TREADING ON FROZEN YOGURT
TAYLOR
If Taylor could keep Mel pregnant for the rest of her life, he would. Life had been great over the past week. Fantastic, even. He was getting laid every single day, sometimes twice, dinner was ready every single night when he came home, without fail, she was always smiling, easy to cooperate with, and goddamn cute as a button.
So how in the hell he allowed Thursday night to happen was beyond him.
"So some friends of ours are playing at Cain's tonight and they're throwing a party afterward. What do you think?" He asked her when he came home from the studio.
She smiled at him from the stove as she stirred dinner. "Okay. Have fun. But we're having dinner before you go."
He looked at her, slightly confused. "Um, I meant what do you think if 'we' go? You and I."
Mel stopped stirring for a moment and sighed at him. "Honey, I'm not gonna be any fun tonight. I can't drink and I'll probably poop out after the first hour. Besides, who in the hell wants to hang out with the pregnant lady, anyway?"
Tay was momentarily taken aback by her words. None of this had ever crossed his mind. "I do," he said quietly.
She smiled at him and placed a hand on his cheek in appreciation. "That's sweet of you. It really is. But I'll only be in the way. Plus I'm kind of exhausted so..."
"Um, well--okay, then. We can stay in, it's no problem."
As she went back to the food on the stove, she scowled at him. "No. You go. They're your friends, you don't get to see them very often. There's no reason for you to spend the night here, twiddling your thumbs, it's ridiculous."
"But--but I'd be with you, I wouldn't twid--"
"Go have fun. I'll live vicariously through you when you get home."
And that was how Tay ended up in a club he didn't frequent in a part of downtown Tulsa he didn't frequent, as well. On second thought, maybe it was for the best that Mel didn't come along after all.
On the other hand, he wished she had. He found himself slightly bored as he looked across the room at Isaac, who seemed to be having a great time throwing back shots and laughing with a small group of people. Tay chatted here and there with people he knew, catching up, talking about music and other random projects.
And then SHE walked in the room.
This was the last thing Tay needed right now. He hadn't seen Terra in years. Six or seven, at least. The last time he saw Terra, he nearly--well, he and Natalie were in a bad place and he didn't even want to think about what had almost happened. But she hadn't changed a bit. Tall, long, strawberry blonde hair, legs for days--blue eyes that sparkled from across the room. She was as beautiful now as she was then.
When she spotted him from across the room, she flashed a huge grin at him and his heart skipped a beat for a moment. He was nervous as hell. Then he thought for a second, took a deep breath, and smiled back. The difference between then and now was, now he was happy. He was in a good place. He was engaged to a beautiful woman, he was about to become a father--and she was coming his way.
"Taylor Hanson," she greeted him, her red lips widened in a permanent smile. "So you DO still exist."
"In the flesh," he smiled nervously.
"Well don't be a stranger, hug me!"
Oh holy damn.
He hugged her, briefly, or barely at all, even, and then politely attempted to engage in small talk. Not much had changed with her. She was still playing sketchy clubs, touring with her cousin's band, still smoking marijuana out the backs of vans on the side of the road. She wasn't the kind of people he would normally associate with on a regular basis but he had, at one time, connected with her on a level that was seemingly in an entirely different universe.
It also could have been the mixture of a bad bag of weed and a temporary moment of insanity.
But that was years ago and things were different now and there was no reason they couldn't have a good, old fashioned, normal conversation, just as friends. Right?
And then her long, slender legs led him to a small table. "Wow. I haven't heard from you in years," she said to him as they sat down.
"I could say the same about you."
"You never gave me your number."
"Impossible."
"True story."
"Well, then," Tay said, conversation coming a little easier now. "Then I guess that was my fault."
"I still have a phone," she offered.
Caught off guard, Tay stumbled over his words a little bit. "Um, uh, so what have you been up to?"
She flipped her long hair off of her shoulder and he caught the scent of her shampoo. She sipped her Jack and Coke from a stirrer straw and then stirred her drink as she smiled at him. "Same old, same old. Nothing to really write home about. I'm more interested in what you've been up to. I hear you're no longer married."
"Uh, yeah. Yeah, that's true."
"So that...finally...makes you a free man," she said, her eyes flirting with his.
