After Taryn and Patricia left, Shawn and Piper had dessert with his family, though the overall vibe was very subdued. He helped his folks clean up while Aaliyah and Jordan entertained the baby, who was getting sleepy.
"I'm going to go check on Yaz and put Piper down for the night," he said once the dishes were done.
Karen clucked her tongue. "I think she could tell that Piper knew Hendrix and Taryn. I take it you never told her about your visits?"
He sighed. "No. It would have caused a fight." Which was something he knew he was in for when he spoke with his wife.
He said goodnight to his parents after his sister and her family left and took his drowsy daughter upstairs. Unsurprisingly, Yasmin was not sleeping in bed, but was just sitting on the edge looking angry.
"We need to talk," she said quietly yet with an alarmingly sharp tone. "But obviously we can't do that until your parents are asleep."
"It's been a long day. Maybe we should wait until the morning."
"Christmas morning? You want to have this discussion with a house full of people? Perhaps your ex-wife will be here again and she can be in on it, since she's apparently still part of the family!"
Shawn chose not to respond and got Piper into her Christmas pajamas before taking her to the bathroom to brush her tiny teeth. Then he placed her in the portable crib and put on a pair of flannel pants and a t-shirt. "We can go down to the basement and talk there after my mum and dad come upstairs."
Yaz nodded but said nothing.
It was almost an hour before Manny and Karen went to bed, which Shawn and Yaz spent sitting in silence in his room. When the coast was clear, they grabbed the baby monitor and went down two flights of stairs to the rec room. She sat on one wing of the sectional and he sat on the other.
"It smells like dog down here," Yaz said as are wrinkled her nose.
Shawn couldn't smell anything other than the cinnamon scented plug-in air freshener. "Before we start, I want to avoid having a full blown fight. You did this amazing thing for me by planning this trip, and I don't think either of us wants that ruined."
"It already has been," she seethed.
"Don't say that. It's Christmas."
Yaz didn't hesitate about getting to the point. "You have seen Taryn when you've come home and so has Piper."
He'd jumped to the right conclusion that she'd caught on, but having her confirm it sent him into a panic. "Well obviously we saw her at Earl's service and the gathering at the bar afterwards."
"That's not what I was asking!"
"Okay...so yeah, I brought Piper over to see Hendrix twice. He was my dog, Yasmin! You have no idea how much I've missed him."
She gave her husband a deathly glare. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because I knew you'd flip out."
She pointed a finger at him. "Don't you dare blame me for any bad decisions you made!"
"You're right. That's not fair of me. I should have told you, and I'm really sorry that I didn't."
"You know how this looks, don't you? You came home and had two secret rendezvous with your ex-wife...it reeks of infidelity! And on top of that, you've been different ever since the funeral. I want the whole story."
He felt like a fly trapped in a spider web. No matter what he did, he was dead. Maybe the best course was to be truthful and then they could rebuild from there. "Taryn and I have a long history..." he began.
"It's not history if she's still in the picture," Yaz corrected. "And considering your entire family adores her, she isn't ever going away."
"There are definitely still ties, and that's one reason I saw her when I was last here. She showed up on Halloween not knowing I was home."
"Likely story," she mumbled under her breath. "I bet your mum or Aaliyah told her so that you two could see each other."
Shawn frowned. "Say what you want about me, but do not imply that my family has been trying to get me and Taryn together. If anything, the opposite is true! They love her, but they respect our marriage!"
"Well that's great, because you certainly don't!"
"No matter where this conversation goes, honey, you need to know right now that I want us to make things work."
Yaz's face fell, shifting instantly from angry to sad. "The way you just said that...it sounds like there's a lot more to this than just two dog visits."
The turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and pecan pie were churning in his stomach. "There is, but I need you to hear me out, okay?"
"You cheated on me, didn't you?" she whispered.
This was her worst fear, but everything was pointing to it and had been for months. Their sex life had gone from being amazing to routine, and he rarely initiated fooling around. Shawn also seemed preoccupied and was occasionally irritable, which he'd never been in the past.
"Not really." He had to keep going no matter how difficult this was. "There was a kiss. One kiss, that's all."
"One kiss with your ex-fucking-wife!"
"It was a huge mistake and I'm really sorry. She'd fallen and hurt her ankle. Something about her being so vulnerable got to me, and then I looked at the injury and we were physically close. It just happened."
"Your mouth just happened to come in contact with hers? Or do you still have feelings for her?"
He looked down at his hands which he'd been wringing to the point that they were red. "I'm always going to have some feelings for her. We were together a long time and went through a lot."
"I guess that tops marrying me and starting a family," she said coldly.
"I didn't mean it like that."
"Do you love her? Are those the feelings you have? And don't even try to lie to me, because your face will give you away."
"I love you, Yasmin." This wasn't a lie, but it also didn't answer her question.
"But?"
"But nothing. I love you and Piper and we're a happy family."
"I'm going to ask you again. Do you love Taryn?"
He stood up and started pacing. "Please don't make me answer that."
"You don't have to, because I have my answer." Tears started falling down her face.
He stopped to look at her and could see that he'd broken her heart. "It's complicated-"
"No. It's not. You love her and probably always have. That's why you saw her when you were here, and that's why you kissed her. It's also why you've kept the whole thing from me for months."
Running both hands through his hair, he said, "That's an oversimplification! I'm not happy about how I feel about Taryn and I hate that I betrayed you. We can get past this, though. You and I are strong!"
She got up and walked over to him, jabbing one of her pointy painted fingernails into his chest. "I am nobody's fool! Our marriage is obviously a sham! You and Taryn still love each other? She can have you! I'm done!"
"Don't say that," he pleaded. "I can't lose you and Piper."
Yasmin cocked her head. "That's what you're afraid of, isn't it? Losing our baby?"
"I don't want to lose either of you!"
"It's too late. Tomorrow we're going to put on a show and pretend to be a happy couple. I'm leaving right after Christmas, and I'm taking Piper with me. I'll make up some excuse."
His heart sunk. "Please don't do that."
"I can't be married to someone who loves another woman."
"I love you, too, Yasmin."
She wanted to slap him, because he obviously had no idea how pathetic that statement sounded. "I'm not willing to share you."
"Taryn is engaged and told me she never wants to see me again. I couldn't be with her even if I wanted to! This is why you and I need to work on our marriage. We can go to counseling!"
"Where was her fiancé tonight?"
"I don't know. Working? He's a doctor," he told her.
"The fact remains that if she was single and willing, you might consider being with her! That's just as bad!"
"How many times do I have to say that I'm committed to making our marriage work?" he asked.
"It's a hollow statement considering what you've done," she said through her tears. "I'm going upstairs now. I wish you could sleep down here, but that won't look good. Just give me an hour by myself and then you can come to bed."
"Yaz..." He reached out to touch her but she stepped away.
"Please don't. You'll only make this worse."
Shawn watched her go up the stairs and then collapsed on the couch, numbed by what had just transpired.