Unexpected Love

by Melissa Price

  Twenty-two

  Sean gave John a ‘don’t ask’ look as soon as they got in the patrol car. During roll call, John had leaned over and whispered, “I want details,” before it started.

  The look he had given him did not deter John. When they got into the car, Sean rolled his eyes at him when he quickly asked, “So what’s her name? Is she going to make another fabulous dessert to send us?”

  Sean laughed, “You are not going to quit are you?”

  “You should know me. Do I give up on a challenge?”

  Sean sighed, “Fine. Her name is Taylor.”

  “Taylor. Interesting. When you are going to bring her over for dinner? Sara wants you both to come. How about Wednesday night? I have to put up with an inquiring mind too you know.”

  Sean laughed. “I’ll ask.” He thought that would end the conversation but a few minutes later John asked, “Have you slept with her?”

  “Come on, John. Let’s drop it okay?”

  “Okay, as long as you guys come to dinner.”

  Sean said irritably, “Fine.”

  The window people came in the morning to repair it. Shortly after they left, her cell phone rang. She was astonished to see her mother’s number on the phone. She had not spoken to her in over two years. Her mother had not even called her when she was in the hospital. She knew about the accident because her grandparents had told her, but apparently could not be bothered to pick up the phone. Maybe she was being too harsh. Maybe she had changed. She could only hope. Maybe she was finally calling to apologize or ask her how she was doing.

  She reluctantly answered, “Hello?”

  “Taylor? It’s mom.”

  “What do you need?” She winced. It had not sounded nice. Her mother’s tone was anything but warm and concerned, but she could have sounded nicer. She had a hard time being nice to her mother, which she felt guilty about it. No matter what, she was still her mother. But she had discovered nice had to be a two way street and for her mom, it was a narrow one lane road.

  “I’m getting a divorce from Danny and I need to get away so I thought I’d come stay with you for a couple of days.”

  Taylor swallowed hard. She had never visited when she needed help. Now she was coming because she was getting a divorce? Even if she was home she didn’t want her. “I’m sorry, I’m not home. I don’t know when I’ll be back.” Besides, she thought, they would not get along for two seconds.

  “Not home? Where are you? You’re staying with someone? It is a guy? Are you shacking up with a man?”

  “It’s not really any of your business, mother.” The conversation was making her very tense.

  “I knew it. I told your father before he died that he was responsible for your attitude and that you were going to get pregnant and all that talk about you being a success would amount to nothing. I told him.”

  “Don’t you dare talk about my father after the way you treated him. My life and what I choose to do is my business, not yours.” She spoke in a deadly calm voice.

  Her mother was silent so Taylor went on. “You have never cared about anyone but yourself so don’t start now.”

  “You always were stubborn and your father spoiled you. What kind of child are you if you won’t take your mother in when she needs it. I’m sorry I don’t meet your expectations, but that’s too bad. You have always been ungrateful, spoiled, and rebellious. You are a completely worthless daughter. Don’t come to me when you get thrown out because he gets tired of you or finds someone else. I tried to tell you when you were young. That boy in high school was just the beginning.”

  “Shut up, you know nothing. You know nothing about me. All you care about is you.” Taylor hung up.

  Taylor felt tears run down her face. She wiped them away. “I’m not going to cry over that woman. I’m not.”

  The doorbell rang and she stiffened. No, that was ridiculous, it was not her mother.

  It was Maggie. She and Sean were supposed to go over there for dinner tonight. “Hi, honey. I stopped by to see if I could talk you into coming over early and helping me with dinner.” Maggie looked at her, “Are you okay?”

  Taylor shrugged and then nodded. She did not want to talk about it. She went with Maggie and called Sean and told him she was at Maggie’s. He said he would go home and change and then come over.

  Buddy greeted Taylor when she came into the house. “Hi, big boy. Knocked anyone down recently?” She rubbed his head and thought about the incident with her sprawled all over Sean.

