CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
DREW
"Wow, Mel, you're even more beautiful than you were before," John said quietly, obviously trying to break
the ice.
"And you look very alive," Mel spat out nastily.
Taylor's head whipped over at Drew. "WHAT?" he said quietly.
Drew wiped her eyes. She could only nod at him. She hadn't realized that Tay had never seen John before. And now he was practically unrecognizable. John had once been a great-looking man. Tall, muscular. Great hair. And now he looked worn and ragged and sick. His hair was almost buzzed to his scalp and any ounce of muscle he used to have was now gone. There was no color to his skin. He was 40 years old but he looked 60. If it hadn't been for the utter shock of his presence, Drew probably would have felt sorry for him.
"Um, I know this may come as a shock to you--"
"Shut up," Mel said to him. "Just stop talking. Don't talk."
Drew stood stiff as a board. She and Tay kept looking at each other. Neither one, in turn, could keep their eyes off Mel. Drew knew they were both thinking the exact same thing--when was Mel going to launch
World War III? And would they be able to stop it in time?
Mel began to speak again. "How dare you? How fucking dare you? Do you have any idea what the past three years has been like for me? How fucking dare you?"
"Mel, I am so sorry--"
"Sorry? You're fucking SORRY?? I just changed my goddamn name three hours ago! THREE GODDAMN HOURS AGO!! I was fucking rid of you! I was over you and I was rid of you and here you go, traipsing in
here like you own the goddamn place with 'I'M SORRY?' FUCK YOU! FUCK YOU, YOU STUPID, STUPID BASTARD!!"
Instinctively, Tay took Mel by the arm. Drew watched as Mel threw dagger eyes at Tay and jerked her arm from his grip. Tay looked over at Drew and she just widened her eyes at him. They both knew this look and
Drew knew Tay wouldn't take it personally. They knew she was seeing red and there was absolutely nothing they could do about it but let it run it's course. When Mel's temper reached its max it was as if she were a tornado, destroying everything in it's path without a second thought. They knew she meant nothing by it. But this--this was a totally different ballgame.
John's voice remained calm. "I understand you're upset. And you have every right to be. I apologize for intruding like this, I really do. But I've missed you. I've missed you, dearly. And I just wanted to see you one last time before they send me away."
Mel crossed her arms over her chest. "They. Are "they" who you're blaming this all on? 'They?'"
"You know what I'm talking about..."
"GODDAMIT, JOHN, YOU'RE FUCKING SUPPOSED TO BE DEAD! HOW IN THE GOD AWFUL FUCK AM I SUPPOSED TO KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT??"
"I was on an undercover assignment. It was a matter of national security. It's so top secret that I just couldn't exist anymore. I hated doing that to you, Mel, I honestly did, but what else was I supposed to do?"
Drew and Tay watched Mel's body visibly tense up. Drew found her eyes searching all over Mel and around the apartment for Mel's pistol. Surely she wouldn't do anything that drastic but at this point, Drew was sure Mel was capable of anything.
"What were you supposed to do, John? Really? Your life was that fucking miserable with me that you just couldn't say no?? That you had to go and fake your own fucking death to get away from me??"
"Mel, I swear to god it wasn't about you. The FBI needed me--"
"Fuck the FBI. You chose your goddamn job over your wife! I thought you were dead! How in the fuck is that supposed to make me feel now?"
"I had to do it. I may not have survived the mission. I needed to get my affairs in order. They had to wipe out my identity, for my safety and yours."
"I think you better be more goddamn afraid for your safety right now," Mel said quietly.
Chills ran through Drew's spine to hear Mel use this dark and sinister tone of voice she'd never heard her use before. "Mel," Drew said to her, finally feeling it was time to step in.
Mel whipped her head around and looked at Drew. Drew didn't recognize her. "What?" Mel asked. "He doesn't exist anymore, didn't you hear him? Nobody would even know he was gone..."
"Mel, listen to yourself!" Drew hissed.
"It's okay, Drew," John said to her. "I deserve it."
"You're damn right you do, John" Mel focused her attention back on John. "Or are you even John anymore?"
"Um, not legally. My name is Tony now."
Mel scoffed. "Tony, huh? You don't even look like a goddamn Tony. So, TONY, you seem to forget, I used to be on the goddamn force, too. I know how these undercover assignments work. Spouses are allowed to know certain details. You could have told me SOMETHING! But you preferred to pretend to die? You are so goddamn despicable to really choose that over me...how fucking dare you? Have you ANY idea what I've been through? Any fucking idea??"
"Would you have really wanted to live your life like that? Not knowing? Wondering what happened to me? Wondering where I was? Waiting by the phone for updates? That's no way to live. It was better for you this way. And one day, you'll realize that."
"THEN WHY THE FUCK DID YOU COME HERE? WHY THE FUCK DID YOU WASTE YOUR GODDAMN TIME? I COULD HAVE GONE THE REST OF MY LIFE NOT FUCKING KNOWING BECAUSE YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE GODDAMN DEAD! GODDAMMIT!!"
"I wanted to see you."
"Your mother's dead. Did you know that? She's dead. She died two months ago."
"I know," he said quietly.
Mel scoffed. "Of course you do. She wrote me a letter. You know because she thought you were dead. Because legally you ARE. She apologized to me. She regretted the way she broke her contact with us. She fucking regrets not being able to say she loved you before you were allegedly murdered. And now she's dead and here the fuck you are. Was the FBI worth it, John? Was the FBI worth your ENTIRE FUCKING LIFE? You better fucking say it was."
"I can't change the past..."
"Did you know she left me everything? Every single damn thing she owned? I'm worth 12 goddamn million dollars right now. 12 million dollars that rightfully belongs to you. THAT'S WHY YOU'RE FUCKING HERE!! You're here to claim it, aren't you? I knew there was an ulterior motive here."
John looked at Taylor and then at Drew. "Would it be okay if we had a few minutes alone?"
Drew looked over at Taylor and he back at her. She knew they both felt the same--neither one wanted to leave her alone with him. But Drew liked to think she knew John and she wanted to have faith in the fact that he was still the same person at heart. She nodded toward Tay, but he wouldn't budge. Drew again nodded her head toward the kitchen and he reluctantly followed.
"We'll be in the next room," Drew said to Mel, giving John one last knowing look before she took Tay out of the room.
In the kitchen Tay fought to not lose his shit. He ran his hands through his hair and let out a long breath. "What the fuck is happening in there?" He asked Drew.
Drew shook her head, bewildered. "I don't even really know what to think right now. I mean, I wasn't married to him but I knew him just as well. This is so fucking crazy..."
"So that's it, then. She's married and her husband is back. And here I thought I was going to lose her to Jason..." Tay paced back and forth, unable to stay still.
Drew attempted to place a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Tay, she's not going anywhere. The man she married is John Bradshaw and John Bradshaw is dead. By law she isn't married to him anymore."
