SPILLING THE BEANS
MEL
Sitting on the plane to Tulsa was bittersweet for Mel. On one hand, she was thrilled to finally be going home. On the other hand, she'd spent an entire summer in New York and had felt herself starting to adjust again. She glanced down at her stomach and smiled, her heart warming a bit. She was in her fourteenth week now and just two days ago, the doctor was pleased to tell her that everything looked absolutely normal and her weight was where it needed to be. As she recalled this and looked out the window into the sky, the thought of going home to Tulsa to raise the baby instantly made everything okay and she was excited all over again.
"Tay, I don't know about this whole family dinner thing," she whispered to Taylor quietly as he held her hand.
"I figured it was the easiest way to tell them. Quick, efficient--get it all done in one sweep, just bam! Drop the ball, wipe some tears away. That way we don't have to repeat it over and over and nobody has to hear it through the grapevine..."
"I think you're over thinking it."
He shrugged. "Maybe I am. I don't know."
"I'm nervous."
"About my family?"
She shook her head. "No. About going home. About--about walking into the house and--I don't know, it makes me nervous."
"I didn't trash the house, if that's what you're worried about."
"No," she said. "It's just--I keep thinking about what you said--what you went through and--and I keep picturing you alone, in the house..." Tears sprang to her eyes and she attempted to sniff them away, the sound coming out a little louder than she'd intended.
Tay reached an arm around her and pulled her close. "Oh god," he whispered. "That hadn't even crossed my mind. Look, you gotta--you gotta stop beating yourself up over that. It's not good for you. It's done, it's over with. It's in the past and we're in a good place now. Both of us. We just need to move on. Okay?"
She nodded into his shoulder. "I know," she said through light tears. "I know. I'm sorry, I just--I missed home."
"I know."
"I missed you."
"I missed you, too."
"And I should have been home. The whole time."
Tay sighed and suddenly blurted, "What do you want to name the baby?"
Pausing, Mel was confused by the subject change. Confused and a little startled, she creaked out, "What?"
"What do you want to name the baby?" he repeated.
Sitting up from him, she wiped her eyes with her fingers and looked at him. "Um, I don't know..."
"You don't have any ideas?"
"I don't think my brain's gotten there yet."
"They're gonna ask, you know. Every single one of them."
"But--we don't even know what it is yet--"
"They're gonna want to rub your belly, ask you about breast feeding, inquire about your childbirth options..."
"You're leading me straight into the lion's den..." she whispered in thought.
Tay chuckled. "It's not quite THAT extreme. But they do become quite an inquisitive bunch whenever someone comes up pregnant. Just want to prepare you." Then his tone grew serious. "But don't let them overwhelm you. If, at any point, you start to feel uncomfortable or overwhelmed, you let me know. Okay? I know it'll be awkward going from not telling anyone at all to straight up being accosted by a large group of people."
Mel couldn't help but giggle at his statement. Then she sobered up again. "I have no idea what to wear..."
He smiled at her once again. "Stop worrying, it'll be fine."
-----------------------
Stepping into the terminal, Mel's eyes lit up when she saw Zac waiting for them. Standing from his seat, he smiled as she ran to hug him. Her arms tight around his neck, she giggled. "I'm so glad to see you. So glad you're here!"
"It's good to see you, too," he said. He pulled away and looked at her. "I wish you would have called me."
"You could have called me, too."
"I did. You dodged all my calls."
"Oh yeah..." she remembered, glancing down in thought. "Sorry about that."
He smiled. "You're forgiven." Then he looked around her. "Where's Tay?"
"He's coming. I told him I could get my own carry on, but he insisted on doing it all himself..."
"You look great," Zac said. "You really do. Pregnancy looks good on you."
Mel felt herself blushing. "You think so?" Then her eyes widened. "Can you tell?"
He nodded. "Yeah. Mom's gonna shit."
"I'm scared to death."
"Don't be. Be scared for me. I haven't told Kate and she's gonna see right through me when I fake surprise."
"Yeah, well, you never were an actor..."
"Thanks for being a dream crusher."
"Who's crushing whose dreams?" Tay's voice came from behind.
Zac smiled and hugged his brother. "Glad you're home."
"Thanks, me, too."
Mel watched the brothers interact and then noticed the large red spot on Tay's forehead. "Honey, what happened?" she asked, reaching up to touch it.
His head dodged her hand. "It's nothing, don't worry about."
"Well it wasn't there when we landed."
"I got into a fight with the carryons, no big deal."
Zac snickered and Tay glared at him. "We have an obscene amount of luggage," Tay informed him.
"Why doesn't this surprise me?" Zac responded.
At the baggage claim, Mel stood between both men. She was extremely frustrated. Every time she reached out for a suitcase, her hand was swatted away by one or the other or one of them would say, "It's okay, I got it" or "What did I just tell you?" (The second one was Tay.)
Loading and unloading Zac's truck was hell, mostly because Mel was, once again, not allowed to help. But mostly, it was when her fiancée and his brother ran in and out of the house with luggage while Mel sat on the couch in the living room and cried. Being back in the house brought back so many emotions and memories and she was immediately overwhelmed the moment she set foot in the door. Tay and Zac were too busy to pay attention to her and she was okay with that. She needed the moment alone to let it out and take it all in.
She knew she was also hormonal. But she felt like she was being hit with so much all at one time. Her head spun. From seeing Zac, to seeing Tulsa as they drove home, to walking into the house. She'd been gone for three months but it had felt like three years.
After finally drying up her tears, she took a deep breath and stood up, slowly making her way up the stairs. Opening the door to hers and Tay's bedroom, she stopped short and her mouth hung open from the shock. Rushing across the bedroom to the balcony, she leaned over the railing and shouted, "Tay! TAY! WHERE THE FUCK IS OUR BEDROOM?"
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TAYLOR
The blood drained from Taylor's face when he heard her question. He was standing in the foyer with Zac. "Shit! The bedroom..."
He walked into the living room and looked up at the balcony to answer Mel and he opened his mouth to speak, only to close it back. Wait, that wasn't right. He only cleared out a guest room downstairs and he hadn't had time to mess with any of it before he decided to take off to New York. Maybe he cleared out two? But it should have been a shambles downstairs. It should have been--"What the hell are you talking about?"
"Are you serious? The bedroom. OUR bedroom. It's not our room anymore. None of our stuff is in there. Did you throw everything away as soon as I left?!"
Tay's eyes darted around the floor in thought. "Well, I mean, I stayed at Ike's for the majority of the time, but--"
Two at a time, Tay took the stairs up to the bedroom to look in the door behind Mel. As she stood there and accused him of thinking she was lying, he tried to wrap his head around what was going on and he tried to think back and remember his actions before he packed up his bag at Ike's and got on the plane. Nothing was coming to him, though. When had he moved the guest room furniture up here? Surely he would have remembered something like that. He couldn't have done it alone.
Finally, frustrated at Mel's continuous bitching, he blurted out, "Mel, just--give it a rest! Okay? I don't know...I don't know what's going on right now."
"How can you NOT know?"
"Because I don't!" Trying to calm himself, he apologized to her. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Just--this is fucked up."
Wordlessly, he descended the stairs with Mel close at his heels. Turning the corner at the foot, he started down the small hallway and found Zac at the guest room door. Stopping in his tracks, feeling Mel against his back, he looked back at a smiling Zac, who opened the guest room door.
Stepping in the door, Tay was speechless as he looked around. Without taking his eyes off of the room, he turned his body and pulled Mel in the door in front of him. She gasped. "What is all this?"
The couple looked around at the baby nursery before their eyes. The crib, the changing table, the chest of drawers...Mel instantly turned around and placed a hand lightly on Tay's chest, looking up at him. "Tay, when did you do this?"
Eyes wide, he looked around. "I--I didn't."
"Ike and I did," Zac spoke up.
Both Tay and Mel looked at him in surprise. "How?" Tay asked.
Zac shrugged. "It's only temporary, you can get rid of this stuff and buy your own if you want to. Apparently you got quite talkative with Ike on the way to the airport and all this came up."
"I didn't tell Ike then. Mel didn't even know I knew at that point."
"If it makes you feel any better, I honestly had no idea until you told me yourself."
Tay narrowed his eyes at Zac. "So Ike lied? I don't even remember telling him..."
"He didn't lie, he just chose not to argue."
