“I don’t care what my son’s will says, she is NOT getting that money. It doesn’t belong to her! His will states that TRISTAN and Paige are to inherit the money upon his death. Tristan is no longer with us, so Paige shouldn’t be entitled to his entire estate,” Shawn’s mother, Patricia, yelled, determined to cut her daughter-in-law out of her life for good.
“But I am his WIFE. Doesn’t that count for anything? I still love your son with every breath, every beat of my heart, and now both my husband and son are gone. I have nothing saved from the last 9 ½ years because I spent it raising MY son, YOUR grandson. Shawn always promised that no matter what happened, he’d make sure I was taken care of – that both Tristan and I were taken care of. Does that mean nothing to you? Doesn’t it matter what your son wanted, or does it really mean so little to you?” Paige cried, willing herself to be strong, no matter how much she just wanted to reach across the table and strangle the other woman. Sure, she knew that Shawn’s mother never liked her, but she didn’t expect this kind of behavior from her, after all they had been through over the last 11 years.
“Of course it does. I love my son with everything in me, but he’s gone, and so is my grandson. That means that any tie you had to my family is gone. All ties are broken between us. Therefore, you’re no longer a part of the Scott family,” she explained, her voice sickeningly sweet as she spoke to Paige like an ignorant child.
“I am still your son’s wife. I will be the only wife he will ever have had. Therefore, I will ALWAYS be connected to his family, like it or not,” Paige erupted, sick of having the same argument with her mother-in-law time and time again. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have an appointment in 20 minutes that I cannot miss,” she announced, “and I really don’t have time to sit here and rehash the same things over and over again with a bitter old woman like you.” With that, she stood up, walking out of the room without another word, disappointed with herself for sinking to her opponent’s level.
Things hadn’t gone well for Paige since her husband’s death. As soon as his mother found out about the tragic event, she was immediately on Paige’s case about Shawn’s will, stating she had no claim to his estate because all ties to his family were gone. It had been a long, exhausting battle, and Paige yearned desperately for the entire issue to be settled and done with so that she could get on with her life. The stress was driving her out of her mind, and she didn’t know how much more she could take before she completely lost it.
But that wasn’t the only thing keeping her awake at night. The whole situation, from suddenly having to get used to not having her husband and son around, to learning how to cope with living on her own for the first time in her life, was causing her to have many sleepless nights. Additionally, even after she had awoken in the hospital, she still had yet to shed another tear over the loss of her family, and the pent up emotions were causing her to snap at everyone, her best friends included. She was trying to be strong – trying to prove that she could handle the stress alone so that everyone would get off her case. However, her plan backfired as everyone became increasingly worried about her sanity with every day that passed without an external sign of her internal struggle.
What everyone didn’t know, though, was that Paige was avoiding sleep at every cost, afraid of the consequence that would befall her if she were to slip into a peaceful slumber. Every night she fell asleep, Shawn would come to her in her dreams, begging her to carry on without him, telling her that she was alive for a reason and that she still had a purpose on Earth. She ignored his advice, however, and continued on with her life as normal – or rather, in a routine that she had contrived to keep her mind off the recent tragic events.
Yet, despite all her struggles to handle the situation alone, a month after her return to her job at the local ABC affiliate, she quit, unable to handle the high levels of stress and pressure. So instead of going out every morning searching for a story, she spent her days curled up in the house she’d shared with her husband, packing his belongings into boxes to be sent to storage for safe keeping – at least until she decided what needed to be done with them.
Ring… ring… ring…ri
Right on schedule, she thought, looking at the clock, which read 8:15PM. “Hey Case,” she answered, a weary sigh escaping her lips unbeknownst to her.
“Hey girl! How did it go with Shawn’s mom today?” she asked, her phone calls becoming yet another daily ritual for Paige since her release from the hospital. If it weren’t for Casey’s phone calls, Paige would probably not have put forth the effort to talk to her closest friends, risking her friendships with them along with the loss of her husband.
“That stupid bitch can’t just let it go. She had the NERVE to bring Tristan into the argument again today, and I swear, I just wanted to reach across the table and strangle the old bat. I probably would have too, if the judge hadn’t been there,” Paige fumed, relieved to be able to vent to someone other than the empty walls of her house.