"I mean, she's fucking freaking out. I mean, can you imagine? Being in her shoes right now?"
Drew looked at him incredulously. "Uh, well we are kind of in her shoes right now. She's not the only one in shock right now."
"But she's the only one who married him."
"Yeah, but how many dead men walking have you ever seen?"
Tay tried to crack a smile at Drew's lame attempt at a joke, but it was short-lived. "How is she going to come back from this?" he asked. "Will we ever get her back?"
New tears sprang to Drew's eyes and she hastily wiped them away. "I, uh, I really don't know. This is a side of Mel that I've never seen before. Tay, she was going to kill him, did you know that?"
Tay smirked at Drew. "You're exaggerating just a little."
Drew's expression was serious as she shook her head. "No. I believe she may have tried it. Mel has...when things get to be too much, all the sees is emotion and she lets it rule her. Her sense of logic and reason, like, fly out the window."
"Oh, I know," Tay said. "She and I are very similar that way."
"But not like this," Drew said. "It's not the same anymore. After John died--well, after he allegedly died--she went to an entirely different level. A completely different level that neither you or I are familiar with. Sometimes it scares me..."
"Are you saying she's crazy?"
"God, no! Just more...like a looser cannon...for three years she's felt like she's had nothing to lose. I mean, first you and now him--every man she's ever loved has left her in a traumatic way. How she hasn't gone
crazy is really nothing short of a miracle."
"You're not telling me I should be afraid of her?"
"Um, no..." Drew responded in thought. "Just know what you're getting into when you piss her off from now on. You never know which side of her you're going to get. You may get typical angry Mel, or you may be looking in a mirror at yourself from ten years ago."
Tay's eyes landed on Drew's, and she could see the pain and concern filling them. "It's like that? She's like...me? Like I was? Back then?"
"Sometimes. But multiply it by ten. Tay, I've seen her bring 250 pound men to their knees. Now granted, she was trained to do that with the police department, but she shows no fear. She isn't afraid of anybody or anything or any consequence. And I think that's what the most dangerous part is. Tay, she doesn't really have anything to live for."
That was when Taylor punched the hole in the kitchen wall.
"Dammit, Tay!" Drew said.
______________________________________________
MEL
"Can we sit? I can't stay long," John said, still keeping his composure.
Mel hated that he had let her go off on him. She hated that he continued to be so calm and so kind to her, never once raising his voice or taking a tone with her. She hated that, for a brief moment, he made her
miss the man he used to be and how happy their life had been together. But then when she snapped back into the reality, she looked at him and realized that he wasn't the man that she had married. And he never would be again.
Mel invited him to sit on the sofa and sat facing toward him, careful to keep a safe distance away. "Mel, I don't want the money," John said to her.
Mel narrowed her eyes at him. "Why wouldn't you? It's rightfully yours."
"No. It isn't. My mother left it to you, legally, fair and square. I didn't come here for any of that. I'm glad that you're taken care of. That's all I ever wanted for you. I never wanted you to want or need for anything."
"Are you saying your mother knew about this?"
John shook his head. "She had no idea. I had to leave everyone in the dark. I knew she would leave it all to you when she found out I was gone. Who else was left?"
Mel found herself begin to calm and almost soften a little. The shock was wearing off. Well, the shock would never actually wear off, but it would become bearable. "She loved you. She wanted you to know that she loved you. I'm sorry I didn't keep the letter. I didn't see the point..."
"It's perfectly fine. Don't even worry about it. I really just wanted to stop by and check up on you. I know this is quite a shock, I mean--I am so sorry to have just popped up on you like this. I've been--I've been keeping an eye out here for over a month now..."
"You've been spying on me??"
"I'm sorry. I wanted to see you and I just didn't know how...and then I got assigned to North Dakota--"
"What the fuck is in North Dakota?"
"Uh, witness protection. I just came back off assignment recently. That's why I don't have much time today, I'm not supposed to be gone long. I have to get back."
"So--so, what were you doing for three years?"
"Uh...I really can't say. I'm sorry. I can only tell you that it's a matter of national security. It's been resolved for the time being, but--we can never be too sure. Mel, this is the last time you and I will see each other. I wanted--I wanted to give you a proper goodbye. I have missed you so much, you can't ever imagine. And I'll
miss you long after today. But I have to go."
Mel felt a lump forming in her throat. She didn't know if it was John--or Tony, or whoever he was at the moment--or the emotions involved in the situation that made her start to cry, but she did and she couldn't stop herself. She cried silently as John lifted her chin and placed a soft, gentle kiss on her lips.
"Take care of yourself, kid," he said to her. And with that, he stood up and walked out the front door.
When the door closed behind him, Mel began to sob uncontrollably. How dare he? She could have remained blissfully unaware of him for the rest of her life. And now he shows up here--Mel didn't know what to do with herself. The anger and the rage built and built inside her to a breaking point that, without thinking, caused her to pick up the Waterford lamp closest to her and hurl it against the wall, listening to it shatter into a million pieces.
It was at that moment and Taylor and Drew came speeding into the room.
___________________________________________________
TAYLOR
Taylor got to her first. Without a second thought, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. She sobbed so loudly that it physically hurt his heart. She grabbed fistfuls of material on the front of his shirt and buried her face in his shoulder. As he held her, he began to feel her tears slowly soaking through his shirt. He didn't care. Tears sprang to his own eyes as he fought them back, upset by Mel's pain. When she hurt, he hurt. It had always been their way.
He let her cry and cry and only spoke when he felt she might have been calming down. "Mel," he said quietly. He lifted her face to look at him. "Mel. I gotta get this cleaned up," he said, referring to the
glassy mess she created in the floor all around them. He was grateful that they all wore shoes at the moment. "Just sit down for a minute, okay? And give me a couple of minutes to get this stuff up."
Mel's eyes widened and, to his surprise, he saw fear in them. She shook her head rapidly and gripped his shirt tighter. "No. No no no no no."
"Mel, it's okay. I promise. I have to get this cleaned up before someone gets hurt. Okay? Just sit here next to Drew. It'll only take me few minutes. I'll only be a couple feet away."
He led her to the sofa where Drew met them and he left them there to find a broom and dust pan to clean up the crystal shards that now covered an entire corner of the living room.
Once he finished, he returned to the sofa and took a seat between Mel and Drew. He allowed Mel to curl up to him and wrapped an arm around her. He then used his spare arm to pull Drew in, too. A normal man
would feel like a stud in this situation but what he felt was so far from that it was like being in another universe. These two women had just had the shock of their lives and there was only one of him to go around. And they both needed someone. He loved them both in two completely different ways and had absolutely no problem being there for them.
It was dusk when Taylor opened his eyes again. On one side of him, Drew slept curled up at the other end of the sofa and in his lap Mel had rested her head on a throw pillow and slept soundly. Slowly and quietly,
he moved himself from underneath her, gently laying the throw pillow, her head on it, on the sofa where he had been sitting. He stepped outside through the sliding glass door and called his brother. "Ike, I gotta stay another night."
