Love Unscripted

  “There’s not much else on at two o’clock in the afternoon. Sometimes I’d rather watch cartoons than the other choices.”

  Two minutes later, Cami came running back with another naked Barbie in her other hand. “Here, you be Beauty and I’ll be Dora.”

  I took the Barbie into my hands and danced her around on my leg.

  “Cami, don’t be a pest!” Kelly announced from the kitchen.

  “Come on Cami, let’s take our dollies on an adventure.” I danced the doll over to the kitchen counter where several large chairs were poised. “So Beauty, does mommy need help in the kitchen?”

  “No thank you, Beauty. Dinner is almost ready,” Kelly replied. “Does Taryn need a glass of wine yet?”

  I answered with a wink and a nod.

  “What about G.I. Joe over there? Do you and Malibu Ken need drinks?” Kelly teased.

  I pulled out one of the chairs and my little friend was right by my side. “Would you like to sit on my lap? We can play dollies up here!”

  Cami just nodded her head at me like she was in a trance.

  We played with the two dolls on the counter. “You know Cami, when I was your age I loved playing with Barbies too. I would sit in my room for hours, building houses and taking my Barbie for a ride in her car.”

  “You did?”

  “Uhuh! But my Barbie had clothes. What happened to your clothes, Dora?”

  “Dora gonna take a bath,” she told me, matter-of-factly. “And then, and then, and then, and then, she gonna brush her teef. See? Like dis. Open wide.” Cami opened her mouth.

  While the adorable little girl was showing me her teeth, a little squeaker of a toot slipped out of her bottom. “Oops!” she giggled.

  “Did you sit on a mouse?” I asked her.

  “No, I farted,” she announced to everyone.

  I couldn’t stop laughing. Cal took her off of my lap.

  “Say you’re sorry to Taryn!” he said in between laughing.

  “Sorry,” she said in her beautiful little voice.

  “That’s okay sweetie.”

  “Come on. Let’s see if some little girl needs to go potty.” Cal led her down the hallway.

  Ryan stood behind me, rubbing my shoulders and laughing that I got tooted on.

  “She got me good once. You remember that Kelly? When we were filming the first movie, I had her sitting on my lap and I was tickling her and she peed all over me.”

  “Ryan, that was so funny, none of us could ever forget that. And believe me, it’s a rite of passage once you become a parent. I don’t think there’s a mom or dad on the planet that hasn’t gotten peed, pooped, or puked on.”

  “Well, your daughter peed on me, and my baby niece Sarah has power puked on me already… guess there’s only one more rite of passage then for me, huh?” Ryan laughed.

  “It’s not official until it’s your own child,” Kelly corrected Ryan’s assumption.

  “You mean all these other times don’t count?” Ryan whined.

  Cami came running down the hall and ran right to my leg. I lifted her up and sat her back on my lap. “Are you all better now?”

  She nodded her head. “I pooped.”

  “On the potty like a big girl?” I asked. Ryan stuck his head over my shoulder to get in on the conversation.

  “Uhuh. And, and, and my daddy... he wiped my bottom.”

  “He did? What a good daddy!” I said excitedly.

  “Wanna see my toys?”

  “We’re going to eat dinner first, Cami,” Kelly said as she took the little girl off my lap. “Sorry about this. I couldn’t find anyone to babysit her.”

  I waved a hand and smiled. “Don’t worry about it,”

  We all took our seats at the dinner table. Cami insisted on sitting next to me. She was my new best friend.

  “We’ll have fun later, I promise,” I said to Cami. “But first we have to put some yummy food in our bellies. Then maybe you can show me your toys.”

  “Ooh, pwetty!” Cami had my new necklace in her hand. “Hearts! Can I have it?”

  “Cami, no. That’s not yours,” Kelly reprimanded.

  “I think it’s pretty too!” I whispered to Cami. “I like the way it sparkles!”

  I looked over to Ryan and smiled. He was grinning at me again.

  Cal and Kelly covered the table with a variety of gourmet foods that smelled divine. It was almost too pretty to eat.

  “Kelly, everything is delicious,” I complimented while trying a taste of each selection.

