They got through dinner before the storm hit. Taylor was amazed that the baby slept through it. She was amazed Taylor remembered to eat. He couldn't stop
looking at Liam.
"Hey, you've had three months to fawn all over him," he protested when she laughed at him.
"Fawn as much as you want," she said. "I just like watching you."
Taylor gave up on the food and scooped the baby back out of his basket. "It's so funny to see him, know he's here and he's mine, and realize I don't have the first fucking clue what to do with him," he said. "How do you know what to do?"
"He teaches me," she said.
"I'm still pretty clueless," Taylor admitted as he looked down at his son. "Who knew?"
"I'm sorry I left," Stevie said. She didn't miss the way his jaw tightened momentarily or how he wouldn't look at her. "I had no idea it would hurt you this much."
"How could you not know?" Taylor asked. "You know how much I love you, how much I've always loved you. I couldn't understand why you'd come back when you knew I'd find out you were pregnant only to run when it got rough. You know I never wanted you to leave the first time. It seemed like you left on purpose this time to get even with me or something."
"I did," she said so quietly that she wasn't sure she actually said it out loud.
Taylor looked at her a long, long time before speaking. "That took balls to admit," he said.
"Are you going to forgive me for it?" she asked.
"Are you going to forgive me?" he asked back.
"I can but I'm going to say this first. I didn't need to be anything other than who I was with you. I didn't need a better life. I didn't need a big education. I didn't need my freedom. I didn't enjoy a fucking second of it. Not a single second all of those years. The only thing that made me happy was seeing you guys. The longer you held out on me the more miserable I got. I nearly married someone else just to piss you off! I can't imagine what my life would be like if I had done that but I couldn't even make myself do it. I only ever wanted to be with you," she said as she wiped her eyes.
He put Liam back down and reached across the table to pull her around to him. She climbed into his lap and put her face in his neck until he gently pulled her head back.
"I'm sorry but I had to do it and I'd do it again if meant ending up in this exact same place," he said.
"You still love me?" she asked. "Or do you love me because of him?"
"I can't do both?" he asked as he squeezed her against him.
"You can do both," she said.
He rubbed against her neck, feeling how soft she was, how good it felt to have her weight against him. He crushed her against him until she couldn't breathe. "Changed my mind," he said as he loosened his hold.
"About?" she asked, a little behind in the thought process.
"Want to see your tan lines," he said as he nipped the curve of her neck.
She nearly slid off his lap. She grabbed his head and kissed him. "Ten minutes," she said as she got off of his lap and scooped up Liam. She paused in her hormonal hysteria long enough to snuggle him against her.
"Five," Taylor corrected. He laughed out loud as she looked at Liam, looked at him, gave him Liam, and dashed out of the kitchen. His son began to make grumpy noises as her footsteps pounded up the stairs. "She's so hasty," Taylor told him.
He loved Liam's nursery. It wasn't typically cartoonish but wasn't overly adult either. She'd found a good balance and it was no wonder the kid was so mellow. He waited until he knew the baby was back asleep and then put him down in the crib. He watched him for a minute and realized he was going to have to give points to the old man. Benny had been right. It was the easiest thing he'd ever done in his life.
He found her still primping and out an end to that as he snatched her up off her feet and dumped her onto the bed. It had been a long, long time and he could give a fuck about presentation.
"Oh," she said when he was in her and moving. Then his lips were on hers and she couldn't say anything else.
He felt decades of weight fall off of him as they spent the rest of the night and the early hours of morning in bed, tangled up with one another. He had no urge to put it back on ever again.
"Hey, you've had three months to fawn all over him," he protested when she laughed at him.
"Fawn as much as you want," she said. "I just like watching you."
Taylor gave up on the food and scooped the baby back out of his basket. "It's so funny to see him, know he's here and he's mine, and realize I don't have the first fucking clue what to do with him," he said. "How do you know what to do?"
"He teaches me," she said.
"I'm still pretty clueless," Taylor admitted as he looked down at his son. "Who knew?"
"I'm sorry I left," Stevie said. She didn't miss the way his jaw tightened momentarily or how he wouldn't look at her. "I had no idea it would hurt you this much."
"How could you not know?" Taylor asked. "You know how much I love you, how much I've always loved you. I couldn't understand why you'd come back when you knew I'd find out you were pregnant only to run when it got rough. You know I never wanted you to leave the first time. It seemed like you left on purpose this time to get even with me or something."
"I did," she said so quietly that she wasn't sure she actually said it out loud.
Taylor looked at her a long, long time before speaking. "That took balls to admit," he said.
"Are you going to forgive me for it?" she asked.
"Are you going to forgive me?" he asked back.
"I can but I'm going to say this first. I didn't need to be anything other than who I was with you. I didn't need a better life. I didn't need a big education. I didn't need my freedom. I didn't enjoy a fucking second of it. Not a single second all of those years. The only thing that made me happy was seeing you guys. The longer you held out on me the more miserable I got. I nearly married someone else just to piss you off! I can't imagine what my life would be like if I had done that but I couldn't even make myself do it. I only ever wanted to be with you," she said as she wiped her eyes.
He put Liam back down and reached across the table to pull her around to him. She climbed into his lap and put her face in his neck until he gently pulled her head back.
"I'm sorry but I had to do it and I'd do it again if meant ending up in this exact same place," he said.
"You still love me?" she asked. "Or do you love me because of him?"
"I can't do both?" he asked as he squeezed her against him.
"You can do both," she said.
He rubbed against her neck, feeling how soft she was, how good it felt to have her weight against him. He crushed her against him until she couldn't breathe. "Changed my mind," he said as he loosened his hold.
"About?" she asked, a little behind in the thought process.
"Want to see your tan lines," he said as he nipped the curve of her neck.
She nearly slid off his lap. She grabbed his head and kissed him. "Ten minutes," she said as she got off of his lap and scooped up Liam. She paused in her hormonal hysteria long enough to snuggle him against her.
"Five," Taylor corrected. He laughed out loud as she looked at Liam, looked at him, gave him Liam, and dashed out of the kitchen. His son began to make grumpy noises as her footsteps pounded up the stairs. "She's so hasty," Taylor told him.
He loved Liam's nursery. It wasn't typically cartoonish but wasn't overly adult either. She'd found a good balance and it was no wonder the kid was so mellow. He waited until he knew the baby was back asleep and then put him down in the crib. He watched him for a minute and realized he was going to have to give points to the old man. Benny had been right. It was the easiest thing he'd ever done in his life.
He found her still primping and out an end to that as he snatched her up off her feet and dumped her onto the bed. It had been a long, long time and he could give a fuck about presentation.
"Oh," she said when he was in her and moving. Then his lips were on hers and she couldn't say anything else.
He felt decades of weight fall off of him as they spent the rest of the night and the early hours of morning in bed, tangled up with one another. He had no urge to put it back on ever again.