Isaac sighed. "Tay, we don't really have time for this."
"Well, Ike, I gotta make time. Something happened and I can't leave yet."
"What's going on?"
Tay sighed, not believing that he was actually going to say it out loud. "Um, Mel's husband showed up today."
Ike was silent for a moment. "Do WHAT?"
"The whole thing was fucking insane. Everything's great one moment, me and Mel and Drew talking and having a good time, next moment the doorbell is ringing and there he is."
"But...I thought he was dead..."
"Yeah, so did everyone else. Turns out he's been undercover with the FBI all this time. Got a new identity, the works."
Ike let out a breath. "This is the craziest damn thing I've ever heard."
"Yeah, tell me about it. Anyway, Ike, I just can't leave them here tonight. Not after this. They can't be alone, it wouldn't be right."
"Yeah...yeah...I agree," Ike said. "Hey, uh, you think Nikki and I should come up there?"
"Uh," Tay said, glancing inside at the two women sleeping on the sofa. "Uh, I really think she could use the support. Both of them could."
"Um, okay. Let me talk to Nikki and if we can get a flight out early enough we could be there around one or two tomorrow. Okay?"
"Uh, yeah. Yeah, great," Tay said.
"Hey, it kinda sounds like you might need me there, too."
Tay laughed lightly. "It definitely wouldn't hurt."
Ike chuckled. "Okay. Let me get ahold of Zac and I'll let you know when we're on the way."
_______________________________________
NATALIE
"Hey, Nat, what's up?"
Natalie was relieved that she didn't end up with voicemail when she called her best friend. She'd been feeling a little blue these past couple of weeks and the most recent bit of information she'd received didn't help her mood one bit. "So, Tay is staying in New York again tonight."
"How come?" Kate asked.
"I don't know. He didn't say. Well, he says he's been meeting with some song writers or something, I don't know. He's being very vague. But I'm not stupid, Kate. I think it's her. I know it is."
"Well if it makes you feel any better, Zac is packing up to go there right now. And Ike and Nikki are going, too. Maybe it is a business thing. I mean, if it were that serious, why would Ike and Zac need to be there? You know?"
Natalie scrunched her nose up. "Why is Nikki going?"
"I don't know. But I ended up with the kids. They're dropping them off here tonight so that they can catch a plane early in the morning. Maybe they decided to use this as a little getaway."
"Kate, you're too kind," Natalie sneered. "I think I'm losing him."
Kate sighed on her end of the phone. "I don't know...I don't think you are. Don't take this the wrong way, but I think this whole Mel thing is throwing you for a loop. I know it's not often when a man comes to his
wife and is like 'Oh, here's my old female best friend who used to be my girlfriend.' But, Nat, he's trying to include you. If you needed to be concerned, would he be trying to let you in? Think about it."
"So you're not concerned about Drew? Because, you know, she's in New York, too."
"Um," Kate thought for a second. "No, I'm not really worried. I mean, he comes home to me every night, he takes care of the kids...he's not really jetting off to New York alone...oh, Natalie, I didn't mean for it to come
out like that--"
"But you're right. Tay IS jetting off to New York alone. This is the second time in two weeks!"
"They DO have business in New York, you know. I mean, you know that. They do go on several trips there when they're writing an album."
"I know," Natalie said in defeat. "I want to trust him, I do. I really do. I love him. But I'm afraid I really am losing him. Things feel different this time. Kate, I swear to god, I am not going to let these two little bitches ruin what we have here."
Kate giggled. "I love you, Nat. I admit, I don't really care for them either. But what can you do, you know? We can't chain our husbands to the bed or anything."
"But we can't allow them to cheat!"
"I don't really believe they're cheating. I am very secure in my relationship with Zac. If something were going on, I'd know about it. And I think maybe you should let up on Tay a little bit. Don't drive him away with jealousy. The last thing you wanna do is GIVE him an excuse to leave."
Natalie sighed. "I hate it when you have a point."
Kate laughed again. "Come over tomorrow and help this old maid look after all these rug rats. I'm definitely gonna need the help and the company!"
Natalie agreed and she and Kate hung up. She knew Kate was right and she felt a little better after talking to her. She just wished she knew how to get rid of that nagging, jealous feeling that would never seem to leave.
_________________________________________________
TAYLOR
Late that night, after Tay practically had to force dinner down Mel's and Drew's throats, he made sure they got to bed. Everyone was exhausted, including him. He hugged Drew goodnight and then escorted Mel to her own bed. He smiled to himself as she crawled in. He sort of felt like he was babysitting and he found it a little amusing.
As he said goodnight to Mel, she grabbed his wrist before he could stand up. "Don't go," she said.
She didn't need to say anything more. He kicked off his shoes and crawled under the covers with her, completely ignoring the fact that he hadn't yet had the opportunity to change for bed. At this point, he didn't really care. He pulled her close and held her tight, letting his fingers tangle themselves in her hair.
"Can you believe all of this?" Mel asked. It was the first coherent sentence he had heard her construct since John left.
"Uh, it was certainly unexpected," he responded.
"He's alive, Tay," she said, letting her voice trail off.
"I know. And I know you miss him--"
"No. I really don't," she said. "I mean, I do--I miss who he used to be. I miss our life together. But now? The man we saw today wasn't him--not even close. So, no, I really don't miss him. There's nothing left to miss."
The two of them were silent for a few minutes before Mel spoke again. "I'm really glad you stayed. But I'm sorry it had to be like this. Apologize to Natalie for me."
Tay smiled nervously into space. He chose not to respond. He hadn't told Mel that he'd lied to Natalie about what he was doing in New York. He felt like an asshole for withholding the truth from both of them, but he noticed that he was getting to the point where he didn't really care. It was horrible and he knew it, but he knew that he and Natalie were growing apart. And he also knew that he was the cause of it. But what could he do, really? There was absolutely nowhere else he wanted to be but right by Mel's side, all the time. It was obvious his heart had chosen. If he could only get his mind on board, too, he might actually be ready to make his decision.
Before he could respond to Mel's last statement, he heard her lightly snoring. He looked down to find her sound sleep. He smiled to himself and shut his own eyes. Finally relaxed, he allowed himself to
drift off to sleep.
________________________________________________
DREW
The next morning, Tay and Drew had dragged themselves out of bed. They had agreed to let Mel sleep for as long as she needed to. There was no sense in waking her up.
They met at the empty coffee pot in the kitchen. "I haven't needed coffee this desperately in a long time," Drew said.
"I know, I would fucking cut off somebody's right arm right now," Tay said.
Drew laughed. "Well put the knife away and give me a chance to brew it. If I don't eat the grinds straight out of the jar first."
They both laughed. "Hey, I want to thank you for staying," Drew said. "That was really sweet of you."
