Ties That Bind
6. ReunitedCameron and Beth walked as quickly as they could to their car, strapping the kids in as quickly as they could and drove away from the shopping centre.
Once they got home they locked themselves in the house for a few hours, until Cameron spoke up.
“This is stupid to keep the kids locked up in the house like this. Maybe we really didn’t see Taylor and Zac at the store today and it was just two guys that looked like them. If it really was them, then they would have approached us by now. Especially Zac, since he was very obsessed with you. Now, let’s get ready for the barbeque that we promised the kids yesterday.”
“Alright.” Beth reluctantly agreed, shutting the living room curtain and following Cameron into the kitchen.
In working together, Beth and Cameron were able to set everything up on the picnic table outside, then prepared the meats before putting them on the grill. Soon everything was ready and Beth called the kids to come and eat at the picnic table.
Halfway through the meal, Beth got up and went inside to get another soda, Jenifer followed behind her Mother, saying she had to go to the bathroom. As Beth was heading back towards the picnic table she froze in her tracks.
Zac had rounded the corner of the house and walked towards Beth.
“Zac.” Beth said lowly, never taking her eyes of him.
Zac embraced her, “Hi Baby, I’m home!” he breathed seductively in her ear.
He pulled away slightly but kept his arms around her and looked her in the eyes.
“I’ve been waiting five years to see you again and I can’t wait to meet my son. Where is he?”
Beth remained silent just as Cameron turned towards Beth a smile on her face, it quickly turned to a frown when she laid her own eyes on Taylor, who had now rounded the corner of the house himself. She shot up off the bench, now standing in shock while trying to prevent Taylor from seeing Andrew.
“Hey Zac, did you find -” Taylor began but stopped talking once he saw Cameron standing.
“Cammie? Is that you?” Taylor uttered as he walked over to Cameron and tried to pull her into a hug as she backed away from him. “Cam, I am sorry for everything but I’m so glad I found you again. We can finally talk.”
“No - I don’t want to talk to you.” Cameron said as she began to walk backwards, trying to get away from Taylor. It didn’t work as Taylor followed her while he continuously tried talking to her as she backed into Beth, which caused her to stop. Cameron turned around and got a good look at who was holding Beth.
“Zac?” Cameron looked at Zac confused. “What are you doing here?”
“I came to see my girl and my son, but this has been an extra bonus in finding you too.” Zac smiled, looking from Cameron to Taylor.
“Beth, I had no idea your attacker was Zac, my own ex boyfriend’s brother is a rapist too. I can’t believe it!” Cameron became unsteady on her feet, feeling suddenly lightheaded. She put a hand to her forehead, trying to regain her composure.
Taylor continued talking.
“Cam, let’s talk about that night you left. Please. I have to know what drove you away from me and why you refused to ever talk to me again. At least give me that much.”
“I can’t.” Cameron muttered before she started crying.
“Mommy,” Jacob asked, looking at his Mom and a stranger holding her lovingly. “Who’s that man hugging you?”
Beth and Cameron turned to look at the kids, just as Zac and Taylor looked over at them too.
“Um, a friend. Finish your hotdog, please.” Jacob turned back and started eating again.
Zac smiled as he leaned towards Beth whispering. “Is that my son?”
Beth nodded.
Zac held her tighter. “Handsome boy. No doubt where his good looks came from. What’s his name?”
“Jacob.” Beth replied looking over at her little boy wishing she could just run away with him as she felt Zac smile against her neck and squeeze her tighter.
Meanwhile at that exact same moment Taylor‘s eyes fell upon a light haired little boy sitting at the table who didn’t look anything like the other light sandy blond haired little boy at the table.
“Cam, who is that?“ Taylor asked pointing and staring at the light haired little boy, simultaneously.
“My son.” she answered lowly.
“He looks just like me.” Taylor uttered, noticing the resemblance.
“He should, he’s your son too.” Cameron affirmed, looking at Andrew who was now sticking a French fry up his nose to make Jacob laugh.
“He’s my what?” Taylor said under his breath as Cameron scolded Andrew.
“Andrew stop that!” Andrew turned around to face his Mom for a moment before taking the French fry out of his nose, frowning then putting it on the table. A few seconds later Andrew and Jacob were laughing at a bug crawling on the table.
Taylor turned to Cameron, still clearly shocked and repeated his last statement. “He’s my what?”
