Oklahoma - Chapter Nineteen
Title: Oklahoma
Genre: Fan Fic/Drama
Pairing: N/A
Characters: Isaac Hanson, OFC, Taylor Hanson, Zac Hanson, OC, Nikki Hanson
Warnings: Language
Rating: PG13
Disclaimer: a strict work of fiction, I own nothing except the original characters and the plot line. In no way am I affiliated to any of it.
Summary: “No matter how much time passes, no matter what takes place in the interim, there are some things we can never assign to oblivion, memories we can never rub away.”
-Haruki Murakami, Kafka on the Shore
Isaac Hanson learned at a young age that life isn't always fair and eventually people really do make mistakes - really big mistakes! No matter how much you try to right that wrong, sometimes you never get that luxury.
Perrie Marshall learned at a young age that life can be hard and life can be lonely, even when you're surrounded by others. No matter how much you try to cling on to something, sometimes you have to let it go and start over again.
Chapter Nineteen
Two days had passed before Isaac finally made contact with Taylor, it was a phone call made by Zac. Isaac knew better than the drag his younger brother into this mess, Zac had been a kid at the time, but seeing as Taylor had admitted to telling Zac about Amy's indiscretions before he told Isaac then it was only fair. Making a phone call and inviting Taylor to Barney's, a small pub just outside of downtown Tulsa, Zac reported back to Isaac that they were to meet Taylor the following evening around six.
Conveniently Zac left out the part of Isaac joining them, when he talked with Taylor. If Taylor knew Isaac was going to be there, he'd probably still come along but would be in more of a defensive mode. This would go a lot smoother - or as smooth as it could - if Taylor assumed it was him and Zac meeting to discuss some mundane work related topic.
Isaac was in no rush to talk with Taylor, at this point he felt he had no choice. Laura had called him the morning that Isaac convinced Zac to make his call. The news Laura had left was that Ben and Evan had found nothing more than Grady and Laura had. It was coming up dead ends, leaving Taylor to be the only person with the truth of his and Amy's rendezvous. Empty handed, Laura had apologized to Isaac and wished him luck in finding the answers he was looking for.
At this point Isaac wasn't entirely sure he wanted to know the details of his little brother's sexcapades. If it wasn't the looming threat of Perrie possibly not being Isaac's then Isaac wouldn't even bother talking to Taylor. Eventually he would have to get over it, move on and speak to his brother, but not this soon. What Taylor had done was something nobody should ever forgive, not easily.
Taking a seat at a tall bar table, Isaac didn't want to forgive Taylor. Zac hung his jacket over the back of a tall chair, sliding into his seat, babbling on about something Kate was making him do, ignoring the look of hatred his oldest brother wore. Maybe, if he ignored it then it would go away?
Coming here, Zac had reminded Isaac to play nice. This was a public establishment, nobody needed to witness Isaac and Taylor having an argument like a couple of drunk frat boys. Knowing that before the night was out, Isaac would need more than his fair share to drink, Zac decided to play taxi. If Taylor ended up having more than he was supposed to then Zac had arranged for him to get a ride home as well. Everything was set, now all they needed was Taylor.
Wanting to give Isaac a bit of time to settle in, Zac suggested they arrive early. In truth, he wanted to be nosey. When he had recently asked Taylor about all of this, Taylor had stone walled him. Isaac on the other hand, he'd open up. Levelling the field, bringing himself up to date is how Zac looked at it. How could he help either brother if he didn't have details?
A young barmaid sauntered up to the two men, her black polo shirt displayed a name written in white lettering; Andrea, who Zac assumed must have been working her way through university, kindly asked the two what they wanted before disappearing to retrieve the beer Zac had asked for. What seemed like milliseconds later, Andrea returned with their drinks. Sliding them onto the table, she smiled and left them to their peace. Zac made a mental note to tip her well when he collected the tab later.
“Do you think he'll actually show?” Isaac broke the ice, taking a bottle of beer and tipping it to his lips.
“You know Tay, curiosity will get the better of him.” Zac offered, picking up the other bottle and taking a drink. “How 'bout them Thunder?” Zac tried to pass small talk by asking about Isaac's favourite basketball team.
“We didn't come here to talk sports.” Isaac chastised. “Ask what you want to ask, Zac.”