  He dashed off and brought her one of his toys. She took it and threw it for him. Buddy lost his footing while chasing the toy and collided into a table. Everything on the table crashed to the floor. The vase with flowers smashed, spilling water and flowers everywhere.

  Taylor ran over, “Oh, Maggie. I’m so sorry.” She was picking up the flowers and then burst into tears.

  Maggie got a towel to mop up the water, “It is okay, Taylor.” Maggie put her arm around her, “What’s wrong? You’ve been unusually quiet.”

  “I’m fine. Really.” She gave her a shaky smile. “I’m sorry, I don’t want to talk about it.”

  “That’s okay. Are you and Sean having a problem?”

  She said quietly, “No, it’s not him.”

  “Good, I’d hate to have to beat him up.” Taylor smiled and Maggie gave her a quick hug. “Don’t think I wouldn’t. Go sit down and I’ll clean this up.” Buddy came over and gave her a sad look as if apologizing. She rubbed his head which seemed to satisfy him.

  They went into the kitchen and started dinner. Sean arrived shortly before dinner was ready. Taylor could hear Walter talking to him.

  During dinner, Walter kept them entertained with his stories and she tried to forget about her mother. It was hard. Maybe she should have been nicer, but her mother always managed to make her feel guilty and in the wrong. Her mother had been right about one thing. She was not a success. Not in friends or love or dreams coming true. She had no job, weak legs, and couldn’t even cook in a professional kitchen right now.

  When they were getting ready to leave, Maggie grabbed Sean’s arm as Taylor got her coat from Walter. “Sean, something is wrong. She wouldn’t tell me but she started crying.” She stepped back when Taylor appeared.

  Sean led her out to the truck. He had known she wasn’t her normal self but she was covering it well. She was quieter than normal and not smiling much. But for her to cry in front of Maggie, there must be something really wrong. He suddenly realized he had brought the truck and not the car. He grimaced, “I’m sorry. I should have brought the car.”

  She smiled, “Don’t feel bad. This is better than walking.”

  He smiled and hugged her before lifting her up. On the way home, Sean had told her the rest of the parts for her car were coming from the middle of the country and it was experiencing a heavy and significant snow storm with another right behind it. He said it was going to be hard to get the parts anytime soon, everything was snowed in and transport was non-existent.

  He looked over at her, “Sorry.” He wasn’t really sorry. In fact, he was relieved.

  She shrugged, “It is what it is.” She wondered why she wasn’t worried or even that anxious for the parts to come. Maybe she wasn’t in a hurry to leave. She had gotten used to being here, she told herself. And she liked it. And Sean, she admitted. When her car was ready, there would be no more excuse to stay. But he might appreciate having her out of his hair.

  Sean thought about her leaving. He couldn’t imagine coming home and her not being there. He liked talking to her and doing things with her. All he knew right now was that he would not be happy if she was gone. He had thought about it a lot recently. How was he going to get her to come back? Or not leave at all?

  Sean explained about his partner, John and his wife wanting them to come over for dinner the next night. “I didn’t say yes or no, just that I would ask. They really want to meet you.”

  That made her nervous. She didn’t answer. She
was curious about how his partner knew about her. It was not something she could picture Sean talking about. Besides, he wanted her to meet them? What did that mean? Was she reading too much into it?

  When they got home, she went to her room. Now that she was changed and sitting on the side of her bed, the quiet was heavy in her heart. Tears rolled down her face. Why was she so upset? Her mother was what she had always been, but it still hurt. She was foolish to hope that she would change or even tell her that she loved her. She could not remember her mother ever telling her she loved her.

  Sean knocked on the door jam and walked into the room. He sat next to her and put an arm around her waist, “Taylor, what’s wrong?”

  She shook her head and cried more. He pulled her into his arms, “Please talk to me.”

  She put one arm around his back and the other around his neck and hugged him. “It’s not important.”

