Playing With Fire.

Taylor wouldn't have been able to keep her emotions in tact if she had wanted to when Matt pulled her in close. There was no denying that they had been through a lot in the past day, Matt moreso. She was sure that she would never be able to properly explain to Matt how happy she was in that exact moment, knowing that he still cared for her despite everything. Letting out a sigh, Taylor closed her eyes as she set her head against Matt's chest. She sniffled, reaching up to wipe away the tears before they fell. Happy ones but still, tears.

"S'alright if I take a nap?" Taylor asked through a yawn, having not realized just how tired she was until a few minutes into the movie. Now that she was watching the movie, it was a fight to even keep her eyes open. She felt more drained than she had in a long time and it wasn't as if the movie Matt had picked out was one she hadn't seen before.

Matt was glad when Taylor offered no other words to the situation. Despite everything that had happened today, it looked to be ending on a good note. He rubbed her side as she moved closer to him, laying her head on his chest. When she asked if she could take a nap, Matt nodded. "Yeah, go ahead and take a nap if you're tired, Tay," he said, using one of his older nicknames for her. "I'll carry you upstairs if you're still asleep whenever I go to bed. Just like I did the very first time you spent the night at my house. Remember?" Neither one of them had been planning on Taylor sleeping over, but when she'd fallen asleep on his couch, Matt hadn't had the heart to wake her up and send her home.

Matt decided to go to bed once the movie had finished, and he wasn't surprised to find Taylor still asleep. He turned off the TV, carefully getting up from the couch and lifting Taylor into his arms, cradling her against his chest. He only ever really realized how small she was when he had her in his arms like this. So tiny and fragile, enough that he could break her easily if he wanted to. But he wouldn't. He didn't think there was force on earth that could make him want to harm Taylor, unless her hand was the one that drove the knife into his back, and by that point, well, it would be too late. But Matt trusted Taylor enough to know that she would never do something like that to him, especially after she'd come forward with her confession.

Taylor stirred when Matt picked hr up, just enough to press herself closer to his chest. She let out a small hum, her eyes fluttering shut as she drifted back off to sleep.

- - -

The next morning, Taylor was first to stir. Squirming a bit, Taylor rolled over so that she was facing Matt. She smiled a bit, reaching up to run her fingers through Matt's hair. She debated whether she should go start breakfast, not wanting to alarm Matt by not being int he bed when he woke up. Deciding that it wasn't that big of a deal, Taylor was careful to climb out of bed before heading downstairs. She started a pot of coffee before beginning to cook breakfast. Now that she was going to be so restricted, Taylor wondered what life would be like. It was rare that she even bothered to leave without Matt to begin with but now, she didn't have much of a choice in the matter.

Grumbling when she realized that she was out of peppers for the omelettes she had been planning to make, Taylor settled on just making eggs and toast. She decided to do some thin slices of ham, knowing Matt a little too well to know that she couldn't make breakfast without some sort of meat on the plate. And as he had said before, eggs didn't count toward that rule.

Matt settled Taylor on the bed, pulling the covers up around her shoulders before he turned to change clothes, shrugging off his shirt and pulling on a pair of basketball shorts. He laid down next to her and closed his eyes, falling asleep rather quickly. He woke up for only a second the next morning when he felt Taylor's fingers in his hair before he fell back asleep, waking up again when the smell of food drifted upstairs from the kitchen. Groaning as he climbed out of bed, Matt stopped to use the restroom before he headed downstairs, not surprised to find Taylor in the kitchen. In all honestly, he was glad that's where she was, because she was sometimes known to go out and do a little grocery shopping while he was still asleep, and he would hate for his father to have to make true on his promise so soon. Or at all, really. Matt didn't want Taylor to die, especially by his father's hand.

"Smells good," Matt said, still somewhat asleep as he went to the coffee pot. He would need at least one cup before he was fit the start the day. Because now that he'd thought about it, they did need to do a bit of grocery shopping today. And Matt was sure Taylor would think of a few more errands they needed to run, she always did. And now, Matt would have to tag along, per his father's orders. When the food was ready, Matt gave Taylor a peck on the cheek before he fixed himself a plate, sitting down at the breakfast nook with his plate and his cup of coffee. "So how long have you been up?" Matt asked, scooping a little egg onto a piece of his toast. He smirked softly at Taylor. "I felt you touching my hair this morning, by the way. You're so infatuated with it, I don't understand."

