Bittersweet

Chapter Sixteen

Liz sat at the park, a hand resting on her still barely showing stomach. A week had passed since Jude's birthday and Zac was gone back on the road again though luckily he had put his ring back on and they had taken slow steps towards being on the right track. She was sure both of them could survive the last few weeks apart. They had too.

Hearing someone clear their throat she turned her head seeing Taylor. "When did you get here?" she asked as she laughed her head shaking softly. "I wasn't expecting to see you today."

"I just got here," Taylor smiled as he nudged Liz playfully. "I was out doing some errands and I happened to see you sitting here watching your kids play or well rather you staring off into space."

Liz blushed when Taylor called her on looking into space, "I was just thinking," she confessed before running a hand through her hair. "About Zac and how I wish his tour would hurry and end. He only has a few more weeks now and then he comes home and we work on the marriage," she smiled feeling a bit more hopeful as she spoke the words and stopped just thinking them.

"You think you can fix the marriage?" Taylor asked her feeling almost apprehensive of her answer. "Sara seems to think you guys can," he chimed in without thinking. Hell he figured that Zac had already let it slip anyway that he was with Sara now.

Liz crinkled her eyebrows when he mentioned Sara, "When did you start talking to Sara?"

Hearing her question Taylor looked away, realizing then that Zac hadn't told her. "I figured Zac would have told you," he whispered more to himself than to her.

"Told me what?" Liz asked now feeling confused. "What is Zac keeping from me about you and Sara?"

Running a hand through his hair now Taylor chewed on his lip before taking a deep breath, "That person I am dating," he began deciding to just rip the truth off like a band aid. "Well it's Sara," he confessed looking at her again and waiting for her reaction. A reaction he was scared shitless for to be honest.

Liz went silent after Taylor confessed to dating Sara. To say she hadn't been expecting that would be an understatement, she hadn't been fucking expecting that and she wasn't sure why she hated the idea of Sara with Taylor. "You and Sara?" she asked a laugh coming out of her throat as she did so. "You have to be kidding me."

"I'm not kidding you," Taylor spoke not sure if her reaction was a good one or a bad one. He guessed he would know soon enough.

Liz went silent again and looked away from Taylor, reality finally sinking in that he was being honest. Taylor was dating her best friend, his brother's ex-wife. Shaking her head she just stared at her kids unsure of what to say right now. What could she say?

Taylor chewed on his lip the longer Liz stayed silent this second time. He had really done it now he figured. He had stuck his foot too far in and pissed her off. "You okay?" he asked raising an eyebrow, praying silently that she would answer him.

"How can I be okay?" Liz asked him as she shook her head. "You are dating my best friend, the woman who is going through a divorce from your brother and neither of you told me," she spat out harshly, her eyes going back to Taylor now. "You could have grown balls and told me before now even if I don't approve of you dating her," she admitted to him.

Liz wasn't sure why she was so upset about Taylor and Sara but she was. She also knew she had no right to be upset about them but again she was upset.

"I'm sorry," Taylor whispered a frown on his face now. He figured this would upset her but not really for the reasons it seemed that she was. He figured it would be because she had been kept in the dark, which yeah she had mentioned but it also seemed like she was jealous which she had no right to be, after all she had dated him and then went and married his brother.

Liz just rolled her eyes and stood from the bench. "I have to get my kids home," she said her words and tone coming off rude, maybe too rude. Walking away from Taylor she went over to Jude and Emerson telling them it was time to go. She was sure she had never been happier when neither one threw a fit on her.

After they had both ran towards the car she followed behind them and got in driving home. She just wanted to get as far away from Taylor as possible right now.

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Liz sat on her couch later that night reading a book. She had just gotten the kids down for the night so now it was her me time though when the doorbell rang she groaned and closed the book, looking at the clock on the wall. Who the hell would be here at almost ten? Most people knew she had just gotten the kids to sleep and would be having her me time. Most people respected that.

Shutting the book she laid it on the couch and walked to the door which she opened to reveal Sara standing on her door step. Raising an eyebrow she moved aside though so Sara could come in.

"Taylor told me about what happened at the park," Sara spoke once she was inside. Her tone came out harsh much like her expression she hoped was coming off as pissed off. "What the hell do you have against me dating him?"

Liz shook her head, shutting the door once Sara was inside. "I don't have anything against you dating him Sara," she lied, unable to make eye contact with her friend.

Sara tried to keep from laughing once the words had left Liz's lips. Liz should know better than to try and lie to her. "Don't lie to me Elizabeth," she said using her friend's full name. "Now please, tell me what you have against me dating Taylor? And don't tell me it's because he is Isaac's brother because, hello, pot meet kettle."

Walking into the kitchen Liz went to a cabinet and got a glass down, "Fine," she conceded deciding to be honest. Maybe honesty would do some good in her laugh. "I do have a problem with it," she admitted before walking to the sink and turning the water on, filling the glass up.

"And you have a problem why?" Sara asked curiously as she crossed her arms over her chest. She wasn't here to play games, she wanted to know what Liz's true problem with her and Taylor dating was.

Liz took a drink of the water before answering Sara, "Because I'm a hypocrite," she shrugged almost wanting to hide. "It's mainly because Taylor is my ex and Isaac's brother. I just don't want you two dating because of how complicated that is."

Sara sat down at the table, unsure on if she bought the words coming from Liz's mouth. "You aren't bullshitting me are you?" she asked when Liz finally turned to face her. Before Liz could answer her though there was a knock at the door.

Liz who had just opened her mouth to answer Sara, groaned when she heard a knock on the door. Laying the glass of water on the counter she sighed, "I'll be back," she muttered before walking to her front door for the second time tonight, again wondering who would be here so late.

Reaching the door, Liz opened it and froze when she came face to face with Andrea. "What are you doing here?" she asked her tone not even sounding at all welcoming to her sister, but then again why would it be?

Andrea glared at Liz after she spoke. "I'm here to get payback," she answered before holding out the gun she had in her hand which had been well out of sight. "You had to go and ruin my plans of having Zac just like you ruined my having Taylor too years ago," she frowned before shaking her head. "Now you won't ruin anything else ever again," Andrea smiled before pulling the trigger of the gun, watching as her sister held the spot right above her stomach where there was now a red spot forming.

Standing there frozen when Andrea pulled out her gun, Liz just let her talk, figuring she was bluffing about doing anything. Liz knew though the moment she felt a pain in chest after Andrea had fired the gun that she wasn't bluffing. Andrea had shot her, was getting her payback.

Swallowing hard she fell to the floor as her breathing became labored. It was after she fell that things seemed to get fuzzy, her vision, her hearing. She was faintly aware of Sara running into the room and hearing what sounded like gunshots again but maybe it was her mind playing tricks on her. That was what she was telling herself before everything went black.