Mr. and Mrs. Hanson have the sort of love that I one day hope to have. After letting myself go on a crying spree, I turned off the faucet, and decided to join the rest of the world. The living room was a buzz of activity. Theresa and Ike had invitations sprawled across the carpet, and they were busy trying to make sense of their wedding plans. Zac was fast asleep on the recliner. He'd been out late the previous night, and he, too, was feeling a little guilty about Taylor's sickness.

"Taylor, are you feeling any better?"

"A little," he moaned.

"Tay, it's been a day since you were stricken with this strange disease. It's time you got up, and did something."

"Like what? I'm too sick."

"Yeah right. No little stomach virus can get Taylor Hanson down. Come on. You're going to drive me shopping."

"Sure, Haley. Spending my day shopping with you. Hmm. Doesn't sound like fun to me."

"Fine, be that way. Maybe I'll just have to go shopping by myself. There's a really cute guy about my age at Maurice's. They've got a sweet little bikini number, so maybe I can try it on for him. You know, see how he likes it." I attempted jealousy to get him off the couch.

"Cool. I'm sure he'll give you his honest opinion, Haley. You've modeled enough underwear and such apparel for me. I don't need to see anymore, especially with me sick the way I am."

"Ughh!" I groaned, and sat down beside Theresa. "Men."

"I know what you mean. When Isaac's sick, he makes everyone else around him feel sick, too." She playfully batted Isaac's leg, and he immediately grabbed her hand.

"I can't wait to marry you," he said. She blushed, and smiled widely.

"I love you, Ike." They both leaned in, forehead to forehead, and shared a quick kiss. Yuck. I had to get away from this . . . this . . . love.

"I'm going."

"Bye, Haley." No loss for Tay. He seemed glad to have me go.

"Whatever," I said as I walked out. I've always hated not being the center of attention.

One soft pretzel and two malls later, I returned to the Hanson home with tons of packages. Zac, now wide awake, helped me carry them in.

"Woah, Haley. What did you get?" He was currently holding the Victoria's Secret package, and commenting on its weight.

"None of your business, Zac. It's not that heavy, you just want to look at everything I bought," I said, snatching the bag away from him.

"Can you blame me? Oh, Taylor's feeling better. He was looking for you a little while ago."

"Oh, well that doesn't matter. I'm ignoring him."

"I don't think you're doing a very good job of it."

"Why on Earth do you say that?"

"Oh hmm. You just bought out the entire summer line of Angels lingerie. I don't know."

"Smartass. The Angels are underwear. That's exactly how I'll wear them, Zac, under my clothes."

"That's not what Ike says." Zac caused me to almost drop my packages.

"Ike, huh? Well, what exactly does Ike say?"

"MMMBop," Zac smiled, and took off for the living room with my clothes.

"Zac, come back here!" It was a lost cause, because he was pretty far away. I dropped my load on the couch, and collapsed beside it, with a huff.

"Haley, I was looking for you. Where were you?"

"Shopping, Taylor. I told you before I left."

"Oh, I forgot. Sorry."

"That's okay," I sighed.

"Ooh, Victoria's Secret," Tay observed, spotting the package. I couldn't help but smile.

"Yeah, I had to pick up a few things."

"Oh, can I see?"

"No, those things are personal."

"It's not like I'm not going to see them eventually anyway." The nerve of that boy.

"You'll see them when you see them."

"Does that mean tonight?"

"Tay, you have a lot of gumption."

"Gumption makes the world go round." He flashed a sweet smile, and wrapped his arms around my waist. I backed into his chest, and he lowered his chin to my shoulder. I felt those tingles start pumping through my body.

"You know I love you, Taylor." I never understood why so many people had a difficult time saying the L-word. I grew up in a family where the expression of one's emotions was common. I loved Tay, even if it wasn't the official type of love that is only obtained by those who madly turn away from whatever the world throws them, in order to be with the person they are connected with, most in life.

"I love you, too," he whispered. I wasn't sure if he was simply saying it out of obligation, or if he truly meant it. All I knew was that it really felt good to hear those words. "Okay, now can I see the panties?" He spinned me around to face him.

"Hush. If you keep this up, you're going to get more brownies." When I saw Taylor's strange expression, I remembered he still thought his illness was brought upon strictly from germs, not some other predetermined factor.

"What do you mean?"

"Oh, nothing. Never mind."

"No, don't do that. Brownies? What brownies?" The grasp of his arms around my waist moved tighter.