  “Thanks! Cal and I took some cooking lessons from a friend of ours who’s a chef. Usually we just have macaroni and cheese out of the box, but it’s nice to cook like this every once and a while.”

  Cami didn’t eat; she wanted a peanut butter sandwich instead, but she wasn’t going to get one.

  I scooped up some food on her fork and pretended I was going to eat it. She opened her mouth for me and I got her to eat a fork full.

  “That was a good bite! My turn!” I took a nice bite of food.

  “Cami’s turn! My turn!” I didn’t care that the three other adults at the table were staring at me. My game was getting the little girl to eat her supper.

  “Taryn, I think we need to take you home with us. She hasn’t eaten like this in, well I can’t remember the last time she had such an appetite.” Kelly looked astounded.

  “Sorry, can’t let you do that,” Ryan interjected. “We’re staying on the East Coast, where things are normal.”

  The bite of food I had in my mouth suddenly became very hard to chew. Did I just hear that correctly? I wished I could spit the food into my napkin so I could breathe, but I couldn’t be rude. I took a big sip of wine to wet the food in my mouth; hopefully that would help me swallow it. I really wanted to gasp in a few deep breaths of air. We… are staying… East Coast…. We… Holy shit.

  “More!” Cami shouted at me, snapping my attention back to the table. Her little mouth was opened wide, just like a baby bird. I shoveled another pile into her mouth.

  After that comment, I couldn’t eat anymore. I was in a freaking daze thinking about us… East Coast… children… rites of passages… little blue-eyed babies…

  Once we were all finished eating, I helped Kelly clear the table while the men took Cami into the family room to keep her busy. I was scraping a plate into the garbage can when Kelly asked me, “Are you okay?”

  I blinked a few times, wrapping my thoughts around her words. “Yeah, why?”

  “You just got real quiet. I was wondering if it was because of what Ryan said?”

  I smiled. “Kelly, every time he says we…” I took a deep breath.

  She smiled back at me and whispered, “feels good to be in love, doesn’t it!”

  “Yes, it does!”

  We all sat back at the dinner table and talked; Cami was sitting on my lap and we were both coloring in a book with crayons. I was having a blast, trying to get the different shades of purple to blend on the petals of the flower I was coloring.

  “Is that your masterpiece?” Ryan teased Cami.

  “Whyin, don’t touch!” she scolded him.

  “Another good thing about Pennsylvania – that’s where they make crayons,” Ryan stated.

  “And Yuengling Lager too,” I added.

  “Philly cheesesteaks,” Ryan continued.

  “Will Smith is from Philadelphia,” Cal contributed.

  “Pittsburgh Steelers and the Pens,” Ryan and I added together. We held our fists up and tapped our knuckles together.

  “I’m taking you to a hockey game. I’ll check to see when the Pens are playing at home and we are going,” he said to me.

  “Won’t have to twist my arm to get me to go!” I smiled at him.

  “Hey.” Cami patted me on the cheek to get my attention.

  “Taryn,” I said my name.

  “Tawyn,” she repeated. “You color the gwass too. Use dis gween.”

  “Can I color too?” Ryan asked.

/>   “No,” Cami fired quickly. “Me and Tawyn coloring. You wait your turn.”

  I started to laugh. Kids are so brutally honest.

  Ryan pretended to sniff and he acted like he was starting to cry.

  “I think you hurt Ryan’s feelings,” I whispered in her ear.

  Cami looked up at Ryan and pouted. “Whyin, don’t cwy.” She set her crayon down. “I hold you.” She leaned over to him and he pulled her out of my arms.

  My heart melted watching him hug her, while my thoughts wandered to picture him holding our child one day. He would make a great father.

  I slid the coloring book and crayons in front of him so he could have his turn. She plopped down on his lap and picked her red crayon back up in her little hand. I couldn’t stop smiling.

  It was almost nine o’clock and way past Cami’s bedtime when Kelly announced that she had to say goodnight to everyone. She was so quiet sitting on Ryan’s lap, minding her own business and just coloring that you barely realized she was there.

  She started to cry when Kelly picked her up. Ryan gave her a little kiss on the cheek. I had to give her a hug; she demanded it.

