Behind the CEO

Chapter 45

"Hey, daddy." Taylor greeted, trying not to show the irritation on her face. She stepped aside to allow him to walk into her house. William held Joy's birthday gifts in his hands. He planned to only get two gifts, but he got carried away in the toy section and grabbed four more. He wrote his wife's name on the gifts as he continued to cover for his daughter. As always, his granddaughters were under the impression that their grandmother was busy with work. The reason why she was never around.

"Hey, sweet pea." William greeted then kissed her cheek . "What's wrong?"

"I'm trying to not hurt someone." Taylor smiled sarcastically, making her father's eye widen in shock. She wasn't violent or an aggressive person, so he knew that she had to be extremely annoyed or upset.

"How are you?" She asked, grabbing one of the gifts from him.

"Who are you trying not to hurt?" Closing the door behind him, he asked.

"Denise, for one." Taylor rolled her eyes. Being that today was Joy's fourth birthday party, Denise came over early to spend the entire day with her children. It was Taylor's idea, and she hated herself for not listening to Jonathan. He didn't think it was a good idea to have Denise over so early, but Taylor was adamant about having her involved. Especially since the adoption. She refused to make Denise feel like she wasn't their mother or feel left out.

"What did she do?" William asked, helping her sit down on the couch.

"She keeps making slick comments about everything." Taylor answered. "No matter what it is, she's opening her mouth about it. And I'm not saying this or feeling this way because I'm pregnant and my emotions are high. She's been this way since Carter and I were just friends. It's just a lot worse now. I'm trying my best to keep the peace because of the kids, but she's really pissing me off."

"Have you talked to her about it?" William asked.

Defeat spread across Taylor's face. Denise has been a thorn in her side since the very beginning, and it was exhausting! "What am I supposed to say, Dad?"

"Well, what exactly is going on? How do you feel about all of this?"

"I feel like she doesn't put forth the effort that I know she wants to."

"What do you mean?"

"To me, it seems like she holds back on the effort when it comes to the kids. She holds back on the love she could give them because of my relationship and bond with them. And it annoys me! We can both love them the same." Taylor sighed sadly. "I don't know, Dad. In the same breath, I feel like, she doesn't really love them. I feel like she's just here to say that she's here. Or for Carter. I'm sure that sounds crazy-"

"No, no. You don't sound crazy. Don't feel bad for feeling the way you do. Those are your feelings, sweetheart. It's okay." William reassured her, rubbing her back. "But you know what, you probably intimidate her. You have a big, beautiful heart. You took on the role that she failed miserably. You didn't have to step up the way you did. I know you didn't do it because you want to have kids. It was all because you possess the love and the ability to nurture. I'm immensely proud of you."

"Thank you." Taylor smiled. "I know this kind of moved really fast. Aside from Denise being annoying, I'm genuinely happy. This is the happiest I've ever."

"And I'm happy for you, my baby." William smiled with his daughter. "All relationships are different, we move at our own pace. This is genuine and it happened naturally. You don't need to explain your life or your love to anyone. You and Jonathan are happy, and your kids are happy and spoiled. That's all that matters."

"They are definitely spoiled." She laughed shamefully. "I realize just how spoiled they are when we tell them they can't have this or can't do that. They're always so shocked and act like it's the end of the world."