“I just...it's not my business, but since you asked.” Zac carefully picked his wording. “I don't have many of the details, but I don't think Tay did this to be malicious.”
“I don't either.” Isaac shrugged tipping his beer back to his lips.
Never had it crossed Isaac's mind that Taylor would or could do something like that to hurt him. He'd stand on the fact that this was, probably, a bad judgement call made by a horny and intoxicated teenage boy. That reasoning didn't excuse it, but it eased Isaac's mind a little if he felt Taylor didn't do it to intentionally hurt him.
“Funny, in a way.” Zac scoffed. “You both lost your virginity to the same chick. So who did she lose her...”
“Stop it.” Isaac demanded, shaking his head.
“Sorry, but that is about as much as I know.” Zac shrugged it off.
“You still knew before me and never said anything.” Isaac reminded him.
“No, well yes, but no. Tay told me that Amy cheated, but he swore it wasn't him. Deep down, I think I knew
better.” Zac confessed taking a drink. Licking the beer from his lips, after his drink he sighed.
Zac should have told Isaac when Taylor mentioned the whole Amy being a cheater thing. He didn't, because he wanted to believe there was nothing to worry about. Or maybe it was because he was sick of being their middle man? Not entirely sure, Zac continued to sip at the beer in his hand ignoring the thoughts.
At the other end of the room, Taylor trudged forward seeing his brothers sitting at their table, his head hanging slightly. He deserved whatever hurtful things they were about to say. Zac had called Taylor and asked him to meet up for a beer, knowing that Zac was playing UN between his brothers, Taylor accepted anyway.
“Evening Gentlemen.” Taylor cleared his throat.
“Have a seat.” Zac greeted him somewhat awkwardly.
Taking one of the two empty chairs, Taylor sat at the table across from his brothers. Zac's demeanour was relaxed, while Isaac was as stiff as a board. Obviously Zac was trying to keep things easy, rambling on about the most obscure things. Taylor welcomed the short break in Zac's nonsense when Andrea had came round with another few bottles of beer. Isaac smiled meekly and thanked her quietly, silence falling over him once more as she walked away.
“Nice girl, Andrea. I think I like her.” Isaac heard Zac tell Taylor.
Ignoring Taylor's reply, Isaac sat nursing his fresh beer while letting his gaze wander around the bar. Never a place to be overly busy, Isaac always liked the atmosphere here. At the bar there were a few guys watching a sporting game on a big screen above the bar, in the corner a young couple sat with a few drinks in hand; Isaac decided they were probably a first date. Down the room there was a small group of women, wine glasses in hand, probably a group of friends after work. Every person in the bar had a story. Stories were important to Isaac, as a professional story teller of sorts, it was places like this that could really help that process.
Casually watching the other patrons, he began to wonder what it was they saw when their gazes hit him and his brothers. Did they see a few friends catching up? Maybe some guys in after work discussing business? Was it possible that someone looked at them and knew that they were there as a peace meeting? Was it possible for an outsider to take one look and know that there was an anger between the two brothers?
“What do you say, Ike?” Zac's voice broke Isaac's thoughts.
“Huh?” Isaac snapped his attention to Zac.
Sighing and chuckling, Zac slapped Isaac on the back. “Dude, are you even listening? Tay just said he thinks we should go ahead and start working on the new album ideas.”
“Whatever he wants.” Isaac mumbled his shoulders sagging. “Taylor always does whatever it is he wants anyway.”
The last bit was cold, Taylor looked hurt and Isaac knew his words were successful. Taking a sip of his beer he let the bottle sit against the table top with a clinking noise.
“Ike.” Taylor leaned over the table, his voice low. “I'm sorry. I know it means nothing, but I am.”
Now was a good a time as any to start begging for forgiveness on Taylor's part.
“We've been over this, I fucked up.” Taylor shrugged. “What more can I say?”
“So, I think I'm going to take a trip to the Little Boy's room.” Zac rubbed his hands over his jeans and stood up. “Don't kill each other!”
As Zac moved away from the table, Isaac's attention was directed the the bottle sitting in front of him. He had brought Taylor here for answers and he couldn't even bring himself to speak to his younger brother. On the opposite side of the table, Taylor sat checking his phone, paying more attention to the screen in his hand than he was Isaac. A few times, Isaac cleared his throat as if to speak but never said a word. Taylor would shift uneasily in his chair, but never bothered to initiate conversation.
