor demanded, sensing something was not being said.
"Because she's trying to," Matty said.
"And you didn't think I needed to know that?" Taylor asked.
"I'm telling you, aren't I?" Matty snapped back. "You always put me in this place with her, Taylor. You can't deal with her, not entirely, so you push and she reacts and I have to be the one to straighten it out so no one loses an eye! Do you think I like doing that? Do you think it was any fucking fun the first time? Do you think it was any easier this time?"
"I didn't ask you to do this! It's been a fucking week, Matty! Could the world give me a fucking minute to try and get my shit together? Could anyone give me the benefit of the doubt and back the fuck off so I can think? Or do you just all assume the only thing I'm capable of is pointing and shooting?"
"Taylor, you don't get it," Matty said. "You can't have her and not your baby. She is a package deal now. You can't fuck with her and walk away. You can't put her in a box and take her out when you feel like it. I know you love her, I get that, I see that, but that's over with as you know it! You have a baby coming whether you like it or not."
When Taylor found her at Marbles place she was sitting on the floor in the main room, surrounded by bags that turned out to be filled with Christmas tree ornaments. She was unwrapping each, taking off the tags and adding hooks as she listened to music on her iPod.
She hadn't heard him come in and it gave him a few seconds to watch her. He couldn't believe she was a young woman. She'd been such a kid when they'd met, a kid who had gone through some very adult shit but still a kid.
Now it was impossible to see her as anything but the woman he still loved. She was still his favorite and only redhead, her hair tumbling and curling down her back. He thought it might be darker than he remembered. She'd pulled the sides up off her face and he got to see how her cute profile had turned deadly. Then there was the body that had gone from obnoxiously hot to impossibly seductive. Now it was full of new curves that were accentuated by the clinging, stretchy shirt she had on. She still wore the jeans she'd had on when shopping and had earrings and light make-up on her face. She sat quietly as she went about her task, neat little rows of ornaments surrounding her.
He carefully maneuvered her mine field and crouched down in front of her. She watched him with her stormy gray eyes before she paused her iPod and took the earbuds out.
"Hi, Shorty," he said, his eyes noticing that she looked tired, looked like she'd been crying. Her sweet face was lined with things he didn't know.
"Hey," she said as she cut the tag off a snowman. Christmas hadn't been as fun in Florida without snow.
"Find any places you liked?" he asked as he moved away and fell onto the couch across from where she was sitting in front of the huge Christmas tree. While his mom had obviously never celebrated the holiday, he was used to it from all of the time he'd spend with the guys while they were growing up. He didn't have any particular feelings one way or another about any of them.
"Nope," she said as she unwrapped the tissue paper from a delicate hand painted bulb.
"Still think you should move in with me."
"Still think I'm not going to," she said as she folded the empty shopping bag. She realized she'd boxed herself in and had no more room within arms reach to spread things out.
"Why not?" he asked for the hundredth time.
"Taylor, do we have to have this fight yet again?" she asked as she carefully stood up and stepped over her ornaments.
"Yes," he said. "I want you with me."
"Are you going to hang a tie on the front door when you bring a hot date home with you or just use the other place you have?" she asked as she sat down in a new area and began another bag of ornaments.
Taylor blinked at her words. He decided he was going to kill whoever had told her about the second apartment. He'd had it awhile, before she'd come back, but he hadn't gotten rid of it and he supposed that was going to be an issue.
"I thought I'd just send you down here to stay with Marbles," he said.
She paused and looked over to him, her eyes angry. He yelped when she suddenly flung the scissors at him. "That's not funny, you fucking asshole! That's not funny at all!" she yelled.
"Either is your attitude!" he shot back.
She stuck her ear buds back into her ears and turned her iPod back on. She ignored him until he got fed up and left the condo.