“She’s just bitter that her son chose you over her. That’s all this is. A typical mother-daughter-in-law power struggle. She feels threatened, thinking you’re going to get all her son’s possessions, and there won’t be anything left for her to remember her son by,” Casey wisely inferred.
“She knows me better than that, though. How many times have I asked her to come over to the house and sort through his things for anything she might want to keep? How many times have I offered to continue paying off her house with the money Shawn left me? How many times have I… have I told her that I understand what she’s going through – that I lost my son in that accident as well? She doesn’t care. She doesn’t care about me or my future. All she cares about is that her son is gone and I am the one thing standing in the way of her and his past,” Paige admitted, her eyes beginning to water at the thought of her only tie to her husband never being a part of her life.
“Paige, I know you’re dead-set against it, but I thin…” Casey started to plead her case once again, but to no avail.
“Case, I’m not coming on tour with you guys. I’m not going to be a burden for everyone, taking up space that could be used for someone else’s loved ones to be there,” she refuted, never giving into her friend’s request, despite the fact that she tried to plead her case every time they talked.
“Listen to me, Paige. I am not going to let you bury yourself in a house full of memories, wasting away. It’s terrible that Shawn and Tristan are gone. I know how much you loved your family – how much they meant to you, but you’re still here. I am NOT going to let my best friend live the rest of her life in misery. You deserve to be happy, Paige. You deserve it more than anyone else I know. And if I have to, I am going to fly to Colorado and drag you onto a plane. If that’s what it takes for you to realize that I am not going to lose my best friend, then so be it. I can be there in a couple hours,” Casey preached, determined to make her friend see the path she was headed down.
“I’m afraid to leave. I’m afraid of forgetting,” Paige softly admitted, a single tear trekking its way down her reddened cheeks.
“You could never forget Shawn or Tristan. They are a part of you. They will always be with you, no matter where you go. But it’s time for you to start living again. It’s been three months, Paige. It’s time,” she assured, wishing she could be by her best friend’s side during this monumental moment.
Casey was almost convinced that Paige had hung up when she heard the faint whisper of her friend’s voice asking the question she never thought she’d hear. “Where do you want me to meet you guys?”
“Can you meet us in Seattle in three days?” Casey questioned, ecstatic by Paige’s newfound acceptance of her well-thought out plan.
“I’ll be there,” she promised, already dreading the words. “I’ll be there.”
“Where is she? She said she’d be here by 3:15. If she doesn’t get here in 20 minutes, we’re going to have to leave for the venue without her,” Casey asked worriedly, glancing at her watch for what seemed like the hundredth time in the last 30 minutes.
“She’ll be here,” Serine promised. Serine had been Paige’s best friend for as long as she could remember – back when they’d been in high school together – and she had come to know her friend’s actions better than anyone. Right now, she predicted, Paige was second-guessing her decision to join the tour and was almost undoubtedly just outside the lobby doors waiting for that extra push to help her finally make the final step. “I’m just going to get a quick breath of fresh air. I’ll be right back.”
As soon as the huge lobby doors opened, Serine was hit with a suffocating blast of humid Seattle air and the familiar sound of her best friend’s voice questioning her whereabouts. “Where have you been? I figured you would have been out here 10 minutes ago looking for me,” Paige murmured, watching her friend whirl around to face her, a knowing smile spreading across her painted lips.
“Well, I wanted to give you a fair amount of time to decide for yourself before I bombarded you with my wisdom,” Serine smiled, moving toward the other woman to embrace her in a warm, familiar hug.
“Is everyone mad at me?” Paige questioned, glancing through the tinted windows at the aggravated looks from the rest of their party. “Brian looks downright pissed. Maybe I should have come in a little sooner.”
“Don’t mind Brian. He’s been a complete ass for the last few months now – ever since his divorce with Leighanne was finalized. He’s been taking his anger and frustration out on everyone else, so we’ve all just begun to ignore him,” Serine explained, staring at the man in question as he paced the lobby floor, the ever-present scowl growing deeper with every passing moment.
“I heard about that on DLS. Has it really been as bad as everyone’s been saying? I mean, I heard some pretty nasty stories from fans, and I just have a really hard time believing Brian could EVER be mean to a fan,” Paige explained, watching him closely as he grumbled quietly to himself, ignoring his best friend, AJ’s, advice to sit down and stop worrying.
