Kayla sat in her car and stared at the prescription she'd just received from Dr. Frankie. Anti-anxiety medication. Her doctor assured her over and over that it was safe for her to take them while pregnant. Kayla still wasn't convinced, however she figured the levels of anxiety she'd been feeling the past few days couldn't have been all that great for the baby either. It had been 2 days since Kayla had left Georgia. She knew the guys, with the exception of Taylor, were due back later that evening and all she felt was dread. As mad as she was at Taylor for telling everyone she was pregnant, she knew her anxiety wasn't his fault. He was trying to do the right thing. The situation she was in was less than ideal, however she knew that the band-aid had been officially ripped off and that was what she had really been dreading all long. Or so she thought. She sat in her car, replaying over and over the looks on everyone's face when Taylor confirmed to Zac's face that Kayla was pregnant. Replaying the things their mother had said about her. She wondered to herself if she believed whether or not Diana had really meant what she'd said, or if she was simply speaking out of anger. There was a part of her that hoped never to find out.
Pulling herself out of her thoughts, she stuck her key into the ignition and fired up the car to life. She began the short drive home in silence. Usually music, or any background noise, helped her calm the thoughts that swam around in her head. Today, everything sounded like white noise over faint whispers. No matter how much she tried or how much she strained, nothing made sense. She was about half way home when her phone began to ring. She grabbed it from the passenger side seat and looked at the caller I.D.
Incoming Call From
ZAC
Kayla hit the side button, silencing the ringing phone, before tossing it back onto the seat. She wasn't ready to talk to him. She knew she'd have to eventually, but she still had a few more hours before he'd be home and she had every intention of ignoring him until that time came.
She pulled to the front curb of her home, and placed her car into park. She grabbed her purse as she reached for her phone. Once in her hand, she saw the front screen illuminated.
New Text Message From
ZAC
I really hope that you are ignoring me and that nothing's happened to you. I've been calling you since you left and you haven't picked up or replied to any texts. Taylor said he can't get a hold of you either. Not cool. We obviously have a lot to talk about. But for now please let someone know you're alive.
Kayla felt bad, instantly. She hadn't even realized what they must have been going through not being able to reach her after she'd left the wedding. She'd returned to her hotel room and had asked the concierge to arrange to get her on the first available flight back. She hadn't thought about what Zac had gone through when he returned to their room and she and her things were gone.
She hit the "reply" button on her phone and stared at the blinking cursor for a moment while she gathered her thoughts. She typed a quick message before shutting the phone and making her way towards her front door. Once inside she put her things on the couch and went into the kitchen. She grabbed a water bottle and twisted it open a she walked back into the living room. She took a drink of water and sat down on the couch. She took a few deep breaths before turning on the T.V. and laying her body down. She felt her eyelids getting heavy and allowed herself to close them. Exhaustion began to take over and she allowed herself to relax for the first time in days.
**********
Zac jumped when he felt his phone buzz as he was putting it back into his pocket. He'd been calling and texting Kayla constantly for the past two days with no response to either, so he certainly wasn't expecting to hear back from her almost right after sending his last text. He pulled out his phone and flipped it open, revealing the text she'd sent him.
New Text Message From
Kayla
Hey. I'm sorry. I'm home and I'm fine. I'll see you guys when you get home.
Zac let out a frustrated sigh as he shut his phone closed, forecefully.
"What's wrong with you?" Isaac asked as he walked up behind his brother and sat in the chair across from him.
"Really?" Zac asked, annoyed. He looked at Isaac who sat quietly, sipping his coffee. They were waiting for their van to pick them up from their hotel to take them to the airport. "I finally heard from Kayla," Zac finally answered.
Isaac raised his eyebrows, "And?" he asked as he set his cup on the table between them. "What did she say?"
"She's home," Zac answered. Isaac waited a few moments before concluding there were no more parts to Zac's response.
"Well, at least she made it safely, right?"
"Yeah, I guess," was all Zac could reply.
They sat in silence for a few moments before a staff member from the front desk walked over to inform them the van was there.
"So," Isaac began once they'd settled into the backseat and had began driving towards the airport, "What are you gonna do?"
"What do you mean, what am I going to do? I'm going to have a baby, apparently," Zac replied, frustrated. He hadn't really spoken to anyone since the wedding. Walker had informed his siblings to leave him alone for the time being. He knew Zac had a million thoughts racing through his brain.