“Your son, Taylor! Andrew is your son!” Cameron answered a bit agitated.
“But we didn’t have sex, you were still a virgin.”
“Not after the night you got drunk at Pete’s. You forced yourself on me and hit me after I begged you not to have sex with me, but you did it anyway.”
Taylor dropped his head. He was hurt, confused and most of all pissed off at himself for even allowing that to happen.
“No wonder what all that blood was all over the sheets when I woke up the next morning naked and why you refused to ever talk to me again. I should have known. I am really sorry - will you ever forgive me?”
“I don’t know if -” Cameron began to say as Taylor cut her off, he knew what she was going to say and he didn‘t want to hear it just then. He was now more focused on getting to know his son, who he didn’t even know existed until fifteen minutes ago.
“Can I talk to my son? Andrew, right?”
Cameron decided that even though Taylor had hurt her in the past that one time, she shouldn‘t deny him a chance to get to know his son.
“I guess,” Cameron shrugged. “You’d have no problem getting to know him, since he acts just like you.”
Taylor smiled and walked over to the picnic table, crouching down between the two boys.
“Hi, Andrew. My name is Taylor. How are you?” Taylor said as he smiled, squinting a little due to the sun in his eyes.
“Good.” Andrew answered, taking another bite of his hotdog and looked at Taylor, while swinging his left leg under the table.
“So, what are you doing?” Taylor asked still smiling at his newfound son who sat before him.
“Eating a hotdog and watching this bug crawl on the table.” Andrew replied with his mouth full of hotdog and bread, pointing to the bugs on the table.
Taylor looked at the bugs Andrew pointed at crawling on the table.
“Those are ants, there is actually an army of them. They work together to carry food crumbs back to the mound to feed all the other ants in the family.” Taylor explained. “See there’s the first ants brother right behind him and an ant sister behind him, carrying away your bread crumbs from your hotdog bun.”
Andrew turned and shouted, “That’s amazing!” in Taylor’s face. “How do you know all that stuff?”
Taylor frowned and wiped the spit and bits of hotdog and bun off his face.
“In school. Do you go to school?”
“Yeah, we’re in Kindergarten. Jake‘s my best friend. Who’s your best friend Taylor?”
“My brother Zac is my best friend.” Taylor replied turning slightly to point to Zac who was still standing with Beth watching the boys talk with Taylor.
“That’s great! I wish I had a brother.” Andrew said solemnly, looking down to the grass.
“Well Jake is like your brother, and that’s just as good as having a real brother.” Taylor conveyed.
“Yeah, I guess your right.” Andrew perked back up. “Jake, let’s go pick worms then maybe we can make your sister sit on one!” Andrew suggested as he jumped off the bench and ran to a corner of the yard. Jacob climbed off the bench slowly and walked over to where Andrew was looking for worms.
Taylor stood up, walked back over to Cameron and started talking to her privately. Undoubtedly trying to fix his past mistakes with her.
Zac still held Beth in his arms as they watched the kids playing quietly.
“He’s so polite, you did an amazing job raising Jake without me. But I‘m here now and you won‘t have to do it alone anymore.” Zac whispered in Beth’s ear before kissing her neck.
Beth just wanted to get away from Zac but he held such a tight grip on her since he had gotten there and it seemed like he would never let her go or even loosen up the grip he held on her waist.
“Mommy, I was waiting in the kitchen for you.” A little voice said from behind Zac.
Zac turned to see who was talking and his eyes became as wide as saucers. He jumped back slightly, taking Beth with him.
“Who’s that?” he asked, his voice slightly unsteady.
“My daughter, Jenifer.” Beth answered looking at Jenifer as the little girl smiled, looking up at Beth and Zac expectantly.
“But, she looks like me too and Jake looks like me more than anything.” Zac rambled, clearly confused. Rattling off a line of questions. “Why are there two of them? I only saw one baby in your sonogram picture. Where did she come from? I didn‘t get you pregnant again when we had sex the night I came to visit you at your house did I?” Zac sighed, trying to find a logical answer to his own questions. “ I knew it. Even though I pulled out, I somehow managed to get you pregnant again anyways.”
Beth rolled her eyes at Zac‘s sorted stupidity.
“No, you didn‘t. Jake and Jenifer are twins.”