Taylor glanced over, unable to contain her laugh when she noticed just how tired Matt was. He was shuffling forward, his eyes not even half open. She grinned, shaking her head as she turned to finish the last bit of their food. She stepped out of the way so that Matt could get his food, settling on plating her bit. She sat down beside Matt, taking a sip of her milk before she decided to take a bit of her eggs. "Probably half an hour, had a cup of coffee already, why I'm so awake."

Rolling her eyes at his comment, Taylor scoffed and pointed her fork in his direction. "No. I'm infatuated with you, silly," she teased, leaning over to kiss his cheek. Taylor sighed, reaching her free hand over to set it on his knee as they continued about their meal. As they finished, Taylor started to grow uneasy. She refused to look over at Matt, her heart sinking the closer they drew to the end of their meal. "I should... I should probably give a call today. It's been a good month and a half since there was any contact. They'll be anxious and..." she trailed off, tugging her bottom lip between her teeth. She didn't know what else to say, she could feel the tension returning to the room.

Matt just rolled his eyes playfully at Taylor, still chewing his food. After knowing what he knew now about her, he couldn't quite understand why Taylor was so in love with him. Had she even considered the possibility of this when she'd first started this job? As they got closer to the end of their meal, Matt noticed Taylor growing a little uneasy, and he had quite a good suspicion what was causing it. His suspicions were confirmed when Taylor opened her mouth to speak. "Call them, then," Matt said shortly, getting up from the table. He took his plate to the sink and rinsed it off, setting it down. "Just make it quick. I've uh, I've got some errands to run for my dad today. And we need to do some grocery shopping. I want to get the pool set up too, so we need to get some chlorine tabs and shock salt."

Leaving Taylor in the kitchen to make her phone call, Matt decided to go upstairs and take a shower, since they would be out and about. He wasn't sure why, but he didn't really want to be around while Taylor made whatever phone call she was going to make. He was afraid that he might start to see her as a job, someone to look after, and Matt didn't want that. After he'd showered and changed, Matt headed back downstairs, peeking into the kitchen to find Taylor. "Did you get everything taken care of?" he asked her, smoothing out his shirt. "I was thinking that while we're at the grocery store, we could get some stuff to grill, maybe invite everyone over for a barbeque once we've gotten the pool set up?"

Matt just rolled his eyes playfully at Taylor, still chewing his food. After knowing what he knew now about her, he couldn't quite understand why Taylor was so in love with him. Had she even considered the possibility of this when she'd first started this job? As they got closer to the end of their meal, Matt noticed Taylor growing a little uneasy, and he had quite a good suspicion what was causing it. His suspicions were confirmed when Taylor opened her mouth to speak. "Call them, then," Matt said shortly, getting up from the table. He took his plate to the sink and rinsed it off, setting it down. "Just make it quick. I've uh, I've got some errands to run for my dad today. And we need to do some grocery shopping. I want to get the pool set up too, so we need to get some chlorine tabs and shock salt."

Leaving Taylor in the kitchen to make her phone call, Matt decided to go upstairs and take a shower, since they would be out and about. He wasn't sure why, but he didn't really want to be around while Taylor made whatever phone call she was going to make. He was afraid that he might start to see her as a job, someone to look after, and Matt didn't want that. After he'd showered and changed, Matt headed back downstairs, peeking into the kitchen to find Taylor. "Did you get everything taken care of?" he asked her, smoothing out his shirt. "I was thinking that while we're at the grocery store, we could get some stuff to grill, maybe invite everyone over for a barbeque once we've gotten the pool set up?"

Taylor was surprised when Matt decided to leave her alone while she made the phone call. She could have easily sabotaged it, gone back on her word to Matt and yet the thought of doing it made her sick to her stomach. Matt wasn't all that bad. Sure, he did some things he probably shouldn't have but who out there didn't have regrets? Life just didn't work that way, it never really had. What she hadn't been expecting when she made the phone call was for Daniel, her husband, to pick up the other end. The first words out of his mouth were of concern, voicing the team's concern. Why hadn't she contacted them for the past few weeks? She was supposed to do a weekly check in and with nothing to report, Taylor had no real answer for him. She tried to keep herself together, distancing herself from the surprising emotions that welled inside of her. Daniel was her husband and she had betrayed him. And he didn't even know it.