  “It is to me. Don’t make me interrogate you.”

  She giggled, “Oh, you think you can? Maybe it won’t work on me.”

  “Oh, it will. Even if I have to wear you down and make you stay up all night until you tell me.”

  She told him about the conversation with her mother. Sean was angry but he spoke calmly. “She’s lucky I don’t arrest her.”

  “For what, being a sorry mother?”

  “For starters. You know she is only trying to hurt you and you’re letting her. She’s upset because you are far more of a decent woman than she can ever be or think of being. You know that, right? Don’t let her get to you. It’s what she wants.”

  Taylor nodded and wiped her face. “Still, she’s my mother, Sean. I feel guilty. I want her to be a mother but she’s not going to be, is she?”

  “I don’t think she can. She’s not really a mother, Taylor. Just a woman who gave birth to an amazing and kind woman.”

  Taylor sniffled, “She was right about me. I am a mess and I’m not successful.”

  “Are you kidding me? Success can mean a lot of different things and you are definitely a success. You are an outstanding chef and you are successful as a person. That is your mother talking and it’s not the truth.”

  “So, do you want to go Wednesday night?”

  “Only if you do. I don’t want to make you uncomfortable but they’re good people.”

  “Okay, if you want to. You don’t mind taking me?”

  “You seriously did not just ask that did you? Why would I mind? You make me look good. Besides, John is my friend and partner, I’d like you to meet him.” He grinned.

  She wondered briefly if Sean had taken anyone else there but said, “Do you want to go do down and watch TV?” It was too early to go to bed.

  “Sure, let’s go.”

  They sat close together on the couch. He turned on a scary science fiction movie. During one tense scene, the woman walked into an open doorway and Taylor jumped as black birds flew out into the woman’s face. She had been expecting the undead virus people that were everywhere. After that the movie got even more intense and she didn’t realize it, but she had a death grip on his t-shirt. Once, she turned her face into his arm, “I can’t watch.”

  Sean chuckled, “You want to watch something else?” He picked up the remote but she yelled, “No.”

  She smiled sheepishly, “I have to see who survives. I bet most of them don’t get out of there. But someone is going to make it.”

  They kept watching and Taylor continued to have a tight grip on his shirt. During one mildly violent scene where some soldiers were battling the undead creatures, Taylor closed her eyes.

  Sean grinned, “You’re missing the movie, Taylor.”

  “I know, is this part over?” She peeked with one eye.

  Sean shook his head, “We really could watch something else.”

  She poked him in the ribs, “This doesn’t scare you even a little bit?”

  “Not especially. It’s a movie. If it was real life I might be scared.” Some scenes were intense but he refused to consider that it might be even a little scary.

  “Right. I don’t believe it. Everyone has their scare triggers. Even you. I know you have to be at least a little tense about some of it. Maybe not really scared, but uneasy.”

  “If you say so.”

  She stared, “You are deliberately being nonchalant about it. And you are trying to push my buttons. Besides, I’m not that scared anyways.”

  He grinned. “Oh, yeah? Is that why my shirt is never going to be the same?”

  Taylor looked down and saw the tight grip she had on his shirt and that she had pulled the material out of shape. She let go quickly and smoothed it down. Sean grabbed her hand and said a little too abruptly, “It’s fine.” She was careful to finish the movie without grabbing his shirt.

  As they got up to go upstairs, she asked, ‘What does scare you Sean, really?”

  He looked at her, “I’m not sure. I need to give it some thought but I promise to get back to you on that.”

  She smile. “Okay, you promised.”

  “So what scares you?”

  “Lots of things. Good night.”

  Twenty-three

  Taylor finally called Lisa early the next day. Her reaction to Taylor’s trip was nothing that she had not expected. Lisa had been upset but Taylor assured her she was fine and having a great time. Lisa assumed she was at her grandparents and Taylor did not dissuade her from the notion.

