Sequel: Hearts On Fire

In the Rose Garden

I Didn't Steal Your Boyfriend

The two girls sat across from each other and avoided eye contact for a couple seconds. Taylor Swift looked around the coffee diner while Addison Turner looked at the table and floor.

Finally, Addison spoke, "So I uh, don't have a lot of time…" She pulled her iced Campfire Mocha closer to her and looked at Taylor.

"Oh, right," Taylor responded as she pushed her hair out of her face. "So um, I know things started off pretty rocky between us-"

Addison instantly went on the defense. "No one told you to act the way you had. There was no reason for you to act like a pompous bitch."

"Well no but you know. Anyway, I know I came off as crazy and I'm really not that way. I know the whole thing with Joe Jonas made me seem even crazier. It's just that with Joe, we were dating and our relationship was going good until-"

Addison cut her off, "If you brought me here to accuse me of stealing your boyfriend you're wasting your time because I didn't steal your boyfriend. Nothing happened between us until after you and he were over. I don't know what kind of girl you take me for and I frankly don't care but I'm not the type of girl who steals boyfriends."

"I'm sure you're not and I'm sorry I made you feel that way. I'm just here to settle this once and for all. I'm tired of the whole 'Taylor versus Addison' thing. I understand that Joe's fans will always be divided about us but I just want us to be in a place with each other that doesn't add to the fire. I don't know if Joe and I will ever get to that place but I figured maybe you were a good start."

"That's understandable," Addison said and nodded her head. She was still skeptical though about Taylor's motives. She glanced at the promise ring Joe had given her and looked up at Taylor. Taylor was staring at the ring too.

Taylor cleared her throat. "I'm not asking to be friends but I'm just asking if we can be mature enough to put this behind us."

"No more death glares when we see each other in public?"

Taylor giggled. "No more death glares."

"And for Joe too?"

"And for Joe also."

Addison's phone chimed and she quickly checked it. She had a text message from Diego.

Call me A.S.A.P!

"Great. So I need to get going. Joe has a lot going on today," Addison said picking up her purse.

"Okay, yeah. Thanks for meeting up with me. I know how awkward this must have been."

"No problem. I'll see you around," Addison said as she stood up. Taylor remained where she was as Addison walked out of the coffee diner. Addison scrolled through her phone to Diego's number as she got into her car. He answered on the first ring.

"Addie! What are you doing?" he screeched through the phone.

"What?" she asked innocently.

"Dining with the enemy, are we?"

"No! She just wanted to talk."

"About?"

"Nothing."

"Addison, Taylor Swift does not talk about nothing. Come on little lady, out with it."

"Nope. D, I have to go. I'm driving."

"Well all right. I'll talk to you later then."

They both hung up and Addison turned the radio on. Adding irony to the whole situation, the DJ started playing Ashlee Simpson's song, "Boyfriend." Addison giggled and drove home.

⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆

"So what's this I hear about you and Taylor Swift fighting at a restaurant?" Mr. Turner asked his daughter as she walked into the living room.

"Nu-uh! We were not fighting! She just wanted to clear the air between us," Addison informed him. She sat next to him on the couch. "But news really does travel fast." She felt her father's eyes staring at her as she picked at her silver nail polish. He put his arm around her and pulled her close to him and kissed her head. Then he sat back on the couch and went back to watching TV.

After a couple minutes, they heard Finn's Mustang rumble in the driveway.

"Oh boy," Mr. Turner mumbled.

"Is it that serious?" Addison asked.

"Well, if it weren't for your looks, you'd definitely know that you and Finn are siblings by personality."

Addison gave him a blank stare.

"You're both weird," he quickly said as Finn walked into the living room.

"Addison," Finn said and tipped his head at her. Then he turned to Mr. Turner, "Pops."

"Dad just called us weird," Addison told Finn. Finn just shrugged his shoulders.

"Better than him saying we're not his," he responded.

Addison and Mr. Turner just stared at him.

"Too soon?" he asked.

Addison nodded her head. "A little, yeah."

"My bad," Finn said as he put his hand on his chest and let it rest there. Addison noticed her dad had this same little quirk. At any given time of the day, he'd be standing or sitting with his hand on chest and not even realize it. Just as Finn took a seat next to his sister, Jason Aldean's song took over phone.

"I have to go get this. It's Joe." Addison left the living room and stepped into the kitchen. She answered as she reached the sliding glass door.

"Please tell me it's not true," Joe said. His voice was a little panicked.

"Oh it's true. I told that motherfucking bitch to mind her own goddamn business!"

"Addison!"

"Joe, I'm just kidding. It went well. I don't think she'll be an issue anymore. Her main concern was if you cheated with me and I told her no because you really didn't and I wouldn't let you."

"Okay, good. When I head I got a little worried."

"Joe, I know that anything I do in public will be reflected back on you. I wouldn't do that to you and you know that."

"I know, sorry."

"Anyway, when are you coming home? I miss you."

"Awe, I miss you more." Addison could hear the boys in the background making gagging noises. "Shut up guys!"

"Ha ha! That's funny. Well I'll let you get back to whatever you were doing."

"Okay. Love you, angel."

"I love you, too."

They hung up and Addison took a seat on one of the lounge chairs facing the pool.

"Are you all right?" Fin asked from behind her. She scooted over so he could sit.

"I just don't know what I'm going to do when he leaves."

"You're going to do what you do."

"What I do depends on what Joe does. I'm not sure I know how to live my life without him."

"Um… I think this is a conversation you should be having with Dad actually."

"Ya think!?"

"Hey, can't blame me for trying! Let me know when he breaks your heart. Then I'll be very useful."

"Oh boy… Anyway, go get Dad."

"On it," Finn said and walked away.