"Um--" Fucking seriously, Taylor? Seriously? Are you hesitating? Fuck, no, he's not a free man. He's engaged to be married. His fiancée is pregnant with his first child. A fiancée who opted not to come out tonight--because she's pregnant. A fiancée who is pregnant and can't drink and who thinks that hard partying right now is an entire carton of frozen yogurt with chocolate sprinkles and who made sure she had dinner ready for him in enough time so that she could insist he come to this party just to see some old friends. Without her. Tell her. TELL HER ABOUT MEL, GODDAMMIT!!
"So you ARE a free man," she judged by his lack of response. Shit. Why weren't the words coming out?
He looked over at her as she stared back at him, expectantly. Her blue eyes were so clear under her thick lashes and the dress she wore hugged all her curves. Her ankle boots were the only things covering her skin between her ankles and her short skirt and her legs were smooth as silk. As his heartbeat quickened, she leaned over the table toward him. "You wanna go somewhere and talk? Somewhere...maybe a little more quiet?"
As if that were a trigger phrase, he stood up. She stood up with him, apparently assuming that this was him accepting her invitation. Instead, he just spat it right out. "Uh, I'm engaged. To my childhood sweetheart. And she's beautiful and I love her and she's pregnant with our first child. And she's at home waiting for me right now and I gotta go."
Terra cocked her head to the side in apparent confusion. "Okay, so she's pregnant. So what? Does that mean YOU can't stay out and have a good time or did she give you a curfew?"
"It's not like that--"
"Because she's not here NOW." She stepped close to him, her lips so close he could feel her breath on her face. "But I am."
Taking a deep breath, and a step back, he shook his head. "I'm not going home because I have to, I'm going home because I want to."
She narrowed her eyes. "Because you feel like you need to or..."
"Because I want to. And that's it. Look, it was good seeing you. Good luck in your future endeavors, okay?"
And with that, he walked briskly out of the club and right into a gust of cold night air, an unusually cold temperature for this time of year, cold that he appreciated it as it seemed to sober him up. From there, he drove home as fast as he could.
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Taylor walked into the house at nearly midnight to find the house mostly dark with the exception of the kitchen light. The television in the living room was on but it was muted. Ignoring it, he found Mel standing in the kitchen in her bare feet by the island in a pair of tiny white shorts and his favorite navy blue Henley shirt with the sleeves shoved up as far as they would go, swallowing her whole despite her pregnant belly. She hugged two quarts of vanilla frozen yogurt and ate it out of the container with a spoon. On the island, sat a pan, half-filled with chicken wings. They apparently hadn't been out long since he could still smell them.
She was adorable as hell, lost in her own little junk food world and didn't even notice him come in. He had never loved anything more in his entire life than he loved her in that very moment. As he entered through the kitchen doorway, she grinned up at him. "Hi, honey. You're a little early, aren't you?" And then she glanced down at her small mess and she blushed. "Oh, um, sorry about all that. Just a little midnight snack, nothing major--"
He didn't care. Yogurt carton and all, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her. She tasted like vanilla--and a little bit of barbecue--but he didn't care. It was the best thing he'd tasted all night. "Tell me you love me," he said to her quietly.
Struggling to remove the yogurt carton from between him and her small belly, she rested it on the island and looked up at him, concerned. "Well--of course I love you."
"I need to hear it. I need to know how much you love me. I need to know what it is about me that makes you keep coming back."
"Well I'm not going anywhere anytime soon if that's is where this is going."
"No," he shook his head. "I just need to hear it."
She searched his eyes, resting her hands on his face for a moment before she slid them around his neck, playing with the hair at the nape of his neck. "When I look at you, nobody else is in the room. When you take my hand, I can't feel anything else. When you say my name, there's no other sound that could distract me. When I look at you, I see every wish, hope, and dream I ever had in the flesh. You are everything I ever wanted and needed. I keep coming back, as you put it, because there is no other man out there for me. You're it. And that makes me happy."
He kissed her forehead and rested his against hers. "When's the last time I told you that you're the most beautiful woman in the world?"
She blushed and her eyes darted around. Her lack of response said it all. That made him a failure. A complete goddamn failure. "I've failed you," he said quietly. "I should tell you all those things all the time, everything you need to hear--"
"Tay--"
"--because that's what a man does. He lets his woman know how he feels about her. He lets her know how beautiful she is and how much he appreciates her and how his favorite part of the day is coming home and looking into her eyes. I won't let you down, Mel, I promise."