Had the sentiment not been so touching, Tay would have been pissed. His thoughts were interrupted when Zac continued. "Anyway, it's no big deal, really. Between Ike and I, we had some extra baby stuff laying around that we weren't using anymore, so we just brought it here. Told Kate and Nikki we were donating it all. It was technically the truth."
"Oh, Zac," Mel said, wrapping her arms around his neck as she started to cry. "This was so sweet of you guys, thank you so much. I wish Ike were here so I could hug him, too." Then she pulled away, wiping her eyes. "I'm sorry. I don't cry as much as I used to, but hormones still catch me here and there."
"It's okay, I know how it all works, trust me," Zac chuckled.
Tay was touched. Completely touched that his brothers would do something like this for him. He was undoubtedly in their debt for everything that they'd done for him over the past few months. The truth was, if it hadn't been for his brothers, he wasn't sure he would have been standing there in that moment. The thought overwhelmed him and he looked around at the nursery again to keep his emotions at bay.
"We moved your bedroom, too," Zac said. "That was...we didn't look at anything as we brought it down, I promise. People are weird about their bedrooms. I know I am. But we were careful."
Following him a door down the hallway, Mel opened the door and she and Tay peeked into their room. "You can rearrange it of you want," Zac said. "Won't hurt my feelings."
"Wow," Mel said as she looked around. "It's gonna be an adjustment, sleeping in here. Hell, sleeping in general would just be nice."
"Zac, this was really too much," Tay said. "Really."
"Nah," Zac waved him off. "Do you know how you left this place? All the furniture dragged into the living room and shit. We knew you were bringing Mel home, you guys couldn't come home to your house that way."
"I really appreciate it," Tay said. "I really couldn't thank you enough. I owe you guys, big time. BIG time."
Zac shook his head. "No, you don't. Just make sure you whip up something amazing for dinner tomorrow night and we'll call it even."
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MEL
Mel made sure to wear a very loose-fitting sweater when they went to her parents' house later that day. Taylor had insisted on resting after the flight and that they would go over tomorrow, but Mel couldn't wait. She missed her parents and she didn't want to waste any time telling them her news.
However, she didn't want to hit them with it the very second she walked in the door, either, hence the sweater.
Mel burst into tears upon sight of her mother, as did Susan. The moment Mel walked in door, her mother rounded the corner with open arms, her father not far behind. "Melody! Oh, sweetheart, I can't believe you're here!"
"Mama!" she cried as she threw herself into her mother's arms.
The recognition was instantaneous. Susan immediately pulled away, a death grip on Mel's shoulders. "Melody," she hissed, glancing down between them. "Are you--?"
A grin spread across Mel's face and she nodded. "Fourteen weeks."
Susan was shocked for a moment before she got excited. "Oh my god, my baby!" She turned around and pulled Mel's father closer to them. "Paul! Paul, guess what? Our baby--is having a baby! Isn't that wonderful?"
Looking at her father expectantly, Paul stiffened for a moment. Then he smiled and pulled Mel in for a hug. "I'm happy for you, princess. Welcome home."
Leaving Mel's side, she could hear her mother approach Tay. "Come here, sweetheart," she said to him. Mel turned around to observe her mother hug him and kiss his cheek. "I am so proud of you," her mother said to him. "Don't you ever forget that. I love you and I am so glad you're back."
Mel grinned at Tay as he smiled back at her over her mother's shoulder. Turning back around to face her father, his face didn't look quite as elated as she'd hoped it would. Her heart sank. "Daddy. Are you okay?"
"Yeah. Of course. I'm great," he responded.
Feeling uneasy with the exchange, she asked him, "Are you mad?"
"No," he responded. "I'm not mad..."
"But you're not thrilled, either."
"I'm just--I mean, you run off to New York and then you come home pregnant? It just doesn't make sense."
Mel sighed, tucking her hair nervously behind her ear. "We--we conceived when we were still together. I was a month along when I found out. I had just gotten to New York, I didn't feel right, so I went to the doctor. And that's when I got the news. I wanted to make sure everything was gonna go as it should this time before I told anyone. Tay didn't even know till, what, three weeks ago?"
"Melody," her father scolded.
"I know. I know."
Looking at his face, she was pleased to see his expression soften. "So. I'm gonna be a grandpa, huh? The old hard ass."
Mel giggled. "Daddy, you're not a hard ass. And you'll be a perfect grandfather."
"It better be a boy," he said sternly. "And he better play ball. I'll coach him myself."
She grinned. "I wouldn't have it any other way."
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TAYLOR
"Taylor," Paul's voice bellowed through the commotion. Taylor broke a sweat at the sound of his name. Somehow, he hadn't taken into consideration walking into Mel's parents' house for the first time after everything that had happened. He'd been so focused on her giving them the news that he hadn't once thought about how he would be perceived by them.
"Uh, yes, sir," he responded. He knew how Paul felt about calling him sir, but at that point he didn't care. He was desperate to do anything to make sure he stayed in his good graces--and repair any damage he had done.
Paul walked up to him and put a hand on his shoulder. "Good to see you. You want a beer?"
"Uh, sure, thank you. That would be great."
Paul, who stood just a couple inches shorter than Tay, glanced up and smiled. "Good. I'm sure you need one."
Paul's hand moved from Tay's shoulder to the back of his neck, firmly gripping him as he led him into the kitchen. As Mel's father retrieved two beers from the refrigerator, Tay instantly knew what was going on. He braced himself.
"Come on, son, let's drink these outside and enjoy the weather while we still have a few nice days left this year."
Tay and Paul sat at a small table on the back porch of the house. Both men looked out into the yard. "Do you know what today is?"
Tay nodded, taking a swig from the beer bottle. "Yep."
"You were supposed to marry my daughter exactly one month from today," Paul responded.
"I'm still gonna marry her. Just won't be that day."
"But you're gonna marry her. Do right by her?"
"Absolutely. It has nothing to do with 'doing right.' I love her, that's why I'm marrying her."
"I get it," Paul said. "But you gotta admit, it looks a little hinky calling off a wedding then getting engaged again after finding out there's a baby involved. You know?"
Tay swallowed a lump in his throat in an attempt to keep it together. Paul scared the shit out of him. He always had. He was rough around the edges and straight to the point. The man had a heart of gold, but it didn't make him any less intimidating.
"I know what it looks like," Tay responded.
"You hurt my little girl," Paul stated bluntly.
Tay cursed himself, having wished he had better prepared himself for this. He had to know this conversation was coming. How he hadn't anticipated it was beyond him. "I know," Tay responded quietly.
"You hurt her and I haven't seen or heard from her in three months because she ran away from you. I have a problem with that."
Tay glanced down at the wooden deck they sat on, unable to respond. He had no idea what to say. Paul continued, "I only know bits and pieces of what went on with you during all that mess, but I got the jist of it. Doesn't take a rocket scientist. Part of me wants to applaud you for handling it the way you did. I wouldn't want Melody in the middle of it either and, for that, I'm glad she ran away to New York."
Relieved, Tay took a swig of his beer until Paul finished with, "The other part of me wants to kill you."
Taking a deep breath, Tay responded. "I understand where you're coming from. I fully understand. The truth is, I hit rock bottom then. I hit rock bottom and I didn't want her to see it, I didn't want her to know it, I didn't want her to have to deal with it. That's why I did what I did. I hate myself every day for hurting her because she didn't understand. But I had to do what I had to do to get healthy. I had to get well for myself, for her--and now there's a baby. I understand that you're upset and I understand that maybe I should have done things a little differently--maybe could have softened the blow and saved a little grief. But I'm getting the help I need and we're in a good place now. And I'm gonna be a good husband and I'm gonna be a good father or I'll die trying."
"Don't make promises you can't keep," Paul said dryly.
"What?"
"We all want to be good husbands and fathers. We never know how hard it is until we're neck deep in it. I'm full of regrets. There are days when I could have done better, could have done things differently and wish I had. I've forgotten anniversaries, missed school plays--we all want to learn from each other's mistakes but we never do. There are just some things in life that are unavoidable and you just have to pray that the people that you've let down learn to forgive you. We're only human, Taylor. You can't promise to be a good husband and a good father. But you can promise to make the effort. And as long as you make the effort, you'll be a superhero in the eyes of your wife and your kid. And that's really all a man wants."
Taylor was silent, letting Paul's words sink in. He wasn't sure how much of it he actually agreed with, but he made a lot of good points. And maybe one day it would all ring to be true, he didn't know. But he understood him and at the moment, that was all that mattered. As long as the two of them had an understanding and a respect for one another, Tay was golden.