"Turd!" she called after him.

A few minutes later, Mr. Turner sat on the chair and motioned Addison to him.

"Okay, what's going on?" he asked.

She sighed. "I don't think I know how to live my life without Joe. I really don't. I don't know what to do when he's gone. He's become my life."

"Well this will give you a chance to take back your life and make it your own again. You'll have Lily, your job, me…"

"That's true."

"Maybe you can start a new hobby. Or go with me when I visit Mike."

"Corcoran?"

"The one and only."

"I love him! He's great!"

"Yep, he sure is."

They fell silent and watched the wind make ripples across the surface of the pool.

"You're going to be fine," Mr. Turner said. "Look at how far you made it without Joe in your life. You'll be okay."

"Okay," she responded almost too quietly for him to hear. She then changed the subject. "So, when's Katie coming home?"

"She's not. She's got an all nighter."

"You know Dad, she's pretty great. I really like her."

"Good. I'm really glad you like her because I do too."

"So uh, when's the wedding?" she said and nudged her dad with her elbow.

"You're funny and I'm pretty sure you get that from me."

"Mom…" was all Addison said. After another prolonged moment, she said, "You know, she never called me back when she had said she would."

Mr. Turner had started to respond but stopped. He knew Addison knew the way her mother was but at the same time, he didn't want to bad mouth the mother of his twins.

"Addie, you know what kind of problems Mom has."

"Yeah but that's no excuse to abandon your children, especially when one really wants you."

"She didn't abandon you! That's a little dramatic even for you."

"Well it sure feels that way. I just want my mom back. My old mom. Pre-grandma dying mom."

"I know, sweetheart. Just remember, everything happens for a reason. You may not know the reason right now but you'll figure it out over time."

"Well what I do know is I don't want to be her. I now know what type of wife and mother I don't want to be."

"Sweetie, I don't judge you at all for saying that. I honestly would hope you'd be a better overall person than her and so far you are."

"I just feel like I'm at a time in my life that I could benefit from having Mom around-don't get me wrong, I know I have Mrs. Jonas and I love her to death but she's not my mom. She's Joe's mom. So there is a difference."

Mr. Turner tightened his hold on Addison and let out a defeated sigh. "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"For… everything. Your mom, family, drama, possibly not being your dad, for not fighting for you."

"Dad, don't do that. You are my dad and you have been for the last nineteen years and will continue to be for the next nineteen years."

"I know but still. It still bothers me, I won't lie about that."

"Well there's no use crying over spilled milk, as they say. Speaking of which, why is it milk? Who would cry over spilled milk besides a baby?"

"Addison… wow."

"What? I'm asking seriously!"

"Oh you…" His voice trailed off as thunder rumbled across the sky. He looked up for a second and then at Addison. "Let's get inside before it pours on us."

⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆

Addison awoke when she felt the bed shift next to her. She turned onto her side away from Joe and moments later, felt his arms around her. At the same moment, thunder rumbled the sky again and she opened her eyes just in time to see lightning crack across the black cloudy sky outside the bedroom window. She let out a whiny moan as the rain began to beat loudly on the roof. She turned onto her back and could sense Joe staring at her.

"What?" she asked.

"Nothing," he responded. She could hear the joy in his voice.

"It's been like this all night and I had just finally gotten to sleep. I can almost swear the house shook one time."

"It probably did."

"Yep. Good night, Joe."

"Good luck getting that sleep, babe."

"You're funny."

⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆ ⋆

The next morning, Joe walked out into the living room to find Addison wrapped up in a blanket on the couch watching an early morning marathon of 'Criminal Minds.'

"I had a dream that I got a black and white kitten and named it Hotch. Well it was actually Hotchner Aaron but we called him Hotch. So now I must make it happen."

"Whatever makes you happy," Joe responded. He got underneath the blanket with her.

"Don't you have rehearsal or something?"

"Not until the afternoon. Dad has some stuff to take care of for the tour this morning."

"Oh, okay. I'll go make breakfast then." She moved the blanket aside but Joe stopped her.

"No, I got this. You watch your show and think about your cat."

"I'm going to become the crazy cat lady!" she called after him.

"No you won't! We'll have kids before that happens!"

"Then I'll just be the crazy lady!"

Half an hour later, Joe came back with two plates containing eggs, toast, and sausage. He went back to the kitchen to retrieve two cups of apple juice.

"We're out of grape juice otherwise I would have brought you that instead."

"That's fine, babe. I'll pick some up later. I need to do some grocery shopping anyway."

Joe sat next to her on the couch and they ate their breakfast in silence. The only sound that filled the living room was the sound of Derek Morgan's voice aggressively informing a suspect of their rights.

"Are you sure you want a cat?" Joe asked.

Addison nodded her head. "Yep, I've never been so sure about something in my life."

Joe cocked is head at her and she just smirked at him.

She said, "Seriously."

Once they finished breakfast, they each showered and dressed for the day. While Joe was in the shower, Addison got a phone call from her dad saying that her mom was in the house and she needed to talk to them. Addison told Joe through the shower curtain where she'd be and then made her way to her father's house. Her mom was sitting on the couch and Finn was sitting on the arm of the couch farthest away from her. Addison stood next to her dad and said, "What's going on?"

Cassidy stood up. Everyone noticed that she had lost a lot of weight and didn't look quite right. "I had some tests done this week and last week at the doctor's office and the tests came back positive. I have cancer. Ovarian cancer."
♠ ♠ ♠
Very long overdue update. I apologize. Thanks to those who have recommended this story. Thanks to those who commented on the last chapter. I appreciate you! This one was a lot of dialogue. Hopefully the next one won't be and hopefully it won't be almost a year before it comes out. I'll try harder. Haha.