"I know that," Isaac replied, "But I mean, about Kayla? And Kate? Have you given that situation any thought?"
"What about Kate?" Zac defended, "Things between she and I are over. We broke up months ago. She claims it was a break. Whatever it is, or was, it's done now. I don't think it would be very appropriate to try to work things out with her right now, even if that was what I wanted, anyway."
"Well, do you?" Isaac asked.
"Do I what?" Zac retorted.
"Want to work things out with Kate? I mean, we all know Kayla, and if you stay with her just because she's pregnant, you know it's not going to end well."
"What do you mean just because she's pregnant? She's going to have my baby, Ike. What kind of a fucking jerk would I be to try to reconcile with the ex girlfriend that I've been cheating on with Kayla, this entire time, now that I know she's pregnant?" Zac was fuming. He couldn't fathom whatever logic his brother was trying to convey.
"I'm not saying that, Zac," Isaac defended, "All I'm saying is... okay forget about Kate. Do you think Kayla is going to be okay being with you after what she heard what you said to Kate at the wedding?"
Zac remained quiet. He knew Isaac was right. He knew Kayla was mad at him, but he wasn't thrilled with her either. He knew whatever conversation they ended up having, wasn't necessarily going to be a walk in the park. He opted to remain quiet for the rest of their drive, and Isaac didn't push any further. He wasn't sure what he and Zac would be walking into once they arrived home, but he knew it was going to be tough for all parties involved. He said a silent prayer for God to allow him to be whatever Kayla and Zac would need him to be.
*****
Kayla felt her body shaking, slightly, followed by a voice calling her name. She kept her eyes closed, willing whomever it was to leave her alone. A few moments later, she felt the shaking again.
"Hey, Kayla... Kayla wake up."
Kayla's eyes fluttered as she opened them and tried to focus her vision. Once the fuzziness was gone, she saw Taylor kneeling next to the couch.
"What are you doing here?" Kayla asked as she sat up. She ran her hand over her face as she tried to stop the pounding headache working it's way from the nape of her neck to her temples.
"We wanted to make sure you were okay," Taylor began. Kayla looked past him and saw Natalie standing a few feet behind.
"Hey," Natalie spoke, offering Kayla a small but warm smile.
"I'm sorry," was all Kayla managed to choke out before the tears took over again. Natalie made her way over to her and embraced her, tightly.
"Hey, it's okay, really. At the very least, everyone knows now so you can move past that fear and start to get things in order for your baby. Trust me, I know exactly what you're going through," Natalie's words did little to comfort Kayla, but the fact that she was there, offering her kindness after she and Taylor all but almost ruined her wedding, spoke volumes to Kayla. She held onto Natalie a few moments longer before releasing her grip on her. Natalie stayed by her side, however, "Also, I think Taylor has a few things he'd like to say to you," she commented as she finally stood from Kayla's side and turned to look at her husband. She nodded at him as she made her way to the dining room to allow them some privacy.
Kayla grabbed a tissue from the side table as Taylor took a seat on the couch next to her. He sat quietly as Kayla wiped at her face, then threw her hair up into a knot on the top of her head. Taylor observed her; the way she tried her hardest to hide all of the pain and fear he knew she was feeling inside. Once she had situated herself, she turned her body slightly towards Taylor. She glanced at him, then turned her eyes down to her hands in her lap. There was an awkward air around them, and Kayla hated it. She had always been comfortable around him and the same went for him. She was so afraid that the situation she was in was beginning to change the relationship she had with the most important people in her life, now that it was out in the open.
"Kayla, I'm sorry," Taylor spoke, suddenly, causing Kayla to jump slightly as she turned her eyes to his face.
"Sorry for what?" Kayla asked, surprised, "I'm the one who almost ruined your wedding. And I had no right to speak to you that way, you were only trying to help and I--"
"Kayla!" Taylor interrupted her, chuckling slightly, "Let me finish. You didn't do anything wrong. A lot of things happened at my wedding that shouldn't have, but I should have never allowed my anger to get the best of me. You were right, it wasn't the time or the place and you were also right when you said it wasn't my business to tell," he paused slightly.
"Taylor, I--" Kayla began.
"I said some things to you that I shouldn't have. And I apologize for those things because I never want to make you feel like you can't come to me. I'm glad that Zac knows, but I know I went about things the wrong way and I made you deal with something that you may not have been ready to deal with. I'm truly sorry, Kayla, and I hope you can forgive me."
