Frequently, Taylor wanted to pick up the phone, call Bennett, and ask for a quick divorce. Knowing how much he had done for her over the years stopped her every time.
Tears were silently falling down her cheeks. She sniffed a few times, and Greer could hear her. Feeling terrible, Greer said, "Darling, don't cry. I didn't mean any of that. I'm going to stay with you. It's going to be okay. We will figure this out. I don't want to fight. This is too important. You are too important. Please say something."
Now, it was Taylor's turn to be silent. After a moment, she said, "Are you sure because I want to be with you so much. I want to be with you in every way possible, but it is complicated. Please give me a little more time. I know we can work this out."
"Of course we can. It will be fine. Okay, it's late, and we both have a long day tomorrow. Dry your tears and go to bed. I will see you tomorrow night at 6:00 when I land. I will meet you at baggage claim. It's going to be okay. I promise. And, Taylor…"
"Yes?
“I," he hesitated for a moment and then said, "I…I will see you tomorrow."
"Yeah, me too."
For a second, Taylor had been sure he was going to say that he loved her. But, then, he didn't. She didn't know why she didn't say it. They were just three little words. I love you. How hard was that to say? And yet, neither one had been able to.
She had said them for years to Bennett and not meant it to the depth and level she now did for Greer. Without a doubt, she was deeply, madly in love with him. However, his harsh reaction earlier on the phone had scared her. She knew he was being driven by emotional and physical frustration. However, there was nothing she could do about it, and there probably wouldn't be for a long time.
Given that it was the second week of July, Taylor was quite concerned that she and Greer would not make it until January without breaking her marriage vows once again. They had already pushed the envelope more than she was comfortable with the last time he was in town. She didn't want to do that, but she was only human. She didn't know what they were going to do. She spent several hours worrying about that until she finally fell asleep around 3:00 in the morning.
Chapter 20
Carrington Office
Searcy, Arkansas
November 24, 2023
"Sorry to stop you again, but I am confused. So, at that point, even though you two have been…intimate, you were determined not to be again? Why?" asked Harvey.
"Because tigers don't change their stripes. My whole life, I have been a good girl. I did what was expected of me, and I followed the rules. Always, except for that one night in Gulf Shores. The guilt I felt from that was unbelievable. I was raised to believe my marriage vows meant something. My parents did not have the best marriage, but they stayed together. They taught Tatum and me to live up to our commitments.
One thing I did learn during that period is that it is a lot easier to do the right thing when you are not tempted by the wrong thing. Meaning that, until I met Greer, no man ever interested me enough even to consider cheating. After meeting him, resisting him took a tremendous amount of self-control. If I had been in the same city with him for days on end, I would have crumbled like a cookie. Not an admission I am proud of,” replied Taylor.
Nodding, Harvey said, "We all have our Achilles heels. No one gets out of this world without being addicted to something. A vice is a vice. Society decides which are acceptable and which are not. My father was a workaholic. He lived to work. Missed family dinners, school programs, and family vacations. He made a lot of money and was very successful. Society considered him a success even though his wife left him; he has no relationship with any of his children or grandchildren and will die a miserable old man. Stop beating yourself up. Sometimes, trying to do the right thing is as good as it gets."
"Thanks for saying that. For all my good intentions, my life was about to go completely off the rails," said Taylor.
Taylor's Apartment
Miami, Florida
July 2012
The next morning, Taylor overslept. She jumped out of bed and rushed around in a panic to get dressed and pick up the apartment before she left for the center. At a quarter of eight, she pulled out of her complex, heading for the relief station, but her mind was still on last night's dilemma. After a restless night, she was no closer to a solution than the night before.
Perhaps it was because her thoughts were so scattered that she did not see the car that came flying out of nowhere until it slammed into her. She felt as if she was in slow motion. She tried to swerve to miss the car, but it was too late. She had been wearing her seatbelt and the airbag deployed. Taylor's head was knocked against the side window, and then her last thought before herworld went black was,Oh my God, I am going to die just like Momma, Daddy, and Tatum.
Two Hours Later
Carrington US Senate Office
Washington DC
July 2012
Bennett was in his office in Washington, working on a speech he was supposed to give to a farmer's organization when his phone rang.
"Hello."