"Well, I couldn't leave you guys here alone. Not after all that madness."
"How's Mel doing?"
"Well, she said a few words last night. But she's exhausted as hell. I didn't even attempt to wake her this morning."
"Probably for the better," Drew said.
"So why are you awake?"
"I have to go meet with my agent this morning to discuss the movie. They're about to nail down filiming locations and schedule readings and rehearsals and we need to nail down all the details. Oh, did you know that Jason and I are starring together?" Drew immediately regretted the last sentence. That was the last thing that needed to come up at that moment and she knew it.
Tay laughed and ran a hand through his hair. "Oh, that guy again."
"Does Natalie know where you are?" Drew retorted, raising her eyebrows.
Tay looked at her. "Okay, okay. Fine. I'll drop it. Once and for all, this is it."
"Thank you. That would be greatly appreciated."
When the coffee finished, they couldn't seem to pour fast enough. They took their coffee at the round bar table that sat next to the sliding glass door and basked in the warmth of the morning sunlight.
"So...you and Zac..." Tay started.
Drew laughed nervously. "Oh boy. I was waiting on this conversation."
"Well, I mean, inquiring minds want to know..."
"Who's inquiring?"
"Right now, just me. Ike would prefer to stay completely out of it."
"That's probably wise," Drew agreed.
"So what's up?"
Drew narrowed her eyes at him. "Are you wanting to know if we're having sex?"
"Well I wasn't going to be quite so blunt. More like what's going on...is there a relationship forming or what?"
Drew sighed and sipped her coffee. "I don't really know, to be honest. I don't think he knows what he wants. I know what I would LIKE to happen but I would never, in a million years, ask him to leave his
family. That would be completely wrong. So we're just letting happen what's going to happen. One of these days he'll figure it out and we'll see where we are at that point."
Tay smiled nervously. "You're starting to sound like Mel."
"Well, put yourselves in our shoes."
"Yeah, I get it. I know it's crazy...but the two of you virtually show back up out of nowhere after so long...don't pretend like it didn't fuck you two up, too."
Drew laughed. "Oh it has, don't get me wrong. And it's frustrating as hell having the feelings that we do and having the limitations that we have--you know, considering the circumstances."
"So you still have feelings for Zac."
"Of course I do. He and I parted on mutual terms. It wasn't like Mel and you when--well--I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring that up."
Tay sipped his coffee. "It's okay. We've talked about it and dealt with it."
"I'm glad. And to answer your question, Zac and I are taking it a day at a time. Whatever happens, happens."
"Hm," Tay nodded in thought. "Well I can't speak for Zac. I know his situation is a little more delicate than mine. But as far as I'm concerned...Drew, I can't live without her. I seriously can't. Like, life was moving on smoothly until that night at the show. And now it's like I'm nothing if I lose her again. But the idea of divorcing Natalie scares the shit out of me."
"Because she'll take you for everything you're worth?"
"No..." Tay contemplated. "It has nothing to do with the money or anything like that. It's like...a security blanket, for lack of a better analogy. Like, when you've been used to the same thing for ten years and been through life with someone and going through the things you've been through together--that's not something you can just drop and walk away from cold turkey. It's not that easy. There's a part of me that still
cares for her and is concerned for her and will be sad to see her go. It's one thing to let go of someone out of two or three or even four or five years, but ten years? That's a long time. And that's what I'm struggling
with."
"I hate to break it to you," Drew said, finishing the last drop of coffee in her cup and reaching for the pot to pour another. "But you don't have a lot of time. I don't want you to feel pressured or anything, but--I mean,
I know she feels the same for you. Any idiot would know. But she's not playing around this time. I'm sure she understands your position, but don't expect her to just be around whenever you decide you're ready. The
ball is in your court right now."
"I know..." Tay let his voice trail off and the two of them spied Mel walking into the room, fresh-faced and ready to take on the world.
Neither one of them were aware that she was awake, much less showered and dressed, and Drew was otherwise shocked by the smile Mel wore on her face. Drew looked at Tay and raised her eyebrows in
suspicion. Knowing what Drew was silently asking, Tay shook his head in response.
"Good morning," Mel said, helping herself to Tay's coffee cup. "What's the juicy gossip?"
"What's with the sunny disposition?" Drew asked, puzzled.
Mel continued to grin, triumphantly. "I just flushed my wedding rings down the toilet."
Tay let out an uncontrollable, shocked laugh and Drew choked. "You did what??"
"Flushed them. Gone. My hands are officially washed of this. The penthouse is sold, I'm about to make money off of the Hamptons house and I'm about to sell this one and the other two. I have my name back and I am DONE."
Drew's eyes were still wide in disbelief. "You could have given them to me! Those things were worth a fortune! I could have pawned them or sold them or something!"
Mel smiled skeptically. "Drew. You saw what happened yesterday. They were ultimately, completely worthless. Maybe I just made some poor sewer worker's day or something."
Drew noticed that Mel had completely ignored Tay's lack of coffee and continued to treat his cup as her own. Finally giving up the fight to get it back, Tay said, "Uh, you want me to grab you a mug?"
"Nope," she said matter-of-factly. "This one's fine."
"Uh, okay..." he said, a little taken aback. Drew looked across the table at him and couldn't help but giggle. This interaction took her back. Way back. She wished Zac were there. She wished they could all be whole again. She missed all of them together. She missed this.
"So...can I have some more of MY coffee?" Tay asked her, amused.
Mel looked at him blankly. "Huh?"
He glanced at the cup in her hand. "OH! Oh my god, I am so sorry!"
She gave Tay back his mug and he finished what was left, poured a fresh cup and absent-mindedly gave it back to Mel. "So Ike and Nikki are on their way here," he continued. "I told him what was going on last night and they wanted to be here."
"Aw, that's nice," Drew said. "That's so sweet of them to take time to be here. Uh, what about Zac?"
"I'm honestly not sure. Ike said he would contact him and I haven't heard back, so I'm assuming he got in contact with him. I'm sure he'd have said something if he hadn't."
When the coffee post was empty and Drew's cell started ringing, she knew it was getting closer to time to meet with Paul. She sighed to herself as she walked down the street, thinking back on her conversation with Tay. She was glad to have that time alone with him. They had been close friends back when he and Mel were together and she had begun to forget how special a friendship it had been. They had been each other's confidants. Sometimes if it weren't for each other, both of their relationships could have potentially gone down the tubes earlier than they had. Sure, Tay could be a pretentious asshole sometimes but that was just him and you just had to know how to deal with him. She knew he never meant any of it.
She was also appreciative that Ike and Nikki were visiting. She just wished that Zac was coming, too. She really did need him right now. She knew his presence would have been a huge comfort to her in a way he would never know. But Tay had been right. Zac's situation WAS a little more delicate than his and she had to remember that.
Drew took a deep breath and walked into Paul's office, ready to get a move on her brand, new, distracting adventure.