"Anyway, I'm just glad she's happy," Paul said as he turned up his bottle. "And I am proud of you, son, despite being hard on you. Takes a real man to make some of the decisions you had to make. Takes a bigger man to stick with them. I'm more than happy to welcome you into our little family whenever you two decide to get married. I mean, not that you're not already, you know."
Smiling, Tay nodded. "Yeah. I know."
"You pull a stunt like this again and I'll kill you. You may be family, but I know where to hide bodies around here."
Laughing, Tay nodded again. "I got it. You won't have to go through the trouble, I promise."
"Good," Paul responded, side-glancing at him. "This old back doesn't have very many years left."
At that moment, the sliding glass door opened and Mel stepped out, smiling at the two of them. "What are you guys doing out here?"
Tay had to take a moment as he glanced up at her. Something about the way her dark hair fell against her cream sweater and the way the afternoon sun glinted off of her hair as the light breeze gently blew through it--it took his breath away. And he wished he'd had his camera.
"Nothing much, just having a little guy time while you ladies catch up," Paul answered her. "What's up?"
"I was just talking Mom into coming over for dinner tomorrow night when I realized you'd disappeared..." She glanced at Tay. "I mean, is that--?"
"Yeah," he responded immediately. "Yeah. God, yeah. Please. Come. We'd love to have you over," he said to Paul.
Paul nodded at the two of them. "Yeah, okay. Sounds good." Then he looked at Mel. "Sweetie, I gotta tell ya, as much as it makes your daddy want to cry, you look downright adorable with that little belly there."
Mel blushed as she smoothed her sweater over her stomach. "It's not really THAT big..."
"But I can tell. It's there."
Tay smiled at the two of them, so incredibly relieved that Paul's conversation with him ended on a good note. His heart felt light, his mind was clear, and life was good.
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ISAAC
Isaac parked the SUV in Taylor's driveway and turned off the engine. He sighed as he looked over at his wife in the quiet vehicle. "Look, I gotta tell you something."
Turning back from the door handle, Nikki looked at him in alarm. "Is everything okay?"
"Yeah, yeah. It's great. I just--I wanted to tell you before you killed me in front of god and everybody."
Her eyes narrowed at him. "Tell me what?"
"I mean, it's not really my business to tell, but I felt guilty for knowing and that's why we're all here tonight and--"
"I assumed it had to do with this quickie wedding."
"Mel's pregnant."
Her eyes widened and the blood drained from her face. "Are you serious? Is she okay?"
"Yeah. She's fine, everything's fine. Don't hate me."
"I'm too excited to hate you right now. Maybe later, though. Don't let me forget."
Ike chuckled as he and his wife and their two kids let themselves out of their doors. Ike watched as the boys ran across the yard to Mel, who was waiting to greet them on the front porch. Barreling straight into her, Ike winced as Mel took them both in her arms and kissed their cheeks. "Oh, I missed you guys so much!" she said to them.
As Mel stood, the youngest patted her stomach and remarked, "Aunt Mel, you got fat."
Mel's eyes widened as the blood drained from Ike's face. Coming up behind him, he reached around and clamped his hand over his son's mouth, pulling him back against him. "Son, we don't say things like that to people, it's rude!"
Smiling at Mel, Nikki squatted to her sons' levels and pulled them both close to her. "Aunt Mel isn't fat. She has a baby in her tummy. Just like your aunt Kate did last year. Remember?"
The boys looked back at Mel's stomach and back at their mother in awe as Nikki stood and smiled at Mel. "Um, Ike just told me in the car..."
Smiling, Mel held out her arms to her. "Well don't just stand there, hug me!"
As Ike witnessed the hug fest, tears started to flow from both women. Shaking his head, he led his sons into the house.
A short while later, Ike's parents walked in the door and his boys instantly made a beeline for their grandmother before she could even step out of the foyer--before she could even be greeted by Tay or Mel. "Grandma, guess what?" Everett asked animatedly.
Ike's heart pounded. "Everett!" he called in a futile attempt to get his attention.
But it was too late. "Aunt Mel's got a baby in her tummy!"
The entire house fell silent.
Diana's eyes widened as she looked around. "What?"
And then she hurriedly made her way across the living room and to the kitchen were Tay coincidentally met her in the doorway. "Hey, Mom, I didn't hear you come in."
"Is it true?"
Tay eyed his mother warily as he looked around the room behind her. "Um...yes...?"
You could practically feel the excitement building in her. "Are you having a baby?"
A slow and confused smile spread across his face. "WE are having a baby...yes..."
"OH MY GOD!" She blurted out. She grabbed Tay and squeezed him around his neck as she hugged him. "Oh, honey, I'm so happy! Where is she? I want to see her."
Ike could hear the commotion in the kitchen as his mother apparently found the new mother-to-be and he smiled at the sound as his younger brother disappeared into the kitchen behind her. As their father followed suit and disappeared through the doorway himself, Ike turned around and glared down at his sons. The expressions on their faces said it all--they knew they'd messed up. Ike and Nikki spent the next five minutes explaining to them the importance of minding their own business until Zac arrived with Kate and his kids with Zoe in tow. Hearing the commotion in the kitchen, the adults and Zoe disappeared through the doorway. The news was out now and nobody had been in the house twenty minutes. It was going to be a long evening.
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MEL
They had decided to serve dinner outside on the patio. The air felt nice and it was easier to accommodate everyone. Mel had to admit, having the cat let out of the bag early, regardless of how it happened, made enjoying dinner much easier.
At one point, Mel stood to refill her drink and asked if anyone else needed anything while she was up. Beside her, Taylor jumped up and took her glass out of her hand and assumed the duties she had tried to carry out. Sitting back down in defeat, and nearly embarrassed, she looked her mother next to her and at Diana across from her mother and whispered, "He won't let me lift a finger!"
Her mother smiled. "It's sweet of him."
"I'm not even that pregnant yet. I feel lazy. He let me walk around downtown New York alone, but as soon as we got home, it's been, like, I'm not allowed to do anything."
"It'll be okay," Diana said. "It's just new to him, that's all. Enjoy it while you can."
When Tay returned to the table, she smiled at him and thanked him as the talk, naturally, turned to baby talk. As predicted, she had questions thrown at her left and right that she wasn't prepared to answer and she hadn't said "I don't know" so frequently in one sitting in her entire life. Was pregnancy supposed to be this complicated and involved? She couldn't just have a baby and feed it and clothe it and call it good? When the mothers at the table began sharing stories of their own pregnancies, Mel was relieved that the attention was temporarily taken off of her. She tried to listen to as much as she could in case she could use any of the information being thrown out there. But mostly her mind wandered. To baby clothes. And dance lessons. And her father teaching him how to barrel into football dummies.
Next to her, she felt Tay's shoulder lightly bump hers. "You okay?" he asked quietly.
She smiled at him. "Yeah. I'm okay."
"You're quiet."
"I'm just a little tired. That's all."
"You want me to send everyone home?"
"No, don't be silly. I'm happy to have everyone here, I don't want them to leave."
He nodded. "Okay. But I mean it, you just say the word--"
"I'm fine," she reiterated firmly. "Besides, there's cake later and I'm not about to miss it."
Tay laughed and shook his head, going back to his plate. She didn't lie. As she looked around the table once again, her mind immediately went to cake. Cake and bed. Cake in bed? She would have to make that happen.
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Several days later, Mel took advantage of Taylor's therapy session as she prepared to go to 3CG. She was excited to get behind the wheel of her Jeep again. She hadn't driven since before the tour and when they came home, Tay drove them everywhere. She missed her Jeep. She missed driving and she missed independence.
On the way to the studio, Mel passed by a car dealership. She'd had the Jeep for several years now and while she loved it and she enjoyed driving it, she entertained the idea of possibly trading it in for a newer model. As she looked at the Jeeps on display at the front of the lot as she passed, she hadn't prepared herself for the light she was coming up on. Looking in front of her at everyone stopping, she slammed on her brakes, but not soon enough. Brakes thoroughly applied, the Jeep slid across the pavement and into the back of the white car in front of her, thankfully at a much slower speed than she'd been at when she braked. She barely hit the car, but it was enough to jolt her and possibly the driver of the car in front of her. She panicked immediately.
Throwing on her hazard lights and getting out of the Jeep, Mel ran to the front of the vehicle as the driver got out of the car. She looked over at the elderly woman and her heart broke. An old lady. She had to hit an old lady. And this had started out as such a good day.
