Out at Home (24 page)

Taylor shook her head and sat on the edge of the tub. “Can you just help me get in the shower?”

Each time she lifted her left arm, pain radiated through her side. Tia slowly eased the shirt over Taylor’s arms and head. She eyed the ugly black and purple bruise on her side but tightened her lips. Tia supported Taylor’s weight while she stepped out of her pants and turned on the shower taps. Once the temperature was right, she stepped in and closed the curtain.

“
I’ll get you some fresh clothes,” Tia said, leaving her to shower in peace.

Taylor allowed the warm water to rush over her sore, stiff body.

“
Your clothes are on the toilet seat,” Tia called from the other side of the curtain. "Do you need help getting dressed?”

“
I don’t think so. Thanks.”

Tia left again as Taylor shut off the water. She dried off - patting her sore spots with the towel - and pulled the loose shorts and t-shirt over her body. She sat down on the toilet to screw up the courage to face everyone once again.

Her head pounded, her side ached, and her body screamed for sleep. She rose slowly, using the sink for help, and opened the door. Ambling down the hall, she stopped to rest her uninjured side on the corner.

“
I’m going to bed,” she announced, darting her gaze to avoid their eyes. “You’re welcome to whatever you want.”

She spun on her heel, entered her bedroom, and shut the door. Once she climbed on her bed, she stared up at the ceiling.

“
Love, please let me in,” Brady called softly from the other side of the door. “I’m worried. Let me come in and see you.”

She swallowed back her tears. “Brady, please, I just want to be alone for now.”

She heard him sigh. “Taylor, don’t hide from me.”

“
Brady,” she pleaded in a watery voice. “Please.”

“
Okay. For now. But I’m not going anywhere until you talk to me.”

“
Thanks,” she uttered.

She stayed on her bed with her eyes closed for nearly half an hour, hovering somewhere between sleep and consciousness until she heard a new voice in the living room.

“
Where is she? Did you find her?” It was Teddy’s anxious voice.

Sobs wracked her already aching body as she inched slowly off the bed and headed toward her little brother’s voice. She’d missed him so much and knew he’d always love her no matter what.

She opened the door and stepped toward him on shaky legs. He met her half way and pulled her in his arms.

“
What happened to you, T? I was so worried,” Teddy whispered in her hair. “Who did this to you?”

She cried quietly in his chest as he stroked her hair, not able to answer for a full five minutes. When she got herself under control, she stepped back to smile at him. “I’m so glad you’re here.”

He kissed her forehead and led her to the couch. Mark and Alex immediately got up to make room for the pair. He sat her down and took her hand, ignoring the group of people watching them.

“
T, they called me early this morning, asking me if I’d heard from you. I got in my car and drove down right away. What happened? Who did this to you?”

She dropped her head to his shoulder, closing her eyes. “I was mad. Upset. I drove around for a bit then went to Ray’s Tavern. I’d been there many times before with Josh. I got pretty drunk and went outside to get some air. I ran into….”

Pausing, she lifted her head, opening her eyes a bit. Everyone was looking at her - waiting for her to spill. “I ran into someone I knew. We had words. She hit me a couple of times and I banged into the wall. Her friend was kind enough to give me a little haircut. They left and I stayed outside, waiting for the bar to clear out. I guess I passed out.”

Brady stepped up to her and dropped to his knee. His shaking hand reached out to take hers. “Who was it, love? They need to pay for this.”

Her bottom lip trembled as shame washed over her. “I did more damage to myself than she did to me.” She took a deep breath and allowed anger to overtake the shame. “Besides, I’ll take care of her later.”

A smile formed on his lips at the fire in her eyes. “I know you want to handle it, but maybe we should call the police.”

She shook her head. “No. It’s not that big of a deal.”

“
It was Henry Lake’s daughter, wasn’t it,” Josh said from the corner where he'd been standing, arms folded across his chest. “I asked Ray who was around last night. He said she was a regular and that she’d been watching you all night. We both figured it had to be her.”

Taylor's eyes met his. “It was,” she sighed.

“
That little bitch,” Brady exclaimed, rising to his feet.

“
Brady, don’t,” Taylor protested. “Let me handle it. I don’t need anyone protecting me. I’m tired of being the victim.”

“
Taylor, we didn’t mean it that way,” Tabby pleaded.

Taylor waved her concerns away. “I know and I’m sorry I got so mad. Maybe it struck home.”

“
What are you talking about?” Teddy asked.

Sitting next to him, Tia told him what had been going on for the past few weeks. When she finished, Teddy turned to his sister.

“
Taylor, you’re a strong person, but you’ve had the weight of the world on your shoulders for far too long. You took care of me when Dad got….sick. You didn’t go to college so you could work and support us and get me through high school. But Dad’s gone now. And I’m an adult. I can take care of myself. It’s time you stopped taking care of everyone else and just relax. It’s time you started worrying about
you
and live your life.”

Hugging her, he kissed her forehead. She nodded, swiping at the tears in her eyes. “I know. I will. I promise.”

He held her close as he cleared his throat. “I think the rest of us should take off somewhere and let you and Brady talk, huh?”

She looked at him wide-eyed then smiled. “When did you become so grown up?”

Chuckling, he kissed her forehead again. “After my big sister did a fabulous job of raising me.”

As he released her to stand up, Josh crossed the room. “Come on. We’ll get a pizza and hang out at my place for awhile.”

Taylor bit her lip as everyone filed out of her house, telling her they’d talk to her later.

Brady followed them and closed the door. Turning back to her, he took a seat on the couch. When Taylor looked up at him, she was surprised to see moisture in his eyes. “Brady, I….”

“
No,” he ordered as lifted her to his lap. “Don’t say anything yet. I just want to hold you.”

