Taylor and Ashely looked at each other. She could tell how pissed he was at
her, and she didn't even know what to say to him.
" I can't believe this, Ashley." He shook his head at her. " When you left
Oklahoma you were getting an abortion. Your parents said there was no way they
were going to let you have the baby."
" I ran away from them when I found a chance. By the time I got back though,
you... your career had taken off, and I couldn't get a hold of you. I tried so
many times, Taylor! I even got one call in finally, and your mom answered. She
said she wanted you to have nothing more to do with me, and hung up on me."
" You could have kept trying. After all these years, she thought someone else
was her father! You never once told her the truth until now, Ashley. You never
corrected her or anything. What is that about?" He practically screamed at her,
then lowered his voice when people turned to look their way. " You have lost
your right to your daughter. You lost it when I had to find out from my own
brother that she was mine. She stays with me from now on."
" You have no right to decide that, Taylor. Absolutely none. Just because
you've found out she is your daughter does not give you that right." She snapped
at him.
" I have a right to get to know her, and she deserves a chance to know me. I
want some real time with her, not just whenever you feel like it."
Ashley rolled her eyes at him. " It wouldn't be like that. You could..."
" I'm taking her home to Zac's with me, it is as simple as that." He told
her. " I'm glad you aren't seriously injured, and that your son is fine. Now I
am going to grab her and we are leaving." He walked away from her and left her
there to look for a nurse to wheel her back to her son's room.
___________________________________________________
Isaac had his arm wrapped around Natalie, trying to comfort her about the
whole situation with Ashley. She was crying on his shoulder, unable to control
herself. " I know Taylor loves me, but what if he finds he still has feelings
for her? She is very pretty and... they once had such a close connection with
each other."
He brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes, and kissed her cheek. " Natalie,
you have nothing to worry about with her. For one he is way too pissed off to be
interested in her at this moment. She kept a daughter from him."
" Isaac is right. Not to mention he just wouldn't do that to you." Zac took
her hands in his. " I know it is hard, but you have to have faith that he loves
you more than anything, and your kids."
Kate nodded. " You two have been together way longer than he was with her,
Natalie. I don't believe for one second that he would leave you for her."
" I hope you guy's are right." She looked from one to the other. " He is my
whole world, and if I lost him... I would lose my mind."
Taylor and Arielle walked in the door just then, and Natalie wiped at her
tears. He took one look at her though, and knew she was upset about everything.
Rushing up to her, he gave her a big hug and kissed her gently on the lips. "
It's okay, sweetheart. It really is. The only thing changing is that Arielle is
going to stay with us. Ashely is just... on her own with her son. I care nothing
about her."
Arielle watched her dad with Natalie. She didn't like to hear that he cared
nothing for her mom at all, but said nothing. She didn't expect them to get
together, but she wanted them to get along. She wanted a mother and a
father.
Nikki looked at Arielle, and watched her reactions to seeing Taylor with
Natalie. She could tell it upset her a little. " I understand your brother isn't
doing too well, that he was hurt in the tornado. Will he be alright, Arielle?"
She asked, trying to break up the tension in the room.
" I think so. He was really banged up, and needed a lot of stitches. He was
covered in bruises and cuts." She told Nikki, looking at her curiously. " I'm
guessing you are family?"
With a nod, she gave Arielle a little smile. " Yes. I am your aunt Nikki."
She made a gesture to Isaac. " And this my husband, Isaac. He is your father's
oldest brother."
Isaac smiled at her. " You look very much like your mother, Arielle."
" Thanks." She smiled back. " Taylor told me you are musicians. That you play
music together."
" We most certainly do. Would you like to hear something?" Isaac asked
her.
" I would love to hear your music."
Zac led the way to the music room, and Isaac picked out a guitar. Taylor sat
at the keyboard and Zac went to the drums. They talked about what to play for a
minute, and decided on the song that had brought them to the top, " Mmmbop." She
listened with a smile on her face. Afterwards, they played " Cut Right Through
Me" for her.
When they were finished, she clapped and rushed up to her dad to give him a
hug. " That is amazing, dad!"
He smiled back at her. " Thank you, sweetie. I'm glad you enjoyed it."
