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"You always loved it when I called you that." He scowled over his shoulder at the direction in which Justin had gone. "Before him."
No, she hadn't loved it. Bruce calling her baby had made her feel like they were stuck in a fifties-era relationship where he was supposed to bring home the bacon and she was supposed to fry it up in a pan. After making sure the kids were bathed and in bed, of course, by the time he got home from his stressful job in a world far beyond her little homestead. It almost made her laugh as she realized that he did, in fact, have quite a high-powered job in banking, having risen quickly through the ranks in Rochester, and she was frying up quite a bit of bacon these days for her guests.
In any case, as she'd said to Justin a few days earlier, Bruce wasn't a bad guy. He just wasn't for her.
There was no point in hurting him further, so she didn't correct his erroneous assumption. She simply topped up his coffee and started scrambling eggs. She'd skip the bacon today.
"Your B&B is nice, Taylor."
She could see that he meant it, but his compliment didn't mean nearly as much to her as Justin's had when she'd given him the tour on his first day. Perhaps she should be gracious and offer Bruce a tour as well, but she wasn't feeling particularly gracious at the moment.
"Thank you." And then, since he'd made the effort of flying all the way out here, she asked, "How is everything going for you in Rochester? How's your job? Your family?" She made sure to look pointedly at him as she added, "Your girlfriend?" Her mother had slipped up on the phone a few weeks back and mentioned that he was dating someone. Taylor had been nothing but happy for Bruce. After all, he hadn't only wasted her years--she'd also wasted his.
"She's nothing to me. Not like you are."
Taylor fought the urge to roll her eyes. "Seriously, Bruce, you don't need to say that."
"You're the love of my life." He reached for her hand so that the spatula dropped onto the counter and she nearly burned herself on the iron skillet. "You're the light in my eyes. You're the beating of my heart!"
The kitchen door was flung open. Justin was obviously on high alert, and the sound of the stainless-steel spatula clanking onto tile had been enough to make him rush back in. Before she realized it, he had Bruce's shirt in his fists and was dragging him out of the kitchen.
"Justin," she said, "please, wait--"
The words dried up in her throat as another familiar face and figure came swinging in through the front door. Bruce wasn't the only one who had decided to surprise her with a visit.
Her mother had too.
*
Justin couldn't believe it. First, he and Taylor had to deal with her ex, who obviously wanted Taylor back. And now her mother, who hated Justin and wanted her to get back together with Bruce, was here too?
But when he caught sight of Taylor's face and saw how pale she was, he dropped her ex's shirt to rush over to help her to the couch, where he sat beside her and stroked her back until he felt her breathing return to normal.
She'd wanted to deal with Bruce on her own, and he knew how strong she was. But they were a team now, which meant they stood by each other, no matter what. And this kind of stress was the very last thing she needed right now.
"Oh, honey!" Her mother looked horribly upset as she sank to her knees in front of her daughter. "You swore you were taking care of yourself, but I can see that you aren't."
"She's been doing great until now," Justin told Taylor's mother before she could reply for herself.
Caroline Cardenes looked at him with barely concealed dislike. Actually, there was nothing concealed about it. "I'm Taylor's mother. I can see when my daughter is in pain." Dismissing him completely, she turned her entire focus on Taylor. "Sweetie, do you need to lie down? Or have something to drink? Or call the doctor?"
"Mom." Taylor held up a hand. "I'm fine. Everything's going to be okay."
Over the past few days, he had heard her say that enough times to realize it was a mantra of sorts. One he had the feeling she said more to soothe the people around her than because she actually believed it.
Footsteps sounded on the stairs. Taylor's guests were on their way down for one of her delicious breakfasts. Hearing it too, she stood. "I need to get to work."
"I'm here to take care of you now," her mother declared, "so you don't have to worry about anything anymore."
"If you'd like to help me make breakfast, that's fine, but I am going to do my job." Taylor's voice was low-pitched but full of steel. "And then when my guests are gone for the day, you and Bruce and I can have a chat."
Her mother looked stunned by her daughter's determination. "Of course, honey. I'll just go tidy up from my flight, and then you can let me know what you need help with in the kitchen."
Once her mother was gone, Taylor turned to Bruce. "I would appreciate it if you stayed right here until breakfast is ready." Her ex looked as though he might argue, but then nodded instead.