  “Goodnight, sweet Princess. I’ll see you soon, I promise,” I whispered to her. She kissed me on my cheek.

  “I think I’m going to have to call Mike tonight before we leave,” Ryan said to Cal. He rubbed his forehead. I knew it bothered him to think about calling for personal security.

  I placed my hand on his arm. “Why don’t we just do a drive-by to see how bad it is first? If the crowd is too large I’m calling the police. We have laws about loitering and I’m far from happy that my place was vandalized.”

  “I heard about that,” Cal said. “Sorry to hear your window was broken.”

  “Thanks. Fortunately I was able to get the window replaced immediately. The logo will be added back on the glass this week. One thing is for sure, no matter where I live my house is going to have a security system. Just knowing I have that makes it easier to sleep at night.”

  “Oh, yes, it’s a must,” Cal stated. “We have an intricate system wired in our new place in Malibu. Motion sensors and yard sensors; we have so many sensors that I don’t even know what half of them do. Ryan, you’re going to need that and a bunch of mean rottweilers around your house.”

  “I have to get the house first,” Ryan admitted. “I’ve been living out of a suitcase for so long now, I don’t know what it’s like to be home.”

  “You should think about getting a place. You’re not going to be on the go forever,” Cal advised.

  I noticed Ryan’s eyes flicker up to me and then he looked back at the coloring book, spinning it under his fingers. “I’ve been thinking about it a lot, but I’m not sure where I want to settle just yet.”

  “By a lake,” I murmured, putting the crayons back into the box.

  “With a boat dock.” He smiled to himself.

  “Surrounded by woods,” I added.

  “Maybe grow some grapes.” I felt his foot tap mine under the table.

  “Watch the leaves change colors from the deck.” I tapped him back.

  “Big farm house… or maybe a really cool log home?” he mused, raising an eyebrow at me.

  I shrugged. Either style suited me. “Stone fireplace in the living room.” I slid the coloring book out from under his fingers and paged through it like a magazine.

  “Maybe one in the master bedroom too?” he questioned, chewing on his thumb. “By the enormous tiled shower?”

  “With the non-slip bathroom countertop?” I couldn’t hide my smile any longer.

  Ryan grinned from ear to ear. “Big glass doors that open to the patio.”

  “With another fireplace?”

  “Right next to the gas grill outdoor kitchen,” he affirmed.

  Cal looked like he was watching a tennis match. “Sounds like you two have all the details worked out. Now you just need to pick the colors and the location!” He laughed.

  “Cami is in bed.” Kelly sat back down at the table; her eyes glanced over all our faces. “Why is everyone smiling?”

  “Ryan and Taryn just designed their dream home, I think. And it sounds like they have most of the details covered, which is good.” He tapped Ryan in the arm. “It will save you a lot of arguments down the line, believe me.”

  “What was that supposed to mean? We didn’t argue that much when we built our house.”

  Cal countered her comment with a few eye rolls.

  As much as I wanted to fantasize about it, in reality Ryan and I didn’t know each other long enough to talk about this kind of stuff. The last thing I wanted to do was get my hopes up. Protect self, my subconscious told me. Think about something else… but what? Need a new topic. Please someone think of something else to say.

  I started to count backwards from one hundred in my mind, hoping that would help. Visions of waking up in Ryan’s arms every morning in our beautiful lakeside home broke right through my number counting.

  I felt the chain of my new necklace catch on my hair, sending a pinch of pain down my neck. I adjusted the chain to untangle it, ripping a few hairs from my head in the process. I picked the pendant up in my hand and looked at it again; two beautiful hearts twined into one.

  “That’s a very beautiful necklace you’re wearing,” Kelly stated.

  “Thank you!” My smile quickly flashed over to Ryan.

  “Are those real diamonds?” she asked upon closer inspection.

  I looked at Ryan, perplexed. I never asked if they were diamonds; I just assumed.

  Kelly noticed my gaze over at Ryan. A smile cracked on her face. “A gift?”

  Ryan’s lips twitched and he nodded in confirmation.

  “You have very good taste, Ryan!”

  “Thank you. I was glad she liked it.”

  “I love it!” I corrected.