In reality, Zac was gone maybe five minutes, a few of those minutes in which he lingered along in case his brothers wanted to talk. Walking back to the table, it was pretty evident that his brothers hadn't said a word to one another in his absence. Frustrated with the two of them, Zac shook his head and rejoined them.
“Gentlemen.” Zac sat back down, nodding to each of his brothers. “Nice to find you both still alive.” He did not get a lecture from his wife about missing some stupid book club, for his brothers to sit here and not talk. “So, anything we have to say?” he urged.
“Why am I here?” Taylor glared at Zac.
“Because you're my big brothers and I love you?” Zac smiled sheepishly.
“Bullshit.” Taylor snapped. Running his hands over his hair, he groaned. “You hate me, I get it, Ike. Did we need to come here to reiterate that?”
“No.” Zac disagreed. “That isn't it. Is it Ike?”
Isaac's face was void of emotion, he sat just as stiff as he had been. His lack of reply was enough to irritate Taylor even more.
Sighing heavily, Zac pinched the bridge of his nose. “You two have a lot of issues right now. Isaac thought maybe you should talk them out.” he offered, allowing Taylor to see this was Isaac's idea may be some help.
“Why, so you can rub it in that I'm an asshole?” Taylor glared at Isaac.
Not giving Taylor an answer, Isaac sat quietly in his spot. If he did this right then Taylor would self-destruct and Isaac's job would be easier.
“I fucked up, I get it. My wife just started talking to me, yesterday, because I fucked up so bad. Natalie was furious with me and do you know why?” Taylor asked with a short laugh. “She's pissed that I could even think of doing something that would hurt you so bad. News flash, I hate myself too.”
“You're not the only person, who hates you.” Isaac muttered.
“I hate myself because I knew better. It was stupid and if I could change that, I would. I can't, so what do I need to do to fix this?”
“I need to know, truthfully, when you and Amy...” Isaac paused. “When you...”
There it was!
Taylor had been waiting for that to come up, once again. He couldn't blame Isaac for being curious and needing, wanting, Taylor to say it again. If Taylor was in this situation he'd be asking the same question. Even when he told Isaac that it wasn't possible there was no guarantee that Isaac would believe it. Why should he? Taylor was a liar, after all. He would never lie about this not when he knew how much Isaac's clarity relied on it.
“If this is about Perrie, it's not possible. Trust me, we never...not in that time span. No.” Taylor shook his head. “I never knew Amy had a child until you showed up at the studio to tell us you had a daughter.” he offered. “I swear, it's not me. If I even thought for a second it could be, I'd have told you and I never would have bothered to hide this when you told us about Perrie.”
“I think he's telling the truth, Ike.” Zac concluded, glancing at Isaac.
Nobody had to believe Taylor, but the insane desperation he wore told Zac that it was the truth. Taylor could be a outright bastard at times, but Zac knew Taylor would never lie about something this big, or important.
“Why would Amy keep photos of you?” Isaac asked, not really expecting Taylor to know.
“How should I know? I wasn't there. Maybe this Roslyn woman saw a few photos and assumed something else? It was fifteen years ago!” Taylor pleaded his case. “Those photos could have been anything, they could have meant anything. I'm sure I'm not the only person she had photos of.”
“He has a point.” Zac nodded, taking a drink of his beer.
“We can't change it, we can't bring Amy back, and we have nothing to go on other than I know it's not possible for Perrie to be mine. Trust me, if I thought for a second that she was, I'd tell you.” Taylor went on. “Hate me, Isaac, I deserve it, but know that I wouldn't lie to you about that.”
Isaac knew that Taylor would never lie about that. Never the less, he still hated his brother for what he'd did behind his back. Taylor deserved Isaac to be mad at him for a while longer. Ending his part in the conversation, Isaac stood up asking Zac to unlock the truck. He wanted to be away from Taylor for a while. Announcing that his truck was now unlocked, Zac stood up collecting his coat and digging out his wallet to pay the tab.
“So, this is where it ends?” Taylor asked watching Isaac stalk out of the bar.
“For now.” Zac concluded, throwing some bills down on the table. “Something I want to know, why were you so mad when Ike told us about Perrie?” Zac directed his full attention to Taylor.
