Both Kate and Zac looked at Arielle in surprise when she mentioned who her
mom was. She noticed they both looked shocked, and looked from one to the other.
" Do.. you know who my mom is?"
Zac nodded. " She moved in next door to my family when she was nine. Our
families grew pretty close, and... she started seeing my brother when they were
twelve." He looked over at Kate, who he knew to be worried about Natalie at this
point. Now they knew what was going on with her earlier.
Arielle looked at him in surprise when she mentioned his brother. She looked
from him to Kate, and then looked at their kids. She wasn't just with anybody,
but with family. " You... your my uncle?" She asked, looking back at him. " And
this is... your wife and my..."
" Just so you know, your mother has no chance of getting back together with
your dad. He is married, and has family. End of story." Kate snapped at her.
" Kate, just... calm down. Arielle is in shock right now. She's just found
out her father is someone else entirely." Zac put a hand on Kate's shoulder,
hoping she would calm down.
" I am so upset with my mother right now, and I... I don't care about her
getting back together with him. I... I just want to meet him. Please. I need to
see for myself who my father is." She begged, just as the waitress brought over
her food.
" I can't just bring you over there without them knowing what to expect. I
need to call them and give them a fair warning. And you need to eat anyway." He
told her. " Let me give them a call, and you eat."
" Alright." She nodded, and began to eat. " My name is Arielle by the
way."
He smiled at her, and introduced himself and his family. Then he walked away
to give his brother a call, and warn him about his soon to be visitor.
That's when Arielle's cell phone rang, shortly after he walked away. She
looked to see who it was and didn't recognize the number. Normally when she
didn't recognize a number, she didn't answer it. Her mom had always told her
never to answer a call from someone you didn't know, so she put her phone back
in her purse and ignored it.
_________________________________________________
Taylor and Natalie were standing outside their home with their kids, who were
screaming and crying about their stuff. The tornado had come through the yard,
and their house was no more. They looked from each other to their kids, and
finally Taylor had enough. He let out a whistle loud enough to shut them up. "
This is nothing that can't be replaced, guys. We can buy you new stuff, so calm
down. And until we are able to find a new home, we will just be staying in a
hotel."
Natalie nodded in agreement. " There are people who have far less than you
guys do, so we don't want to hear it."
" Your mother is right about that. Now we'll make a run to..." His cell phone
ringing interrupted him. He looked at the number, and saw it was Zac. He
answered it, and walked away from his family to talk to him.
Natalie looked at her kids, and sighed. " I'm sure both car's and gone too,
so I'm calling for a cab. We'll be on our way shortly for a hotel."
Taylor listened to Zac explain the situation, and he stood there in shock the
moment he heard the news, that him and Ashley shared a daughter together. She
hadn't gotten the abortion her parents were trying to force on her after all.
For a moment, Zac thought they had lost connection when he didn't say anything.
But he regained himself after a couple of minutes, and told Zac he would meet
them at their house as soon as they could, not even bothering to mention that
his house was gone.
Natalie had just hung up from calling for a cab when Taylor walked up to her.
" We are going to go to Zac's for a bit. I... we have a... a situation that
needs dealing with." He nervously told her.
She put her phone in her pocket. " What's going on, honey? Is everything
alright?"
He sighed, unsure of how to tell her about his daughter with Ashley. " Zac
and Kate... they were at The Cheesecake Factory when the tornado hit, and...
some girl came in as they were rushing people to safety. She's... she turned out
to be... Ashley's and mine daughter. I... I have a daughter with Ashley."
Natalie looked at him, however not in surprise, and that surprised him.
Before he could say anything more, she sighed herself, and looked him nervously
in the eyes. " I know." She quietly told him. " I... I ran into your ex at the
park earlier, and I met them. Taylor, I... I'm sorry I didn't tell you myself,
but can you really blame me? I was in shock."
He nodded, and kissed her softly on the lips. " I'm not mad at you,
sweetheart. This is a very touchy subject with you, and I know that. It's okay."
She kissed him back. " Let's go. I know you want to meet your daughter."
They waited for the cab in the front yard of what had been their home, and
the kids all stood there with tears in their eyes.