She pulled out of the hug, and smiled at Isaac. He smiled back, and gestured
for her to come and give him a hug too. She did so, and then gave Zac a hug. "
Thanks for playing for me. I loved it."
" Now that we have, me and Nikki need to get our kids home and into bed. It's
been a very long day. We will see you soon, Arielle." Isaac told her, giving her
another hug before motioning to Nikki to follow him.
______________________________________________________________
Ashley had just been told by the doctor that he wanted to keep Christopher in
the hospital for the night, just to make sure his injuries weren't too serious
at all. She didn't really want to leave him there alone, but being the brave boy
that he was, he told her to go back home and rest. He said he would be okay, and
that all he wanted to do was sleep anyway. She gave him a little hug and a kiss
on the cheek, and called a cab to come pick her up.
When she got back home, she got as cleaned up as she could get and then made
herself a little snack. She was in the middle of fixing up a plate of fruit when
her cell phone rang. "Hello." She answered, not even bothering to see who was
calling.
" I heard there was a tornado there in Oklahoma tonight. Are you okay, honey?
What about the kids?" The voice of her mom came through the phone, and it
sounded like she was in a panic.
" I'm a little banged up and Christopher is in the hospital. He got tossed
around a bit and had to get stitches." She told her mother. " Arielle is more
than fine, but she is mad as ever at me. I had no choice after having a run in
with Taylor's wife Natalie to tell her about who her father really was."
" I told you that was a disaster waiting to happen, Ashley. But you never
have listened to me, and you never will." She could hear a sigh out of her mom.
" I bet she's not even talking to you, is she?"
" Barely. She's not with me at the moment, or I would let you talk to her.
She is with her dad right now." She sighed herself. " Not only did she run off
on me earlier to go find him, she actually managed to do so. Now he thinks he
has every right in the world to take her away from me."
" Like I said, it was all a disaster waiting to happen. You just never did
think before you acted. You had to know it would come down to this."
" Yes. You were right, mom. I'm a screw up." She hung up on her, and
continued to throw some fruit onto a plate. Putting the container back in the
fridge then, she took her plate into the living room and turned on the tv.
__________________________________________________________________
her, and she didn't even know what to say to him.
" I can't believe this, Ashley." He shook his head at her. " When you left
Oklahoma you were getting an abortion. Your parents said there was no way they
were going to let you have the baby."
" I ran away from them when I found a chance. By the time I got back though,
you... your career had taken off, and I couldn't get a hold of you. I tried so
many times, Taylor! I even got one call in finally, and your mom answered. She
said she wanted you to have nothing more to do with me, and hung up on me."
" You could have kept trying. After all these years, she thought someone else
was her father! You never once told her the truth until now, Ashley. You never
corrected her or anything. What is that about?" He practically screamed at her,
then lowered his voice when people turned to look their way. " You have lost
your right to your daughter. You lost it when I had to find out from my own
brother that she was mine. She stays with me from now on."
" You have no right to decide that, Taylor. Absolutely none. Just because
you've found out she is your daughter does not give you that right." She snapped
at him.
" I have a right to get to know her, and she deserves a chance to know me. I
want some real time with her, not just whenever you feel like it."
Ashley rolled her eyes at him. " It wouldn't be like that. You could..."
" I'm taking her home to Zac's with me, it is as simple as that." He told
her. " I'm glad you aren't seriously injured, and that your son is fine. Now I
am going to grab her and we are leaving." He walked away from her and left her
there to look for a nurse to wheel her back to her son's room.
___________________________________________________
Isaac had his arm wrapped around Natalie, trying to comfort her about the
whole situation with Ashley. She was crying on his shoulder, unable to control
herself. " I know Taylor loves me, but what if he finds he still has feelings
for her? She is very pretty and... they once had such a close connection with
each other."
He brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes, and kissed her cheek. " Natalie,
you have nothing to worry about with her. For one he is way too pissed off to be
interested in her at this moment. She kept a daughter from him."
" Isaac is right. Not to mention he just wouldn't do that to you." Zac took
her hands in his. " I know it is hard, but you have to have faith that he loves
you more than anything, and your kids."
Kate nodded. " You two have been together way longer than he was with her,
Natalie. I don't believe for one second that he would leave you for her."