"Oh, I've already forgotten about it. Really, it wasn't important." I prayed to the God of Revenge to make him drop the subject. Unfortunately, Tay pressed on with no avail.

"If it wasn't important, you wouldn't have said it. Now, what were you talking about?"

"Taylor, please. Just drop it."

"Is this about those brownies you baked for me?"

"I have to go put these bags up, Tay." I smiled a remorseful grin, and attempted to release myself from Taylor's arms. He kept his grip tight.

"Not until you tell me what this is about. Did you put something in those brownies?"

"Um . . ."

"You did! Helen called today to say that she hadn't been feeling well. Helen and I were the only ones who ate the brownies, and we were the only ones who got sick."

"What about Isaac? He had some of the batter, and he isn't sick." A new lie to cover up the old. Why do I get stuck in situations like this? Taylor was just about to speak again, when Ike walked into the living room, to the sound of a toilet flushing.

"Man, don't anybody go in there anytime soon," Isaac said while waving his hand in front of his nose. "I must've eaten something really raunchy." He turned to walk upstairs, and went to his room.

"You did. Ex-lax, huh?" A very old trick, Haley. Very old." He spoke with anger, and I was suddenly frightened of what he'd do. "Why did you do it?"

"You were . . . she was . . . I don't know. I'm so sorry." I felt my world crumbling below my feet.

"She? Do you mean Helen?"

"Yeah."

"I see. You were jealous." My cheeks heated crimson and I was so ashamed. He was enjoying this way too much. "You were jealous of all the attention I gave Helen, weren't you? Is that what this all comes down to?" His arms loosened across my waist, when he realized I was afraid. His hands felt almost comforting and gentle. Almost. "Weren't you?" he asked softly.

"Well, yeah. You shouldn't have acted with her like you did. You acted like a total pimp."

"Well, I am a 'total pimp,' Haley. I rested my head on his shoulder, and he lightly traced his fingers up and down my back.

"I'm sorry, Tay."

"It's okay. It just tells me one thing, though."

"What?"

"You want me bad." Of all the gumption.

At nine PM, I curled up in bed, still fully clothed. I had a book open in front of me, and I decided to lounge around and read.

"So let's go." The door swung open unexpectedly, and Taylor stepped inside, in a Kramer-like fashion.

"Where?" I asked, slowly looking up from my book. "Oh my God," I said, looking Taylor over. He was dressed from head to toe in a pair of work overalls, plaid flannel, and a soft leather cowboy hat. "Where on Earth did you get those God forsaken clothes?"

"Dad's closet. What, you don't like 'em? We're going line dancin'," Tay answered in a thick, country drawl.

"You've got to be kidding."

"Well, of course not. Don't tell me you wouldn't like to be my little cowgirl for the night."

"Lord, why? Is this some sort of cruel punishment you've developed to completely destroy me? Why?"

"If you don't come with me, I could think of some other way to get back at you . . . when you're least expecting it." I didn't like the sound of that.

"Is that a threat?" I teased.

"That's a promise." I opened my mouth, and let out the wildest cackle.

"I have nothing to wear." This was Taylor's cue to open my closet.

"Sure you do. Tight blue jeans, white buttoned shirt, and boots," he named, as he found each item. He pulled them out in front of me. "Perfect. Get dressed, Little Lady." I threw back my head, and sighed. Standing up, I saw Tay was making no effort to leave the room.

"Aren't you going to give me some privacy?"

"Can I dress you?" This was the craziest thing he'd said so far, but it was the one thing he was most serious about.

"What? No way! This wasn't part of the deal."

"It is now."

"You're crazy. That's it. I'm not letting you change my clothes. There's no way. I can't . . ." Despite all my denying, deep down inside of me, I wanted him to. Taylor knew that, and that's why he stepped closer, and leaned in for a kiss.

"Please?" He lightly asked, after he'd silenced me.

"If you really want to," I blushed.

"You know I do." His hands brushed down to my waist, and lifted my UNC sweatshirt up. I held up my arms, much the same way I had when Mama used to dress me when I was very small. He slipped the shirt off, and let it fall to the floor. He ran his hands back down to my sides, and the smiles drained from our faces. Pulling quickly, in one movement, he untucked the baby tee I had on. It, too, gained position on the floor, and my breathing quickened. On instinct, I covered my chest, but Taylor brought his hands to my arms and pushed them down. He concentrated on watching me. Unsure at first, but his curiosity erased it; he ran his hands across my bra.