“What?“ Zac’s jaw dropped in shock before realization hit him. “This day is just getting better and better! First I find you and my son, then Taylor finds Cameron and his son and I find out I not only have a son with you but a daughter too. My life couldn‘t be any more perfect than it is right now.”
“Jenny, go play with Jake and Andy.” Beth instructed.
“Ok, Mommy.” Jenifer smiled again and walked quickly to join Jacob and Andrew.
“They are so beautiful. I couldn’t have asked for anything more. Thank you for two beautiful kids. I love you.” Zac turned Beth’s head towards him and planted a sweet kiss on her lips.
Beth pulled away breaking the kiss. It was making her sick having him this close to her.
“I can’t wait to start working on being a family, We should take the kids on vacation and spend some time alone with them.” Zac was so excited he didn’t stop talking. “We have to tell them that I’m their Father. I’m so excited to hear them call me Daddy!”
“I - I don’t think that’s such a good idea, right now” Beth managed to say, remaining as calm as she could - fearing that her words might upset Zac.
“Why?” Zac spat in anger, as she felt him tense against her.
“Because, they don’t know you. You are still a stranger to them.”
“They will get to know me once you introduce me and we spend time together!” Zac’s eyebrows furrowed in anger.
Beth was becoming unnerved at Zac’s prolonged presence. She didn’t want him around her or her kids anymore. He got his wish of seeing them and now he needed to go away and leave them alone forever. She had to get rid of him - once and for all. She broke the embrace Zac held on her and turned to face him.
“You got what you asked for. You met Jacob, you found out about Jenifer and now I think you need to leave us alone.”
“Leave you alone? Not a chance. Those are my kids too and I told you we were going to be a family.” Zac was beginning to get even more angry as he grabbed Beth’s arm and squeezed.
“I can’t. I won’t put them through the pain that you caused me. I refuse to tell my children about their Father and all the horrible things he put me through.”
Beth felt good standing up to the man who had tormented her very being for so long. But he proved once again that he was in control and still had the upper hand between them. He hauled back and punched Beth in the left eye. She immediately bent over in pain before dropping to her knees, covering her face with her hands in trying to hide her tears of pain and the black eye that was undoubtedly already forming. Jacob and Jenifer saw their Mother on the ground and ran over to her.
“Mommy, are you ok?” Jenifer asked on one side as Jacob stood on the other side asking, “Mommy, what happened?”
Beth couldn’t bear to face her children as she kept her face hidden within her hands.
Cameron caught sight of what had happened as she marched right up to where Zac was standing and pushed him.
“I think it’s time the two of you left.” Cameron ordered as she pointed to where they had come into the backyard.
“Who are you to tell me when to leave? I’m not done talking with my girl. So, I’ll leave when I’m damn good and ready!” Zac slit his eyes in anger as his words were released with venom. He reached down and grabbed Beth by the arm.
“Zac, the kids don’t need to see this. Respect them and just leave with Taylor before this gets any uglier than it already is. I know you want to do the right thing here, be the stand up guy I used to know. Not the man you have become. If not for anyone else but the kids, do it for them.”
Cameron’s words seemed to hit home with Zac, as he looked from Cameron to the top of Beth’s head that was still resting in her hands then to Jake and Jenifer’s solemn faces looking up at him. He released his grip on Beth’s arm and stood up.
“Thank you.” Cameron said as she walked with Taylor and Zac to the entrance of the yard. “I don’t think it’s a good idea if either of you come back here. If we need anything I will call Taylor.”
Zac became enraged.
“What?! Stay away? The fuck I will! Those are my kids too and I want to see them!” Zac scowled and pointed to the twins who were helping their Mother who was trying to slowly get up from the ground.
“I know and right now the best thing for everyone is to stay away. Don’t traumatize your kids anymore with the ugly side of yourself that you have displayed today. Beth has come so far since I met her and she doesn’t need this either.”
“I am only worried about my kids. I want to get to know them. No one is keeping me from my own flesh and blood, not even you!” Zac’s voice began to raise as he pointed a finger in Cameron’s face.
“We’ll try to work something out but for now, you two really need to leave.” Cameron’s will never faltered as Zac gave her the evil eye.
“This isn’t over!” Zac threatened as Taylor put a hand on Zac’s shoulder and guided him off the property and back to his car, trying to calm Zac down along the way.
When Cameron was sure they were gone, she helped Beth inside. The kids followed behind, confused and unsure of what had just happened and who those two strange men were.