_________________________________________________
DREW
"Wow, Mel, you're even more beautiful than you were before," John said quietly, obviously trying to break
the ice.
"And you look very alive," Mel spat out nastily.
Taylor's head whipped over at Drew. "WHAT?" he said quietly.
Drew wiped her eyes. She could only nod at him. She hadn't realized that Tay had never seen John before. And now he was practically unrecognizable. John had once been a great-looking man. Tall, muscular. Great hair. And now he looked worn and ragged and sick. His hair was almost buzzed to his scalp and any ounce of muscle he used to have was now gone. There was no color to his skin. He was 40 years old but he looked 60. If it hadn't been for the utter shock of his presence, Drew probably would have felt sorry for him.
"Um, I know this may come as a shock to you--"
"Shut up," Mel said to him. "Just stop talking. Don't talk."
Drew stood stiff as a board. She and Tay kept looking at each other. Neither one, in turn, could keep their eyes off Mel. Drew knew they were both thinking the exact same thing--when was Mel going to launch
World War III? And would they be able to stop it in time?
Mel began to speak again. "How dare you? How fucking dare you? Do you have any idea what the past three years has been like for me? How fucking dare you?"
"Mel, I am so sorry--"
"Sorry? You're fucking SORRY?? I just changed my goddamn name three hours ago! THREE GODDAMN HOURS AGO!! I was fucking rid of you! I was over you and I was rid of you and here you go, traipsing in
here like you own the goddamn place with 'I'M SORRY?' FUCK YOU! FUCK YOU, YOU STUPID, STUPID BASTARD!!"
Instinctively, Tay took Mel by the arm. Drew watched as Mel threw dagger eyes at Tay and jerked her arm from his grip. Tay looked over at Drew and she just widened her eyes at him. They both knew this look and
Drew knew Tay wouldn't take it personally. They knew she was seeing red and there was absolutely nothing they could do about it but let it run it's course. When Mel's temper reached its max it was as if she were a tornado, destroying everything in it's path without a second thought. They knew she meant nothing by it. But this--this was a totally different ballgame.
John's voice remained calm. "I understand you're upset. And you have every right to be. I apologize for intruding like this, I really do. But I've missed you. I've missed you, dearly. And I just wanted to see you one last time before they send me away."
Mel crossed her arms over her chest. "They. Are "they" who you're blaming this all on? 'They?'"
"You know what I'm talking about..."
"GODDAMIT, JOHN, YOU'RE FUCKING SUPPOSED TO BE DEAD! HOW IN THE GOD AWFUL FUCK AM I SUPPOSED TO KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT??"
"I was on an undercover assignment. It was a matter of national security. It's so top secret that I just couldn't exist anymore. I hated doing that to you, Mel, I honestly did, but what else was I supposed to do?"
Drew and Tay watched Mel's body visibly tense up. Drew found her eyes searching all over Mel and around the apartment for Mel's pistol. Surely she wouldn't do anything that drastic but at this point, Drew was sure Mel was capable of anything.
"What were you supposed to do, John? Really? Your life was that fucking miserable with me that you just couldn't say no?? That you had to go and fake your own fucking death to get away from me??"
"Mel, I swear to god it wasn't about you. The FBI needed me--"
"Fuck the FBI. You chose your goddamn job over your wife! I thought you were dead! How in the fuck is that supposed to make me feel now?"
"I had to do it. I may not have survived the mission. I needed to get my affairs in order. They had to wipe out my identity, for my safety and yours."
"I think you better be more goddamn afraid for your safety right now," Mel said quietly.
Chills ran through Drew's spine to hear Mel use this dark and sinister tone of voice she'd never heard her use before. "Mel," Drew said to her, finally feeling it was time to step in.
Mel whipped her head around and looked at Drew. Drew didn't recognize her. "What?" Mel asked. "He doesn't exist anymore, didn't you hear him? Nobody would even know he was gone..."
"Mel, listen to yourself!" Drew hissed.
"It's okay, Drew," John said to her. "I deserve it."
"You're damn right you do, John" Mel focused her attention back on John. "Or are you even John anymore?"
"Um, not legally. My name is Tony now."
Mel scoffed. "Tony, huh? You don't even look like a goddamn Tony. So, TONY, you seem to forget, I used to be on the goddamn force, too. I know how these undercover assignments work. Spouses are allowed to know certain details. You could have told me SOMETHING! But you preferred to pretend to die? You are so goddamn despicable to really choose that over me...how fucking dare you? Have you ANY idea what I've been through? Any fucking idea??"
"Would you have really wanted to live your life like that? Not knowing? Wondering what happened to me? Wondering where I was? Waiting by the phone for updates? That's no way to live. It was better for you this way. And one day, you'll realize that."
"THEN WHY THE FUCK DID YOU COME HERE? WHY THE FUCK DID YOU WASTE YOUR GODDAMN TIME? I COULD HAVE GONE THE REST OF MY LIFE NOT FUCKING KNOWING BECAUSE YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO BE GODDAMN DEAD! GODDAMMIT!!"
"I wanted to see you."
"Your mother's dead. Did you know that? She's dead. She died two months ago."
"I know," he said quietly.
Mel scoffed. "Of course you do. She wrote me a letter. You know because she thought you were dead. Because legally you ARE. She apologized to me. She regretted the way she broke her contact with us. She fucking regrets not being able to say she loved you before you were allegedly murdered. And now she's dead and here the fuck you are. Was the FBI worth it, John? Was the FBI worth your ENTIRE FUCKING LIFE? You better fucking say it was."
"I can't change the past..."
"Did you know she left me everything? Every single damn thing she owned? I'm worth 12 goddamn million dollars right now. 12 million dollars that rightfully belongs to you. THAT'S WHY YOU'RE FUCKING HERE!! You're here to claim it, aren't you? I knew there was an ulterior motive here."
John looked at Taylor and then at Drew. "Would it be okay if we had a few minutes alone?"
Drew looked over at Taylor and he back at her. She knew they both felt the same--neither one wanted to leave her alone with him. But Drew liked to think she knew John and she wanted to have faith in the fact that he was still the same person at heart. She nodded toward Tay, but he wouldn't budge. Drew again nodded her head toward the kitchen and he reluctantly followed.
"We'll be in the next room," Drew said to Mel, giving John one last knowing look before she took Tay out of the room.
In the kitchen Tay fought to not lose his shit. He ran his hands through his hair and let out a long breath. "What the fuck is happening in there?" He asked Drew.
Drew shook her head, bewildered. "I don't even really know what to think right now. I mean, I wasn't married to him but I knew him just as well. This is so fucking crazy..."
"So that's it, then. She's married and her husband is back. And here I thought I was going to lose her to Jason..." Tay paced back and forth, unable to stay still.
Drew attempted to place a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Tay, she's not going anywhere. The man she married is John Bradshaw and John Bradshaw is dead. By law she isn't married to him anymore."
