Teenage Runaway

Chapter 2

Taylor got up early on that sunny Saturday morning to get herself and her son, Bentley, ready to go pick up Liam and his friends. Their flight arrived at 7:56, and she intended on picking them up right there at the gates, even if she had to drag her son through airport security.

"Flight 49 arriving from London at gate 4C" A voice rang out through the loudspeaker as they left security. Taylor grabbed Bentley's hand and followed the signs to Gate 4C, where she saw Liam and several others come through the doors.

"Taylor! Long time no see!" Liam said, embracing Taylor while she held her sons hand even tighter. Taylor gave him a soft smile as he released her from his strong arms. He crouched down to Bentley's level. "And who's this little guy?"

"This is my son, Bentley," Taylor forced an awkward smile.

"Oh, I, um—"

Taylor looked at the large group of people standing slightly behind Liam. She only recognized the four other band members from magazines and album covers. "Liam, when you said a few people I thought you meant three or four."

"If it's a problem we can find a hotel. I don't want you to feel like you have to take us in."

"No it's not that, I only have three extra seats in my car."

"Well, we'll get a cab for the others. Lads, this is Taylor. Taylor, the lads." Taylor smiled at them as she led them out to her car. "Alright so it'll be me, Niall, and Sam in Taylor's car and the rest of you will be in a cab following us." Liam explained as he hailed a taxi van, which pulled up behind Taylor's car as she was putting Bentley in his car seat.

Liam told the cab driver just to follow Taylor's car. Niall opened the door for Sam and she climbed into the middle seat of the back, sitting next to Bentley. Niall climbed in next to her and shut the door. Taylor sat in the drivers seat and started the car as Liam climbed in next to her in the passengers seat.

"Thanks for doing this for us. I owe you one." Liam said as Taylor pulled out of the terminal, the yellow cab trailing behind them.  "How old is he?" Liam said, millions of questions coming across his mind.

"23 months. He'll be two on the fourth of October."

Liam did the math in his head. "So you were-"

Taylor cut him off. "I was 17, Liam. 23 days before my 18th birthday." The pitch of her voice quivered and she swallowed her emotions.

"And his father?" Liam asked without thinking. He regretted saying the words the moment they left his tongue.

"Dead to me. We fought throughout my entire pregnancy. I told him I put Bentley up for adoption just so he could relinquish his parental rights and moved a few towns over so he wouldn't find out."

"So how have you been?" Liam quickly attempted to direct her attention to a different subject.

"It's been hard, Liam, but we're doing okay."

The car rolled to a stop at a red light. Things were getting awkward in the backseat for Sam and Niall. It seemed out of place for them to be there. Liam and Taylor obviously had some catching up to do.

"You could have called me," Liam said in a hurt tone of voice. "You know I would have been over here in a heartbeat."

"You were busy on tour. There was nothing to tell you, anyways."

"I could've helped you more than that jerk did!"

"It's my fault. I had sex with a guy I'd just met and got pregnant. The kid doesn't even look like me!"