_________________________________________________
Isaac and Nikki were now back inside the house with their kids, and she was
making dinner when the phone rang. " Hello." She answered.
" Good. I am glad you answered. Is everyone doing okay?" Kate asked her.
" Yeah. Just a little freaked out. Nothing serious over here. How about you?"
Nikki threw some pasta into a pot of boiling water.
" Well, I would be doing better if we hadn't just found out that Taylor's ex
girlfriend Ashley was in town with her daughter. Otherwise, we came out of the
storm just fine."
Nikki almost dropped the phone when she heard the part where Taylor's ex was
in town with a daughter. " A daughter? Please don't tell me..."
" I am afraid so. Taylor has a daughter with her. We ran into her here at The
Cheesecake Factory. Her mom is nowhere around that I know of, but she is
obsessed with meeting her dad. We are on our way home now, and Taylor is meeting
us there."
" You think he'll need us for support?" She asked, as she stirred the
sphagetti sauce.
" I'm sure he will. Just come when you can though. No rush."
" We'll be over after dinner. We need to get the kids fed." Nikki told her.
They said goodbye and hung up.
Isaac was in the living room watching the news, and the kids were with him.
They showed some of the houses that had been ruined by the tornado, and happened
to recognize one of them by garden they showed in the background. It was
Taylor's house. He jumped up in a panic, and took his cell phone out of his
pocket to call him.
When Taylor picked up, Isaac started out by yelling at him for not getting a
call from him. Taylor could barely get a word in. Then Natalie took over, and
got through to him that everyone was fine and not to worry. She told him they
were on the way to Zac's, and told him why. He was just as shocked to hear that
Taylor had a daughter with Ashley, and mad that she hadn't mentioned it the
other day to him.
As soon as they were off the phone, he went into the kitchen to give Nikki
the news about Taylor's house, and then began to mention about Ashley and her
daughter with Taylor. She interrupted him. " I know. I just talked to Kate a
little bit ago. I told her we would be over there to support him as soon as we
had dinner."
Isaac nodded. " Good idea. I think he'll need us. Especially now that his
house is gone." He sat down at the kitchen table.
" Don't get too comfortable. This is almost done. Go tell the kids to wash up
please." She told him.
mom was. She noticed they both looked shocked, and looked from one to the other.
" Do.. you know who my mom is?"
Zac nodded. " She moved in next door to my family when she was nine. Our
families grew pretty close, and... she started seeing my brother when they were
twelve." He looked over at Kate, who he knew to be worried about Natalie at this
point. Now they knew what was going on with her earlier.
Arielle looked at him in surprise when she mentioned his brother. She looked
from him to Kate, and then looked at their kids. She wasn't just with anybody,
but with family. " You... your my uncle?" She asked, looking back at him. " And
this is... your wife and my..."
" Just so you know, your mother has no chance of getting back together with
your dad. He is married, and has family. End of story." Kate snapped at her.
" Kate, just... calm down. Arielle is in shock right now. She's just found
out her father is someone else entirely." Zac put a hand on Kate's shoulder,
hoping she would calm down.
" I am so upset with my mother right now, and I... I don't care about her
getting back together with him. I... I just want to meet him. Please. I need to
see for myself who my father is." She begged, just as the waitress brought over
her food.
" I can't just bring you over there without them knowing what to expect. I
need to call them and give them a fair warning. And you need to eat anyway." He
told her. " Let me give them a call, and you eat."
" Alright." She nodded, and began to eat. " My name is Arielle by the
way."
He smiled at her, and introduced himself and his family. Then he walked away
to give his brother a call, and warn him about his soon to be visitor.
That's when Arielle's cell phone rang, shortly after he walked away. She
looked to see who it was and didn't recognize the number. Normally when she
didn't recognize a number, she didn't answer it. Her mom had always told her
never to answer a call from someone you didn't know, so she put her phone back
in her purse and ignored it.
_________________________________________________
Taylor and Natalie were standing outside their home with their kids, who were
screaming and crying about their stuff. The tornado had come through the yard,
and their house was no more. They looked from each other to their kids, and
finally Taylor had enough. He let out a whistle loud enough to shut them up. "
This is nothing that can't be replaced, guys. We can buy you new stuff, so calm
down. And until we are able to find a new home, we will just be staying in a
hotel."