And then Mel began to panic further as tears sprang to her eyes. What if she was a mean, crotchety, vindictive old lady? What if she faked injury and sued? What if she really WAS injured and she just didn't know it yet? How much did people sue for these things nowadays? Would this little old lady clean her out before she even had the baby? So many things went through her mind at that moment, she felt herself begin to hyperventilate and she fought to take deep breaths to calm herself.
As the woman approached her, Mel began apologizing. "I am so sorry, I am so sorry, I swear I didn't mean for this to happen. I am so sorry."
The lady looked on at the damage, which was a barely a dent and a scratch, but was more than enough for Mel, and then looked back at her. "Well it doesn't look that bad."
"Ma'am, I will buy you a brand new car, I promise. I swear to you. We can go to the dealership over there right now--"
The woman smiled. "Now, honey, let's not go to extremes here, you're acting a little erratic. Are you okay?"
Mel panicked again. She's going to think she was drunk! Or under the influence! She was ruined. Completely ruined. This is how her life was going to end. With an old lady and a fender-bender.
The woman glanced down at Mel's stomach then back into her eyes. "I understand how it is," she said suddenly. "I had four kids of my own and I've been in your position in my fair share of fender benders or two. It's really not as big a deal as you're making it out to be. I'm okay, you're okay, and our vehicles are a little scratched up. We'll just file the report, exchange insurance information, and be on our way. Okay? No worries."
"I'm sorry," she said again. "I'm usually just so careful--"
"Those babies can disorient you sometimes. Your first?"
Mel nodded.
The woman seemed more interested in talking babies than she was in the vehicles and Mel didn't know if this made her feel better or not. It seemed to take forever for the cops to reach them and when the old lady was adamant about not filing charges, the two of them exchanged insurance information, Mel adding her personal cell phone number to it. "If you need anything, anything at all, don't hesitate to call," Mel said. "I'm serious."
The woman smiled at her. "I'm sure that won't be necessary, but thank you very much. Good luck with that baby there."
When everything was said and done and Mel got in her Jeep and started it up, a new lump formed in her throat. Tay was going to kill her.
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Mel walked in the back door of 3CG. Had it been a better day, she would have gone in through the front, but she didn't want to act rude to the girls when they decided to have an impromptu reunion party and baby reveal. She was in no mood for it.
Finding Isaac and Zac in the studio, they smiled as she walked in the door. "Tay's not back yet, is he?"
"Wasn't aware he was coming in today," Zac said.
"I wasn't sure," Mel said. "Didn't know if he'd stop by after therapy or not."
Zac shrugged. "I have no idea." Then he looked at her face and frowned. "Hey, are you okay?"
Mel started to cry. She couldn't control it. "He's gonna kill me," she said through her tears.
Ike came to her side and put a comforting arm around her. "Uh, I doubt it...why is he going to kill you?"
"Because I wrecked the Jeep!"
"Wrecked the--well, are you okay?"
"Maybe 'wrecked' is a strong word," she said, wiping her eyes. "I had a fender bender with an old lady but her bumper needs replacing and mind needs to be repaired. I should never have tried to drive."
Ike and Zac looked at each other, confused. "Okay, so you had a little accident," Zac said. "But you're just pregnant, there's nothing in the rule books that says you're not supposed to drive."
"He won't see it that way."
"You got it all worked out, didn't you?" Ike asked.
"Yeah," she responded as she dried her tears. "Yeah, she was nice about it. I just felt so bad. I passed the dealership and I wasn't paying attention to the road..."
"It happens to all of us," Zac said. "I've been in fender benders, Ike's been in fender benders, and Tay's even totaled a couple of cars. If he has anything to say to you, you remind him of THAT. It's not like he has much room to talk when it comes to driving, you know."
Mel smiled, grateful to him for lightening the mood. Then she pulled out her phone and texted him to let him know to come to the studio after his appointment.
"Where were you going in the first place?" Ike asked.
"Here," she answered. "To talk to you guys about the label."
"Without Tay?"
"He's just gonna try to talk me out of it again."
"Talk you out of what? Why don't we discuss what you came to discuss while we wait on him?"
Sitting down with Ike and Zac in the studio, Mel came out with it bluntly. "I was thinking about giving back my portion of the label. Selling it back, signing it over, whatever I need to do."
Ike looked at her as if she had three heads. "Why?"
"Because there's no point in it. I'm useless. I haven't worked her in ages. It ran without me before, it can run without me again. It's not like you guys NEED me. And plus, now that I'm pregnant--and especially after I have the baby--I won't have any time to be here anymore. Why should I own part of something I'm not even involved in?"
"Because you're family," Zac said. "Because this is a family business and you're family."
"I mean, if you guys don't want to buy it back--"
"The money has nothing to do with it," Ike said. "And yeah, I get where you're coming from with what you're saying. And if your being less involved is the way it has to be, then so be it. But don't ever think you're useless around here. You've helped us a lot, whether you realize it or not." He looked over at Zac and then back at Mel. "We're not accepting it back."
Zac shook his head in agreement.
"Besides, when you and Tay get married--I mean, really, what's the point?"
Mel hadn't thought about it that way. Once they got married and everything came together--it'd be like she was back where she'd started anyway. What's hers was already his...
"Okay," she gave in. "Okay. But, Ike, I can't head the New York office. I'm sorry, but I just can't."
He smiled and nodded. "I know. Don't worry about it. We've got someone else we're talking to, so it's okay."
Moments later, Tay walked in the door, alarm all over his face. "Mel, what are you doing here? Is everything okay?"
Her heart started to pound again and she glanced at Ike and Zac for reassurance. Calmly, she told him, "I came to talk to Ike and Zac about the label. And I had a fender bender on the way here."
Tay's eyes widened in fear. "Are you okay? Did you hit your stomach at all? What happened?"
"I'm okay," she said to him. "The old lady I hit is okay, too. Everything's fine. But my bumper needs some repair."
Turning around from the doorway, Tay headed back outside and Mel followed. He crouched down to inspect her front bumper, running his hand across it. "It's not too bad, I guess. It needs a paint job." Then he stood back up and sighed. "You scared the shit out of me, Mel. I really wish you wouldn't--"
"Tay," she cut him off gently. "I love you. And I am the luckiest woman in the world to have you take such good care of me--all the time. But, sweetie, I'm just pregnant. I am not mentally or physically incapable of taking care of myself. Okay? Just calm down and take a chill pill."
Smiling, he rubbed the back of his neck. "Interesting choice of words there."
Mel looked back at him, concerned. "What do you mean?"
"Had my medication adjusted today. And apparently I've been misdiagnosed. I don't have rapid cycling bipolar. As a matter of fact, she doesn't think I'm bi-polar at all."
"Um...that's good?"
"I guess...I don't really know."
"So what are they saying now?"
"Depression."
"Depression?"
"Manic depression."
"Manic depression? Tay, what the hell's the difference? It's basically the same as bipolar."
"How do you know?"
"I told you. Google."
"I don't know," he said. "All is know is, Amanda was too happy to announce that my diagnosis had changed and she adjusted my medication. I guess it's a good thing? I don't know. But I still have to go to therapy."
"Okay."
"I'm kinda scared, Mel."
"Scared of what?"
"Of these pills. I'm afraid of what they'll do to my state of mind. What if I can't work? What if I can't write like I used to? What if I can't draw inspiration from anything?"
Mel smiled and touched his cheek. "Honey, I think they're supposed to help you, not bring you down. And if you have some side effects, that's what your doctor is for. We're a couple of worriers, Tay. We're gonna have to work on bringing that down a notch."
"I'm so glad you took me back," he smiled at her. "Amanda says I'm a completely different person than I was before I went to New York. She says having you back in my life appears to be very beneficial."
"Of course it's beneficial," she said to him flirtatiously. "I'm a sure thing."
Seeming to catch on, he smiled at her and stepped closer to her. "A sure thing, huh?"
"Well, I am today. Right this second, anyway..." Mel slid her arms around his neck and smiled up at him. "So why don't we go home, because Zac said they weren't expecting you today anyway, where we can be all alone in our quiet house, holed up in our quiet bedroom..."
"I like where this is going."
"And then I'll show you just how much of a sure thing I can be."
Tay bit his lip and smiled down at her. "I think you just got yourself a date."