Kayla had already started crying during Taylor's speech, so she didn't even try to respond. Instead she reached out to him, and he took her in his arms. He held her tightly as she sobbed, uncontrollably. After a few moments, she finally pulled back, "Thank you. For everything. Maybe your delivery wasn't the greatest, but I know you did what you did because you were trying to protect me. And you were right, Tay, I have been putting a lot on you and for that, I apologize. I threw all of my problems and fears on you when I should have been talking to Zac about it. You have no idea how grateful I am for you, especially these last few weeks. Months, hell, years!" Taylor let out a small laugh before Kayla continued, "You have been my best friend lately, and please know, I am so thankful to have you in my life."
Taylor could feel the lump in his throat and the tears in his eyes forming. Kayla had been in his life for most of it; he'd seen her grow up and she was like a sister to him. More importantly though, she was his friend and he was glad that they were able to talk and work their way through this hiccup.
"Okay, so are we all good now? You two kiss and make up yet?" Natalie asked as she made her way back into the living room. The sound of her voice caught Kayla off guard, however she figured she'd better start getting used to it since she'd be moving into their home with them sometime in the next few weeks.
"Yes, thank you," Kayla answered, as she stood to hug Natalie, again, "Well, minus the kissing part, cuz that's gross. I'll leave that to you," She joked, as she released Natalie and sat back down. Natalie laughed at Kayla's response. "What are you guys doing here, anyway? I thought you guys were flying out after the wedding?"
"We were," Natalie breathed out, as she sat in Taylor's chair, "But we needed to come talk to you first. Plus my blood pressure's been a little high, so we decided to wait. My doctor said it would most likely be safe for me to fly in a few weeks, as long as I can get it under control, but I think we're going to wait until he's born," she placed her hand on her growing baby bump, as she looked down and smiled.
"High blood pressure? Did your doctor say why it's high?" Kayla asked, concerned.
"It's pretty normal for that to happen, but I think all of the running around and craziness of the wedding may have added to why. I'm hoping now that it's all over, and I have some time to relax, we'll get back to normal," Natalie answered.
Kayla was quiet as she took in Natalie and her words. She felt like she was looking at a glimpse into her very near future. She had so many questions and concerns and she was immediately grateful for Natalie being around.
"Once everyone gets settled in and you have the conversations you need to have, we can talk. I'm sure you have a lot of questions," Natalie began, as if she were reading Kayla's mind, "but what I will tell you right now is, as uncomfortable as the next few days or weeks may be for you, make sure you get it out. Whatever questions or concerns you have for everyone else, get it all out in the open now. Your appearance may not change for a while, but you're going to be going through changes physically, emotionally and mentally, constantly. You need all the peace and quiet and calm you can get. The only way you're going to get it is by nipping all this back and forth and anger in the bud, now."
Kayla took in her words, but didn't speak. She nodded her head as she let the words sink in, hoping that in the heat of moments to come, she'd be able to remember them and put them into action. Kayla'd never had trouble standing up to the guys, or anyone really, but every time she told herself it was okay and that once they all talked everything would be alright, Diana Hanson's words ran from her brain to the pit of her stomach, all over again. She knew speaking to her would be the most dreadful for Kayla, and there was a part of her that wanted to run away and hide, just to avoid having to do it.
The rest of the afternoon was uneventful. Kayla, Taylor, and Natalie talked a little while longer before the newlyweds decided to take a nap. Kayla looked down at her watch. It was 1:23 PM. She knew Zac and Isaac would be home soon. She finally peeled herself from the couch and made her way around the living room. She picked up her used tissues, as well as the various bottles of water and cups that had accumulated over the couple of days she'd been home. She straightened up the kitchen a bit before she made her way down the hall and towards her and Zac's bedrooms. She stopped at his door and turned the knob. She pushed the door open and stepped inside. She was hit immediately by the sweet scent that always seemed to linger in his room, and she closed her eyes as she took it in. Almost immediately, she began to cry again. She wanted to blame the hormones, but she knew better. The weight of the news she'd been carrying around had been a lot for her to deal with, but she knew the real work still laid ahead. She wasn't sure what Zac was going to be like since she hadn't spoken to him since she'd left. She walked over to his bed and ran her fingers across his pillow. She missed him. She knew that things would never be the same. All she could do now was hope things would, eventually, be okay.