"Tay," she repeated, searching his eyes. "Is there--did something happen tonight?"
He shook his head. "No. Absolutely nothing eventful whatsoever. I missed you and I wanted to come home."
Suddenly, she started to cry and she feverishly wiped the tears from her eyes. He pulled away and looked at her in concern. "Are--are you okay?"
She wiped her eyes again and looked over at the island, her sobs starting fresh. "My yogurt is melting!"
Apparently this was the end of the world. Frozen yogurt was her absolute favorite food in the world right now and he stood there yapping his trap and allowed it to melt. Taking the carton from the island and covering it up with the lid, noticing how still very frozen it was, he slid it into the freezer and her face read total and complete betrayal. "Shit, babe, I'm sorry, I didn't think about it."
"But--but you didn't have to put it away--"
"Let me go change clothes and I'll be right back, okay? You get yourself a plate to put your chicken on and we'll go camp out in front of the TV. Okay? That'll give your yogurt a little time to freeze."
She nodded, her tears beginning to dry up. "Okay. I'm sorry you're missing your party for this."
"This is the only party I want to be at."
"Are you sure?" She sniffled.
He smiled warmly. "I couldn't wait to come home."
Finally, she grinned, causing his heart to melt. "One of our favorite black and white movies is on tonight. I was gonna watch it myself, but now I don't have to watch it alone."
He grinned back at her. "Give me five minutes."
As promised, five minutes later, they camped out in front of the television in the dark living room, Tay eating vanilla frozen yogurt from a bowl as his fiancée dipped her chicken wings into the carton that sat in its own pocket in the middle of her crossed legs. The idea made his stomach churn as he tried hard not to pay attention to her, but he couldn't help it. As gross as the combination seemed to be, she ate it like it was going out of style and she sat next to him in complete junk food bliss. If chicken wings and frozen yogurt was what made her happy, then that made him happy, too.
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"I don't know what to do," Taylor said to Kari over the phone as he drove through Tulsa. "She grows by the week. And I'm dying to tell her about the wedding, but it's not like she can get a dress right now. I mean, I guess she could..."
"It's not that far away now. I'll be honest, this is the craziest thing I've ever planned, but it's also one of the most romantic, too. This is actually really starting to come together, I'm pleasantly surprised. Don't ruin it by telling her too early."
"How are we looking so far?"
"I have the cake booked and I'm pretty sure I have the caterers we want to go with--just need you to finalize the menu. The decorations took no time, I have a florist booked. Honestly, though, Taylor, this is starting to get a little difficult without a final headcount. I need an RSVP list just as fast as you need a wedding. I had a feeling that would be the most difficult part."
"Yeah," Tay sighed and agreed. "Nikki and I are working on it as hard as we can. I have my mother working on the guest list. For whatever its worth, it'll be a small wedding."
"Still need numbers."
"Got it. Okay."
"I've also found a few good string sections you might like. I emailed their samples to you in a file. I thought mailing them to you like you suggested might take too long."
"Good, good. I'll give them a listen as soon--"
"It needs to be ASAP. Like, no later than tomorrow. These groups stay booked solid, I only had a small window of opportunity for them. I need a decision yesterday. How are you doing on dresses and tuxes?"
"Done and done. I snuck out on Mel a couple of days ago to go to the tux fittings and Nikki handled the bridesmaids. We slimmed the wedding party down a little bit since now practically half our guests are in it. So now we have Nikki, Kate, and Zoe on Mel's side and Ike, Zac, and Mackenzie on mine. Her father will give her away, we'll say our vows, kiss the bride, and voila, married. It'll be simple as that. No muss, no fuss, no elaborate fancy stuff. Just a gorgeous venue, a gorgeous bride, and hopefully a gorgeous cake."
"Honeymoon?"
"Shit," he muttered.
"No honeymoon yet?"
"Planning a wedding is harder than I thought, no wonder people do it for years in advance."
"Well you got me doing yours, so you're getting the best at lightning speed."
Tay sighed. "Before--briefly--we had talked about doing castle tours in Europe--"
"Oh, how fun!"
"--except now, by the time we get married, she's gonna be too pregnant for any of that, so--I'm kind of at a loss. Where do pregnant women want to honeymoon at?"