---------------------------------------
Alternate Jason chapter: http://tyamwedding.weebly.com/the-life-plan-alternate.html
MEL
Sitting on the plane to Tulsa was bittersweet for Mel. On one hand, she was thrilled to finally be going home. On the other hand, she'd spent an entire summer in New York and had felt herself starting to adjust again. She glanced down at her stomach and smiled, her heart warming a bit. She was in her fourteenth week now and just two days ago, the doctor was pleased to tell her that everything looked absolutely normal and her weight was where it needed to be. As she recalled this and looked out the window into the sky, the thought of going home to Tulsa to raise the baby instantly made everything okay and she was excited all over again.
"Tay, I don't know about this whole family dinner thing," she whispered to Taylor quietly as he held her hand.
"I figured it was the easiest way to tell them. Quick, efficient--get it all done in one sweep, just bam! Drop the ball, wipe some tears away. That way we don't have to repeat it over and over and nobody has to hear it through the grapevine..."
"I think you're over thinking it."
He shrugged. "Maybe I am. I don't know."
"I'm nervous."
"About my family?"
She shook her head. "No. About going home. About--about walking into the house and--I don't know, it makes me nervous."
"I didn't trash the house, if that's what you're worried about."
"No," she said. "It's just--I keep thinking about what you said--what you went through and--and I keep picturing you alone, in the house..." Tears sprang to her eyes and she attempted to sniff them away, the sound coming out a little louder than she'd intended.
Tay reached an arm around her and pulled her close. "Oh god," he whispered. "That hadn't even crossed my mind. Look, you gotta--you gotta stop beating yourself up over that. It's not good for you. It's done, it's over with. It's in the past and we're in a good place now. Both of us. We just need to move on. Okay?"
She nodded into his shoulder. "I know," she said through light tears. "I know. I'm sorry, I just--I missed home."
"I know."
"I missed you."
"I missed you, too."
"And I should have been home. The whole time."
Tay sighed and suddenly blurted, "What do you want to name the baby?"
Pausing, Mel was confused by the subject change. Confused and a little startled, she creaked out, "What?"
"What do you want to name the baby?" he repeated.
Sitting up from him, she wiped her eyes with her fingers and looked at him. "Um, I don't know..."
"You don't have any ideas?"
"I don't think my brain's gotten there yet."
"They're gonna ask, you know. Every single one of them."
"But--we don't even know what it is yet--"
"They're gonna want to rub your belly, ask you about breast feeding, inquire about your childbirth options..."
"You're leading me straight into the lion's den..." she whispered in thought.
Tay chuckled. "It's not quite THAT extreme. But they do become quite an inquisitive bunch whenever someone comes up pregnant. Just want to prepare you." Then his tone grew serious. "But don't let them overwhelm you. If, at any point, you start to feel uncomfortable or overwhelmed, you let me know. Okay? I know it'll be awkward going from not telling anyone at all to straight up being accosted by a large group of people."
Mel couldn't help but giggle at his statement. Then she sobered up again. "I have no idea what to wear..."
He smiled at her once again. "Stop worrying, it'll be fine."
-----------------------
Stepping into the terminal, Mel's eyes lit up when she saw Zac waiting for them. Standing from his seat, he smiled as she ran to hug him. Her arms tight around his neck, she giggled. "I'm so glad to see you. So glad you're here!"
"It's good to see you, too," he said. He pulled away and looked at her. "I wish you would have called me."
"You could have called me, too."
"I did. You dodged all my calls."
"Oh yeah..." she remembered, glancing down in thought. "Sorry about that."
He smiled. "You're forgiven." Then he looked around her. "Where's Tay?"
"He's coming. I told him I could get my own carry on, but he insisted on doing it all himself..."
"You look great," Zac said. "You really do. Pregnancy looks good on you."
Mel felt herself blushing. "You think so?" Then her eyes widened. "Can you tell?"
He nodded. "Yeah. Mom's gonna shit."
"I'm scared to death."
"Don't be. Be scared for me. I haven't told Kate and she's gonna see right through me when I fake surprise."
"Yeah, well, you never were an actor..."
"Thanks for being a dream crusher."
"Who's crushing whose dreams?" Tay's voice came from behind.
Zac smiled and hugged his brother. "Glad you're home."
"Thanks, me, too."
Mel watched the brothers interact and then noticed the large red spot on Tay's forehead. "Honey, what happened?" she asked, reaching up to touch it.
His head dodged her hand. "It's nothing, don't worry about."
"Well it wasn't there when we landed."
"I got into a fight with the carryons, no big deal."
Zac snickered and Tay glared at him. "We have an obscene amount of luggage," Tay informed him.
"Why doesn't this surprise me?" Zac responded.
At the baggage claim, Mel stood between both men. She was extremely frustrated. Every time she reached out for a suitcase, her hand was swatted away by one or the other or one of them would say, "It's okay, I got it" or "What did I just tell you?" (The second one was Tay.)
Loading and unloading Zac's truck was hell, mostly because Mel was, once again, not allowed to help. But mostly, it was when her fiancée and his brother ran in and out of the house with luggage while Mel sat on the couch in the living room and cried. Being back in the house brought back so many emotions and memories and she was immediately overwhelmed the moment she set foot in the door. Tay and Zac were too busy to pay attention to her and she was okay with that. She needed the moment alone to let it out and take it all in.
She knew she was also hormonal. But she felt like she was being hit with so much all at one time. Her head spun. From seeing Zac, to seeing Tulsa as they drove home, to walking into the house. She'd been gone for three months but it had felt like three years.
After finally drying up her tears, she took a deep breath and stood up, slowly making her way up the stairs. Opening the door to hers and Tay's bedroom, she stopped short and her mouth hung open from the shock. Rushing across the bedroom to the balcony, she leaned over the railing and shouted, "Tay! TAY! WHERE THE FUCK IS OUR BEDROOM?"
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TAYLOR
The blood drained from Taylor's face when he heard her question. He was standing in the foyer with Zac. "Shit! The bedroom..."
He walked into the living room and looked up at the balcony to answer Mel and he opened his mouth to speak, only to close it back. Wait, that wasn't right. He only cleared out a guest room downstairs and he hadn't had time to mess with any of it before he decided to take off to New York. Maybe he cleared out two? But it should have been a shambles downstairs. It should have been--"What the hell are you talking about?"
"Are you serious? The bedroom. OUR bedroom. It's not our room anymore. None of our stuff is in there. Did you throw everything away as soon as I left?!"
Tay's eyes darted around the floor in thought. "Well, I mean, I stayed at Ike's for the majority of the time, but--"
Two at a time, Tay took the stairs up to the bedroom to look in the door behind Mel. As she stood there and accused him of thinking she was lying, he tried to wrap his head around what was going on and he tried to think back and remember his actions before he packed up his bag at Ike's and got on the plane. Nothing was coming to him, though. When had he moved the guest room furniture up here? Surely he would have remembered something like that. He couldn't have done it alone.
Finally, frustrated at Mel's continuous bitching, he blurted out, "Mel, just--give it a rest! Okay? I don't know...I don't know what's going on right now."
"How can you NOT know?"
"Because I don't!" Trying to calm himself, he apologized to her. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Just--this is fucked up."
Wordlessly, he descended the stairs with Mel close at his heels. Turning the corner at the foot, he started down the small hallway and found Zac at the guest room door. Stopping in his tracks, feeling Mel against his back, he looked back at a smiling Zac, who opened the guest room door.
Stepping in the door, Tay was speechless as he looked around. Without taking his eyes off of the room, he turned his body and pulled Mel in the door in front of him. She gasped. "What is all this?"
The couple looked around at the baby nursery before their eyes. The crib, the changing table, the chest of drawers...Mel instantly turned around and placed a hand lightly on Tay's chest, looking up at him. "Tay, when did you do this?"
Eyes wide, he looked around. "I--I didn't."
"Ike and I did," Zac spoke up.
Both Tay and Mel looked at him in surprise. "How?" Tay asked.
Zac shrugged. "It's only temporary, you can get rid of this stuff and buy your own if you want to. Apparently you got quite talkative with Ike on the way to the airport and all this came up."
"I didn't tell Ike then. Mel didn't even know I knew at that point."
"If it makes you feel any better, I honestly had no idea until you told me yourself."
Tay narrowed his eyes at Zac. "So Ike lied? I don't even remember telling him..."
"He didn't lie, he just chose not to argue."
