Beautiful Lies (24 page)

“Gellerino?”

“Yeah, that’s the one.”

“Taylor knows about cricket?” He asks excitedly.

“Oh gosh, you are acting like Nate. Apparently he knows a thing or two. He was saying that he was at that Steve guy’s last game or something.”

“He was there? Girls, the food will be done in two minutes, keep an eye on it for your old man.” He suddenly heads to the living room at speed.

“Men,” Liv says rolling her eyes.

“Tell me about it.”

“So, how are things with you and your
dream
guy?” She teases.

“Great,” I admit.

“You look happy. You keep smiling which is pretty creepy but it’s nice to see that you’re not moping around anymore.”

“I am happy. He’s just...I don’t know. I really like him. I can’t explain it.”

“Well, I’m happy for you. He does, of course, need my seal of approval before the wedding bells start chiming.”

I laugh before peering into the oven. The food smells delicious. Everything is looking fine so I turn back to Liv.

“So, what’s been up with you lately?”

“Nothing much,” she brushes me off.

“Have you spoken to Gavin since the funeral?”

She hesitates for a long moment.

“Yes.”

“And?”

“And...things are complicated. You know how it’s always been with him. Nothing’s ever straightforward.”

“I know, that’s why I’m worried about you. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“With him around, it’s almost guaranteed. He doesn’t even have to do anything. His presence alone does the job.”

I suddenly feel guilty for being so happy with Taylor in front of her.

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault, Paige. It’s just life, right?” she says sadly.

“Right.”

* * *

Dinner goes pretty well. Taylor and his interest in cricket gave him top points with Dad and Nate, and Liv thought that he was great. Most of dinner was spent talking about him being an artist. It was nice to hear my family actually interested in the thing that I love so much. Whenever anyone talks about art, I get this funny feeling in the pit of my stomach. It feels like a seed has been planted and the more that people talk about it, the seed wants to grow and just burst out of me. I love it.

“I’ll clear up,” I announce at the end of the meal.

“I’ll help,” Taylor adds, standing up.

“You don’t have to do that,” my dad says.

“The meal was lovely, Mr. Carter, it’s the least I can do.”

“For the last time, call me Rob, and thank you,” my dad chuckles.

“Yes,
Rob,
” Taylor replies, smiling.

We head into the kitchen with a pile of plates and cutlery. When my hands are empty, I feel Taylor grab me by the waist and pull me against him.

“So, how did I do? Do you think they like me?” He smiles down at me.

“They love you,” I chuckle.

“Good,” he says leaning toward my lips.

The clearing of a voice makes us both jump apart. I look up to see Nate smirking. I can’t hide the smile on my face and from the look on Taylor’s face neither can he.

“Sorry,” I mumble in my brother’s direction.

“Yeah, I may have just been scarred for life. You owe me tickets to the next game, for sure now,” he says the last bit to Taylor. Taylor laughs and salutes him in response.

“Scouts honor,” Taylor says.

“Good. Dad asked me to give you this. It’s the last thing so I’m sure you won’t be disturbed again,” Nate winks, giving me the empty salad bowl before turning and leaving.

I place the salad bowl in the sink and lean my head back and laugh. “That was so embarrassing,” I groan.

“No, it wasn’t too bad,” he laughs, pulling me against him again.

“He must really like you. If that was another guy he would have done some serious damage,” I give him a warning look.

“Then let’s be thankful that he likes me. Although I’m more interested in his sister liking me,” he whispers.

“Oh, really? I’m sure Liv would be thrilled to hear that,” I laugh.

“Maybe, but I wasn’t talking about her. I was talking about the sister whose lips have been driving me crazy all night long.”

“I’m not sure that I know who you’re talking about,” I tease.

“No?” He smirks.

I shake my head and smile as he looks down at me.

“How about now?” He asks quietly before his lips brush gently across mine.

“I don’t know, you may have to work a little harder at reminding me.”

“That, I can do.”

He closes the gap between our lips and I am rendered speechless. His tongue enters my mouth skillfully. He explores my mouth, sending soft strokes in every direction. He moves with purpose and intent. Everything he does matters. I let out a low moan and he gently pulls away from me.

“We should probably start clearing up,” he whispers in amusement.

“Probably.”

“Come on,” he pecks me on the lips before walking around me. He starts piling up the dishes ready for us to load into the dishwasher. I smile to myself before joining him.

* * *

The rest of the night goes even better than the first half. Taylor left a great impression on the Carter family--especially my dad.

“I hope to see you again, son. It’s been a pleasure.”

“You, too. Thank you for inviting me into your home. I really enjoyed myself.”

“Anytime, you just make sure my girl gets home safe,” my dad says giving me a hug and kiss on the forehead.

“I assure you, that’s my top priority,” Taylor replies.

“Bye, Dad,” I say, waving as we walk away from the house, hand in hand. Liv left earlier and Nate is staying to help my dad with something.

“Well, that went well,” I beam.

“It did.”

Taylor holds open his car door for me and I step inside, gratefully. He turns up the heat before driving away.

“Your family are nice, Paige. You all seem very close.”

“Yeah, we are. We can be pretty dysfunctional, but when it comes down to it, we always have each other’s backs.”

“Good.”

“Yeah,” I reply.

“I take it your mother and father are separated?” Taylor asks out of the blue.

“Yes.”