Justin was next in line. "We need to talk." Taking his hand, she pulled him out to the front porch. No doubt she was going to lay into him for manhandling her ex--but he'd do it again in a heartbeat. Even the guy putting his hand over hers was enough to make Justin see red. Bruce had touched her for the last time, as far as he was concerned.
"I love you," she said the moment the door closed behind them, "but I don't need you to fight my battles for me. Not with my mother or Bruce."
"I love you," he said back, "so I can't help but want to fight your battles." He was pleased when the corners of her mouth quirked up a tiny bit at his response, even if it hadn't been what she wanted to hear.
She sighed, finally letting her defenses down as she said, "I can't believe they're here. I mean, it's always good to see my mom, but this drama with Bruce is just one more thing I don't want to deal with right now."
"However you need me, whatever you need me to do," he told her, "just say it, and I'll be there for you."
"Well, for starters, please try not to get into a fight with Bruce. I know the two of you aren't going to become friends." He couldn't hold back a snort at the thought of ever becoming friends with the guy. "But that doesn't mean you need to punch each other's lights out either." When his eyebrows went up, she said, "Okay, so I know the punching out would only go one way. But you know what I mean. And second, but even more important, you can't say anything to my mom about wanting to be a donor. She'll get her hopes up, and then if it doesn't work out, she'll be crushed."
"It's going to work out."
Taylor's eyes narrowed. "Just because you might be a compatible donor for me doesn't mean I'm going to let you do it."
Damn it, he knew better than to push her like this. But the shock of dealing with her surprise guests had made him forget he needed to go slowly, to make sure that any decisions were as much hers as his.
"You're right." He pulled her close and brushed a kiss on her forehead. "You don't need your mother breathing down your neck on top of everything else."
She rested her cheek against his chest for a moment, clearly relieved by his agreement. "I should go inside." She drew back with obvious reluctance. "Now remember, play nice with Bruce. Or, better yet," she said as she put her hand on the doorknob, "maybe you should go for a run and burn off some of that steam I can see coming out of your ears."
It was probably a good idea, but he didn't want to leave her alone with the guy. Who knew what Bruce would try to pull? Hell, Justin knew firsthand just how much it must hurt to have made the mistake of letting her go. There was nothing a guy wouldn't do to try to get her back, which was why Justin didn't trust Bruce as far as he could throw him.
Gritting his teeth, Justin had to deliberately relax his fists as he stepped inside. Bruce was standing by the window, acting like he was scrolling through messages on his phone, but Justin wouldn't be surprised if he'd had his face pressed up against the glass trying to read their lips while they'd been talking on the porch.
To be fair, her ex wasn't a bad-looking guy--tall and broad, with dark hair. Justi
n could see what Taylor must have found attractive about him all those years ago. But there was a weakness to his chin--and a smallness to his fingers--that tipped the scales in the wrong direction. To Taylor's mother, Bruce might seem like the safer choice, the choice she could not only predict but also dictate to, but he definitely wasn't the better choice. Not by a long shot.
"Your smile, and your huge heart, can charm absolutely anyone."
It was what Justin's mother used to say to him when he got bad-tempered over things not going his way. Everyone thought he was the more cerebral twin compared to Sean, but when push came to shove, Justin was actually the one more likely to push and shove. Probably because Sean had plenty of sports-based physical outlets for his frustration, whereas the lab wasn't exactly conducive to pitching a fit, unless Justin wanted to clean up shards of test tubes afterward.
Justin didn't care one whit about charming Bruce. Not bashing the guy's head in would be a win. But Caroline Cardenes was another matter entirely. Taylor loved her mother and respected her opinion. And one day soon, when Justin was more than just Taylor's boyfriend, he hoped to have Taylor's mother on both their sides.
The easiest way to get on her good side would be to tell her his plans to donate a kidney to her daughter. But he couldn't go back on his promise to keep that information between him and Taylor for now. So he'd have to do things the hard way--smiling when he felt like cursing and keeping his hands in his pockets when he felt like wringing Bruce's neck.
Justin had to prove to Taylor's mother that he was not only the better man for her daughter, but also someone she could count on to take care of Taylor the way she and her husband did. With pure, unconditional love.
Thankfully, he'd learned everything he needed to know about unconditional love from his parents. And as long as he kept his mother's voice in his head, he'd find a way to do what needed to be done.
Even when it meant walking up to Taylor's ex, holding out his hand, and saying, "Sorry about what happened earlier. I hope you'll agree to start over. I'm Justin Morrison, and it's nice to finally meet you after all these years."
