Torn [SHAWN MENDES]

~88~

Shawn returned from dropping Piper and Daffy off at Yasmin's and made himself a late afternoon coffee that he was looking forward to enjoying by the pool. It was after seven o'clock in Toronto and a good time to chat with Taryn, since she was usually home by then. It had been three weeks since he'd last seen her, which felt like an eternity. Thankfully he'd be flying to Canada in four days, and then the following month she'd be traveling to see him. He'd been making a list of all the places he wanted to take her, with the hope that she'd fall in love with Montecito. He knew she wouldn't move, but perhaps she'd find a way to visit frequently if she saw what it had to offer.

As he opened the door to the patio, his phone vibrated in his pocket, and he was delighted to see that it was his love. "Hey, baby! I was about to call you."

"Oh yeah? What are you up to?" she asked cheerfully.

"I just sat down next to the pool with a big mug of coffee. It's a gorgeous day here, so I might even take my shirt off to catch some rays."

"Damn. The thought of you shirtless does things to me. I want to see those pecs and that sexy chest hair."

He chuckled. "Should we switch to FaceTime?"

"No...just open your front door."

Shawn dropped his phone on his lap, and it bounced off his thigh onto the stone patio. He didn't bother to check if it had broken, because he was racing to his door to see if she was serious. Flinging it open, he saw Taryn standing there with three huge suitcases.

"Surprise!" she said.

"Wha-what are you doing here?"

"I'll answer that question after you take your shirt off, since you got me excited about seeing you half naked."

He pulled the old t-shirt over his head revealing his torso, but his mind was swimming with confusion.

"Are you going to invite me in?" she asked after he gawked at her for several moments.

"Yeah, of course. Let me grab your bags," he said as he reached for the two largest. They walked through the foyer into the living room. "Let's take these up to the bedroom."

"Maybe hold off on that until after I explain myself."

This puzzled him even more. "You're staying here, right? Did you decide you wanted to visit earlier than May?"

She walked over to him and smiled. "Put the luggage down and give me a kiss. Then I want a big glass of water because I'm dehydrated from the flight. Maybe we can go outside to talk and later I can take a swim in that beautiful pool."

He did as he was told and gave her a long deep kiss before getting a drink in the kitchen. They went out on the patio and sat down on the comfy lounge chairs.

"What's going on?" he asked, desperate for an explanation for why she was there.

"I'll try to give you the condensed version. Basically, I got really down after you left last month and Mama insisted that we have a long talk about it. She convinced me that I wasn't going to be truly happy unless I was with you, so here I am."

"For a long visit? You brought a lot of stuff."

"No. Not a visit. I'm moving here, and so is my mom," she said anxiously. Surprising him sounded so good when she came up with the idea, but now she wondered if she should have discussed this with him in advance. It was a lot to spring on him all at once, and she wasn't sure what she'd do if he reacted negatively.

Shawn couldn't believe his ears. Taryn had been so firm about not leaving Toronto that he hadn't even let his mind entertain the idea of her moving to be with him. He was literally at a loss for words.