“I was pissed Amy had a kid and never told Isaac. I was angry that she would be so careless to let her go to foster care. I knew how much it tore him apart when she left. Had I known about the accident then it would have been different.” Taylor offered. “Maybe you don't remember, but I do, Ike went through hell when she left him. Had she came back, it would have been the same thing all over. I didn't want some girl from the past tearing apart his life.”
The decision to take Taylor's words for truth, Zac bid his brother farewell and headed for the exit. In the parking lot, Isaac was leaned against the side of Zac's blue tacoma, a cigarette stuck between his lips. Zac groaned and picked up his pace, standing on the opposite side of the truck and leaning on the hood.
“Since when do you smoke, again?”
“Since last week.” Isaac replied, exhaling the gray smoke. “So, I guess that went well?”
“It went as well as you want it to, Isaac.” Zac replied tapping his fingers against the hood of the vehicle.
“Taylor was my only way to get answers.” Isaac's brow furrowed. “I know Tay and I know he wouldn't lie, if he thought Perrie wasn't mine.”
“I'm sorry.” Zac apologized. Isaac cast a side ways glance at his brother. “I should have said something, when Tay told me. I didn't want to get anybody angry, without the details. I swear, he told me it wasn't him and I should have pressed for more details.”
“No, it's not for you to worry over.”
“Do you think,” Zac paused, “Amy would put your name on Perrie's birth record if it wasn't you?”
“No.” Isaac shook his head. “Amy knew how much I wanted the baby. She knew that it tore me apart when she told me that she...No.” Isaac shook his head again. “She wouldn't lie about that. Despite this whole fling with Taylor, I know I can trust her to be honest.”
“Do you?”
“Sometimes, when you really love someone, the only thing you can do is trust them.”
“You really loved her huh?” Zac smiled sadly.
“Amy was the first person I ever loved. I should have looked harder, I should have kept looking. Dad told me that I needed to refocus, to get on with life. No sense in chasing somebody who would only break my heart.”
“Was he right?” Zac asked opening the driver's door.
Flicking the dead cigarette to the ground, Isaac turned to reach for the door handle. “I think so.” Isaac nodded, pulling the truck door open. “Do I wish Amy and I had just gotten married? Sometimes, then I think about how much I love my family and it doesn't seem so important.”
Genre: Fan Fic/Drama
Pairing: N/A
Characters: Isaac Hanson, OFC, Taylor Hanson, Zac Hanson, OC, Nikki Hanson
Warnings: Language
Rating: PG13
Disclaimer: a strict work of fiction, I own nothing except the original characters and the plot line. In no way am I affiliated to any of it.
Summary: “No matter how much time passes, no matter what takes place in the interim, there are some things we can never assign to oblivion, memories we can never rub away.”
-Haruki Murakami, Kafka on the Shore
Isaac Hanson learned at a young age that life isn't always fair and eventually people really do make mistakes - really big mistakes! No matter how much you try to right that wrong, sometimes you never get that luxury.
Perrie Marshall learned at a young age that life can be hard and life can be lonely, even when you're surrounded by others. No matter how much you try to cling on to something, sometimes you have to let it go and start over again.
Chapter Nineteen
Two days had passed before Isaac finally made contact with Taylor, it was a phone call made by Zac. Isaac knew better than the drag his younger brother into this mess, Zac had been a kid at the time, but seeing as Taylor had admitted to telling Zac about Amy's indiscretions before he told Isaac then it was only fair. Making a phone call and inviting Taylor to Barney's, a small pub just outside of downtown Tulsa, Zac reported back to Isaac that they were to meet Taylor the following evening around six.
Conveniently Zac left out the part of Isaac joining them, when he talked with Taylor. If Taylor knew Isaac was going to be there, he'd probably still come along but would be in more of a defensive mode. This would go a lot smoother - or as smooth as it could - if Taylor assumed it was him and Zac meeting to discuss some mundane work related topic.
Isaac was in no rush to talk with Taylor, at this point he felt he had no choice. Laura had called him the morning that Isaac convinced Zac to make his call. The news Laura had left was that Ben and Evan had found nothing more than Grady and Laura had. It was coming up dead ends, leaving Taylor to be the only person with the truth of his and Amy's rendezvous. Empty handed, Laura had apologized to Isaac and wished him luck in finding the answers he was looking for.