  Lisa had told her, “Guess what? I met a guy.”

  “Really? Tell me.”

  Lisa told her about an older man she had met. She said he worked at the power company. They had been out twice and Lisa really liked him.

  “Well, keep me posted. I have to go, but take care.”

  She deliberately did not mention Sean.

  When Sean got home he dragged himself upstairs to change. She had never seen him look so exhausted.

  Taylor got a hot chocolate and took it upstairs. She handed it to him and he sipped. “Thanks.”

  “Are you okay?”

  “Just tired. Long day.”

  He pulled his shirt off. She stared at his chest bare chest and found it harder to breathe. Then she said, “Lie face down. I can help.”

  He gave her an odd look before doing what she asked. She climbed onto the bed next to him.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Making you relax. Don’t argue with me. You know you will lose.” She rubbed some lotion on her hands.

  “I think my record of winning speaks for itself.” He was talking softly but she heard him.

  “Are you going to debate me over it, Officer Reed?”

  As she began to massage his back, he moaned, “That feels so good. Magic hands. No energy for debates.”

  She continued for a few more minutes. “What do you think about inviting Maggie and Walter over for dinner?”

  No response. She leaned over, “What do think?” She discovered he was asleep. She got up carefully and went to her room to read.

  The next morning, when he came downstairs dressed for work, she held out a cup of coffee with a big smile. “Made it myself.”

  He took a sip and started to cough and gag.

  She frowned, “What? No good?”

  He tried to smile but grabbed a bottle of water to sip instead. “A little strong, but thanks for trying.” He took a muffin she had made and set the coffee on the counter.

  “Sean? How about we invite Maggie and Walter over for dinner?”

  “Great idea. We can stop at the store and get what you need after John and Sara’s. Didn’t you want a crock pot too?”

  He remembered she had remarked that he needed one. She smiled when he wasn’t looking. She told him she would talk to Maggie.

  “What should I make when they come over?”

  “Well, anything you make is incredible, but how about that fried chicken you made last week? It was really good and Walter loves fried chicken. That’s what he said when I was helping him with some painting at the clinic and we
went out for lunch. It will be good, just don’t make them any coffee.” He grinned at her.

  “Is the coffee that bad? I never made it before. I used four heaping scoops, too much?”

  “Two level ones. No worries.”

  “Oh. So, what don’t you do? Police officer, painter, window fixer, woman carrier, exercise guru, coffee maker, taste tester…”

  He laughed, “Okay, okay. You should have seen me when I first bought the house. The kitchen sink was leaking and I tried to fix it and had water all over the floor, squirting in my face. I had been so sure I could handle it. I ended up having to call a plumber. And I tried a couple of other repairs until I realized I was making things worse.”

  She laughed, “Oh no. Did it bruise your ego?”

  “Yep, but don’t tell anyone.”

  “Not a word.”

  Just before he left, he turned and said, “Thanks for the back rub and trying to make coffee. The muffin is really good.”

  She smiled as he left.

  Twenty-four

  On the way to John and Sara’s home, Taylor became more and more nervous. What if they didn’t like her? They were important to Sean. Sean spent more time with John than anyone. He was an important part of his life and his partner on the job. Even though she knew very little about being a cop, she knew that meant something. She did not want to make a bad impression.

  It was as if Sean was reading her thoughts, “Taylor, they are going to love you. Just be yourself.” He held her hand the rest of the way there.

  When they arrived, she assumed John answered the door. He was a nice looking man, fit like Sean, but not as muscular, older by at least ten years. He introduced himself and then his wife, Sara and their two children. They were all friendly and welcoming so Taylor felt more at ease. Sara greeted her as if they had known each other for a long time. Sara had shoulder length blond hair and her green eyes were warm and laughing. Taylor liked her right away.

  John took her jacket. “I’ve been giving Sean the third degree about you but as usual, he won’t say much. I finally got your name out of him.”