“Unfortunately, the rumors are true. Brian’s not the same person he once was. He’s not the person we knew growing up. He’s been miserable ever since she walked out on him. No one knows how to break him out of this funk he seems to be in – and truthfully, no one wants to get near him anymore since he seems to only want to snap at anyone who gets close,” Serine sighed, wishing there were some way to break through to the man they were discussing.
“Well at least he still has his son. Has anyone told him that he’s lucky he still has Baylee in his life? I would give ANYTHING to still have my son in my life,” Paige mumbled, taking in a deep, calming breath in an attempt to hold back her tears.
“I think he’s too wrapped up in his own self-pity that nothing’s getting through right now. Besides, no one wants to get near the guy. It’s kind of hard to talk to him when he just keeps biting out heads off every time we do,” she scoffed, shaking her head the bleakness of the situation.
“You think we should head in there?” Paige asked, noticing that Howie was now pacing the floor alongside his bitter, angry band mate only to be yelled at by said band mate. “Preferably before your boyfriend gets his head chopped off?”
“Howie will be fine. You’ve never seen the man when he’s upset. He can take care of himself just fine,” she assured, smiling at her boyfriend’s pacing frame. “You know, I think the one time Nick set him off was enough to scar the man for life. He may look sweet and innocent, but if you push him just right, his Puerto Rican side will come out thrashing. You do not want to get on his bad side. ”
“Still, I think we better get in there before the rest of the guys end up hating me for life,” Paige refuted, smiling at her friend before pulling her into another hug. “Thanks for convincing me to do this. I needed to get away from that place.”
“That was all Casey, honey. But you’re welcome, nonetheless,” she accepted. “Now come on and hand me one of those bags. We’ve got a show to put on tonight.”
They walked into the hotel side-by-side, laughing and joking like only best friends can – at least until the rest of the group discovered her presence. As soon as her cover was blown, she was bombarded with a plethora of hugs and welcoming statements from the rest of the group.
“Paige, I’m so glad you’re here, girl! We thought for sure you ditched us and were on your way back to Colorado,” Casey enthusiastically greeted, hugging the very breath out of her friend’s tired body.
“It was a tempting thought, but I figured if I went back home, it wouldn’t be long before you and Serine were breaking down my door, dragging me to the airport – so I decided my best bet was to show up on my own,” Paige kidded, hugging the other woman with as much strength as she could muster in her jet-lagged body.
“You’re darn right we would have dragged you out of that house. You and I both know you needed to get out of that house before you drove yourself insane. And I was going to make sure that happened, no matter the consequences,” Casey admitted, smiling at the look on her friend’s face. “You remember Nick and Howie, right?” she unnecessarily questioned.
”Of course! It’s great to see you guys again,” Paige addressed, reaching out to give the men in question a hug. “This time on better circumstances.”
“And this is Alex McLean, the resident rebel of the group,” Serine introduced, dragging a reluctant Alex over to the celebration. He has heard so many crazy stories about the woman he was about to meet that he was a little bit intimidated by her presence. However, this woman in front of him was nothing like the woman he had heard about non-stop since the beginning of Serine and Howie’s and Casey and Nick’s relationships.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Alex. I’m the undoubtedly infamous Paige Scott,” she introduced, laughing at the thought of what her two best friends might have told the man in front of her about their crazy fan exploits. He looked absolutely terrified, and she could only imagine what he thought of her past.
“The pleasure’s mine. I’ve heard some… interesting stories about your crazy adventures as a fan,” Alex stated, raising an eyebrow in a questioning manner, trying to get her to admit to her past experiences. All he got in response was a simple smirk and a knowing look.
“And this grumbling man over here is Brian Littrell,” Howie introduced, deciding to take on the role of introducing his not-so-friendly band mate.
“Hi, Brian, it’s an honor to meet you. I’ve been a fan for years,” Paige declared, reaching out a hand for him to shake. However, all she got was a cold stare, a disgruntled huff, and a soft, ‘whatever’ mumbled in her direction. This was most definitely not the man she had grown up admiring all her life. This wasn’t even a shell of that man. This was a different man entirely.
“Can we go now?” he asked, an exasperated tone replacing the happy-go-lucky attitude she was used to seeing.
“Yeah, we can go,” Howie sighed, praying for a miracle to help their brother get through his hard times unscathed and unbroken.
“Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea,” Paige whispered to no one in particular, shaking her head before dropping her bags off with security and following the rest of the group to the vans. This is going to be a long tour.