She had hung up, throwing the phone to the other side of the counter. Hanging her head, Taylor had buried her face into her hands as she counted her breaths. Each breathe in, each one out. She didn't want to cry because this was all so ridiculous, she knew that and she couldn't deny it. She'd done this to herself. Sniffling, Taylor straightened up when Matt appeared in the kitchen. She nodded, rubbing at her cheeks for a moment. "Yeah, I just have to start doing my weekly check ins again," she explained quietly. She shrugged as she stood, trying to ease the tension in the air. "I'm just going to get changed real quick," she said, turning to head upstairs to do just that.

When Taylor reappeared, she seemed to be a bit more relaxed. "Since summer is starting, I want to start a garden. Keep me busy," she said, shoving her hands into her pockets. "If that's alright with you?" Taylor didn't think Matt would object to the idea, if anything it would just make the outside of their home more pleasant and it would give her something to do that she couldn't get in trouble for.

Matt wasn't shocked to learn that Taylor had been checking in with her team weekly since she'd been with them, but it did spark the sickly feeling of betrayal in the pit of his stomach. How much about him and his father had she told them? Surely not enough, or he wouldn't be standing in his kitchen as a free man right now. But enough that they were still watching him, and his father, too. Matt opened his mouth to speak to Taylor, ask her if something was wrong, but before he could say a word, she'd gone upstairs. Luckily when she reappeared, she seemed quite a bit more relaxed than when she'd gone upstairs.

"A garden is fine," Matt said. "It'll make the yard look nice. And fresh vegetables are good for you, you know I like to eat healthy." He knew a garden required a bit of upkeep, and he hoped it would keep Taylor busy, busy enough that his father would forget about her. But even Matt knew that was a pipe dream. His father was like an elephant, he never forgot. Now that Thomas knew who Taylor was, knew what she was, he would never forget. "You want to get going?" Matt asked, glancing at the clock over the stove. "If we hurry, I can start setting up the pool today and maybe you could start on your garden, if you wanted to?"

Taylor couldn't help but wonder if when they left the house, if someone would b following them. She wouldn't put it past Thomas, couldn't even bring herself to say she blamed him either. If somehow roles had been reversed, she would have likely done the same thing. What if Taylor wondered off in the store and she conveniently got lost? Forcing away the concerning thoughts, Taylor nodded at Matt's suggestion. She stepped over to him, slipping her arm through his as she followed him out of the house.

"If we're going to set up the pool and garden today, we should grab some stuff to toss on the grill. I can cook it while you set up the pool, if you want. After lunch, I can start the garden," Taylor offered after they had climbed into Matt's truck. Since they would likely be out for a few hours, she assumed they would both be hungry by the time she managed to finish cooking everything up. She glanced toward him, a small smile on her lips. Leaving and planning to do such normal things had her excited because in a way, it felt like they were normal. "What do you think? I guess we can invite some people over... if you want to." The more that Taylor spoke, the more she began to realize she was probably pushing her luck a bit but it was already too late.

"We can grab something to put on the grill, but if we're going to invite people over we should wait until dinner," Matt said, starting the engine of his truck. He backed out of the driveway, heading off towards the nearest Walmart. "Setting up the pool is going to going to take a couple of hours, and I might need your help. And then when we invite everyone over, it'll be like, the grand opening of our back yard or the summer." The two of them usually ended up being the hosts for get-togethers, because they had the biggest backyard, with a privacy fence installed at his father's urging. "So you can set up your garden while I mess with the pool and then we can get cleaned up and invite everyone over for food and beer and swimming. I'm thinking ribs, does that sound good to you?"

Matt was only trying to keep things as normal as possible. He knew that eventually a time would come when they would no longer be able to ignore their situation, but he hoped to put that off as long as possible. Pulling into a parking spot, Matt killed the engine, waiting for Taylor to open the door before he locked the door. "So what should we get to go with the ribs?" Matt asked, grabbing a grocery cart. "Maybe vegetable shish-ka-bobs?" First he headed off in the direction of the meat and vegetables, getting the things he would need to grill and tossing them into the cart. "Did you want to go and look over in the garden center now? We could get the stuff for the pool and you could get the stuff for your garden."