At this point Isaac wasn't entirely sure he wanted to know the details of his little brother's sexcapades. If it wasn't the looming threat of Perrie possibly not being Isaac's then Isaac wouldn't even bother talking to Taylor. Eventually he would have to get over it, move on and speak to his brother, but not this soon. What Taylor had done was something nobody should ever forgive, not easily.
Taking a seat at a tall bar table, Isaac didn't want to forgive Taylor. Zac hung his jacket over the back of a tall chair, sliding into his seat, babbling on about something Kate was making him do, ignoring the look of hatred his oldest brother wore. Maybe, if he ignored it then it would go away?
Coming here, Zac had reminded Isaac to play nice. This was a public establishment, nobody needed to witness Isaac and Taylor having an argument like a couple of drunk frat boys. Knowing that before the night was out, Isaac would need more than his fair share to drink, Zac decided to play taxi. If Taylor ended up having more than he was supposed to then Zac had arranged for him to get a ride home as well. Everything was set, now all they needed was Taylor.
Wanting to give Isaac a bit of time to settle in, Zac suggested they arrive early. In truth, he wanted to be nosey. When he had recently asked Taylor about all of this, Taylor had stone walled him. Isaac on the other hand, he'd open up. Levelling the field, bringing himself up to date is how Zac looked at it. How could he help either brother if he didn't have details?
A young barmaid sauntered up to the two men, her black polo shirt displayed a name written in white lettering; Andrea, who Zac assumed must have been working her way through university, kindly asked the two what they wanted before disappearing to retrieve the beer Zac had asked for. What seemed like milliseconds later, Andrea returned with their drinks. Sliding them onto the table, she smiled and left them to their peace. Zac made a mental note to tip her well when he collected the tab later.
“Do you think he'll actually show?” Isaac broke the ice, taking a bottle of beer and tipping it to his lips.
“You know Tay, curiosity will get the better of him.” Zac offered, picking up the other bottle and taking a drink. “How 'bout them Thunder?” Zac tried to pass small talk by asking about Isaac's favourite basketball team.
“We didn't come here to talk sports.” Isaac chastised. “Ask what you want to ask, Zac.”
“I just...it's not my business, but since you asked.” Zac carefully picked his wording. “I don't have many of the details, but I don't think Tay did this to be malicious.”
“I don't either.” Isaac shrugged tipping his beer back to his lips.
Never had it crossed Isaac's mind that Taylor would or could do something like that to hurt him. He'd stand on the fact that this was, probably, a bad judgement call made by a horny and intoxicated teenage boy. That reasoning didn't excuse it, but it eased Isaac's mind a little if he felt Taylor didn't do it to intentionally hurt him.
“Funny, in a way.” Zac scoffed. “You both lost your virginity to the same chick. So who did she lose her...”
“Stop it.” Isaac demanded, shaking his head.
“Sorry, but that is about as much as I know.” Zac shrugged it off.
“You still knew before me and never said anything.” Isaac reminded him.
“No, well yes, but no. Tay told me that Amy cheated, but he swore it wasn't him. Deep down, I think I knew
better.” Zac confessed taking a drink. Licking the beer from his lips, after his drink he sighed.
Zac should have told Isaac when Taylor mentioned the whole Amy being a cheater thing. He didn't, because he wanted to believe there was nothing to worry about. Or maybe it was because he was sick of being their middle man? Not entirely sure, Zac continued to sip at the beer in his hand ignoring the thoughts.
At the other end of the room, Taylor trudged forward seeing his brothers sitting at their table, his head hanging slightly. He deserved whatever hurtful things they were about to say. Zac had called Taylor and asked him to meet up for a beer, knowing that Zac was playing UN between his brothers, Taylor accepted anyway.
“Evening Gentlemen.” Taylor cleared his throat.
“Have a seat.” Zac greeted him somewhat awkwardly.
Taking one of the two empty chairs, Taylor sat at the table across from his brothers. Zac's demeanour was relaxed, while Isaac was as stiff as a board. Obviously Zac was trying to keep things easy, rambling on about the most obscure things. Taylor welcomed the short break in Zac's nonsense when Andrea had came round with another few bottles of beer. Isaac smiled meekly and thanked her quietly, silence falling over him once more as she walked away.
“Nice girl, Andrea. I think I like her.” Isaac heard Zac tell Taylor.