  “I got her diamond earrings too, but she won’t wear them.”

  I sighed. “One very expensive present was more than enough.” My eyes locked on the coloring book; I wasn’t used to having a man buy me jewelry, or anything else for that matter.

  I heard Ryan scoff. “Get used to it,” he stated directly.

  Kelly patted me on the arm. I think for a moment she understood.

  “No, I’ll never get used to it,” I whispered out. “I will always appreciate your kindness and generosity, and never take it for granted.” I hoped he could see the truth of my words in my eyes.

  “Do you have a sister, Taryn? Because I have a brother that’s single,” Cal joked.

  “No, I’m sorry Cal, I don’t.” I didn’t understand why he said that. Were all women perceived as gold diggers?

  I jumped slightly when I felt someone touch my rear. I looked behind me to see Cami in her pajamas with a stuffed bunny under her arm.

  “I thought you were sleeping?” I said to her, pulling her onto my lap.

  “Cami! It’s bedtime, young lady!” Kelly was upset.

  “Tawyn, you weed to me?” She rubbed her eye with her little hand. Her soft plea warmed my heart.

  “Sure.” I stood up but Kelly tried to relieve me of her. “It’s okay. Can I put her to bed?”

  Although she was four, she was so light to carry - such a petite little thing. I could see why she had a hard time staying asleep; her bedroom was obviously not her bedroom. There were nets, shells, and seahorses hanging from the corner. This was nothing more than a strange guest room in a rental beach house, not a room for a little princess.

  I read The Little Mermaid book under the soft light of her nightlight, using my best voices to pretend to be the different characters. She liked my Ariel voice the best. I watched as her little mouth formed into gentle O’s when she yawned. Her big blue eyes were getting heavy. I closed the book and softly stroked her long, blond ringlets while quietly singing a few lullabies.

  Ryan popped his head around the door, watching me as I sat on the floor singing to the little girl. Her eyes closed, and in an instant she was
sound asleep. I stared at her for a few moments; she was absolutely adorable.

  Ryan was blocking the space in the doorway; his body was backlit by the little nightlight in the wall outside Cami’s room. I looked at him and smiled.

  He stepped in front of me and slid his hand around my waist, drawing me into his chest. His other hand slowly slipped across my jaw and stopped at the back of my neck; with the slightest bit of force he pulled me in to kiss me.

  This kissing was different. Maybe it was my perception, but it wasn’t the ‘slide my tongue around in your mouth I’m so hot for you’ kind of kiss. It was more tender, personal, and loving.

  Kelly was leaning over the dining table, slicing some kind of chocolate dessert coated with a white whipped topping. “Is our daughter finally sleeping?”

  “Yes, she’s sound asleep.”

  “Taryn sang to her.” Ryan took my hand in his under the table.

  “Well, I think you two are going to make wonderful parents one day - when you’re ready. Cami really surprised me tonight. She never goes off with people she’s unfamiliar with. But you,” Kelly mused and slid a piece of pie in front of me, “she loved you instantly.”

  Her comment made me smile. I was quite taken with the little girl myself. I felt Ryan’s hand squeeze mine.

  “She’s absolutely adorable, Kelly. One day, perhaps.” Change the subject, Taryn.

  “Kelly, I’ve been meaning to ask you a question. When you were on Just Neighbors there was a character - his name was Kip?”

  “Yes, Kip. That was Jesse Oberly who played him.”

  “What ever happened to him? I was surprised when he was killed off. I’m sorry for bringing it up, but when I see you, I think of him and wonder why he died on the show. Did he make someone angry and get fired?”

  “No, Jesse left on his own. Actually I just spoke to him and his wife a couple of weeks ago. He has a ranch in Tennessee now where he breeds and trains racehorses. He’s never been happier. One day he had a meeting with the producer and said he wanted out. He only signed on for one season, and when his contract was fulfilled, the writers had his character die. More drama that way.”

  “Why did he want to leave? His character was so popular,” I asked, sampling my slice of pie.

  “He wasn’t happy. He was a brilliant actor; very natural in front of the cameras. But he didn’t like all the attention or the invasion of his privacy. Kind of reminds me of someone else we know?” She looked at Ryan.