"What is she into right now?"
"Frozen yogurt."
Kari laughed. "I got you. Okay. Um, I'm not sure. But I'll definitely do some brainstorming and get back to you. You gotta have a honeymoon, especially before that baby is born."
"Yeah. I know. Look, I'll have a headcount for you ASAP and I'll make a decision on the strings, probably tonight."
"Sorry to put the pressure on you, but, you know--time's ticking."
"It's okay, I got it."
Hanging up with Kari, Tay let out a breath and immediately dialed his mother. "How are we doing with the guest list?" He asked as soon as she picked up.
"Well, hello, son, I'm doing quite well these days, how are you?"
Tay sighed. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I just got off the phone with Kari and she's needing things, like, RIGHT NOW and I feel like I've been slacking off. Mom, I'm freaking out."
"What's the matter, honey?"
"Everything," he responded, exasperated. "Everything. Between Mel and her ever-changing personality, with work and trying to make up for a cancelled tour, with therapy and adjusting to the new medication, the wedding, the honeymoon, just--just everything. I'm losing my mind."
"It's okay, sweetheart. Just take a deep breath, take a quick break to regroup. You have people in your court to help you, I promise. All you have to do is say the word. And I should have the rest of the RSVP's tomorrow. We can take that number and add maybe ten to it to allow for stragglers or something. Okay?"
"How did Dad do it? Seven pregnancies, how did he do it? I mean, no offense..."
His mother laughed. "This is your first one. The first one will always be the most difficult because it's new to you. But keep in mind, it's new to her, too. And you may be feeling the after effects, but she's the one who actually has to go through the roller coaster ride of hormones and emotions. I'm not saying you should take everything she dishes out laying down, but I do suggest you handle any situation with a little extra care than you might if she wasn't pregnant. And it's not forever. I promise."
Pausing for a moment, he asked her, "Mom? Am I doing the right thing? With this wedding? I mean I know the whole thing is crazy and unconventional and maybe a little illogical--but is it right?"
"It's not really anybody else's place to judge whether it's wrong or right. Your heart is definitely in the right place. I think the gesture is sweet, it's romantic, and I'm proud of you."
"Is she gonna hate me? Because she didn't have a say in it? Because I'm kinda springing it on her?"
"Um...I'm not sure what you're expecting out of her reaction to the news, whenever it is that you decide to tell her. I just want you to know it could go either way. And double because she's pregnant. Sweetheart, I don't want your feelings to be hurt in case she's not happy with the idea. You need to prepare yourself for that."
"Did I jump the gun? Should I cancel the whole thing?"
"No. Don't go making any MORE rash decisions. On the other hand, the good one, she'll overjoyed and excited and--and she'll know you're serious."
"That's the one I'm hoping for. Excuse me for being, I don't know, sentimental for a moment, but I'm completely stoked. I've been waiting for this day my entire life. I just want it to be perfect for her."
He could hear the smile in his mother's voice. "I know, baby. I'm the one who used to help her string her little white clover crown so she could marry you in the backyard."
"Mom--"
"I wasn't born yesterday, I knew what it was for. I used to watch the two of you out the kitchen window for hours. Well, you know, when Zac wasn't terrorizing the house or the cat. You never ran out of things to do or talk about. You spent most of your time sitting in the grass together, picking through it, your mouths going a mile a minute. I never understood how two small children as young as you were could possibly have so much to talk about. I regret that the two of you missed out on the bulk of your childhoods together. I regret that you had to be separated for so long and missed out on so much."
"Well, yeah, but--we found each other again, it worked out."
"You were different people by then. And you've been fighting to relearn each other ever since. I feel like your father and I are partially to blame for that."
"Mom, you can't control life happening. Stuff happens. It's okay."
"Listen to you, the young leading the old."
"Had to happen sooner or later."
"Well I'm not senile yet."
Tay laughed, feeling a little better after talking to his mother. Feeling confident that everything would work out with just a little patience and clear thinking, he had a smile on his face as he drove into their neighborhood.
Unfortunately his happiness was short-lived and his jaw dropped at the sight he drove up on as he pulled in the driveway.