"I mean, she's fucking freaking out. I mean, can you imagine? Being in her shoes right now?"
Drew looked at him incredulously. "Uh, well we are kind of in her shoes right now. She's not the only one in shock right now."
"But she's the only one who married him."
"Yeah, but how many dead men walking have you ever seen?"
Tay tried to crack a smile at Drew's lame attempt at a joke, but it was short-lived. "How is she going to come back from this?" he asked. "Will we ever get her back?"
New tears sprang to Drew's eyes and she hastily wiped them away. "I, uh, I really don't know. This is a side of Mel that I've never seen before. Tay, she was going to kill him, did you know that?"
Tay smirked at Drew. "You're exaggerating just a little."
Drew's expression was serious as she shook her head. "No. I believe she may have tried it. Mel has...when things get to be too much, all the sees is emotion and she lets it rule her. Her sense of logic and reason, like, fly out the window."
"Oh, I know," Tay said. "She and I are very similar that way."
"But not like this," Drew said. "It's not the same anymore. After John died--well, after he allegedly died--she went to an entirely different level. A completely different level that neither you or I are familiar with. Sometimes it scares me..."
"Are you saying she's crazy?"
"God, no! Just more...like a looser cannon...for three years she's felt like she's had nothing to lose. I mean, first you and now him--every man she's ever loved has left her in a traumatic way. How she hasn't gone
crazy is really nothing short of a miracle."
"You're not telling me I should be afraid of her?"
"Um, no..." Drew responded in thought. "Just know what you're getting into when you piss her off from now on. You never know which side of her you're going to get. You may get typical angry Mel, or you may be looking in a mirror at yourself from ten years ago."
Tay's eyes landed on Drew's, and she could see the pain and concern filling them. "It's like that? She's like...me? Like I was? Back then?"
"Sometimes. But multiply it by ten. Tay, I've seen her bring 250 pound men to their knees. Now granted, she was trained to do that with the police department, but she shows no fear. She isn't afraid of anybody or anything or any consequence. And I think that's what the most dangerous part is. Tay, she doesn't really have anything to live for."
That was when Taylor punched the hole in the kitchen wall.
"Dammit, Tay!" Drew said.
______________________________________________
MEL
"Can we sit? I can't stay long," John said, still keeping his composure.
Mel hated that he had let her go off on him. She hated that he continued to be so calm and so kind to her, never once raising his voice or taking a tone with her. She hated that, for a brief moment, he made her
miss the man he used to be and how happy their life had been together. But then when she snapped back into the reality, she looked at him and realized that he wasn't the man that she had married. And he never would be again.
Mel invited him to sit on the sofa and sat facing toward him, careful to keep a safe distance away. "Mel, I don't want the money," John said to her.
Mel narrowed her eyes at him. "Why wouldn't you? It's rightfully yours."
"No. It isn't. My mother left it to you, legally, fair and square. I didn't come here for any of that. I'm glad that you're taken care of. That's all I ever wanted for you. I never wanted you to want or need for anything."
"Are you saying your mother knew about this?"
John shook his head. "She had no idea. I had to leave everyone in the dark. I knew she would leave it all to you when she found out I was gone. Who else was left?"
Mel found herself begin to calm and almost soften a little. The shock was wearing off. Well, the shock would never actually wear off, but it would become bearable. "She loved you. She wanted you to know that she loved you. I'm sorry I didn't keep the letter. I didn't see the point..."
"It's perfectly fine. Don't even worry about it. I really just wanted to stop by and check up on you. I know this is quite a shock, I mean--I am so sorry to have just popped up on you like this. I've been--I've been keeping an eye out here for over a month now..."
"You've been spying on me??"
"I'm sorry. I wanted to see you and I just didn't know how...and then I got assigned to North Dakota--"
"What the fuck is in North Dakota?"
"Uh, witness protection. I just came back off assignment recently. That's why I don't have much time today, I'm not supposed to be gone long. I have to get back."
"So--so, what were you doing for three years?"
"Uh...I really can't say. I'm sorry. I can only tell you that it's a matter of national security. It's been resolved for the time being, but--we can never be too sure. Mel, this is the last time you and I will see each other. I wanted--I wanted to give you a proper goodbye. I have missed you so much, you can't ever imagine. And I'll
miss you long after today. But I have to go."
Mel felt a lump forming in her throat. She didn't know if it was John--or Tony, or whoever he was at the moment--or the emotions involved in the situation that made her start to cry, but she did and she couldn't stop herself. She cried silently as John lifted her chin and placed a soft, gentle kiss on her lips.
"Take care of yourself, kid," he said to her. And with that, he stood up and walked out the front door.
When the door closed behind him, Mel began to sob uncontrollably. How dare he? She could have remained blissfully unaware of him for the rest of her life. And now he shows up here--Mel didn't know what to do with herself. The anger and the rage built and built inside her to a breaking point that, without thinking, caused her to pick up the Waterford lamp closest to her and hurl it against the wall, listening to it shatter into a million pieces.
It was at that moment and Taylor and Drew came speeding into the room.
___________________________________________________
TAYLOR
Taylor got to her first. Without a second thought, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. She sobbed so loudly that it physically hurt his heart. She grabbed fistfuls of material on the front of his shirt and buried her face in his shoulder. As he held her, he began to feel her tears slowly soaking through his shirt. He didn't care. Tears sprang to his own eyes as he fought them back, upset by Mel's pain. When she hurt, he hurt. It had always been their way.
He let her cry and cry and only spoke when he felt she might have been calming down. "Mel," he said quietly. He lifted her face to look at him. "Mel. I gotta get this cleaned up," he said, referring to the
glassy mess she created in the floor all around them. He was grateful that they all wore shoes at the moment. "Just sit down for a minute, okay? And give me a couple of minutes to get this stuff up."
Mel's eyes widened and, to his surprise, he saw fear in them. She shook her head rapidly and gripped his shirt tighter. "No. No no no no no."
"Mel, it's okay. I promise. I have to get this cleaned up before someone gets hurt. Okay? Just sit here next to Drew. It'll only take me few minutes. I'll only be a couple feet away."
He led her to the sofa where Drew met them and he left them there to find a broom and dust pan to clean up the crystal shards that now covered an entire corner of the living room.
Once he finished, he returned to the sofa and took a seat between Mel and Drew. He allowed Mel to curl up to him and wrapped an arm around her. He then used his spare arm to pull Drew in, too. A normal man
would feel like a stud in this situation but what he felt was so far from that it was like being in another universe. These two women had just had the shock of their lives and there was only one of him to go around. And they both needed someone. He loved them both in two completely different ways and had absolutely no problem being there for them.
It was dusk when Taylor opened his eyes again. On one side of him, Drew slept curled up at the other end of the sofa and in his lap Mel had rested her head on a throw pillow and slept soundly. Slowly and quietly,
he moved himself from underneath her, gently laying the throw pillow, her head on it, on the sofa where he had been sitting. He stepped outside through the sliding glass door and called his brother. "Ike, I gotta stay another night."