"I was thinking corn on the cob would be good to grill," Taylor mentioned as they made their way into Walmart. She was careful to stay closer to Matt's side than usual. If this had even been a few days ago, she probably would have strayed to go find something she deemed a necessity. Now, she was idly keeping her steps in time with his, lingering by the side of the cart before they reached the vegetables. She went off to grab a few things further down the displays, returning to the cart to drop the items inside.

"I think I'll get a few already growing vegetables, that way we can start harvesting them sooner and profit some more," Taylor mentioned, looking up to Matt with a small smile. "I'll just get seeds for flowers though," she said, stuffing her hands into her pockets as she looked around the garden center. "You don't want any corny yard decorations, do you?" Taylor asked, letting out a laugh as she looked up to Matt, her face scrunching up.

"Oh yeah, corn on the cob sounds good," Matt agreed. As they walked through the produce section, he noticed how Taylor stuck close by his side. He knew it was because of everything with his father and although he was glad that Taylor was making the task of watching over her easier for Matt, he hated that she'd fallen into this subservient role so easily. He grabbed a few packages of ribs before they walked to the garden center, pushing his cart to the outdoor area where the live plants were kept.

Matt listened to Taylor as she explained what she wanted to do with her garden, laughing when she mentioned something about corny yard decorations. "You can do whatever you want with the yard, I don't care," he told her. "The neighbors know you live there, so it's not like they'd think I put the damn things up. And maybe it'll give you something to do, making the yard look all...cute." Matt pushed the shopping cart over to the vegetable plant display, picking up a plant. "How about bell peppers?" he asked. "You want some bell peppers? Ooh, you can grow jalapenos. I love jalapenos."

"Sometimes I have good ideas," Taylor remarked, her face scrunching up a bit as she looked up to Matt. She grinned, shrugging her shoulders as she stepped away just long enough to pick out a dozen or so corn. If they were inviting everyone over, they likely couldn't even hope to have enough food. With the way that Matt and his friends ate, Taylor sometimes wondered how she even managed to cook enough to keep them satisfied when they did end up visiting.

Listening to Matt go off on tangent about what vegetables they should grow, Taylor found herself all but beaming over at him. This was the Matt that she had fallen in love with, the Matt that had managed to completely change her view on the world. Nodding, Taylor stepped up beside him and picked out two of both the bell peppers and jalapenos. "What do you think about carrots? Cucumbers? I could pickle them both and see how it turns out," she mentioned, reaching for one of each. Looking back to him, Taylor raised an eyebrow. "Onions? Maybe some herbs, too? I know you, you can't have enough cilantro and chives."

"Eh, I don't know about pickled carrots, but I'm down for some regular carrots," Matt said, making a face as he thought about it. He reached for one of the herb plants that Taylor was talking about. "Yeah, we can get some of these, I guess," he said, setting the plant in the buggy. "Oh, we should get some tomatoes, too. Then you can make salsa." He grabbed a tomato plant and sat that in the cart as well, turning to Taylor. "Anything else? I still need to get the stuff for the pool and I want to get it set up so it can be filling while I'm grilling. And you can look cute while you set up your garden."

Once Taylor had selected all of the vegetables and herbs that she wanted, Matt pushed the cart back inside, going to grab the chemicals and salts he would need for the pool. Once they had everything they needed, he walked with Taylor to the registers, helping to set everything on the conveyor belt. "I think this is going to be a fun evening, don't you?" Matt asked Taylor as he pulled out his wallet. He was glad they could so easily act like things were normal, inviting their friends over for food and a good time. It made it easier for Matt to forget the situation looming over their heads.

Taylor huffed but decided not to argue over the pickled carrots. If she planted enough of them, there would be plenty for them to do whatever they wanted with them. She stood out of the way, letting Matt put what plants he wanted into the cart. She grinned, tilting her head to the side as he mentioned salsa. "Ohh, I want to make my grandmother's spinach dip!" She nearly shouted, turning to scamper off to where the spinach seeds were. She grabbed a package, returning to Matt's side with a lopsided grin.

She couldn't deny just how nervous that she was for the evening. She knew that Matt's friends were just as involved in his business as he was. Would Matt's father have told them her original purpose of being here? Taylor smiled, her stomach doing a nervous flip flop at Matt's question. "I hope so," she answered, almost positive Matt would know why she was so hesitant. Shaking her head, Taylor moved their bags into the cart as Matt paid for their things.