" I hope you guy's are right." She looked from one to the other. " He is my
whole world, and if I lost him... I would lose my mind."
Taylor and Arielle walked in the door just then, and Natalie wiped at her
tears. He took one look at her though, and knew she was upset about everything.
Rushing up to her, he gave her a big hug and kissed her gently on the lips. "
It's okay, sweetheart. It really is. The only thing changing is that Arielle is
going to stay with us. Ashely is just... on her own with her son. I care nothing
about her."
Arielle watched her dad with Natalie. She didn't like to hear that he cared
nothing for her mom at all, but said nothing. She didn't expect them to get
together, but she wanted them to get along. She wanted a mother and a
father.
Nikki looked at Arielle, and watched her reactions to seeing Taylor with
Natalie. She could tell it upset her a little. " I understand your brother isn't
doing too well, that he was hurt in the tornado. Will he be alright, Arielle?"
She asked, trying to break up the tension in the room.
" I think so. He was really banged up, and needed a lot of stitches. He was
covered in bruises and cuts." She told Nikki, looking at her curiously. " I'm
guessing you are family?"
With a nod, she gave Arielle a little smile. " Yes. I am your aunt Nikki."
She made a gesture to Isaac. " And this my husband, Isaac. He is your father's
oldest brother."
Isaac smiled at her. " You look very much like your mother, Arielle."
" Thanks." She smiled back. " Taylor told me you are musicians. That you play
music together."
" We most certainly do. Would you like to hear something?" Isaac asked
her.
" I would love to hear your music."
Zac led the way to the music room, and Isaac picked out a guitar. Taylor sat
at the keyboard and Zac went to the drums. They talked about what to play for a
minute, and decided on the song that had brought them to the top, " Mmmbop." She
listened with a smile on her face. Afterwards, they played " Cut Right Through
Me" for her.
When they were finished, she clapped and rushed up to her dad to give him a
hug. " That is amazing, dad!"
He smiled back at her. " Thank you, sweetie. I'm glad you enjoyed it."
She pulled out of the hug, and smiled at Isaac. He smiled back, and gestured
for her to come and give him a hug too. She did so, and then gave Zac a hug. "
Thanks for playing for me. I loved it."
" Now that we have, me and Nikki need to get our kids home and into bed. It's
been a very long day. We will see you soon, Arielle." Isaac told her, giving her
another hug before motioning to Nikki to follow him.
______________________________________________________________
Ashley had just been told by the doctor that he wanted to keep Christopher in
the hospital for the night, just to make sure his injuries weren't too serious
at all. She didn't really want to leave him there alone, but being the brave boy
that he was, he told her to go back home and rest. He said he would be okay, and
that all he wanted to do was sleep anyway. She gave him a little hug and a kiss
on the cheek, and called a cab to come pick her up.
When she got back home, she got as cleaned up as she could get and then made
herself a little snack. She was in the middle of fixing up a plate of fruit when
her cell phone rang. "Hello." She answered, not even bothering to see who was
calling.
" I heard there was a tornado there in Oklahoma tonight. Are you okay, honey?
What about the kids?" The voice of her mom came through the phone, and it
sounded like she was in a panic.
" I'm a little banged up and Christopher is in the hospital. He got tossed
around a bit and had to get stitches." She told her mother. " Arielle is more
than fine, but she is mad as ever at me. I had no choice after having a run in
with Taylor's wife Natalie to tell her about who her father really was."
" I told you that was a disaster waiting to happen, Ashley. But you never
have listened to me, and you never will." She could hear a sigh out of her mom.
" I bet she's not even talking to you, is she?"
" Barely. She's not with me at the moment, or I would let you talk to her.
She is with her dad right now." She sighed herself. " Not only did she run off
on me earlier to go find him, she actually managed to do so. Now he thinks he
has every right in the world to take her away from me."
" Like I said, it was all a disaster waiting to happen. You just never did
think before you acted. You had to know it would come down to this."
" Yes. You were right, mom. I'm a screw up." She hung up on her, and
continued to throw some fruit onto a plate. Putting the container back in the
fridge then, she took her plate into the living room and turned on the tv.
__________________________________________________________________