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Alternate Jason chapter: http://tyamwedding.weebly.com/goodbye-tulsa-hello-malibu-alternate.html
TAYLOR
If Taylor could keep Mel pregnant for the rest of her life, he would. Life had been great over the past week. Fantastic, even. He was getting laid every single day, sometimes twice, dinner was ready every single night when he came home, without fail, she was always smiling, easy to cooperate with, and goddamn cute as a button.
So how in the hell he allowed Thursday night to happen was beyond him.
"So some friends of ours are playing at Cain's tonight and they're throwing a party afterward. What do you think?" He asked her when he came home from the studio.
She smiled at him from the stove as she stirred dinner. "Okay. Have fun. But we're having dinner before you go."
He looked at her, slightly confused. "Um, I meant what do you think if 'we' go? You and I."
Mel stopped stirring for a moment and sighed at him. "Honey, I'm not gonna be any fun tonight. I can't drink and I'll probably poop out after the first hour. Besides, who in the hell wants to hang out with the pregnant lady, anyway?"
Tay was momentarily taken aback by her words. None of this had ever crossed his mind. "I do," he said quietly.
She smiled at him and placed a hand on his cheek in appreciation. "That's sweet of you. It really is. But I'll only be in the way. Plus I'm kind of exhausted so..."
"Um, well--okay, then. We can stay in, it's no problem."
As she went back to the food on the stove, she scowled at him. "No. You go. They're your friends, you don't get to see them very often. There's no reason for you to spend the night here, twiddling your thumbs, it's ridiculous."
"But--but I'd be with you, I wouldn't twid--"
"Go have fun. I'll live vicariously through you when you get home."
And that was how Tay ended up in a club he didn't frequent in a part of downtown Tulsa he didn't frequent, as well. On second thought, maybe it was for the best that Mel didn't come along after all.
On the other hand, he wished she had. He found himself slightly bored as he looked across the room at Isaac, who seemed to be having a great time throwing back shots and laughing with a small group of people. Tay chatted here and there with people he knew, catching up, talking about music and other random projects.
And then SHE walked in the room.
This was the last thing Tay needed right now. He hadn't seen Terra in years. Six or seven, at least. The last time he saw Terra, he nearly--well, he and Natalie were in a bad place and he didn't even want to think about what had almost happened. But she hadn't changed a bit. Tall, long, strawberry blonde hair, legs for days--blue eyes that sparkled from across the room. She was as beautiful now as she was then.
When she spotted him from across the room, she flashed a huge grin at him and his heart skipped a beat for a moment. He was nervous as hell. Then he thought for a second, took a deep breath, and smiled back. The difference between then and now was, now he was happy. He was in a good place. He was engaged to a beautiful woman, he was about to become a father--and she was coming his way.
"Taylor Hanson," she greeted him, her red lips widened in a permanent smile. "So you DO still exist."
"In the flesh," he smiled nervously.
"Well don't be a stranger, hug me!"
Oh holy damn.
He hugged her, briefly, or barely at all, even, and then politely attempted to engage in small talk. Not much had changed with her. She was still playing sketchy clubs, touring with her cousin's band, still smoking marijuana out the backs of vans on the side of the road. She wasn't the kind of people he would normally associate with on a regular basis but he had, at one time, connected with her on a level that was seemingly in an entirely different universe.
It also could have been the mixture of a bad bag of weed and a temporary moment of insanity.
But that was years ago and things were different now and there was no reason they couldn't have a good, old fashioned, normal conversation, just as friends. Right?
And then her long, slender legs led him to a small table. "Wow. I haven't heard from you in years," she said to him as they sat down.
"I could say the same about you."
"You never gave me your number."
"Impossible."
"True story."
"Well, then," Tay said, conversation coming a little easier now. "Then I guess that was my fault."
"I still have a phone," she offered.
Caught off guard, Tay stumbled over his words a little bit. "Um, uh, so what have you been up to?"
She flipped her long hair off of her shoulder and he caught the scent of her shampoo. She sipped her Jack and Coke from a stirrer straw and then stirred her drink as she smiled at him. "Same old, same old. Nothing to really write home about. I'm more interested in what you've been up to. I hear you're no longer married."
"Uh, yeah. Yeah, that's true."
"So that...finally...makes you a free man," she said, her eyes flirting with his.
