Call Me Michigan (28 page)

“Wayne.” His presence more than surprised her mother, and Taylor realized that for once, Sunrow hadn’t been gossiping, and his father’s presence hadn’t made town news yet. Her mother’s stunned expression was evidence enough of that.

“Bonnie.” Her father hefted a slim briefcase onto the table, and while Taylor had seen it around the house, she hadn’t thought about it closer until he pulled out a pile of papers with pretty green arrows marking something. “Those are the papers signing away all rights to everything on that land, including, but not limited to, the kids. I’ve wanted to divorce you for a long time. In fact, I should’ve done it the moment you told Taylor to leave if she wouldn’t take over the farm, but I’ve been too chicken to do it. I won’t say I regret having Tim, because I don’t, but I do regret having lost countless nights of sleep over you. Sleeping next to you was almost hell for me. I regret, too, never having insisted on you signing over the rights to the boy, either, but that’s no longer necessary anyway.”

“Why would she have to sign over ...” Taylor trailed off as her father’s words clicked into place. He had hated her mother, and he clearly hadn’t slept with her anymore, yet they had gotten a brother ... one who most likely shared only fifty percent of their DNA. Wayne Collins’ pained look said it all, and Taylor swayed on her feet, feeling someone push a chair against her knees, which she happily sat down on. Glancing over her shoulder, she spotted Stella.

“Why? You don’t want him anymore?” Bonnie spat. “No one wants him.”

Wayne lowered his eyes with a slight smile. “Taylor did. She has full custody of him since we both left. Even though ...” He turned to her, and she wondered what more there could be. “Tamara and Tim were both taken care of, even if you hadn’t returned. I knew you’d come back, but for the slight case of no one being able to reach you, orders were in place, and my lawyer knew that. I hadn’t planned to be gone that long, but ... your mother was elusive. I followed her through a few towns, ready to turn around and come back, but then I got another hint of where she was and ... well, one thing leads to another, and this whole ordeal took longer than I thought. After all, I didn’t know she’d return,” he admitted, talking to Taylor as if Bonnie wasn’t in the room any longer. “Eventually, I figured I should be home for Christmas, and when I got here, my lawyer called to tell me that Bonnie, too, was back for whatever reason,” he finished.

“She came back because of Taylor,” Stella injected, and Taylor nodded, knowing it was true.

“I did not,” Bonnie protested while Taylor watched her father fan out papers.

“I don’t want anything extra from you. The boy is Taylor’s now, Tamara is grown, and the farm will belong to me. You will sign this, and you’ll have to go back to your birth name, no longer being Collins after it, or I will call the police, and they’ll take you in,” he stated calmly, and Taylor couldn’t believe a word he said.

“Why would they do that?” her mother asked, looking more like an evil witch than the woman Taylor remembered tucking her in at night.

“Because the police are after you and they’ll get you for fraud. After all, the money you took from your mother’s life insurance because she’s supposedly dead wasn’t legally obtained. Your mother agreed to show up in court if need be unless you sign. She wasn’t okay with the name change because she doesn’t want you to have her name, either, but she understood it was important for her grandchildren,” he went on, and Taylor got up, not being able to sit any longer. “She, too, had agreed to watch over Tamara and Timmy,” he added toward his eldest daughter, and Taylor hugged herself, wishing Mason were there even while she was glad that Tim was not there to hear that.

“Sign here, here, and here,” her father instructed, and Bonnie did, not even bothering to read the papers. Taylor couldn’t decide if she was grateful or not, but she knew that she wanted her mother out and that she needed time to think. This was more messed up than ever. Maybe she should’ve talked to her dad right after his return, just so none of this could’ve surprised her any longer. Instead, she walked over to her purse, got out a wad of cash, and handed it to Bonnie.

“This was originally to pay you so you’d leave, but now, see it as the start of a new life. Get out of town and don’t ever return here, Mother. Ever. I don’t want to see you, and neither does Tamara. I don’t think Tim is an issue, either. Just leave and don’t ever return.”