When they were settled in the car, Taylor reached over to set her hand on Matt's thigh. "We're just inviting the boys right? And of course their ladies because if I have to deal with you all at once, I might just go crazy."

"Hell yeah, I love your grandma's spinach dip," Matt said. Even if it would be awhile before those seeds would be spinach, he was excited to eat the dip with a bag of pretzels. As they checked out, Matt noticed how nervous Taylor seemed to be. He himself hadn't told the guys about her admission, but he couldn't guarantee that his father hadn't. Of course, even if Thomas had explained everything to everyone else, they wouldn't lay a hand on Taylor or say a word to her about it with Matt around. Thomas might be the boss, but Matt was second in command and they all knew better to threaten Taylor in any way. Besides, unless Thomas ordered anything, they would leave her alone.

Matt smiled when he felt Taylor's hand on his thigh. "Yeah, just the boys," he answered, laughing at her next statement. "And I'll make sure they bring their ladies along because I like having you around. I don't want you to go crazy." Once they arrived home, Matt carried all of the groceries inside, setting the ribs up in a marinade before he took everything for the pool outside. First things first, he needed to get the pool filled and then he could shock it, which could clean the water while they ate. He dragged the hose over to the deep end of the pool and tossed it down inside, going over to turn on the water. "You need any help with your garden?" he asked Taylor.

Taylor was thinking she probably wouldn't even end up planting everything tonight. She would have a few hours before anyone showed up for the party but she knew damn sure that she would need the better part of an afternoon if she wanted to have everything that way she wanted it. Grumbling to herself, Taylor was digging up all of the grass in the area with a small handheld shovel. Glancing up when she heard Matt speak, Taylor smiled a bit as she gave a nod of her head. "Yeah, if you want to help dig this up that'd be awesome. I figure that getting the food started first is more important," she explained, turning back to the work at hand.

A few hours later, Taylor was more than ready for the feast that they would end up having tonight. She breathed a small sigh as she pushed up from the ground, dusting off her knees before she turned to Matt. Their guests would be arriving in half an hour or so, just enough time for her to wash up. Walking over to Matt, she leaned up to kiss him gently. "I'm gonna go wash up..." she trailed off, her hand teasing down his chest as she bit her lip. "Such a shame those ribs need to be tended to, huh?" Taylor teased with a small laugh. "I'll be down in a few," she said, bidding him a farewell as she turned to head inside.

"Well I wanted to let the meat marinate for about ten more minutes before I put it on the grill," Matt said, kneeling down next to Taylor. He started to dig up some of the weeds and grass. He helped out for about fifteen minutes before he decided he'd better go ahead and get the meat on the grill, since it would likely need to cook for a couple of hours. "I'm going to go and start on the ribs," Matt announced, getting to his feet. He went into the kitchen and grabbed the ribs, taking them outside and getting the grill started. He also needed to grill the corn, but that wouldn't take nearly as long, so he could start on that later.

Thirty minutes or so before they guys were supposed to arrive, Matt decided he might as well shock the pool so they could swim in it after supper. He measured out the chemicals and tossed then into the pool along with a chlorine tablet. He smiled when Taylor approached, wrapping his arm loosely around her waist as she kissed him. Matt pouted at her when she spoke, since it was pretty obvious what she meant by that. "You're a little tease, I hope you know that," he called after her as she went inside. "I'm going to get you back for that later." He huffed playfully as he went over to check on the ribs. They were almost done, but they should be where they needed to be by the time everyone got here. "Hey Taylor, you wanna make up a salad or something?" Matt asked as he stepped into the kitchen. "I'm going to get the corn ready and toss it on the grill real quick."

Taylor tossed Matt a look over her shoulder, a cheeky smile all that she offered in response before she continued upstairs to take a quick shower. She decided to just put her bathing suit on right away, pulling a cover up on over it so that she didn't have to change after they finished eating. It would just be a waste of time that she could spend in the pool, relaxing with Matt and his friends. Heading downstairs, Taylor was just about to head outside when Matt stepped through the doorway. She nodded quickly, heading toward the fridge to grab the pre-shucked corn that she handed to him.

"Do you want to take a quick shower? I can always watch the corn and steak," Taylor commented, offering Matt a small smile. "The salad should only take me a few minutes to make anyway." Grabbing the salad ingredients out of the fridge, she stepped over to the sink to begin rinsing them off before she could chop them up.