Page 25 of Sweet Surrender
Taylor clamped her mouth shut. Silence once again filled the car as she pulled up at a red light. She could feel Ruby’s gaze burning into her but she wouldn’t meet it. Her emotions were simmering far too close to the surface. From seeing how much all those women loved Beau. From Ruby picking at her wounds that suddenly still felt so fresh.
The rest of the drive was silent and as Taylor parked up at the doctor’s office, Ruby didn’t make a move to get out. “You need to forgive that man,” she said quietly.
“I know it’s not his fault. I don’t really blame him.”
“Don’t lie to me. You do blame him; you can’t help it. But listen to me real clear now, Taylor. It’s. Not. His. Fault.” She clapped, punctuating her words. “That shitstain Bobby? He’s got eight kids now, if it hadn’t been the time you went running to him after Beau hurt you, it would have been the next time that he knocked you up, or the time after that. But it’s not Beau’s fault and you need to forgive him, for yourself.”
Taylor opened her mouth to protest.
“Hush it! I ain’t done. Now, I love you like you’re my own, as far as I’m concerned, you are. And I don’t want to spend my days, however many are left, watching you hold onto pain and anger and push every man away. There are other ways to have children and there are good men out there. He’s one of the best, soforgive him.”
“I can’t, I hate him,” Taylor shook her head.
“No sweet cheeks, you really don’t.” Ruby’s stare penetrated her.
Maybe Ruby was right, maybe in her mind she did need to forgive Beau. It wasn’t Beau’s fault but her hurt hadn’t gotten that message yet. It had reached out and latched on to someone else to blame for what happened, because how could she live with herself otherwise?
Ruby opened the car door and Taylor made a move to follow her but Ruby held up a hand to stop her.
“You don’t need to come with me, you can stay here and think about things.”
“Yes ma’am,” Taylor joked.
“I won’t be long anyway, unless you think I can convince him to give me a pelvic?” Ruby’s eyebrows wagged and Taylor snorted. Then Ruby was heading inside the doctor’s office, her vivid yellow leotard shining brighter than the sun.
Ruby was right, Taylor would have to forgive Beau for what happened, but could she be civil with him? There was still a lot of murky history between them, tonight would be a big challenge.
*
That night at the bar, instead of being the boss ass bitch she usually was, Taylor was deep in her thoughts. The doctor had referred Ruby to a specialist and booked in some tests. He wasn’t able to say what was wrong with her and that was what panicked Taylor the most. She didn’t think she could lose anyone else and be okay.
She was drying glasses, lost in her thoughts when an arm banded around her waist and squeezed. Startled, she pulled away, dropping the glass in the process and it smashed on the floor.
“What the hell!” Taylor shouted, her heart rate returning to normal when she realized it was Beau.
He held up his hands defensively. “Shit, sorry Tay. That’s my bad.”
“What in the Garth Brooks were you doing?” she snapped.
He rubbed the back of his neck, meeting her eyes hesitantly. “Being your boyfriend?”
She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to-”
“No, it’s fine. It’ll probably take us a few tries to get used to this,” he said.
“Maybe just announcing your presence would be a good start. When a man grabs a woman in a bar without her permission, it’s not usually a good thing.” She began sweeping up the scattered glass.
He nodded. “You’re right, that was stupid and insensitive.”
“And stop agreeing with me, it’s annoying!” she snapped again, his goody-goody behavior setting her temper flaring. She moved around him to dump the glass in the trash and he stood there watching her with his giant hands wedged in his pockets.
“Can I help you with something?” She tried to soften her tone but failed miserably.
“Can I greet you properly?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.
What is he on about? Oh shit, he wants to kiss your cheek.Her pulse thudded.
“Uh, yeah, I guess so,” she muttered. He leaned forward but couldn’t quite reach her. They both stepped forward at the same time and rebounded off each other. She swayed back, grabbing the bar to keep herself upright. He mumbled something and dipped his head, placing a very quick kiss on her cheek, so quick she barely felt it. When he pulled away, she noticed his cheeks had a rosy tint to them.Is he blushing?Her annoyance softened slightly.