Isaac sighed. "Tay, we don't really have time for this."
"Well, Ike, I gotta make time. Something happened and I can't leave yet."
"What's going on?"
Tay sighed, not believing that he was actually going to say it out loud. "Um, Mel's husband showed up today."
Ike was silent for a moment. "Do WHAT?"
"The whole thing was fucking insane. Everything's great one moment, me and Mel and Drew talking and having a good time, next moment the doorbell is ringing and there he is."
"But...I thought he was dead..."
"Yeah, so did everyone else. Turns out he's been undercover with the FBI all this time. Got a new identity, the works."
Ike let out a breath. "This is the craziest damn thing I've ever heard."
"Yeah, tell me about it. Anyway, Ike, I just can't leave them here tonight. Not after this. They can't be alone, it wouldn't be right."
"Yeah...yeah...I agree," Ike said. "Hey, uh, you think Nikki and I should come up there?"
"Uh," Tay said, glancing inside at the two women sleeping on the sofa. "Uh, I really think she could use the support. Both of them could."
"Um, okay. Let me talk to Nikki and if we can get a flight out early enough we could be there around one or two tomorrow. Okay?"
"Uh, yeah. Yeah, great," Tay said.
"Hey, it kinda sounds like you might need me there, too."
Tay laughed lightly. "It definitely wouldn't hurt."
Ike chuckled. "Okay. Let me get ahold of Zac and I'll let you know when we're on the way."
_______________________________________
NATALIE
"Hey, Nat, what's up?"
Natalie was relieved that she didn't end up with voicemail when she called her best friend. She'd been feeling a little blue these past couple of weeks and the most recent bit of information she'd received didn't help her mood one bit. "So, Tay is staying in New York again tonight."
"How come?" Kate asked.
"I don't know. He didn't say. Well, he says he's been meeting with some song writers or something, I don't know. He's being very vague. But I'm not stupid, Kate. I think it's her. I know it is."
"Well if it makes you feel any better, Zac is packing up to go there right now. And Ike and Nikki are going, too. Maybe it is a business thing. I mean, if it were that serious, why would Ike and Zac need to be there? You know?"
Natalie scrunched her nose up. "Why is Nikki going?"
"I don't know. But I ended up with the kids. They're dropping them off here tonight so that they can catch a plane early in the morning. Maybe they decided to use this as a little getaway."
"Kate, you're too kind," Natalie sneered. "I think I'm losing him."
Kate sighed on her end of the phone. "I don't know...I don't think you are. Don't take this the wrong way, but I think this whole Mel thing is throwing you for a loop. I know it's not often when a man comes to his
wife and is like 'Oh, here's my old female best friend who used to be my girlfriend.' But, Nat, he's trying to include you. If you needed to be concerned, would he be trying to let you in? Think about it."
"So you're not concerned about Drew? Because, you know, she's in New York, too."
"Um," Kate thought for a second. "No, I'm not really worried. I mean, he comes home to me every night, he takes care of the kids...he's not really jetting off to New York alone...oh, Natalie, I didn't mean for it to come
out like that--"
"But you're right. Tay IS jetting off to New York alone. This is the second time in two weeks!"
"They DO have business in New York, you know. I mean, you know that. They do go on several trips there when they're writing an album."
"I know," Natalie said in defeat. "I want to trust him, I do. I really do. I love him. But I'm afraid I really am losing him. Things feel different this time. Kate, I swear to god, I am not going to let these two little bitches ruin what we have here."
Kate giggled. "I love you, Nat. I admit, I don't really care for them either. But what can you do, you know? We can't chain our husbands to the bed or anything."
"But we can't allow them to cheat!"
"I don't really believe they're cheating. I am very secure in my relationship with Zac. If something were going on, I'd know about it. And I think maybe you should let up on Tay a little bit. Don't drive him away with jealousy. The last thing you wanna do is GIVE him an excuse to leave."
Natalie sighed. "I hate it when you have a point."
Kate laughed again. "Come over tomorrow and help this old maid look after all these rug rats. I'm definitely gonna need the help and the company!"
Natalie agreed and she and Kate hung up. She knew Kate was right and she felt a little better after talking to her. She just wished she knew how to get rid of that nagging, jealous feeling that would never seem to leave.
_________________________________________________
TAYLOR
Late that night, after Tay practically had to force dinner down Mel's and Drew's throats, he made sure they got to bed. Everyone was exhausted, including him. He hugged Drew goodnight and then escorted Mel to her own bed. He smiled to himself as she crawled in. He sort of felt like he was babysitting and he found it a little amusing.
As he said goodnight to Mel, she grabbed his wrist before he could stand up. "Don't go," she said.
She didn't need to say anything more. He kicked off his shoes and crawled under the covers with her, completely ignoring the fact that he hadn't yet had the opportunity to change for bed. At this point, he didn't really care. He pulled her close and held her tight, letting his fingers tangle themselves in her hair.
"Can you believe all of this?" Mel asked. It was the first coherent sentence he had heard her construct since John left.
"Uh, it was certainly unexpected," he responded.
"He's alive, Tay," she said, letting her voice trail off.
"I know. And I know you miss him--"
"No. I really don't," she said. "I mean, I do--I miss who he used to be. I miss our life together. But now? The man we saw today wasn't him--not even close. So, no, I really don't miss him. There's nothing left to miss."
The two of them were silent for a few minutes before Mel spoke again. "I'm really glad you stayed. But I'm sorry it had to be like this. Apologize to Natalie for me."
Tay smiled nervously into space. He chose not to respond. He hadn't told Mel that he'd lied to Natalie about what he was doing in New York. He felt like an asshole for withholding the truth from both of them, but he noticed that he was getting to the point where he didn't really care. It was horrible and he knew it, but he knew that he and Natalie were growing apart. And he also knew that he was the cause of it. But what could he do, really? There was absolutely nowhere else he wanted to be but right by Mel's side, all the time. It was obvious his heart had chosen. If he could only get his mind on board, too, he might actually be ready to make his decision.
Before he could respond to Mel's last statement, he heard her lightly snoring. He looked down to find her sound sleep. He smiled to himself and shut his own eyes. Finally relaxed, he allowed himself to
drift off to sleep.
________________________________________________
DREW
The next morning, Tay and Drew had dragged themselves out of bed. They had agreed to let Mel sleep for as long as she needed to. There was no sense in waking her up.
They met at the empty coffee pot in the kitchen. "I haven't needed coffee this desperately in a long time," Drew said.
"I know, I would fucking cut off somebody's right arm right now," Tay said.
Drew laughed. "Well put the knife away and give me a chance to brew it. If I don't eat the grinds straight out of the jar first."
They both laughed. "Hey, I want to thank you for staying," Drew said. "That was really sweet of you."