“Ok.” I can tell that he doesn’t want to push things by asking anymore. I glance at him and feel relaxed. I want to be open with him.

“She had an affair. My dad found out and she made her choice to go with Ronald.” He remains silent while I talk. “I didn’t know at the time that she was pregnant with my brother.”

“Nate?” He looks confused. He keeps his eyes on the road.

“No, Nate’s the eldest. I have another brother, Timothy. Ronald is his father.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah, she couldn’t stay with my dad after that bombshell, even if she wanted to. Her only mistake was that she left me, Nate and Liv behind, too. I was only five, Liv was three and Nate was seven.”

“I’m sorry,” he whispers.

“It’s ok. I didn’t remember much about her to be honest, and neither did Liv. It was Nate that had the most memories, he suffered the most. It was only as I started going to high school, and other girls would talk about doing stuff with their mom that it started to bother me. My dad was great though. We never wanted for anything.”

“I can see that, and he looks like he did a pretty good job with the three of you.”

“Thanks.” I smile at the thought of my dad. He did such an amazing job raising three kids on his own. He’s always put us first and loved us unconditionally. There’s not really much more a child needs...except a mother.

“I mean it. So did she ever come back?”

“No. Not for a long time, anyway. She just vanished. There were no cards on our birthdays, or presents at Christmas...nothing.” The memories hurt. “I guess she was trying to forget. Then two years ago she just popped up. She wanted to get to know us and make up for her mistakes.”

“Wow.”

“Yeah, we all said no at first but my dad felt like it was time to forgive. He didn’t want us to spend another twenty or more years not knowing her. Liv and I gave in eventually, but Nate...he’s not ready. I’m not sure he’ll ever be.”

“I’m not surprised. Do you get on with her now?”

“It’s still a little strange, but she’s nice. I think deep down she regrets her decision, but I guess you can’t change the past, can you?”

“No...you can’t.”

“What about you? Are you close with your parents?”

“Yes. I don’t see them often but it’s nice when I do,” he smiles and I can see how much he loves them. “They live in a beautiful little cottage in Spain. They moved there when I was twenty two, that was three years ago now. But I love visiting them. Maybe one day you can come with me. It’s a beautiful place...Spain.”

“I can imagine. I’ve always wanted to go.”

“Good.”

I know that I shouldn’t ask but we’re being open and I decide to cease the moment.

“What about Marie?” He’s silent and my stomach drops. “Where is she?”

“Paige...” His tone is warning me to stop but I don’t. I want to know him. I don’t want him to hold anything back from me.

“Taylor, I’ve just opened up to you about things that I don’t share with just anyone.”

“I know that, and I’m grateful, but I’m just not ready to talk about certain things...”

“When are you going to be ready?” I ask.

“I don’t know.”

“This is so frustrating,” I mumble to myself.

“I told you how things were in the beginning. I warned you.”

“That doesn’t mean I have to like it.”

“You agreed to it.”

“Well maybe I want to take that back. I don’t understand what is happening here, and it’s confusing. I just feel...close to you. I want you to know things about me. And I want to know things about you.”

“You will.”

“Not if you keep holding back.”

“You have to give me time, Paige. You have to trust me.”

“How can I trust you when you hold back so much?” I say sadly.

“Because I’m asking you to.”

“This is because of Marie, right?” He doesn’t answer the question and I feel frustrated. “You still love her, don’t you?”

“You need to stop.”

“Answer the question. Do you still love her?” I stare at him even though he won’t look at me. After what feels like forever he finally speaks.

“Yes, I love her, but I’m asking you to trust me.”

I feel exasperated. My heart feels weak and I feel sick. My voice drops low and I try not to cry.

“I want to trust you, Taylor, but how can I possibly do that when you’ve just admitted that you're still in love with another woman?” In this moment, I suddenly understand exactly how Rick has felt this entire time. I feel sad for him but I know how this story ends, and I don’t want to be the ‘Rick’ in this situation. I don’t want to have to walk away.

“She’s not your problem, Paige,” he says angrily.

“Are you serious?”

He is silent.

“How do I know that she isn’t just going to turn up one day and change everything?”

“She won’t,” he replies gripping the steering wheel tighter.

“You can’t guarantee that though, can you?”

“I can.”

“No, you can’t. You’re obviously still connected to her, so what’s to say that you’re not going to just up and disappear one day?”

“Because she’s dead!” He slams the brakes on the car at the same time that the words leave his mouth.

We’re on a quiet road, and thankfully, there are no cars around. I don’t say a word, I don’t even move. He rests his head on the steering wheel and just breathes. I feel sick. I wish that I could take back the last five minutes of my life. I sit in my seat and fight the tears of guilt that are threatening to escape my eyes. I glance at him and he has not moved. He looks like he is trying to calm down his emotions and I do not want to interrupt him.

We sit in silence for five whole minutes before he lifts his head. He starts up the engine without even looking my way and then drives off. We don’t speak. I still don’t move. I look forward, trying to stop myself from staring at him. The car is so tense and I don’t even know what to do. I never expected him to say that.
She’s dead?

When we pull up outside of my apartment block, I unbuckle my seatbelt slowly. I don’t get out of the car, I just sit still, not knowing what to do. I turn slowly toward him after two minutes.

“Taylor...” I whisper.

“Don’t,” he says quietly.

“I’m sorry...I didn’t...”

“I know. I need you to go, Paige.”

“Please, don’t be mad at me.”