Natalie nodded in agreement. " There are people who have far less than you
guys do, so we don't want to hear it."
" Your mother is right about that. Now we'll make a run to..." His cell phone
ringing interrupted him. He looked at the number, and saw it was Zac. He
answered it, and walked away from his family to talk to him.
Natalie looked at her kids, and sighed. " I'm sure both car's and gone too,
so I'm calling for a cab. We'll be on our way shortly for a hotel."
Taylor listened to Zac explain the situation, and he stood there in shock the
moment he heard the news, that him and Ashley shared a daughter together. She
hadn't gotten the abortion her parents were trying to force on her after all.
For a moment, Zac thought they had lost connection when he didn't say anything.
But he regained himself after a couple of minutes, and told Zac he would meet
them at their house as soon as they could, not even bothering to mention that
his house was gone.
Natalie had just hung up from calling for a cab when Taylor walked up to her.
" We are going to go to Zac's for a bit. I... we have a... a situation that
needs dealing with." He nervously told her.
She put her phone in her pocket. " What's going on, honey? Is everything
alright?"
He sighed, unsure of how to tell her about his daughter with Ashley. " Zac
and Kate... they were at The Cheesecake Factory when the tornado hit, and...
some girl came in as they were rushing people to safety. She's... she turned out
to be... Ashley's and mine daughter. I... I have a daughter with Ashley."
Natalie looked at him, however not in surprise, and that surprised him.
Before he could say anything more, she sighed herself, and looked him nervously
in the eyes. " I know." She quietly told him. " I... I ran into your ex at the
park earlier, and I met them. Taylor, I... I'm sorry I didn't tell you myself,
but can you really blame me? I was in shock."
He nodded, and kissed her softly on the lips. " I'm not mad at you,
sweetheart. This is a very touchy subject with you, and I know that. It's okay."
She kissed him back. " Let's go. I know you want to meet your daughter."
They waited for the cab in the front yard of what had been their home, and
the kids all stood there with tears in their eyes.
_________________________________________________
Isaac and Nikki were now back inside the house with their kids, and she was
making dinner when the phone rang. " Hello." She answered.
" Good. I am glad you answered. Is everyone doing okay?" Kate asked her.
" Yeah. Just a little freaked out. Nothing serious over here. How about you?"
Nikki threw some pasta into a pot of boiling water.
" Well, I would be doing better if we hadn't just found out that Taylor's ex
girlfriend Ashley was in town with her daughter. Otherwise, we came out of the
storm just fine."
Nikki almost dropped the phone when she heard the part where Taylor's ex was
in town with a daughter. " A daughter? Please don't tell me..."
" I am afraid so. Taylor has a daughter with her. We ran into her here at The
Cheesecake Factory. Her mom is nowhere around that I know of, but she is
obsessed with meeting her dad. We are on our way home now, and Taylor is meeting
us there."
" You think he'll need us for support?" She asked, as she stirred the
sphagetti sauce.
" I'm sure he will. Just come when you can though. No rush."
" We'll be over after dinner. We need to get the kids fed." Nikki told her.
They said goodbye and hung up.
Isaac was in the living room watching the news, and the kids were with him.
They showed some of the houses that had been ruined by the tornado, and happened
to recognize one of them by garden they showed in the background. It was
Taylor's house. He jumped up in a panic, and took his cell phone out of his
pocket to call him.
When Taylor picked up, Isaac started out by yelling at him for not getting a
call from him. Taylor could barely get a word in. Then Natalie took over, and
got through to him that everyone was fine and not to worry. She told him they
were on the way to Zac's, and told him why. He was just as shocked to hear that
Taylor had a daughter with Ashley, and mad that she hadn't mentioned it the
other day to him.
As soon as they were off the phone, he went into the kitchen to give Nikki
the news about Taylor's house, and then began to mention about Ashley and her
daughter with Taylor. She interrupted him. " I know. I just talked to Kate a
little bit ago. I told her we would be over there to support him as soon as we
had dinner."
Isaac nodded. " Good idea. I think he'll need us. Especially now that his
house is gone." He sat down at the kitchen table.
" Don't get too comfortable. This is almost done. Go tell the kids to wash up
please." She told him.