Ignoring Taylor's reply, Isaac sat nursing his fresh beer while letting his gaze wander around the bar. Never a place to be overly busy, Isaac always liked the atmosphere here. At the bar there were a few guys watching a sporting game on a big screen above the bar, in the corner a young couple sat with a few drinks in hand; Isaac decided they were probably a first date. Down the room there was a small group of women, wine glasses in hand, probably a group of friends after work. Every person in the bar had a story. Stories were important to Isaac, as a professional story teller of sorts, it was places like this that could really help that process.
Casually watching the other patrons, he began to wonder what it was they saw when their gazes hit him and his brothers. Did they see a few friends catching up? Maybe some guys in after work discussing business? Was it possible that someone looked at them and knew that they were there as a peace meeting? Was it possible for an outsider to take one look and know that there was an anger between the two brothers?
“What do you say, Ike?” Zac's voice broke Isaac's thoughts.
“Huh?” Isaac snapped his attention to Zac.
Sighing and chuckling, Zac slapped Isaac on the back. “Dude, are you even listening? Tay just said he thinks we should go ahead and start working on the new album ideas.”
“Whatever he wants.” Isaac mumbled his shoulders sagging. “Taylor always does whatever it is he wants anyway.”
The last bit was cold, Taylor looked hurt and Isaac knew his words were successful. Taking a sip of his beer he let the bottle sit against the table top with a clinking noise.
“Ike.” Taylor leaned over the table, his voice low. “I'm sorry. I know it means nothing, but I am.”
Now was a good a time as any to start begging for forgiveness on Taylor's part.
“We've been over this, I fucked up.” Taylor shrugged. “What more can I say?”
“So, I think I'm going to take a trip to the Little Boy's room.” Zac rubbed his hands over his jeans and stood up. “Don't kill each other!”
As Zac moved away from the table, Isaac's attention was directed the the bottle sitting in front of him. He had brought Taylor here for answers and he couldn't even bring himself to speak to his younger brother. On the opposite side of the table, Taylor sat checking his phone, paying more attention to the screen in his hand than he was Isaac. A few times, Isaac cleared his throat as if to speak but never said a word. Taylor would shift uneasily in his chair, but never bothered to initiate conversation.
In reality, Zac was gone maybe five minutes, a few of those minutes in which he lingered along in case his brothers wanted to talk. Walking back to the table, it was pretty evident that his brothers hadn't said a word to one another in his absence. Frustrated with the two of them, Zac shook his head and rejoined them.
“Gentlemen.” Zac sat back down, nodding to each of his brothers. “Nice to find you both still alive.” He did not get a lecture from his wife about missing some stupid book club, for his brothers to sit here and not talk. “So, anything we have to say?” he urged.
“Why am I here?” Taylor glared at Zac.
“Because you're my big brothers and I love you?” Zac smiled sheepishly.
“Bullshit.” Taylor snapped. Running his hands over his hair, he groaned. “You hate me, I get it, Ike. Did we need to come here to reiterate that?”
“No.” Zac disagreed. “That isn't it. Is it Ike?”
Isaac's face was void of emotion, he sat just as stiff as he had been. His lack of reply was enough to irritate Taylor even more.
Sighing heavily, Zac pinched the bridge of his nose. “You two have a lot of issues right now. Isaac thought maybe you should talk them out.” he offered, allowing Taylor to see this was Isaac's idea may be some help.
“Why, so you can rub it in that I'm an asshole?” Taylor glared at Isaac.
Not giving Taylor an answer, Isaac sat quietly in his spot. If he did this right then Taylor would self-destruct and Isaac's job would be easier.
“I fucked up, I get it. My wife just started talking to me, yesterday, because I fucked up so bad. Natalie was furious with me and do you know why?” Taylor asked with a short laugh. “She's pissed that I could even think of doing something that would hurt you so bad. News flash, I hate myself too.”
“You're not the only person, who hates you.” Isaac muttered.
“I hate myself because I knew better. It was stupid and if I could change that, I would. I can't, so what do I need to do to fix this?”
“I need to know, truthfully, when you and Amy...” Isaac paused. “When you...”
There it was!
Taylor had been waiting for that to come up, once again. He couldn't blame Isaac for being curious and needing, wanting, Taylor to say it again. If Taylor was in this situation he'd be asking the same question. Even when he told Isaac that it wasn't possible there was no guarantee that Isaac would believe it. Why should he? Taylor was a liar, after all. He would never lie about this not when he knew how much Isaac's clarity relied on it.