Had the sentiment not been so touching, Tay would have been pissed. His thoughts were interrupted when Zac continued. "Anyway, it's no big deal, really. Between Ike and I, we had some extra baby stuff laying around that we weren't using anymore, so we just brought it here. Told Kate and Nikki we were donating it all. It was technically the truth."
"Oh, Zac," Mel said, wrapping her arms around his neck as she started to cry. "This was so sweet of you guys, thank you so much. I wish Ike were here so I could hug him, too." Then she pulled away, wiping her eyes. "I'm sorry. I don't cry as much as I used to, but hormones still catch me here and there."
"It's okay, I know how it all works, trust me," Zac chuckled.
Tay was touched. Completely touched that his brothers would do something like this for him. He was undoubtedly in their debt for everything that they'd done for him over the past few months. The truth was, if it hadn't been for his brothers, he wasn't sure he would have been standing there in that moment. The thought overwhelmed him and he looked around at the nursery again to keep his emotions at bay.
"We moved your bedroom, too," Zac said. "That was...we didn't look at anything as we brought it down, I promise. People are weird about their bedrooms. I know I am. But we were careful."
Following him a door down the hallway, Mel opened the door and she and Tay peeked into their room. "You can rearrange it of you want," Zac said. "Won't hurt my feelings."
"Wow," Mel said as she looked around. "It's gonna be an adjustment, sleeping in here. Hell, sleeping in general would just be nice."
"Zac, this was really too much," Tay said. "Really."
"Nah," Zac waved him off. "Do you know how you left this place? All the furniture dragged into the living room and shit. We knew you were bringing Mel home, you guys couldn't come home to your house that way."
"I really appreciate it," Tay said. "I really couldn't thank you enough. I owe you guys, big time. BIG time."
Zac shook his head. "No, you don't. Just make sure you whip up something amazing for dinner tomorrow night and we'll call it even."
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MEL
Mel made sure to wear a very loose-fitting sweater when they went to her parents' house later that day. Taylor had insisted on resting after the flight and that they would go over tomorrow, but Mel couldn't wait. She missed her parents and she didn't want to waste any time telling them her news.
However, she didn't want to hit them with it the very second she walked in the door, either, hence the sweater.
Mel burst into tears upon sight of her mother, as did Susan. The moment Mel walked in door, her mother rounded the corner with open arms, her father not far behind. "Melody! Oh, sweetheart, I can't believe you're here!"
"Mama!" she cried as she threw herself into her mother's arms.
The recognition was instantaneous. Susan immediately pulled away, a death grip on Mel's shoulders. "Melody," she hissed, glancing down between them. "Are you--?"
A grin spread across Mel's face and she nodded. "Fourteen weeks."
Susan was shocked for a moment before she got excited. "Oh my god, my baby!" She turned around and pulled Mel's father closer to them. "Paul! Paul, guess what? Our baby--is having a baby! Isn't that wonderful?"
Looking at her father expectantly, Paul stiffened for a moment. Then he smiled and pulled Mel in for a hug. "I'm happy for you, princess. Welcome home."
Leaving Mel's side, she could hear her mother approach Tay. "Come here, sweetheart," she said to him. Mel turned around to observe her mother hug him and kiss his cheek. "I am so proud of you," her mother said to him. "Don't you ever forget that. I love you and I am so glad you're back."
Mel grinned at Tay as he smiled back at her over her mother's shoulder. Turning back around to face her father, his face didn't look quite as elated as she'd hoped it would. Her heart sank. "Daddy. Are you okay?"
"Yeah. Of course. I'm great," he responded.
Feeling uneasy with the exchange, she asked him, "Are you mad?"
"No," he responded. "I'm not mad..."
"But you're not thrilled, either."
"I'm just--I mean, you run off to New York and then you come home pregnant? It just doesn't make sense."
Mel sighed, tucking her hair nervously behind her ear. "We--we conceived when we were still together. I was a month along when I found out. I had just gotten to New York, I didn't feel right, so I went to the doctor. And that's when I got the news. I wanted to make sure everything was gonna go as it should this time before I told anyone. Tay didn't even know till, what, three weeks ago?"
"Melody," her father scolded.
"I know. I know."
Looking at his face, she was pleased to see his expression soften. "So. I'm gonna be a grandpa, huh? The old hard ass."
Mel giggled. "Daddy, you're not a hard ass. And you'll be a perfect grandfather."
"It better be a boy," he said sternly. "And he better play ball. I'll coach him myself."
She grinned. "I wouldn't have it any other way."
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TAYLOR
"Taylor," Paul's voice bellowed through the commotion. Taylor broke a sweat at the sound of his name. Somehow, he hadn't taken into consideration walking into Mel's parents' house for the first time after everything that had happened. He'd been so focused on her giving them the news that he hadn't once thought about how he would be perceived by them.
"Uh, yes, sir," he responded. He knew how Paul felt about calling him sir, but at that point he didn't care. He was desperate to do anything to make sure he stayed in his good graces--and repair any damage he had done.
Paul walked up to him and put a hand on his shoulder. "Good to see you. You want a beer?"
"Uh, sure, thank you. That would be great."
Paul, who stood just a couple inches shorter than Tay, glanced up and smiled. "Good. I'm sure you need one."
Paul's hand moved from Tay's shoulder to the back of his neck, firmly gripping him as he led him into the kitchen. As Mel's father retrieved two beers from the refrigerator, Tay instantly knew what was going on. He braced himself.
"Come on, son, let's drink these outside and enjoy the weather while we still have a few nice days left this year."
Tay and Paul sat at a small table on the back porch of the house. Both men looked out into the yard. "Do you know what today is?"
Tay nodded, taking a swig from the beer bottle. "Yep."
"You were supposed to marry my daughter exactly one month from today," Paul responded.
"I'm still gonna marry her. Just won't be that day."
"But you're gonna marry her. Do right by her?"
"Absolutely. It has nothing to do with 'doing right.' I love her, that's why I'm marrying her."
"I get it," Paul said. "But you gotta admit, it looks a little hinky calling off a wedding then getting engaged again after finding out there's a baby involved. You know?"
Tay swallowed a lump in his throat in an attempt to keep it together. Paul scared the shit out of him. He always had. He was rough around the edges and straight to the point. The man had a heart of gold, but it didn't make him any less intimidating.
"I know what it looks like," Tay responded.
"You hurt my little girl," Paul stated bluntly.
Tay cursed himself, having wished he had better prepared himself for this. He had to know this conversation was coming. How he hadn't anticipated it was beyond him. "I know," Tay responded quietly.
"You hurt her and I haven't seen or heard from her in three months because she ran away from you. I have a problem with that."
Tay glanced down at the wooden deck they sat on, unable to respond. He had no idea what to say. Paul continued, "I only know bits and pieces of what went on with you during all that mess, but I got the jist of it. Doesn't take a rocket scientist. Part of me wants to applaud you for handling it the way you did. I wouldn't want Melody in the middle of it either and, for that, I'm glad she ran away to New York."
Relieved, Tay took a swig of his beer until Paul finished with, "The other part of me wants to kill you."
Taking a deep breath, Tay responded. "I understand where you're coming from. I fully understand. The truth is, I hit rock bottom then. I hit rock bottom and I didn't want her to see it, I didn't want her to know it, I didn't want her to have to deal with it. That's why I did what I did. I hate myself every day for hurting her because she didn't understand. But I had to do what I had to do to get healthy. I had to get well for myself, for her--and now there's a baby. I understand that you're upset and I understand that maybe I should have done things a little differently--maybe could have softened the blow and saved a little grief. But I'm getting the help I need and we're in a good place now. And I'm gonna be a good husband and I'm gonna be a good father or I'll die trying."
"Don't make promises you can't keep," Paul said dryly.
"What?"
"We all want to be good husbands and fathers. We never know how hard it is until we're neck deep in it. I'm full of regrets. There are days when I could have done better, could have done things differently and wish I had. I've forgotten anniversaries, missed school plays--we all want to learn from each other's mistakes but we never do. There are just some things in life that are unavoidable and you just have to pray that the people that you've let down learn to forgive you. We're only human, Taylor. You can't promise to be a good husband and a good father. But you can promise to make the effort. And as long as you make the effort, you'll be a superhero in the eyes of your wife and your kid. And that's really all a man wants."
Taylor was silent, letting Paul's words sink in. He wasn't sure how much of it he actually agreed with, but he made a lot of good points. And maybe one day it would all ring to be true, he didn't know. But he understood him and at the moment, that was all that mattered. As long as the two of them had an understanding and a respect for one another, Tay was golden.