“Your father never took your side, yet you forgive him so easily?” Bonnie screamed, fury turning her beautiful features a weird shade of purple.

“My little sister forgave him, and she really was the one who had reason to hate him for life, so I follow her lead. You, on the other hand, weren’t forgiven, and therefore, that’s what we stick to. Go now, Mother. I have stuff to do, and we’ll be having guests soon,” Taylor whispered, her head spinning.

“I’ll spend my life making it up to them, but I sure as hell don’t want you around. Let me escort you off the land,” Wayne offered, and Stella was instantly by his side.

“Yes, let’s make sure that you find your way,” Stella added and then took Bonnie’s arm, not even giving the woman any chance to say something different.

As soon as those three were gone, Tamara came into the kitchen, carrying Becca. Taylor’s little sister looked guilty, clearly having known something she didn’t know.

“I didn’t know how to tell you why Dad left. And I didn’t know someone was going to watch over us until you already promised to drop everythin’. Hate me, but I wanted you back, Lori. I couldn’t pick up the phone and tell you to stay where you were because I wanted you to return. And about Tim ... I didn’t know how to tell you, either. I wasn’t exactly sure, but I guessed that he wasn’t fully our blood, and I just ... I’m so sorry.”

Taylor went over, seeing how Becca’s lower lip trembled. “I’m not blood, but you love me, right? I’m your girl.” Taylor laughed through her tears and then took her daughter, kissing her hair.

“Always, baby. You’re mine and will always be mine, too. And so is Tim.” She wasn’t mad at Tamara even though she might have been after freshly returning. Now, though, she couldn’t help but think that everything was exactly the way it was supposed to be. Putting Becca down on her own feet, she asked her to go and play while she prepared the food.

After the girl had rounded the corner, Taylor moved back to the counter, pointing at her sister to sit.

“You knew he didn’t run?”

“I know he didn’t neglect us the way it looked. The lawyer said he’d be back, and I could count on it, but it would take a while. I couldn’t tell you because I somehow didn’t believe it was true, and because I wanted to live with you. Don’t hate me, please, and don’t hate him. He tried, and he and Mom fought a lot. It was horrible, and I started doing more around the house, hopin’ Mom would leave and work outside then, and I just ... I’m so sorry!” She was outright crying now, and Taylor went over, kissing Tamara’s hair before hugging her.

“I’m not mad. I’m ... numb right now. Overwhelmed, but not mad. Trust me. Can you just take care of chopping and ...”

“You’ll go and see Mason? You’ve always done that when things got too much.” Her sister smiled, and Taylor nodded, taking a deep breath. She just needed a hug and then would have to get going. They were having Daniel over in less than four hours, and somehow, she had the feeling she hadn’t achieved anything yet.

Changing shoes, she stepped outside, taking a deep breath before heading toward the barn.

***

Mason had known that something was off when his mom and Taylor’s dad had escorted a rather unhappy Bonnie off the grounds, but the exhausted faces the two wore when they joined him and Tim in the barn told him even more. It didn’t take long until he spotted Taylor through the open barn door, her face lifted toward the sky as if the falling snowflakes could clear her mind. Stella seemed to notice his glance, and after shooting a look over her shoulder, she took a deep breath and forced a smile.

“Tim, how about we go inside and warm up? Your cheeks are all pink,” she suggested, and the little boy looked at him, holding onto the pony as if his life depended on it.

“We’re done for today, cowboy. You did well,” Mason told him and then playfully nudged his chin.

“Okay, let’s go, Grandma.” Tim grinned. “I have some other cool toys to play with!” He took Stella’s hand and his father’s, and then he went inside with them, animatedly chatting about his new best friend and missing Taylor by the door because of it.

Mason opened his arms for her, and she instantly crossed the distance between them, holding on tighter than usual.

“I’m afraid to ask,” he admitted, and she took a few deep breaths, trying on words and dismissing them before she finally pulled back.