She couldn’t get enough of the comfort his arms offered. He stroked her back softly and she closed her eyes. She nuzzled into his chest, inhaling in his scent.

“
I love you,” she mumbled as exhaustion finally claimed her.

She woke later, in her own bed and heard Brady in the next room talking on his phone.

“
She’s still sleeping. When she wakes up, we’ll talk.” He paused, obviously listening to whoever was on the other side of the conversation. “Tell Teddy I’ll call him later.”

After he ended his call, he peered into her room. She smiled at him as he stepped inside and sat on the edge of the bed. He reached over to brush back the uneven strands of hair.

“
Feeling better?”

She nodded as she gently scooted her aching body up against the head board. “Yes, much.”

“
Liar,” he said with a smile, helping her ease into a more comfortable position. He ran his fingers lightly over her bruised cheek. “I could easily wring that woman’s neck.”

She reached up to his hand and laced her fingers with his. “Brady, please.”

He sighed. “Okay, for now.”

She released his hand and patted the spot next to her. “Come here. You’re too far away.”

He scooted closer and situated his body next to hers. He rested his hand on her thigh and gave it a light squeeze. “Love, we really need to talk.”

Chapter Twenty-One

Biting her lip, Taylor nodded, wincing slightly as she did so.

Brady inhaled a deep breath. “First of all, I know you really want to go after that girl, I can see it in your eyes. You don’t need any more problems heaped on you, Taylor. I know you want to take care of it yourself, but just think of all the trouble that could bring.” He lifted her chin and looked in her eyes

She smiled and finally nodded, slowly. “Okay. I’ll think about it.”

“
Good,” he breathed. “Now, about us. Taylor, I’m sorry about those pictures. I know it must have hurt to see them. I hope you believed me when I told you what actually happened.”

She traced the pattern of her bedspread with her index finger to avoid his gaze. “I do. And I’m really sorry I didn’t ask you about them. I should have given you a chance to explain.”

“
I know you’re having a hard time trusting me, but…”

“
I do trust you, Brady,” she protested.

“
Love, let me finish, please. I promise to let you have your say.” He waited until she nodded. “Maybe I rushed things with you, I don’t know. And I think maybe I didn’t understand what you’ve had to go through while I was off at college or playing ball. I guess I just assumed that once we clicked, things would just work out somehow. Kind of like Tabby and Alex or Zoey and Mark.”

“
But we’re not them,” she added, forgetting her vow to let him speak.

He smiled at her. “I know that.” He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Anyway, I guess what I’m trying to say is that what Teddy said earlier kind of opened my eyes. I realize that you did have the weight of the world on your shoulders and had to deal with things yourself. A lot of hard things. Trust doesn’t come easy for you and I can’t expect to come waltzing back into your life, especially after that stupid bet I made, and expect you to trust me fully.”

“
But I do trust you,” she whispered.

Chuckling, he gave her a soft squeeze. “Not totally, love. But that’s all right. I’ll be patient and wait while you learn to trust me more every day.”

She nibbled harder on her lip. “So, are you saying that you want us to not see each other for awhile?”

He squeezed her again. “Hell no, love. I told you I wasn’t letting you go and I’m not. I’m just promising not to push you. But I want you to promise to come to me more. It hurt that you didn’t tell me what Jason said to you. If you would have, I would have known what he was up to that night.”

She tensed next to him but before she could speak, he continued. “I’m not blaming you, love. I always knew how sneaky and underhanded he could be.”

She leaned on his shoulder. “This is so messed up.”

He kissed the top of her head. “But we’re fixing it, don’t worry.”

Sniffling, she raised a shaky hand to the tears springing from her eyes. “I’m an over emotional mess myself.”

“
But a beautiful one,” he said, turning so he could take her face in his hands. He leaned forward and brushed his lips softly over hers. “Why don’t you pack up some stuff and stay with me this week? I don’t want to leave you here alone.”

“
But Teddy will probably stay the night.”

“
He can stay in the guest room at my place.”

***

Ending his conversation, Brady tossed his cell phone in the console and reached for her hand. She scooted as close to him as her seatbelt would allow.

“
That was Kyle,” Brady informed her as they left the police station. Taylor wasn’t exactly sure what would happen with Teresa - it was her word against the other girl’s - but at least Taylor had filed the report. “Everyone’s at his house and they want you to come over. You up for it?

“
Yeah,” she sighed. “I need to fix this whole mess.”

He squeezed her hand. “You don’t need to fix anything, Taylor. Relax. Remember?”

Shrugging, she turned her head to watch the passing scenery. When the courthouse buzzed by, her heart leapt. “Brady! I forgot to call Luther. I bet he’s throwing a fit.”

Brady laughed. “Don’t worry. Josh talked to him already. He told Josh to tell you to stay home this week and recover.” Brady smirked as he changed lanes. “I think he’s afraid you’ll come in and beat up that Henry guy.”

Taylor snorted. “So tempting. I better let my aching ribs heal first, though.”

Brady chanced a quick glance at her before exiting the highway. “Yeah, about that. I’m going to need to check that out.”

A shy smile graced Taylor's lips as her cheeks pinked. “Are you offering to play doctor with me?”

Grinning, Brady winked at her. She laughed as his cheeks turned a slight red. “Maybe in a couple days. But seriously, I want to make sure you’re okay.”

She rolled her eyes. “I’m fine. Just a little sore and in dire need of a real haircut.”

Pulling into his drive, he let his eyes rake over her body. “You look ravishing no matter what, love.”

She unbuckled her seat belt and opened her door. “That’s so romantic and all, but do you mind if I go freshen up in your bathroom?”

He grabbed her bag and helped her to the door. “Of course I don’t mind.”