Giving him a stern look, Taylor said, "Greer, please, you are not making this any easier with your attitude. Bennett is trying to do what is best for everyone."
"No, Bennett is doing what is best for Bennett. We could stop this charade right now. We could walk out those doors and tell the reporters everything. But he is not going to do that, is he?" snapped Greer.
"No, he isn't because if he did, several people he loves would be even more hurt, including me. Do you really think telling the truthnow will make anything better? No, it will just make things much worse, especially for Ben. He is just a child," replied Taylor.
Smiling at Greer, she added, "If we lay low for a few weeks, this will die down. Somebody else will do something stupid, and the press can run after that story. Then, I can come to you. Until then, you have to trust me. And you have to trust Bennett and Joules. A lot of people are working very hard to fix this. Running off and doing something half-cocked will hurt everyone in the end."
No one said a word for several minutes. Greer walked away and stared out the window at the line of reporters across the street. After a moment, Bennett said, "She is right, you know."
Turning around and looking at Taylor, Greer said, "TJ, are you sure about this? What about the baby? Who will take care of you?"
"The baby will be fine. I will contact Dr. Payne the minute I get back. And I will take care of myself. I think I have been doing a pretty good job of that the last few months, don't you?"
Greer nodded, then, after a moment, walked over to Taylor and put his arms around her. "I will let you do this, but if you need me at any time, just call. I will be on the next plane."
"I know you will, and I love you for it. Thank you for trusting me. This is the only way to deal with this. We will be together again before you know it."
"Guys, I hate to break this up, but since this has been decided, I need to get back to Searcy as soon as possible. I don't think we should walk out together, though. Greer, you should let us go first and then follow after we leave the hospital."
Greer nodded, giving Taylor a long kiss goodbye. Then, she and Bennett donned baseball caps and sunglasses before leaving the room. Greer stayed behind and watched as they safely waded through the reporters and drove away from the hospital before quietly leaving himself.
Once airborne, Bennett looked at Taylor and said, "There is something I need you to understand about Poppy and me."
"Look, Bennett, whatever it is, you don't have to say it. I know you love her. I love Greer. It is fine.”
"I know you do. Otherwise, I would be in Alabama kicking his ass. But this is important, and I might never get the chance to tell you this ever again."
Sighing deeply, Taylor said, "Okay, what is it that is so important for me to hear?"
Looking out of the airplane's window at the clouds below like he was searching for a place to start, he said, "You may not know this, but Poppy and I first got together when she and her grandmother lived over our garage. Her Gran worked for my dad."
"Yes, I knew that," replied Taylor, unsure why Bennett thought this was new information.
"What you may not know is that she was still in high school. I was in my last year of law school and twenty-five. She was an eighteen-year-old virgin. I had no business messing with her. A fact my dad and your brother repeatedly tried to beat into me. But it did not matter. A heart wants what a heart wants, and I wanted her. Luckily, she wanted me too. We started officially dating the summer after she graduated. We had some, I'll call them, moments before, but we did not become a full-fledged couple until summer."
"I don't remember that. Of course, I was in Scotland doing my student teaching. But, I can imagine that the relationship was not well received."
"It wasn't. For the most part, we kept it very secret. Poppy used to say she was my dirty little secret. I hated that because it was true. I did try to keep her secret. When we first got together, it was magical. We had the house to ourselves. Looking back, I realized we were just two kids playing house. But at the time, I thought we were going to last forever. Even before it came time for her to goto New York for school, our relationship had become strained and was marred by jealousy and mistrust. I loved her so much that I could not think straight around her. There was a crazy, out-of-control aspect to those weeks with her that drove me mad. Being with her was like being on a roller coaster. Because of her age and background, it was such a battle when we first got together. We fought so hard to be together. I have never felt so out of control or emotionally unsettled as I did during that time.
“It only got worse when she and I split up. I just wanted the craziness to stop for five minutes. When I found out that she had moved on and was married and expecting a child, I was devastated. I never wanted to feel that deeply about anyone ever again. I never wanted anyone to have that much of a hold on my heart, either. Then, we got together. It was so different. You understood my world. On paper, we clicked. Our worlds fit. You never demanded too much from me. Our relationship was simple. God forgive me, but after the emotional vortex I had endured with her, I just was not up for all that again. Not if I wanted to have the political career I wanted. You made it easy. I could be with you and still give almost everything to my career.”
“I don't think I even consciously realized all this until I saw her in New York in February. The second I saw her, all the old feelings came rushing back. I did not want to hurt you. I feel like I have failed Tatum and you. I did not keep my promise to take care of you no matter what. Please say you will forgive me."
When Bennett stopped talking, Taylor just looked at him. She appreciated his willingness to share that with her. It helped heal some of the wounds their marriage had created. Taking his hands in hers, she said, "Thank you for sharing that. It makes so much sense now why we got together and why you were so different with me than you were with her. I can't believe I am going to say this, but I think everything has worked out like it was supposed to. Weonly have a few more months. I know we can work together to keep this circus going until then. Now, if you don't mind, this pregnant lady could use a nap. I think I will try to get one while I can."
Chapter 24
Carrington Office
Searcy, Arkansas
November 24, 2023
"Okay, I have to ask. How could you be pregnant and not know it? Isn't that obvious after a certain point? You know. Don't answer that. Let's just move on. So you are pregnant, engaged, and married all at the same time. That is a lot for anyone, but especially for a Senator's wife," said Harvey. "As you headed home, did you have any idea what Bennett had planned for the next day?"
"No, I did not. I wish I was selfless and could say I would have tried to talk him out of it, but it was the right decision at the time."
"So tell me how that all unfolded," said Harvey. "After that day, set up all that has happened since."
