Taryn and “Remember when you were in Tulsa last?” Isaac asked. Taryn smiled. “Of course I do,” she said. “New Years Eve, 1998. We had Iris and Melissa with us.”
Melissa had been Iris’ best little friend from New York. “I meant to ask you how Iris did being separated from Melissa,” Isaac said. “They were pretty tight.” Taryn took a sip from her glass of iced tea. “They still are,” she said. “Melissa’s been out to New Mexico a couple of times, and of course Iris goes back to New York to see my mom anyway. Besides, I think she’s used to not staying in one place for very long. It just always seems like my circumstances force me into uprooting her all the time.” Isaac and Taryn watched as Taylor and Zac took turns hoisting the younger children onto their shoulders and tossing them into the water. “Taryn, I think we need to talk about what happened when I was in New Mexico,” Isaac finally said. Taryn began to pick nervously at a loose piece of upholstery on the chaise lounge. “Alright,” she said. Isaac took a deep breath. “I guess it’s obvious that I still love you,” he began. “But I have to be honest and tell you that I think what we did might have been a mistake.” Taryn tried to conceal the hurt in her black-brown eyes, but to no avail. “A mistake?” she asked quietly. “I’m not saying it wasn’t great to be with you again, and I’m not saying that it wouldn’t be really easy to get swept up in things,” Isaac said. “But the bottom line is that a lot of things have happened. And I got a little ahead of myself because I let my body do the thinking instead of my mind. That always seems to get me in trouble. I’m not 100 percent comfortable with you yet, and I shouldn’t have let myself get carried away.” Taryn cleared her throat and fought back tears. “So what was that in New Mexico? Were you using me to get back at me for all of my sins?” she asked. Isaac shook his head. “Not at all,” he said. “That night was all about how much I loved you and how much I missed you. I wanted to be with you and I did what I did because of that. It’s just that things looked a lot more complicated in the light of day.” Taryn gave Isaac a hard look. “I don’t know what else I can do to convince you I’m sorry,” she said. “But I can tell you that sooner or later I’m going to get tired of beating my head against the wall here. I know that this is my fault, but I’ve apologized to you over and over, Isaac. I feel like a fucking broken record. So let me tell you what my bottom line is. I’m 30 years old and I have two children. I realize that I have no right to make any demands on you, but I don’t have time for these wishy-washy games of yours.”
Taryn’s face was red and her eyes were alive with fury as she fell back against her chaise lounge. Isaac stared at her for a minute. “Are you finished with your tirade?” he asked. Taryn shot Isaac an icy look. “Why? Do you have something you’d like to add about what a terrible person I am and how you can never trust me again? Because if you do, you can just save it. I’ve heard it all. There’s no need for you to waste your breath.” Isaac shook his head. “Can I please say something?” Taryn turned in her chair and faced Isaac. “Fine,” she said. “I’m listening.” “I would like to take you out on a real date tonight,” Isaac said. Taryn looked confused. “Excuse me?” “It makes perfect sense,” Isaac reasoned. “Before we were a couple, before we were sleeping together, before the whole baby thing, there was magic between us. And that’s the root of everything good. If we can go back to that, just for one night, and that magic is still there, I think that’s what I need to convince me that this is worth saving. I think you want to save it, too, so if you’d just indulge me a little, maybe we can move on. Either that, or we’ll know it’s not there anymore. But I think we need to get down to simple basics.” Taryn narrowed her eyes at Isaac. “Fine,” she said. “I’ll go out with you. But I’m going to warn you right now I’m not a cheap date.” Taryn and Isaac locked gazes.
“You know what, Isaac?” she said. “You are absolutely crazy. You’re certifiable.” Isaac grinned as he sat back and put on his sunglasses. “Since the day you met me,” he said.
Isaac sat in chaise lounges beside the outdoor pool at the Marriott, watching Taylor and Zac splash with the younger kids. Clara was napping in her stroller next to Isaac’s chair.