"Well, I couldn't leave you guys here alone. Not after all that madness."
"How's Mel doing?"
"Well, she said a few words last night. But she's exhausted as hell. I didn't even attempt to wake her this morning."
"Probably for the better," Drew said.
"So why are you awake?"
"I have to go meet with my agent this morning to discuss the movie. They're about to nail down filiming locations and schedule readings and rehearsals and we need to nail down all the details. Oh, did you know that Jason and I are starring together?" Drew immediately regretted the last sentence. That was the last thing that needed to come up at that moment and she knew it.
Tay laughed and ran a hand through his hair. "Oh, that guy again."
"Does Natalie know where you are?" Drew retorted, raising her eyebrows.
Tay looked at her. "Okay, okay. Fine. I'll drop it. Once and for all, this is it."
"Thank you. That would be greatly appreciated."
When the coffee finished, they couldn't seem to pour fast enough. They took their coffee at the round bar table that sat next to the sliding glass door and basked in the warmth of the morning sunlight.
"So...you and Zac..." Tay started.
Drew laughed nervously. "Oh boy. I was waiting on this conversation."
"Well, I mean, inquiring minds want to know..."
"Who's inquiring?"
"Right now, just me. Ike would prefer to stay completely out of it."
"That's probably wise," Drew agreed.
"So what's up?"
Drew narrowed her eyes at him. "Are you wanting to know if we're having sex?"
"Well I wasn't going to be quite so blunt. More like what's going on...is there a relationship forming or what?"
Drew sighed and sipped her coffee. "I don't really know, to be honest. I don't think he knows what he wants. I know what I would LIKE to happen but I would never, in a million years, ask him to leave his
family. That would be completely wrong. So we're just letting happen what's going to happen. One of these days he'll figure it out and we'll see where we are at that point."
Tay smiled nervously. "You're starting to sound like Mel."
"Well, put yourselves in our shoes."
"Yeah, I get it. I know it's crazy...but the two of you virtually show back up out of nowhere after so long...don't pretend like it didn't fuck you two up, too."
Drew laughed. "Oh it has, don't get me wrong. And it's frustrating as hell having the feelings that we do and having the limitations that we have--you know, considering the circumstances."
"So you still have feelings for Zac."
"Of course I do. He and I parted on mutual terms. It wasn't like Mel and you when--well--I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring that up."
Tay sipped his coffee. "It's okay. We've talked about it and dealt with it."
"I'm glad. And to answer your question, Zac and I are taking it a day at a time. Whatever happens, happens."
"Hm," Tay nodded in thought. "Well I can't speak for Zac. I know his situation is a little more delicate than mine. But as far as I'm concerned...Drew, I can't live without her. I seriously can't. Like, life was moving on smoothly until that night at the show. And now it's like I'm nothing if I lose her again. But the idea of divorcing Natalie scares the shit out of me."
"Because she'll take you for everything you're worth?"
"No..." Tay contemplated. "It has nothing to do with the money or anything like that. It's like...a security blanket, for lack of a better analogy. Like, when you've been used to the same thing for ten years and been through life with someone and going through the things you've been through together--that's not something you can just drop and walk away from cold turkey. It's not that easy. There's a part of me that still
cares for her and is concerned for her and will be sad to see her go. It's one thing to let go of someone out of two or three or even four or five years, but ten years? That's a long time. And that's what I'm struggling
with."
"I hate to break it to you," Drew said, finishing the last drop of coffee in her cup and reaching for the pot to pour another. "But you don't have a lot of time. I don't want you to feel pressured or anything, but--I mean,
I know she feels the same for you. Any idiot would know. But she's not playing around this time. I'm sure she understands your position, but don't expect her to just be around whenever you decide you're ready. The
ball is in your court right now."
"I know..." Tay let his voice trail off and the two of them spied Mel walking into the room, fresh-faced and ready to take on the world.
Neither one of them were aware that she was awake, much less showered and dressed, and Drew was otherwise shocked by the smile Mel wore on her face. Drew looked at Tay and raised her eyebrows in
suspicion. Knowing what Drew was silently asking, Tay shook his head in response.
"Good morning," Mel said, helping herself to Tay's coffee cup. "What's the juicy gossip?"
"What's with the sunny disposition?" Drew asked, puzzled.
Mel continued to grin, triumphantly. "I just flushed my wedding rings down the toilet."
Tay let out an uncontrollable, shocked laugh and Drew choked. "You did what??"
"Flushed them. Gone. My hands are officially washed of this. The penthouse is sold, I'm about to make money off of the Hamptons house and I'm about to sell this one and the other two. I have my name back and I am DONE."
Drew's eyes were still wide in disbelief. "You could have given them to me! Those things were worth a fortune! I could have pawned them or sold them or something!"
Mel smiled skeptically. "Drew. You saw what happened yesterday. They were ultimately, completely worthless. Maybe I just made some poor sewer worker's day or something."
Drew noticed that Mel had completely ignored Tay's lack of coffee and continued to treat his cup as her own. Finally giving up the fight to get it back, Tay said, "Uh, you want me to grab you a mug?"
"Nope," she said matter-of-factly. "This one's fine."
"Uh, okay..." he said, a little taken aback. Drew looked across the table at him and couldn't help but giggle. This interaction took her back. Way back. She wished Zac were there. She wished they could all be whole again. She missed all of them together. She missed this.
"So...can I have some more of MY coffee?" Tay asked her, amused.
Mel looked at him blankly. "Huh?"
He glanced at the cup in her hand. "OH! Oh my god, I am so sorry!"
She gave Tay back his mug and he finished what was left, poured a fresh cup and absent-mindedly gave it back to Mel. "So Ike and Nikki are on their way here," he continued. "I told him what was going on last night and they wanted to be here."
"Aw, that's nice," Drew said. "That's so sweet of them to take time to be here. Uh, what about Zac?"
"I'm honestly not sure. Ike said he would contact him and I haven't heard back, so I'm assuming he got in contact with him. I'm sure he'd have said something if he hadn't."
When the coffee post was empty and Drew's cell started ringing, she knew it was getting closer to time to meet with Paul. She sighed to herself as she walked down the street, thinking back on her conversation with Tay. She was glad to have that time alone with him. They had been close friends back when he and Mel were together and she had begun to forget how special a friendship it had been. They had been each other's confidants. Sometimes if it weren't for each other, both of their relationships could have potentially gone down the tubes earlier than they had. Sure, Tay could be a pretentious asshole sometimes but that was just him and you just had to know how to deal with him. She knew he never meant any of it.
She was also appreciative that Ike and Nikki were visiting. She just wished that Zac was coming, too. She really did need him right now. She knew his presence would have been a huge comfort to her in a way he would never know. But Tay had been right. Zac's situation WAS a little more delicate than his and she had to remember that.
Drew took a deep breath and walked into Paul's office, ready to get a move on her brand, new, distracting adventure.
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