“If this is about Perrie, it's not possible. Trust me, we never...not in that time span. No.” Taylor shook his head. “I never knew Amy had a child until you showed up at the studio to tell us you had a daughter.” he offered. “I swear, it's not me. If I even thought for a second it could be, I'd have told you and I never would have bothered to hide this when you told us about Perrie.”
“I think he's telling the truth, Ike.” Zac concluded, glancing at Isaac.
Nobody had to believe Taylor, but the insane desperation he wore told Zac that it was the truth. Taylor could be a outright bastard at times, but Zac knew Taylor would never lie about something this big, or important.
“Why would Amy keep photos of you?” Isaac asked, not really expecting Taylor to know.
“How should I know? I wasn't there. Maybe this Roslyn woman saw a few photos and assumed something else? It was fifteen years ago!” Taylor pleaded his case. “Those photos could have been anything, they could have meant anything. I'm sure I'm not the only person she had photos of.”
“He has a point.” Zac nodded, taking a drink of his beer.
“We can't change it, we can't bring Amy back, and we have nothing to go on other than I know it's not possible for Perrie to be mine. Trust me, if I thought for a second that she was, I'd tell you.” Taylor went on. “Hate me, Isaac, I deserve it, but know that I wouldn't lie to you about that.”
Isaac knew that Taylor would never lie about that. Never the less, he still hated his brother for what he'd did behind his back. Taylor deserved Isaac to be mad at him for a while longer. Ending his part in the conversation, Isaac stood up asking Zac to unlock the truck. He wanted to be away from Taylor for a while. Announcing that his truck was now unlocked, Zac stood up collecting his coat and digging out his wallet to pay the tab.
“So, this is where it ends?” Taylor asked watching Isaac stalk out of the bar.
“For now.” Zac concluded, throwing some bills down on the table. “Something I want to know, why were you so mad when Ike told us about Perrie?” Zac directed his full attention to Taylor.
“I was pissed Amy had a kid and never told Isaac. I was angry that she would be so careless to let her go to foster care. I knew how much it tore him apart when she left. Had I known about the accident then it would have been different.” Taylor offered. “Maybe you don't remember, but I do, Ike went through hell when she left him. Had she came back, it would have been the same thing all over. I didn't want some girl from the past tearing apart his life.”
The decision to take Taylor's words for truth, Zac bid his brother farewell and headed for the exit. In the parking lot, Isaac was leaned against the side of Zac's blue tacoma, a cigarette stuck between his lips. Zac groaned and picked up his pace, standing on the opposite side of the truck and leaning on the hood.
“Since when do you smoke, again?”
“Since last week.” Isaac replied, exhaling the gray smoke. “So, I guess that went well?”
“It went as well as you want it to, Isaac.” Zac replied tapping his fingers against the hood of the vehicle.
“Taylor was my only way to get answers.” Isaac's brow furrowed. “I know Tay and I know he wouldn't lie, if he thought Perrie wasn't mine.”
“I'm sorry.” Zac apologized. Isaac cast a side ways glance at his brother. “I should have said something, when Tay told me. I didn't want to get anybody angry, without the details. I swear, he told me it wasn't him and I should have pressed for more details.”
“No, it's not for you to worry over.”
“Do you think,” Zac paused, “Amy would put your name on Perrie's birth record if it wasn't you?”
“No.” Isaac shook his head. “Amy knew how much I wanted the baby. She knew that it tore me apart when she told me that she...No.” Isaac shook his head again. “She wouldn't lie about that. Despite this whole fling with Taylor, I know I can trust her to be honest.”
“Do you?”
“Sometimes, when you really love someone, the only thing you can do is trust them.”
“You really loved her huh?” Zac smiled sadly.
“Amy was the first person I ever loved. I should have looked harder, I should have kept looking. Dad told me that I needed to refocus, to get on with life. No sense in chasing somebody who would only break my heart.”
“Was he right?” Zac asked opening the driver's door.
Flicking the dead cigarette to the ground, Isaac turned to reach for the door handle. “I think so.” Isaac nodded, pulling the truck door open. “Do I wish Amy and I had just gotten married? Sometimes, then I think about how much I love my family and it doesn't seem so important.”