"Um--" Fucking seriously, Taylor? Seriously? Are you hesitating? Fuck, no, he's not a free man. He's engaged to be married. His fiancée is pregnant with his first child. A fiancée who opted not to come out tonight--because she's pregnant. A fiancée who is pregnant and can't drink and who thinks that hard partying right now is an entire carton of frozen yogurt with chocolate sprinkles and who made sure she had dinner ready for him in enough time so that she could insist he come to this party just to see some old friends. Without her. Tell her. TELL HER ABOUT MEL, GODDAMMIT!!
"So you ARE a free man," she judged by his lack of response. Shit. Why weren't the words coming out?
He looked over at her as she stared back at him, expectantly. Her blue eyes were so clear under her thick lashes and the dress she wore hugged all her curves. Her ankle boots were the only things covering her skin between her ankles and her short skirt and her legs were smooth as silk. As his heartbeat quickened, she leaned over the table toward him. "You wanna go somewhere and talk? Somewhere...maybe a little more quiet?"
As if that were a trigger phrase, he stood up. She stood up with him, apparently assuming that this was him accepting her invitation. Instead, he just spat it right out. "Uh, I'm engaged. To my childhood sweetheart. And she's beautiful and I love her and she's pregnant with our first child. And she's at home waiting for me right now and I gotta go."
Terra cocked her head to the side in apparent confusion. "Okay, so she's pregnant. So what? Does that mean YOU can't stay out and have a good time or did she give you a curfew?"
"It's not like that--"
"Because she's not here NOW." She stepped close to him, her lips so close he could feel her breath on her face. "But I am."
Taking a deep breath, and a step back, he shook his head. "I'm not going home because I have to, I'm going home because I want to."
She narrowed her eyes. "Because you feel like you need to or..."
"Because I want to. And that's it. Look, it was good seeing you. Good luck in your future endeavors, okay?"
And with that, he walked briskly out of the club and right into a gust of cold night air, an unusually cold temperature for this time of year, cold that he appreciated it as it seemed to sober him up. From there, he drove home as fast as he could.
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Taylor walked into the house at nearly midnight to find the house mostly dark with the exception of the kitchen light. The television in the living room was on but it was muted. Ignoring it, he found Mel standing in the kitchen in her bare feet by the island in a pair of tiny white shorts and his favorite navy blue Henley shirt with the sleeves shoved up as far as they would go, swallowing her whole despite her pregnant belly. She hugged two quarts of vanilla frozen yogurt and ate it out of the container with a spoon. On the island, sat a pan, half-filled with chicken wings. They apparently hadn't been out long since he could still smell them.
She was adorable as hell, lost in her own little junk food world and didn't even notice him come in. He had never loved anything more in his entire life than he loved her in that very moment. As he entered through the kitchen doorway, she grinned up at him. "Hi, honey. You're a little early, aren't you?" And then she glanced down at her small mess and she blushed. "Oh, um, sorry about all that. Just a little midnight snack, nothing major--"
He didn't care. Yogurt carton and all, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her. She tasted like vanilla--and a little bit of barbecue--but he didn't care. It was the best thing he'd tasted all night. "Tell me you love me," he said to her quietly.
Struggling to remove the yogurt carton from between him and her small belly, she rested it on the island and looked up at him, concerned. "Well--of course I love you."
"I need to hear it. I need to know how much you love me. I need to know what it is about me that makes you keep coming back."
"Well I'm not going anywhere anytime soon if that's is where this is going."
"No," he shook his head. "I just need to hear it."
She searched his eyes, resting her hands on his face for a moment before she slid them around his neck, playing with the hair at the nape of his neck. "When I look at you, nobody else is in the room. When you take my hand, I can't feel anything else. When you say my name, there's no other sound that could distract me. When I look at you, I see every wish, hope, and dream I ever had in the flesh. You are everything I ever wanted and needed. I keep coming back, as you put it, because there is no other man out there for me. You're it. And that makes me happy."
He kissed her forehead and rested his against hers. "When's the last time I told you that you're the most beautiful woman in the world?"
She blushed and her eyes darted around. Her lack of response said it all. That made him a failure. A complete goddamn failure. "I've failed you," he said quietly. "I should tell you all those things all the time, everything you need to hear--"
"Tay--"
"--because that's what a man does. He lets his woman know how he feels about her. He lets her know how beautiful she is and how much he appreciates her and how his favorite part of the day is coming home and looking into her eyes. I won't let you down, Mel, I promise."