“Tamara knew Dad was coming back. In fact, she knew, too, that someone was assigned to take care of them, but seemingly, the lawyer was told to keep it under wraps unless it was absolutely necessary.”

Mason stayed quiet. As much as Taylor had suffered, he couldn’t say anything negative about her being back. “So?” he finally prompted as she didn’t say more.

“So what?” she wanted to know, clearly waiting for a reaction from him.

“Taylor Collins, you will not hear from me that I’m mad at Tamara. If anythin’, that girl deserves a badge for having gotten you back,” he burst out, feeling hurt because she shouldn’t be mad either. She was with him now, wasn’t she? And happy, too.

She only shook her head. Still searching her face, he realized she wanted something different.

“I didn’t know, Taylor. I wouldn’t have guessed, either. I promise, if I’d have had the tiniest inkling that this was the case, I would have told you.” Her furrowed brow remained only a few seconds longer, and then a smile replaced it.

“You would’ve told me even at the risk of me leaving again?” she wanted to know quietly, and he closed his eyes, trying to imagine that scene.

“Yes,” he finally relented. “It would’ve broken my damn heart, but yes. You shouldn’t have been forced back here.”

“I wouldn’t have left,” she promised, and now, it was him who pulled back to get a better look at her face.

“You wouldn’t?” He couldn’t believe that.

“The moment I sat in your truck, I knew I never fully left. You’ve always had my heart, Mason. I never lived after I left. I breathed and ate but never lived. Seeing you again was confusing, but I knew that moment in your truck that I needed to be around you, even if just as friends. You, Mason Stiles, always belonged to my life and will always belong to it.”

In the spur of the moment, he backed her up until her back hit the wall, then he kissed her until his head was swimming from the lack of oxygen.

“While that was nice”—she smirked, then turned serious again—“there’s more. My father left to divorce my mother. She signed the papers inside and no has no right to Tim or the farm ... or the Collins name.”

“She didn’t have a right to Tim anyway,” he pointed out, remembering that Taylor had gotten full custody.

“Luckily, because it turns out my dad doesn’t have much right to him, either. He’s only my half-brother, Mase. Tamara guessed but didn’t know how to tell me. And now, above all, he’s been adopted by his half-sister. I can’t decide what I am to him now,” she admitted, and for the first time, he saw tears come to her eyes.

“You’re Taylor to him, and you’ll always be his big sister,” he guaranteed her, and she nodded through her sniffles.

“I guess, but why the hell is life such a mess? I thought we’d be done. All I want is peaceful Christmas and -”

“I guess I should go then,” a voice interrupted her from the door, and as Taylor’s face split into a beaming smile, Mason had never been more glad to see his ex.

“Ash! Of course, not! I should’ve remembered to invite you, but things were crazy and... what are you doing here?”

“I was lonely,” the other woman admitted, lowering her eyes to the ground.

“Well, good for us then that we have enough room and food for everyone,” Mason remarked, returning the pony to its stall before he hugged Ashley and then pulled Taylor back to his side.

Things might have been chaotic, but at least everything was finally settled. He knew Taylor would’ve wished for a different solution, and less heartache, but it was only uphill from there on, that much Mason was sure of.

“Thank you for taking me in,” Ashley mumbled.

“You’re family,” he stated, chuckling as both women simultaneously teared up.

“He’s right,” Taylor agreed, and Mason had to admit, if one person knew what it meant to turn people without blood relations into a true family, then it was Taylor soon-to-be Stiles.

Taylor crawled into bed shortly before midnight, exhausted to her bones. Mason lit a few candles until Taylor easily could’ve read a book.

“You’re not done yet. I promised you I’d have the first and the last gift for you,” he reminded her, and she nodded, sighing on purpose, before winking at him. She actually, too, had one last gift for him and pulled it out of the nightstand on her side. It was nothing big, but she had no doubt he’d still love it.

He joined her on the mattress with a parchment roll, tied together with a red bowtie, and Taylor had a feeling that her gift would be tiny compared to his.