Torn [SHAWN MENDES]

~34~

Shawn watched as his mom played with Piper on the floor of the living room. He'd seen her with his nephew and nieces a hundred times, but it felt different when it was his child. He hated that he'd basically kept his daughter from his family because of his own issues.

"I'm sorry," he said softly.

Karen looked up with a quizzical expression. "For what?"

"After I moved to California and got married, I was an ass."

"Your father and I weren't exactly saints about everything. We shouldn't have been so hard on you about the choices you made."

He wondered what his mum would say if he told her they'd been right about everything and that he was still full of the same regrets he'd felt a month and a half ago, only now it was worse since actually acted on those feelings.

After they kissed, Taryn told him that he had to confess what had happened to Yasmin. He was pretty sure she hadn't told Jules yet because if she had, they wouldn't be talking in a little while. It was a known fact that step one in saving a relationship after cheating was cutting the temptation from your life completely.

His wife would be crushed if she knew, though he wasn't sure what she'd do. Maybe she'd suggest couples therapy. That was the best option, and he'd happily go along with it. The thing that terrified him was the possibility that she'd take Piper and divorce him. He couldn't risk that, which was why he was choosing silence.

"I really want to come home more, moving forward. Hopefully I'll be able to convince Yaz that Christmas in Canada is amazing."

Sighing, Karen said, "Don't push her. As much as I want you here, I don't want it to be a source of conflict in your marriage. We all overheard your tense conversation the night you got here."

"It's not fair to me if we spend every holiday with her family. You've met them! They are such-"

"Shawn," his mom interrupted, nodding her head towards Piper, "you need to watch what you say. Little ears pick up on a lot."

"I forget sometimes that she understands more than she can say."

"One of your first words was an inappropriate one because your father couldn't stop saying it. Toddlers absorb a lot of things we don't realize. You and Yasmin don't fight in front of her, do you?"

"We rarely fight. In fact, the only arguments we've had lately have been when I'm here and we're on the phone," he explained.

"Good. It's hard on children when there's conflict."

This was another reason he felt he needed to keep the kiss from his wife. A lot of fights would inevitably follow the confession.

After lunch, he put the baby down for a nap in his room and joined his mom in the kitchen where she was chopping vegetables for dinner. She'd taken the entire week he was home off so that they'd have time together.

"Need help?" he asked.

"Can you scrub the potatoes?"

"I think that's within my realm of capabilities," he said with a laugh before getting to work, though it's not like he cooked often since they had a personal chef.

He'd just finished when his phone started vibrating in his pocket. Pulling it out, he saw it was Taryn and he couldn't help but smile. "I'm taking this downstairs."

"Give Yasmin my best," his mum called to him as he walked to the basement. Guilt flooded his conscience over the fact that his mother assumed the grin on his face was for his wife.