"Tay," she repeated, searching his eyes. "Is there--did something happen tonight?"
He shook his head. "No. Absolutely nothing eventful whatsoever. I missed you and I wanted to come home."
Suddenly, she started to cry and she feverishly wiped the tears from her eyes. He pulled away and looked at her in concern. "Are--are you okay?"
She wiped her eyes again and looked over at the island, her sobs starting fresh. "My yogurt is melting!"
Apparently this was the end of the world. Frozen yogurt was her absolute favorite food in the world right now and he stood there yapping his trap and allowed it to melt. Taking the carton from the island and covering it up with the lid, noticing how still very frozen it was, he slid it into the freezer and her face read total and complete betrayal. "Shit, babe, I'm sorry, I didn't think about it."
"But--but you didn't have to put it away--"
"Let me go change clothes and I'll be right back, okay? You get yourself a plate to put your chicken on and we'll go camp out in front of the TV. Okay? That'll give your yogurt a little time to freeze."
She nodded, her tears beginning to dry up. "Okay. I'm sorry you're missing your party for this."
"This is the only party I want to be at."
"Are you sure?" She sniffled.
He smiled warmly. "I couldn't wait to come home."
Finally, she grinned, causing his heart to melt. "One of our favorite black and white movies is on tonight. I was gonna watch it myself, but now I don't have to watch it alone."
He grinned back at her. "Give me five minutes."
As promised, five minutes later, they camped out in front of the television in the dark living room, Tay eating vanilla frozen yogurt from a bowl as his fiancée dipped her chicken wings into the carton that sat in its own pocket in the middle of her crossed legs. The idea made his stomach churn as he tried hard not to pay attention to her, but he couldn't help it. As gross as the combination seemed to be, she ate it like it was going out of style and she sat next to him in complete junk food bliss. If chicken wings and frozen yogurt was what made her happy, then that made him happy, too.
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"I don't know what to do," Taylor said to Kari over the phone as he drove through Tulsa. "She grows by the week. And I'm dying to tell her about the wedding, but it's not like she can get a dress right now. I mean, I guess she could..."
"It's not that far away now. I'll be honest, this is the craziest thing I've ever planned, but it's also one of the most romantic, too. This is actually really starting to come together, I'm pleasantly surprised. Don't ruin it by telling her too early."
"How are we looking so far?"
"I have the cake booked and I'm pretty sure I have the caterers we want to go with--just need you to finalize the menu. The decorations took no time, I have a florist booked. Honestly, though, Taylor, this is starting to get a little difficult without a final headcount. I need an RSVP list just as fast as you need a wedding. I had a feeling that would be the most difficult part."
"Yeah," Tay sighed and agreed. "Nikki and I are working on it as hard as we can. I have my mother working on the guest list. For whatever its worth, it'll be a small wedding."
"Still need numbers."
"Got it. Okay."
"I've also found a few good string sections you might like. I emailed their samples to you in a file. I thought mailing them to you like you suggested might take too long."
"Good, good. I'll give them a listen as soon--"
"It needs to be ASAP. Like, no later than tomorrow. These groups stay booked solid, I only had a small window of opportunity for them. I need a decision yesterday. How are you doing on dresses and tuxes?"
"Done and done. I snuck out on Mel a couple of days ago to go to the tux fittings and Nikki handled the bridesmaids. We slimmed the wedding party down a little bit since now practically half our guests are in it. So now we have Nikki, Kate, and Zoe on Mel's side and Ike, Zac, and Mackenzie on mine. Her father will give her away, we'll say our vows, kiss the bride, and voila, married. It'll be simple as that. No muss, no fuss, no elaborate fancy stuff. Just a gorgeous venue, a gorgeous bride, and hopefully a gorgeous cake."
"Honeymoon?"
"Shit," he muttered.
"No honeymoon yet?"
"Planning a wedding is harder than I thought, no wonder people do it for years in advance."
"Well you got me doing yours, so you're getting the best at lightning speed."
Tay sighed. "Before--briefly--we had talked about doing castle tours in Europe--"
"Oh, how fun!"
"--except now, by the time we get married, she's gonna be too pregnant for any of that, so--I'm kind of at a loss. Where do pregnant women want to honeymoon at?"
