Chapter 24 #2
"You are right. It wasn't meant to be. I realized something at the beach during all of those hours of soul-searching.
Life is short. We have to reach out and grab every bit of happiness we can when we can.
Poppy and Ben make you happy. You should be with them.
Greer makes me unbelievably happy, and I want to be with him.
It really shouldn't matter what other people or the press think about it. We have to live our own lives and be true to ourselves. So, let’s stop apologizing and stop beating ourselves up.
What is done is done. We must move forward and trust that everything will work itself out. "
"Wow. I never saw that coming, but I am relieved you feel this way.
You are right. I have been beating myself up emotionally for everything for months now about all of this.
But I shouldn't be surprised that you would say something like that.
Your willingness to forgive and your caring nature were just a few things I have always loved about you. And I do love you very much."
"I know. You love me, but you are not in love with me any more than I am with you.
But it's okay. We have both found the people we are supposed to be with.
You have a son now. In a few months, Lord willing, I will have a child of my own.
Things are working out. It is just going to take some time and patience.
We can get through this. We have gotten through much worse. "
"Well, about that. I have something to tell you. I, too, have been doing some deep thinking and have made a major decision. Tomorrow morning at 9:00, I am resigning as Senator and withdrawing my name from consideration for a cabinet position.”
"Bennett, no!"
"Yes. It is time. Nothing is more important to me than Poppy, Ben, and you. Staying in the race is hurting all the people that I love the most in the world. I don't think I can live with myself if I go on hurting any of you one more day."
"But this is your dream."
"It was my dream. My only dream now is seeing you happy with Greer and Poppy and me back together raising our son. I don't want to miss one more day with him or Poppy. And I want you to be happy, too."
Sitting back and studying him for a moment, Taylor added, "Oh my. What does Joules say about all this?"
"Joules totally agrees with me. She knows what it is like to lose the love of your life. I promise you, she would trade every campaign and anything else she could for just one more day with the man she loved."
"Who was that man? Did you know him? She mentioned him to me the other day but would not tell me who it was. I pray it is not Dennis Harrison. That man is not good enough for her."
Shaking his head, Bennett said, "It is not Harrison. I know who it was, but that is not my story to tell. She would have told you if she wanted you to know about it."
"I guess you are right," Taylor said as she gathered plates and bowls and took them to the sink. "She told you, but she won't tell me. Strange. I would not have thought there was anything we couldn't tell each other."
"She didn't tell me. I knew about it for other reasons. It happened a long time ago."
"And you can't tell me?"
"No, I can't, and please don't ask me to. She'll tell you when she is ready."
"You're right, but I find it all very strange. Especially after all that has happened in the last few months. What bigger secrets could there be?"
Bennett was silent for a moment and then stood up and walked to the counter. "Well, I am going to say goodnight," he said, "I have a speech I need to work on for the morning. I enjoyed tonight. Make sure you get some rest. I will stay in the guest room tonight if that is okay."
"Of course, it is okay. This is your house."
Continuing to stand by the counter, he said, "I can hardly wait to bring Ben here. He's driven by it but never been inside. I can't wait for you to meet him. He is an amazing kid."
"I would love to meet your son, but I am unsure how his momma will feel about that," replied Taylor.
"I know. Poppy is such a sweet and giving person. She is truly beautiful inside and out until it comes to you."
"I agree with you there. She is stunning.
All that glorious red hair and alabaster skin.
And, tiny. I didn't remember her being so tiny.
Maybe because anytime I have ever been around her, she was always frowning at me.
She scares me because she comes across as being very fierce.
She has never liked me. I wondered what I did to her that made her hate me so much. Now, I know that it was all about you."
"Yes, she is very intimidated by you. I told you the truth before about us not sleeping together. We haven't since we were together eleven years ago. She was hung up on not being the other woman."
As Taylor loaded the dishwasher, she said, "Well, the joke was on her then because she never was.
I was the other woman," said Taylor. "She was always the only woman for you from the beginning.
The irony is that we would have never become a couple if she had not run off.
You go to her, and you make her understand that.
If you do, who knows, maybe she and I will become friends.
You two will get married, and she will become the sister I never had. "
Bennett had no response to that. He just nodded as Taylor walked over and hugged him good night before heading off to bed.
For a long time after she left, Bennett stood rooted in the same spot by the counter in the kitchen, unable to quite believe this would be his last night as a US Senator.
He spent his whole life working to get to where he was careerwise, and in one ten-line announcement, he was going to demolish his life’s work.