Torn [SHAWN MENDES]

~80~

"I miss you so much," Taryn said sadly into her phone.

Shawn got up from his seat in the living room and started anxiously pacing. "You aren't regretting this are you? If you are, just say the word and I'll understand."

"Relax. Even if I miss you, I'm also the most content I've been in ages. This definitely isn't easy, but we can make it work. You'll be here in five days, and once we're together again, it'll be worth the pain of being separated."

Before she and Patricia boarded their plane bound for Seattle, she'd told Shawn that she wanted to try a long-distance relationship, and of course he'd agreed.

"We can do this. Yasmin and I have a really flexible custody arrangement, so I can fly to Toronto at least once a month. I know it's harder for you to get away, but I'd love it if you visited me in Montecito," he said.

"Unfortunately, taking this trip to the northwest means that it'll be hard for me to get away for awhile. I don't know when I'll be able to take another vacation."

"My schedule is more flexible, so for the time being I'll do the traveling."

Taryn wanted to kiss him so badly but there were too many people around. "I love you," she whispered.

"It feels really good to hear you say that again." The huge smile on his face proved how sincere his words were. He reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze. "I love you. I never stopped and I know I never will. You're the only one for me."

Patricia approached them with Piper in her arms. "I hate to interrupt, but we need to board."

Shawn took his daughter. "Say goodbye to Taryn and Tricia, princess."

"Bye bye!" she said brightly with a wave.

Both women gave her a kiss and then Tricia stepped away.

"Have a safe flight," Shawn told his love. "Is it going to drive you crazy if I text a lot? I know you're going to Seattle for family time, but I'm going to want to have contact."

She grinned up at him. "I'm already looking forward to lots and lots of messages."

Ten minutes later, after she'd gotten settled in her seat, her phone vibrated.

Thank you for giving me another chance

I love you

And I already miss you

❤️

Shawn sat back down on the sofa since she'd reassured him. "Five days isn't that long. I've been checking the long range forecast and there's no snow coming, which is surprising for late January. It should be an easy trip there."

"Hendrix will be so happy to see you. Are you still planning on staying at my place the whole time?" she asked.

"Yeah. I told my mum and dad and they understood, but they said they want us to get together for dinner."

When he'd arrived in Toronto after the fortuitous delay in Chicago, he told his family the whole story about running into Taryn and their decision to reunite, though he left out all of the juicy details. They'd voiced some concern over the difficulties of a long-distance relationship, but overall they were supportive since they knew the couple had never stopped loving each other.

"Dinner would be great! Maybe we could host it," she suggested.

"You don't mind if I bring a couple guitars on the trip, do you? I was thinking I'd try to write a song or two while you're at work. Lately I've been feeling really inspired, but I don't want it to disturb your mom during the day."

Patricia was still living with Taryn, which was the only downside to their upcoming plans. They couldn't have a four-day fuckfest with the older woman under the same roof, but they'd talked about how that might be for the best. They needed to reconnect in ways other than just sexually.

"My mother will love having you work on music and she'll be cool about not disturbing you. You can work in my bedroom or the other guest room since it has a desk," she  said.

"There's another thing I was hoping to do, but if you think it's too soon, I can wait."

"What?" They were currently taking things week by week and were avoiding making plans for the future, so his statement made her a bit nervous.

"I'd like to perform a couple songs at Ford's for old time's sake," he told her.

Taryn laughed. "I thought you were going to say something more extreme. Of course you can take the stage! I love that idea."

Just then, the doorbell rang which meant Yasmin was there with Piper and Daffy. She was flying to New York for a fashion show so he had their sweet girl until right before he was due to fly to Canada. "Gotta go, honey. They're here."

"Give Piper a hug for me and send me pics. I love getting them."

He walked to the door and unlocked it. "Will do. I love you. Bye," he said as he opened it. He then ended the call and scooped up his daughter.

"Taryn?" Yaz asked as she walked into the foyer.

"Yes, sorry if that was weird."

He'd told Yasmin everything when he returned from Toronto. It had been a hard conversation, but she admitted that she knew it was inevitable and had been preparing herself for this as soon as they separated.

"It hurts a little but I'm happy for you," she assured him as she undid Daffy's leash. "I'm not letting this impact our good relationship. And who knows...maybe I'll start dating soon."

Shawn gave her a warm smile. "Thanks for being so cool."

"I expect you to nominate me for the 'Ex-Wife of the Year' award, if there is such a thing."

"You'd be a shoo-in, if it exists. What time is your flight?"

Yaz looked at her watch. "Two. I should probably run. Traffic is bad today. You've set everything up with Rosie, right?"

"She's coming tomorrow and Friday since I've got meetings."

Yasmin kneeled down so that she could give Piper a big hug and a kiss. "I love you. Have fun with Daddy. I'm going to bring you home a special gift from New York."

"Ooooooh," Piper said as her eyes grew big. "What?"

"It's going to be a surprise."

Piper ran off to play with her toys and Shawn walked Yasmin to the door. "What are you getting her?" he asked in a hushed voice.

"While I'm near Rockefeller Center, I'm going to the American Girl store to get her one of their baby dolls. I had one as a child, but of course my mother threw it out with all my other toys. You know how she is. I figure when she's older we can take a trip to the city to get one of the historical dolls."

"Isn't there one of those stores in LA?"

Yaz scoffed. "It's not the same. New York is where it all started."

After she left, Shawn got down on the floor with Piper to work one of the many puzzles she got for Christmas. This particular one had ocean mammals and as they completed it, they identified each one. The little girl's favorite was the dolphin, and her daddy loved them, too, since he'd seen many during his travels.

"We should go to the beach. We might be able to spot a dolphin or two," he said once the puzzle was complete.

"Yes! Let's go!"

After a successful trip to the bathroom to use the potty, he loaded the dog and Piper into his SUV and they drove to West Beach. If they didn't spot any actual dolphins, he could at least show her the cool fountain. There was an ice cream stand near it, so they could also get a treat. During their excursion he took lots of pics which he sent to both Yasmin and Taryn.