"What is she into right now?"
"Frozen yogurt."
Kari laughed. "I got you. Okay. Um, I'm not sure. But I'll definitely do some brainstorming and get back to you. You gotta have a honeymoon, especially before that baby is born."
"Yeah. I know. Look, I'll have a headcount for you ASAP and I'll make a decision on the strings, probably tonight."
"Sorry to put the pressure on you, but, you know--time's ticking."
"It's okay, I got it."
Hanging up with Kari, Tay let out a breath and immediately dialed his mother. "How are we doing with the guest list?" He asked as soon as she picked up.
"Well, hello, son, I'm doing quite well these days, how are you?"
Tay sighed. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I just got off the phone with Kari and she's needing things, like, RIGHT NOW and I feel like I've been slacking off. Mom, I'm freaking out."
"What's the matter, honey?"
"Everything," he responded, exasperated. "Everything. Between Mel and her ever-changing personality, with work and trying to make up for a cancelled tour, with therapy and adjusting to the new medication, the wedding, the honeymoon, just--just everything. I'm losing my mind."
"It's okay, sweetheart. Just take a deep breath, take a quick break to regroup. You have people in your court to help you, I promise. All you have to do is say the word. And I should have the rest of the RSVP's tomorrow. We can take that number and add maybe ten to it to allow for stragglers or something. Okay?"
"How did Dad do it? Seven pregnancies, how did he do it? I mean, no offense..."
His mother laughed. "This is your first one. The first one will always be the most difficult because it's new to you. But keep in mind, it's new to her, too. And you may be feeling the after effects, but she's the one who actually has to go through the roller coaster ride of hormones and emotions. I'm not saying you should take everything she dishes out laying down, but I do suggest you handle any situation with a little extra care than you might if she wasn't pregnant. And it's not forever. I promise."
Pausing for a moment, he asked her, "Mom? Am I doing the right thing? With this wedding? I mean I know the whole thing is crazy and unconventional and maybe a little illogical--but is it right?"
"It's not really anybody else's place to judge whether it's wrong or right. Your heart is definitely in the right place. I think the gesture is sweet, it's romantic, and I'm proud of you."
"Is she gonna hate me? Because she didn't have a say in it? Because I'm kinda springing it on her?"
"Um...I'm not sure what you're expecting out of her reaction to the news, whenever it is that you decide to tell her. I just want you to know it could go either way. And double because she's pregnant. Sweetheart, I don't want your feelings to be hurt in case she's not happy with the idea. You need to prepare yourself for that."
"Did I jump the gun? Should I cancel the whole thing?"
"No. Don't go making any MORE rash decisions. On the other hand, the good one, she'll overjoyed and excited and--and she'll know you're serious."
"That's the one I'm hoping for. Excuse me for being, I don't know, sentimental for a moment, but I'm completely stoked. I've been waiting for this day my entire life. I just want it to be perfect for her."
He could hear the smile in his mother's voice. "I know, baby. I'm the one who used to help her string her little white clover crown so she could marry you in the backyard."
"Mom--"
"I wasn't born yesterday, I knew what it was for. I used to watch the two of you out the kitchen window for hours. Well, you know, when Zac wasn't terrorizing the house or the cat. You never ran out of things to do or talk about. You spent most of your time sitting in the grass together, picking through it, your mouths going a mile a minute. I never understood how two small children as young as you were could possibly have so much to talk about. I regret that the two of you missed out on the bulk of your childhoods together. I regret that you had to be separated for so long and missed out on so much."
"Well, yeah, but--we found each other again, it worked out."
"You were different people by then. And you've been fighting to relearn each other ever since. I feel like your father and I are partially to blame for that."
"Mom, you can't control life happening. Stuff happens. It's okay."
"Listen to you, the young leading the old."
"Had to happen sooner or later."
"Well I'm not senile yet."
Tay laughed, feeling a little better after talking to his mother. Feeling confident that everything would work out with just a little patience and clear thinking, he had a smile on his face as he drove into their neighborhood.
Unfortunately his happiness was short-lived and his jaw dropped at the sight he drove up on as he pulled in the driveway.
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Alternate Jason chapter: http://tyamwedding.weebly.com/goodbye-tulsa-hello-malibu-alternate.html