"Anyway, I'm just glad she's happy," Paul said as he turned up his bottle. "And I am proud of you, son, despite being hard on you. Takes a real man to make some of the decisions you had to make. Takes a bigger man to stick with them. I'm more than happy to welcome you into our little family whenever you two decide to get married. I mean, not that you're not already, you know."
Smiling, Tay nodded. "Yeah. I know."
"You pull a stunt like this again and I'll kill you. You may be family, but I know where to hide bodies around here."
Laughing, Tay nodded again. "I got it. You won't have to go through the trouble, I promise."
"Good," Paul responded, side-glancing at him. "This old back doesn't have very many years left."
At that moment, the sliding glass door opened and Mel stepped out, smiling at the two of them. "What are you guys doing out here?"
Tay had to take a moment as he glanced up at her. Something about the way her dark hair fell against her cream sweater and the way the afternoon sun glinted off of her hair as the light breeze gently blew through it--it took his breath away. And he wished he'd had his camera.
"Nothing much, just having a little guy time while you ladies catch up," Paul answered her. "What's up?"
"I was just talking Mom into coming over for dinner tomorrow night when I realized you'd disappeared..." She glanced at Tay. "I mean, is that--?"
"Yeah," he responded immediately. "Yeah. God, yeah. Please. Come. We'd love to have you over," he said to Paul.
Paul nodded at the two of them. "Yeah, okay. Sounds good." Then he looked at Mel. "Sweetie, I gotta tell ya, as much as it makes your daddy want to cry, you look downright adorable with that little belly there."
Mel blushed as she smoothed her sweater over her stomach. "It's not really THAT big..."
"But I can tell. It's there."
Tay smiled at the two of them, so incredibly relieved that Paul's conversation with him ended on a good note. His heart felt light, his mind was clear, and life was good.
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ISAAC
Isaac parked the SUV in Taylor's driveway and turned off the engine. He sighed as he looked over at his wife in the quiet vehicle. "Look, I gotta tell you something."
Turning back from the door handle, Nikki looked at him in alarm. "Is everything okay?"
"Yeah, yeah. It's great. I just--I wanted to tell you before you killed me in front of god and everybody."
Her eyes narrowed at him. "Tell me what?"
"I mean, it's not really my business to tell, but I felt guilty for knowing and that's why we're all here tonight and--"
"I assumed it had to do with this quickie wedding."
"Mel's pregnant."
Her eyes widened and the blood drained from her face. "Are you serious? Is she okay?"
"Yeah. She's fine, everything's fine. Don't hate me."
"I'm too excited to hate you right now. Maybe later, though. Don't let me forget."
Ike chuckled as he and his wife and their two kids let themselves out of their doors. Ike watched as the boys ran across the yard to Mel, who was waiting to greet them on the front porch. Barreling straight into her, Ike winced as Mel took them both in her arms and kissed their cheeks. "Oh, I missed you guys so much!" she said to them.
As Mel stood, the youngest patted her stomach and remarked, "Aunt Mel, you got fat."
Mel's eyes widened as the blood drained from Ike's face. Coming up behind him, he reached around and clamped his hand over his son's mouth, pulling him back against him. "Son, we don't say things like that to people, it's rude!"
Smiling at Mel, Nikki squatted to her sons' levels and pulled them both close to her. "Aunt Mel isn't fat. She has a baby in her tummy. Just like your aunt Kate did last year. Remember?"
The boys looked back at Mel's stomach and back at their mother in awe as Nikki stood and smiled at Mel. "Um, Ike just told me in the car..."
Smiling, Mel held out her arms to her. "Well don't just stand there, hug me!"
As Ike witnessed the hug fest, tears started to flow from both women. Shaking his head, he led his sons into the house.
A short while later, Ike's parents walked in the door and his boys instantly made a beeline for their grandmother before she could even step out of the foyer--before she could even be greeted by Tay or Mel. "Grandma, guess what?" Everett asked animatedly.
Ike's heart pounded. "Everett!" he called in a futile attempt to get his attention.
But it was too late. "Aunt Mel's got a baby in her tummy!"
The entire house fell silent.
Diana's eyes widened as she looked around. "What?"
And then she hurriedly made her way across the living room and to the kitchen were Tay coincidentally met her in the doorway. "Hey, Mom, I didn't hear you come in."
"Is it true?"
Tay eyed his mother warily as he looked around the room behind her. "Um...yes...?"
You could practically feel the excitement building in her. "Are you having a baby?"
A slow and confused smile spread across his face. "WE are having a baby...yes..."
"OH MY GOD!" She blurted out. She grabbed Tay and squeezed him around his neck as she hugged him. "Oh, honey, I'm so happy! Where is she? I want to see her."
Ike could hear the commotion in the kitchen as his mother apparently found the new mother-to-be and he smiled at the sound as his younger brother disappeared into the kitchen behind her. As their father followed suit and disappeared through the doorway himself, Ike turned around and glared down at his sons. The expressions on their faces said it all--they knew they'd messed up. Ike and Nikki spent the next five minutes explaining to them the importance of minding their own business until Zac arrived with Kate and his kids with Zoe in tow. Hearing the commotion in the kitchen, the adults and Zoe disappeared through the doorway. The news was out now and nobody had been in the house twenty minutes. It was going to be a long evening.
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MEL
They had decided to serve dinner outside on the patio. The air felt nice and it was easier to accommodate everyone. Mel had to admit, having the cat let out of the bag early, regardless of how it happened, made enjoying dinner much easier.
At one point, Mel stood to refill her drink and asked if anyone else needed anything while she was up. Beside her, Taylor jumped up and took her glass out of her hand and assumed the duties she had tried to carry out. Sitting back down in defeat, and nearly embarrassed, she looked her mother next to her and at Diana across from her mother and whispered, "He won't let me lift a finger!"
Her mother smiled. "It's sweet of him."
"I'm not even that pregnant yet. I feel lazy. He let me walk around downtown New York alone, but as soon as we got home, it's been, like, I'm not allowed to do anything."
"It'll be okay," Diana said. "It's just new to him, that's all. Enjoy it while you can."
When Tay returned to the table, she smiled at him and thanked him as the talk, naturally, turned to baby talk. As predicted, she had questions thrown at her left and right that she wasn't prepared to answer and she hadn't said "I don't know" so frequently in one sitting in her entire life. Was pregnancy supposed to be this complicated and involved? She couldn't just have a baby and feed it and clothe it and call it good? When the mothers at the table began sharing stories of their own pregnancies, Mel was relieved that the attention was temporarily taken off of her. She tried to listen to as much as she could in case she could use any of the information being thrown out there. But mostly her mind wandered. To baby clothes. And dance lessons. And her father teaching him how to barrel into football dummies.
Next to her, she felt Tay's shoulder lightly bump hers. "You okay?" he asked quietly.
She smiled at him. "Yeah. I'm okay."
"You're quiet."
"I'm just a little tired. That's all."
"You want me to send everyone home?"
"No, don't be silly. I'm happy to have everyone here, I don't want them to leave."
He nodded. "Okay. But I mean it, you just say the word--"
"I'm fine," she reiterated firmly. "Besides, there's cake later and I'm not about to miss it."
Tay laughed and shook his head, going back to his plate. She didn't lie. As she looked around the table once again, her mind immediately went to cake. Cake and bed. Cake in bed? She would have to make that happen.
-----------------
Several days later, Mel took advantage of Taylor's therapy session as she prepared to go to 3CG. She was excited to get behind the wheel of her Jeep again. She hadn't driven since before the tour and when they came home, Tay drove them everywhere. She missed her Jeep. She missed driving and she missed independence.
On the way to the studio, Mel passed by a car dealership. She'd had the Jeep for several years now and while she loved it and she enjoyed driving it, she entertained the idea of possibly trading it in for a newer model. As she looked at the Jeeps on display at the front of the lot as she passed, she hadn't prepared herself for the light she was coming up on. Looking in front of her at everyone stopping, she slammed on her brakes, but not soon enough. Brakes thoroughly applied, the Jeep slid across the pavement and into the back of the white car in front of her, thankfully at a much slower speed than she'd been at when she braked. She barely hit the car, but it was enough to jolt her and possibly the driver of the car in front of her. She panicked immediately.
Throwing on her hazard lights and getting out of the Jeep, Mel ran to the front of the vehicle as the driver got out of the car. She looked over at the elderly woman and her heart broke. An old lady. She had to hit an old lady. And this had started out as such a good day.