"It's blue," he said of the light, shimmery color.

"I know." He flashed an embarrassed smile. His fingers brushed across my chest, and I let out a soft moan. He felt so good to me.

"You like that, don't you?" He smiled, and I could tell he was proud he could make someone feel the way I did right then.

"Mmmhmm." I closed my eyes, and waited for his next move. His hands slid to my hips, and moved to the front where my loose jeans, gathered at the button. He opened it, taking hold of the zipper. Lightly, he pulled it down, and with a tug, my jeans fell to the ground. I stepped out of them, and kicked them to the side. He ran his hands across my stomach, softly, afraid to go any further.

"You are very beautiful," he whispered. Taylor could say little things like this, and cause me to be the happiest woman on Earth. As a child, I was never exceptionally beautiful. My sisters seemed to overshadow me in that department. When life came down to it, I was just average. If there really was an average. I didn't always see myself as pretty, but if Taylor said it with such conviction, it had to be true. And for moments like these, I could be a beauty queen, if only in my own world.

"Taylor, do we really have to go line dancing?" I could think of at least a hundred other things I could do with Taylor, undressed the way I was, besides line dancing.

"No matter how much you think you can get out of this, Haley . . ." he paused, and his eyes washed over me. "And no matter in how many ways, I'm making you go."

"Is that really what you want?" I sensed hesitation in his voice, but unfortunately, he picked up the country outfit, and began to dress me.

"Taylor, you know how much I hate country music. I despise it. Now you're making me dance to it! I looked around the room. We were definitely the youngest ones there, and every married couple gave us sweet smiles and winks. Every woman had hair that could easily fit into two zip codes, and of all the people there who were having the time of their lives, it was Taylor who was having the most fun.

"Haley, I truly wish you'd get that stick, surgically removed from your ass." I cringed at his way with words. "If you opened your eyes, you might actually discover you could have some fun." He shuffled his boots across the wood floor, and spinned me around.

"Promenade!" The caller yelled over the speakers, blasting old country music. If I was on a poly-graph test, I might actually would have told the truth, and said that I was actually enjoying myself. It was just that between thinking about what I could have been doing in my room with Taylor, and what i actually was doing with him, was depressing. I slipped, and smiled, as the man in front of me grinned a toothless grin.

"I knew you'd love it," Taylor caught me. He grabbed my hands, and began doing the most horrendous dance I've ever seen him do. I've never thought of Taylor as the most remarkable dancer, though. We were dancing in a jokey way, dosy-doeing and clicking our heels. The smile was only the beginning. Soon, I was having uncontrollable bouts of laugher, that wouldn't stop.

"Maybe this country music thing isn't so bad," I admitted.

They said change your clothes
She said no I won't
They said comb your hair
She said some kids don't
And her parents dreams went up in smoke

I twirled around to the beat, and let myself pretend that I was alone again with Tay.

They said you can't leave
She said yes I will
They said don't see him
She said his name is Bill
She's on a roll and it's all uphill

Taylor knew the lyrics, and he was mouthing them to me, as we wove in and out of middle-aged couples in cowboy hats.

She's a wild one
With an angel's face
She's a woman-child
In a state of grace
When she was three years old on her
daddy's knee
He said you can be anything you want to be
She's a wild one runnin' free

I smiled, and we swayed quickly to the fast beat.

She loves Rock and Roll
They said it's Satan's tongue
She thinks they're too old
They think she's too young
And the battle lines are clearly drawn

There was a meaning in there for me somewhere. I didn't want to bother with hidden meanings; I just wanted to enjoy the moment.

She has future plans and dreams at night
When they tell her life is hard she says
that's all right

I slowly brushed my hand across his cheek and let him sing the final lines.

When she was three years old on her
daddy's knee
He said you can be anything you want to be
She's a wild one runnin' free*

"Let's take a breather," he said, and took me to the patio outside. My boots clicked softly across the deck. "Are you having fun yet?"

"Yes, I am. Thank you."

"I know you better than you know yourself. I just wish you'd trust me more."

"I trust you, Taylor."

"Haley Morgan, I've said it before, and I'll say it again," Taylor kept the twang in his voice. "I love you."

"I love you, too." And for the first time ever, I knew I really and truly meant it. It was the official kind of love. And for the first time that night, Taylor didn't ask to see my panties.

*Musical credit belongs to Faith Hill, "Wild One."