Reign had fallen asleep after a few hours of being on the air and Taylor tucked her in her seat comfortably so she could properly sleep and for once I thanked God we decided to go with the private jet. Taylor returns to her seat which is just beside me and continues with the newspaper she was reading before having to go put Reign down properly.
I stare at her in silence trying to figure out the reason for her becoming the woman she now is, cold, mean, heartless, selfish and uncaring. I needed to know the reason because heartbreak and pain can only do so much when you have someone that loves and have your back around... Right? I had made sure in the last couple of years that she had everything she needed and wanted and I never left her or abandoned her, but that didn't do a thing to change or comfort her. It started with her hatred of Rory and then now it's with me. She shuts me out of most of her decisions and plans, maybe because she knows that I would never agree with her if she was doing something wrong and every fibre of my body says that's she is about to do something wrong.
She must have felt my eyes on her for a long time because she looks up at me, but even at that, my eyes remained fixed on hers and she looks away and glance up at the roof.
"Why are you looking at me like I've suddenly developed two heads." she scowls as she asks her question.
Maybe because you have Taylor.
"When were you going to tell me Melinda offered you a proposal at the Gates business ventures headquarters?"
She is taken back by my knowledge of the real truth of us leaving Italy. It isn't because she missed home and she can say that to Reign and get away with it, but not to me, not anymore. She is going home because her managing abilities and wisdom strategies in saving companies from bankruptcy had been heard far and wide and now by Melinda because all Gate's companies were being manhandled by Rory and she was their last hope of it not completely going down.
She flips the newspaper open again and focuses her attention on it, I guess so that she wouldn't feel the sting of my gaze. "I didn't think you would want to know, Keenan, it's not like it's a big deal."
I chuckle, overwhelmed by her blunt response because we both know that makes no sense, amongst both of us, I'm the one who had been best friends with their son and been a part of their family for more than a decade now, and so I don't know why she would think I wouldn't want to know.
After everything she told me they did to her, why would she go back?
"You were the one who said you were never going to have anything with the Gates four years ago." I remind her of the exact of her word to me four years ago.
She shrugged and grimace, muttering "People change."
"I didn't expect you to change this much." I counter, audible enough for her to hear me and she glanced at me with a reproving glare.
"What do you mean?" She raises an accusing brow at me.
I smile, "I'm just taken back by the woman you seem to have become in these past years." I reply, still looking at her.
She sighs deeply, but her face remained expressionless. "I didn't change, Keenan, I just stopped being the girl everyone wanted me to be," she states, dropping the newspaper in her hand.
"Everyone?" I can't help scoffing in pure disbelief. "I'm the only one who has been around you this past four years, Taylor." I remind her.
"Then maybe because you expected so much." She shoots back with a brittle tone.
Maybe I did.
Flashback
In the next months that passes Lucia and Taylor got to know each other better and Taylor began to loosen up around her and she was more than happy with the outcome of things. They always went to the market together and ignoring my warnings, Lucia decided to not only teach Taylor the Italian language, but she also decided to teach her Italian foods, dishes and recipes. I couldn't interfere though because I hadn't seen the true smile and happiness that Taylor had then in a long time and for what it was worth, I was glad Lucia was able to bring that out again.
"We are going to get some things from the store!" Lucia announced as she opened the door to my room.
"What?" I asked, looking up from the book of economic analyses I was reading.
"You heard right young man, we are going out." came her snappy tone.
"Who's we?" I raise my brow, dropping the book on my desk and getting up.
"It's so obvious son." She rolls her eyes and stamps her feet on the floor. I blankly stared at her in silence, 'cause obviously, the obvious wasn't so obvious to me at all. She sighed, "Taylor and I."
"No, not again," I growled at her unwillingness to listen to me. "Taylor isn't like other young ladies, è incinta e questo significa che è fragile e non così forte (she's pregnant and that means that she's fragile and not so strong-) "
"Non sono così debole, Keenan, grazie (I'm not so weak, Keenan, thank you.)" I'm startled by Taylor's voice as the door opened wider and there she was glaring at me.
She looked really beautiful in her brown long sleeve, a black jacket and black jean, her hair neatly braided and I knew it was Lucia doing, and light makeup, but she still did look heavenly.
"I didn't say you were... " I close my mouth and turned to Lucia for backup. "Help me out, Lucia."
She shrugged and tapped her cheek thoughtfully. "And stop Bella from going out with me? No."
"Taylor, you know your condition-" I started but she cut me off before I could finish.
"Keenan, I don't want to be stuck in the house all day that why I always want to tag along with Lucia." She explained the obvious.
"Then I'll come with you." I grabbed the car keys on the desk and began to walk toward them.
"No!"
"No!" They both exclaimed in horror like I was a contagious sickness they didn't want to get.
"Why not?" I furrowed my gaze, in confusion.
Lucia sighed and shook her head. "We don't need a bodyguard, son, you're too tall and we can barely handle your big self in the house much more outside thank you."
This made Taylor chuckle and covered her mouth quickly to suppress the sound. My furrowed gaze deepened and I bet I was probably looking like a squeezed lime orange. "I'm not a giant." I turned to Taylor and she looked away. "Taylor, tell me you don't think of me a giant." I requested, but she didn't answer. If she thought I was a giant, didn't that mean she also considered Rory a giant since he was one inch taller than I was?
"No, no thinking about Rory," I scolded myself, she's with me now.
I let them go, I knew there was no way I was going to win any agreement with Lucia even if all the odds were in my favour. I regretted my decision though after two hours there weren't back and the sky began to form a really dark cloud. I knew it was going to rain pretty soon so I called Lucia so she would bring Taylor back, but her number didn't go through. I became uneasy and as the next hour passes and the rain descended, so my worry increased.