And then Mel began to panic further as tears sprang to her eyes. What if she was a mean, crotchety, vindictive old lady? What if she faked injury and sued? What if she really WAS injured and she just didn't know it yet? How much did people sue for these things nowadays? Would this little old lady clean her out before she even had the baby? So many things went through her mind at that moment, she felt herself begin to hyperventilate and she fought to take deep breaths to calm herself.
As the woman approached her, Mel began apologizing. "I am so sorry, I am so sorry, I swear I didn't mean for this to happen. I am so sorry."
The lady looked on at the damage, which was a barely a dent and a scratch, but was more than enough for Mel, and then looked back at her. "Well it doesn't look that bad."
"Ma'am, I will buy you a brand new car, I promise. I swear to you. We can go to the dealership over there right now--"
The woman smiled. "Now, honey, let's not go to extremes here, you're acting a little erratic. Are you okay?"
Mel panicked again. She's going to think she was drunk! Or under the influence! She was ruined. Completely ruined. This is how her life was going to end. With an old lady and a fender-bender.
The woman glanced down at Mel's stomach then back into her eyes. "I understand how it is," she said suddenly. "I had four kids of my own and I've been in your position in my fair share of fender benders or two. It's really not as big a deal as you're making it out to be. I'm okay, you're okay, and our vehicles are a little scratched up. We'll just file the report, exchange insurance information, and be on our way. Okay? No worries."
"I'm sorry," she said again. "I'm usually just so careful--"
"Those babies can disorient you sometimes. Your first?"
Mel nodded.
The woman seemed more interested in talking babies than she was in the vehicles and Mel didn't know if this made her feel better or not. It seemed to take forever for the cops to reach them and when the old lady was adamant about not filing charges, the two of them exchanged insurance information, Mel adding her personal cell phone number to it. "If you need anything, anything at all, don't hesitate to call," Mel said. "I'm serious."
The woman smiled at her. "I'm sure that won't be necessary, but thank you very much. Good luck with that baby there."
When everything was said and done and Mel got in her Jeep and started it up, a new lump formed in her throat. Tay was going to kill her.
----------------
Mel walked in the back door of 3CG. Had it been a better day, she would have gone in through the front, but she didn't want to act rude to the girls when they decided to have an impromptu reunion party and baby reveal. She was in no mood for it.
Finding Isaac and Zac in the studio, they smiled as she walked in the door. "Tay's not back yet, is he?"
"Wasn't aware he was coming in today," Zac said.
"I wasn't sure," Mel said. "Didn't know if he'd stop by after therapy or not."
Zac shrugged. "I have no idea." Then he looked at her face and frowned. "Hey, are you okay?"
Mel started to cry. She couldn't control it. "He's gonna kill me," she said through her tears.
Ike came to her side and put a comforting arm around her. "Uh, I doubt it...why is he going to kill you?"
"Because I wrecked the Jeep!"
"Wrecked the--well, are you okay?"
"Maybe 'wrecked' is a strong word," she said, wiping her eyes. "I had a fender bender with an old lady but her bumper needs replacing and mind needs to be repaired. I should never have tried to drive."
Ike and Zac looked at each other, confused. "Okay, so you had a little accident," Zac said. "But you're just pregnant, there's nothing in the rule books that says you're not supposed to drive."
"He won't see it that way."
"You got it all worked out, didn't you?" Ike asked.
"Yeah," she responded as she dried her tears. "Yeah, she was nice about it. I just felt so bad. I passed the dealership and I wasn't paying attention to the road..."
"It happens to all of us," Zac said. "I've been in fender benders, Ike's been in fender benders, and Tay's even totaled a couple of cars. If he has anything to say to you, you remind him of THAT. It's not like he has much room to talk when it comes to driving, you know."
Mel smiled, grateful to him for lightening the mood. Then she pulled out her phone and texted him to let him know to come to the studio after his appointment.
"Where were you going in the first place?" Ike asked.
"Here," she answered. "To talk to you guys about the label."
"Without Tay?"
"He's just gonna try to talk me out of it again."
"Talk you out of what? Why don't we discuss what you came to discuss while we wait on him?"
Sitting down with Ike and Zac in the studio, Mel came out with it bluntly. "I was thinking about giving back my portion of the label. Selling it back, signing it over, whatever I need to do."
Ike looked at her as if she had three heads. "Why?"
"Because there's no point in it. I'm useless. I haven't worked her in ages. It ran without me before, it can run without me again. It's not like you guys NEED me. And plus, now that I'm pregnant--and especially after I have the baby--I won't have any time to be here anymore. Why should I own part of something I'm not even involved in?"
"Because you're family," Zac said. "Because this is a family business and you're family."
"I mean, if you guys don't want to buy it back--"
"The money has nothing to do with it," Ike said. "And yeah, I get where you're coming from with what you're saying. And if your being less involved is the way it has to be, then so be it. But don't ever think you're useless around here. You've helped us a lot, whether you realize it or not." He looked over at Zac and then back at Mel. "We're not accepting it back."
Zac shook his head in agreement.
"Besides, when you and Tay get married--I mean, really, what's the point?"
Mel hadn't thought about it that way. Once they got married and everything came together--it'd be like she was back where she'd started anyway. What's hers was already his...
"Okay," she gave in. "Okay. But, Ike, I can't head the New York office. I'm sorry, but I just can't."
He smiled and nodded. "I know. Don't worry about it. We've got someone else we're talking to, so it's okay."
Moments later, Tay walked in the door, alarm all over his face. "Mel, what are you doing here? Is everything okay?"
Her heart started to pound again and she glanced at Ike and Zac for reassurance. Calmly, she told him, "I came to talk to Ike and Zac about the label. And I had a fender bender on the way here."
Tay's eyes widened in fear. "Are you okay? Did you hit your stomach at all? What happened?"
"I'm okay," she said to him. "The old lady I hit is okay, too. Everything's fine. But my bumper needs some repair."
Turning around from the doorway, Tay headed back outside and Mel followed. He crouched down to inspect her front bumper, running his hand across it. "It's not too bad, I guess. It needs a paint job." Then he stood back up and sighed. "You scared the shit out of me, Mel. I really wish you wouldn't--"
"Tay," she cut him off gently. "I love you. And I am the luckiest woman in the world to have you take such good care of me--all the time. But, sweetie, I'm just pregnant. I am not mentally or physically incapable of taking care of myself. Okay? Just calm down and take a chill pill."
Smiling, he rubbed the back of his neck. "Interesting choice of words there."
Mel looked back at him, concerned. "What do you mean?"
"Had my medication adjusted today. And apparently I've been misdiagnosed. I don't have rapid cycling bipolar. As a matter of fact, she doesn't think I'm bi-polar at all."
"Um...that's good?"
"I guess...I don't really know."
"So what are they saying now?"
"Depression."
"Depression?"
"Manic depression."
"Manic depression? Tay, what the hell's the difference? It's basically the same as bipolar."
"How do you know?"
"I told you. Google."
"I don't know," he said. "All is know is, Amanda was too happy to announce that my diagnosis had changed and she adjusted my medication. I guess it's a good thing? I don't know. But I still have to go to therapy."
"Okay."
"I'm kinda scared, Mel."
"Scared of what?"
"Of these pills. I'm afraid of what they'll do to my state of mind. What if I can't work? What if I can't write like I used to? What if I can't draw inspiration from anything?"
Mel smiled and touched his cheek. "Honey, I think they're supposed to help you, not bring you down. And if you have some side effects, that's what your doctor is for. We're a couple of worriers, Tay. We're gonna have to work on bringing that down a notch."
"I'm so glad you took me back," he smiled at her. "Amanda says I'm a completely different person than I was before I went to New York. She says having you back in my life appears to be very beneficial."
"Of course it's beneficial," she said to him flirtatiously. "I'm a sure thing."
Seeming to catch on, he smiled at her and stepped closer to her. "A sure thing, huh?"
"Well, I am today. Right this second, anyway..." Mel slid her arms around his neck and smiled up at him. "So why don't we go home, because Zac said they weren't expecting you today anyway, where we can be all alone in our quiet house, holed up in our quiet bedroom..."
"I like where this is going."
"And then I'll show you just how much of a sure thing I can be."
Tay bit his lip and smiled down at her. "I think you just got yourself a date."
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Alternate Jason chapter: http://tyamwedding.weebly.com/the-life-plan-alternate.html