chapter two
[Angie] “Katie, honey, why don’t you go pick out a movie?” I blurted out. Katie glared at me.
“But…”
“No buts young lady, please leave the room,” I said crisply. Katie threw another killer glare at me, one at Taylor for a full effect, and stomped out of the room. Taylor looked at me over the table.
“What do we do?” He asked softly.
“I’ve got no fucking idea,” I said, rubbing my temples.
“Me either, sorry.”
“It’s not your fault.”
“Not yours either.”
“I don’t think it’d be such a great idea to tell her you’re her father.” A hurt look passed over Taylor’s face, but he nodded.
“Yeah…” For some odd, perverted reason the pouty look on his face made me want to jump Taylor right on top of the dinner table. I could feel his hot mouth on me from the years ago. Control yourself Angie, I told myself inwardly.
“I’ll leave if you want me to,” Taylor said. Hell no, I did not want him to leave. I wanted to take him to my bedroom and tell him with my mouth and body how much I missed him.
“You can stay,” I said.
“Alright.”
“But what do we tell Katie?”
“I don’t know. I’m sorry.”
“Let’s just avoid answering at all.”
“Good idea.”
“Okay.”
“Okay.” We got up and went into the living room. Katie handed me a video. The Parent Trap. Jesus Christ, this child was psychic.
“Heh. The Parent Trap. I haven’t seen that in a long time,” Taylor said, peering at the cover. I stuck the video in the VCR. I had expected Katie to sit in the middle of the couch. But she didn’t. She sat on the left side, leaving Taylor and I no choice but to sit by each other. Why didn’t I have any chairs in the living room? Just my thrift shop couch. I sat stiffly in the middle of the couch. Taylor sat next to me, as far away as he could. Katie eyed us. Why did she have to be so sharp? Tonight was going to be a long night.
[Taylor]
My pulse was beating a million beats a second. I could smell her; I could close my eyes and imagine us making love. She was so afraid of me. And I was afraid of her. Katie jumped up and turned off the lights. I was miserable. I had to touch her. I slowly inched my hand closer to hers. She jumped when I touched her, but she didn’t move away. I wrapped my fingers around hers. This was insane. Suddenly, Angie hit the stop button on the remote control.
“Katie, I have a wonderful idea!” She said, “How would you like to see if you can spend the night at Vanessa’s house tonight?”
“Mommy, it’s already eight o’clock…” Katie said, casting her mother a wondering look.
“Well, we can call Vanessa’s mommy and ask her.”
“Okay, if you say so.” Angie left the room. A few minutes later, she returned with a smile on her face.
“She said you are more than welcome to come over!” Angie exclaimed. Katie gave a forced smile.
“Okay, cool,” She said.
“Why don’t you go pack your things really quick and I’ll run you over there.”
“Okay.” Katie ran out of the room. I looked at Angie. She avoided my eyes.
“Does this mean you want me to leave?” I asked, getting up.
“No,” She said, barely audible. My heart stopped. She wanted to be alone with me. A few minutes later Katie was back with a backpack and a pillow.
“I’m ready, Mommy,” She said.
“I’m going to run her a few houses down, I’ll be back in a few minutes,” Angie said to me.
“Goodnight, Katie,” I said. She gave me the same killer look she gave her mother.
“Goodnight.” Angie smiled meekly at me and went with Katie outside. It seemed like forever before Angie got back. I heard the door shut. There was so much to talk about. Where could I begin? I loved her. I missed her. Angie came into the room. She stood in front of me for a moment. She looked so beautiful. Before I could put my thoughts in order, Angie was in my lap. She put her hands on my face and kissed my forehead.
“I missed you, so much,” She whispered. I tried to speak, but her lips were instantly on mine. I felt like I was about to explode inside. Angie was pressed hard against me. I took deep breaths.
“Angie…” I moaned. She swiftly unbuttoned my pants, and I just couldn’t take it anymore. I let the wave of pleasure sweep over me and lost all train of thought.
[Angie]
I lay with my head on Taylor’s chest. He was sound asleep. We’d somehow found our way to my bed. His smell filled me. I traced my fingers over his smooth chest. I felt like I belonged here. I belonged with Taylor. Why had I ever left him? I needed him. Of course I have Katie, and she’s my world, but I needed something else. And Taylor was that something else. I felt a tear run down my nose. I wiped my eyes. Everything was so confusing, but it felt so good. I felt like a teenager again. That feeling that life just isn’t fair and everything is against you. I wanted Katie and Taylor and I to be a happy family. That’s what we all needed. Katie needed a father. I saw the way Taylor looked at her. He wanted to be a father. I felt Taylor’s hand on my back.
“You okay, babe?” He asked softly. I nodded.
“Yeah, I just wondered why I was so stupid.”
“You weren’t stupid, you did what you thought was right.”
“But I missed you so much.”
“And I missed you too, more than anything. But, Angie, what if it was right? Maybe we’ll appreciate each other more now. And as much as I hate to admit it, you gave me a chance to truly grow up by leaving.”
“I’m glad everything turned out all right.”
“It wasn’t all right until I saw you today.” I kissed Taylor’s chest softly. He ran his hand up and down my back.
“But, what do we do now?”
“I can’t live without you.”
“I need you too, Taylor. But if we’re open with our relationship, Katie will surely let out at school, and you’ll probably lose your job.”
“Are you saying we hide this?”
“I think we need to, at least for a while.” I didn’t want to, and I knew Taylor didn’t want to either. But it would be shattering to our reputation to be seen together. I thought about it for a minute. Taylor had just gotten here, did he really have a reputation yet? Was I saying this to save my own skin? The thought made me nauseous. The fact that I could be so selfish.
“We’ll do whatever you think is best,” Taylor said. For a moment I was transported back in time. Taylor seemed to be sixteen again. I felt an almost motherly instinct toward him for that second. He trusted me. I had to think about this whole thing; the true reasons I was doing it.
“Can I just think about it, Taylor?”
“Of course.” Taylor wrapped his arm around me. This is definitely how it was meant to be.