My Heart Belongs to You

Taylor didn't see her mom much over the next few days, except for passing each other in the mornings and shouting a quick goodbye as her mom rushed out the door to go to work. Waking up Saturday morning, Taylor made her way downstairs and sat down opposite her mom at the table.

"Morning," her mom greeted with a smile, "So, I have today off and I was thinking that maybe we could do something together."

"I already have plans," Taylor mumbled.

"With who?"

"Dylan asked me to help him train for the baseball try-outs," Taylor informed her, washing up her bowl and grabbing her jacket off of the chair, "Then Tammy is coming over to work on our joint English assignment."

"Surely they won't mind rescheduling for another day."

"They might not, but I do," Taylor stated, throwing her mom a disbelieving look, "I promised them that I would give them my time today and unlike you, I actually stick to my word."

"Taylor..."

"No, mom..." Taylor shouted, feeling anger rise through her, "You have let me down time after time and now that you've finally found some spare time in your schedule to fit me in, you want me to drop everything... that's not how it works."

Storming out the front door, Taylor ignored her mom's calls and forced a smile onto her lips as Dylan met her in the yard. Reaching the park, they found a clear space on one of the playing fields and got straight into practicing.

"Thank you for helping me out," Dylan said as they sat down, passing Taylor a bottle of water, "I know that this probably brings back memories for you..."

"It does, but they are good memories and being here... it helps me feel closer to my dad."

"Luckily for you, my swing needs a lot of work," Dylan replied with a wink, causing Taylor to chuckle and jump to her feet.

"We best get back to it then."

"Bossy," Dylan teased, retrieving his bat from the floor and taking up position, "You know, I've seen better pitches by a used car salesman."

Practicing for another hour, they packed up and headed home. Pausing at her front door, Taylor took a deep breath and went inside. Hearing her mom in the kitchen, Taylor stepped on the bottom stair to go up to her room and paused as her mom called her.

"Sit," her mom ordered, "I know that I've been really busy with work lately and that we haven't spent as much time together as we should, but you have no idea how hard it is being a single mom. You have no idea what it takes to keep a roof over your head, food on the table and clothes on your back... no idea what so ever."

"You're right," Taylor mumbled, "I don't know what it's like being a single mom, but that isn't the reason that you don't want to be around me and we both know I'm right."

Looking at her mom, Taylor could see the truth in her eyes and felt tears roll down her cheeks as she ran out the back door. Jumping over the fence at the end of her garden into a small woodland area, Taylor ran until she reached the stream that ran through its center and stopped as someone called her name.

"Hey, what's going on?" Dylan asked, resting his hands on his knees to catch his breath and looking at Taylor concerned, "Tay?"

"She hates me," Taylor whispered, picking up a stone and chucking it into the water.

"Who hates you?"

"My mom," Taylor told him, "She'd never say it, but I can see it every time she looks at me... I remind her of what she lost."

"I'm sure that's not true..." Dylan tried to argue.

"You haven't seen the way she looks at me... like she wishes it was me instead of him," Taylor stated, "Hell, I wish that it had been me instead of him... it's my fault."

"Tay, you dad was really sick," Dylan replied, moving to stand in front of her and putting hands on her shoulders, "It was not your fault, you were by his side every day and I know how much it killed you seeing him so weak... your mum loves you, Tay."

"I just wish that he was here."

Seeing the look of understanding in Dylan's eyes, Taylor allowed herself to be pulled into a hug and for the first time since her dad died, she let her defenses drop as he comforted her. Feeling Dylan's phone vibrate, Taylor stepped away from him and sat down against a tree as he answered it. Staring at the water as it rippled under a soft breeze, Taylor thought about her dad and couldn't hold back the smile that appeared on her face.

"I'm busy right now," Taylor heard Dylan say, hanging up the phone and sitting down beside Taylor.

"You don't have to stay."

"I want to," Dylan said, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and pulling her into his side.