At Brooke's house, Liam retrieved the mail. Brooke said she loved having Hope's family nearby, and it had scared Brooke when Hope had threatened to move away if Brooke didn't accept the relationship with Deacon. Liam felt like Ridge didn't but was trying to respect Hope. Brooke replied that it wasn't up to them, and Ridge would have to find a way to make peace with Deacon.
In Brooke's cabin, Liam arrived and found Hope frazzled after a visit from Ridge. Liam gleaned that Ridge and Hope had gotten into it about Deacon. Hope announced that she and Liam had to find somewhere else to live because Ridge had thrown them off the property.
Liam found Ridge's demand extreme, especially since it didn't affect just him and Hope. Hope said it affected the kids, and the family connection meant a lot to Hope. She liked having her mother there when the kids got home from school. He didn't think Brooke would take it well.
Hope was sad for the kids, who wouldn't get to see their grandmother or other visiting relatives. Liam said it wouldn't change, no matter where they lived. Hope was tearful, saying they'd started their life together there. Liam replied that it was true, but Ridge might be right.
Liam decided to look at it as an opportunity to try something new. Hope replied that they'd been happy there. Liam clarified that they'd been happy together, and not because of their location. They had a big family, and he wondered if they could use more space. In Liam's view, they could afford a move, and they could find a place close enough to still see Brooke daily.
Hope replied that the cabin was their sanctuary. Liam agreed. He hated the thought of never lighting another fire there or never cooking on the little iron stove. Hope replied that he hated that stove. He chuckled and suggested that it might be time to make new memories somewhere else, in a place that was entirely theirs.
Back at the main house, Ridge conveyed to Brooke that he'd seen Hope. All he wanted was peace, and it was finally possible. Noting that he'd done something for the family, he revealed that he'd told Hope that if she wanted to spend time with Deacon, she had to live elsewhere.
Upset, Brooke said it wasn't their place to say that. Ridge believed it was their place to protect the family, and he said Hope didn't listen to Brooke, him, or anyone. Brooke was upset because she was trying to support Hope, but Ridge was pushing her away. Brooke stated that they couldn't stop Hope from seeing her father. Ridge asserted that they could keep Deacon off the property, and if Hope wanted to see him, she could do it somewhere else.
Brooke told Ridge that he'd had no right. It was Brooke's daughter. "Your daughter with Deacon," Ridge responded. Ridge didn't want Deacon in Ridge's house. "My house," Brooke corrected and said Ridge had moved into her home. Ridge asked if they were really doing "that."
Brooke wanted Hope's family there. It had broken her heart when Hope had threatened to leave. Brooke stated that Ridge should have consulted her first, and Hope would not move out. Ridge and Brooke didn't want "this" to get between them. Ridge didn't even know how it had all started. "Writing letters? I didn't even know he knew how to read," Ridge quipped.
Ridge desired to protect Hope and Brooke. Brooke said marriages weren't smooth sailing. She recalled there being Taylor and then Thomas. Ridge asked if Brooke was comparing Deacon to Thomas. Brooke wasn't. Her point was that she'd accepted Thomas and all he'd gone through. It was Ridge's turn to do the same for Hope. Brooke said they'd deal with it together, but they wouldn't kick anyone out. "Is that understood?" Brooke asked.
Liam and Hope arrived. They announced that they'd talked it through, and it was best that they moved out. Brooke refused to accept it. She said she and Ridge would work through it, but no one was going to force Hope out of the house.
In Sheila's hotel room, Deacon arrived and went through the snacks on her counter. She said he couldn't keep showing up, drinking her booze, and eating her food without giving her anything in return. He replied that he was gracing her with his presence.
"Well, not as much as you used to," Sheila noted. She asked Deacon to move back in and offered to share the bed. She figured that they could help each other relieve some stress. He turned the offer down, saying he was cleaning up his image for Hope and Brooke. Sheila told him that he was nuts if he thought Brooke would leave her destiny for him.
Deacon decided to leave. Sheila asked where he'd go, and he assumed he'd sleep in his car or find a park bench. Sheila concluded that if he was willing to do that, then he was desperate to prove himself to Brooke and thought he had a chance. "You never know," Deacon responded.
Sheila asked where Deacon's confidence emanated from. Deacon said he was sensing tension in the air at Brooke's house. Sheila replied that Deacon had a case of wishful thinking. He sensed that Ridge was losing his cool. Sheila replied that Ridge was always a hothead, but Deacon noted that it had gone to a new level. Deacon revealed that Ridge had told Hope to move out because it was affecting his marriage. Deacon stated that Ridge was threatened by an unemployed ex-con, and there was trouble in paradise.
Sheila assumed Deacon thought it was his opportunity to win Brooke's heart and get into her bed. Deacon smiled a little, but Sheila laughed at him. She said that there might be trouble in paradise over there, but she and Deacon could have a bit of their own paradise right there. She was feeling a bit naughty and asked what he had to say. "I'm saving myself," Deacon uttered.
Sheila didn't know what spell Brooke had on every man. Deacon didn't want Sheila to take it the wrong way, but he said she was no Brooke. Sheila countered that Brooke was no Sheila. Sheila informed Deacon that women like Brooke didn't fall for men with no job, money, or prospects and with a rap sheet as long as a tennis court.
Deacon felt that things were shifting. Brooke was backing Hope, which meant Brooke was backing him. Sheila figured Deacon would do all he could to push Ridge over the edge. Deacon expressed his determination to be there to pick up the pieces for Brooke. "And who knows? Maybe someday we'll be reunited as a family," Deacon said.
At Brooke's house, Brooke offered to create a visitation schedule for Deacon. Ridge asked why she wasn't hearing him. "Why aren't you hearing me? Hope and Liam aren't leaving," Brooke asserted. Hope stated that she didn't want to cause trouble for Brooke's marriage, and Liam had helped Hope realize that moving might be the best solution for everyone.
Ridge advised Brooke to listen to Hope. Brooke decided that it wasn't up for debate, and Hope and Liam weren't going anywhere. Brooke was adamant about working it out or finding a way to compromise. "But what we don't do is kick somebody out the second there's a disagreement," Brooke decided. Liam believed that moving out could be the compromise they sought.
Hope and Ridge debated whether she and Brooke needed protection from Deacon. Hope didn't think Ridge knew Deacon like she did. Ridge roared that he knew Deacon better than she did.
Brooke stated that it wasn't what Ridge wanted, but she couldn't throw her daughter and family out of their own home. Hope asked if Brooke was sure. Brooke said that she and Ridge would work it out as always. "Right, honey?" Brooke asked. Ridge silently walked out the front door.
Later, Liam had gone to meet with Bill. Brooke asked how Hope's marriage was. Hope conveyed that Liam felt the way Ridge did about the matter. She and Liam were working on Liam being okay with it, something Ridge wasn't able to be. Brooke wished Ridge hadn't left; however, she believed they'd work it out as they always did.
In Sheila's hotel room, Sheila called Deacon nuts to think he had a chance with Brooke. Deacon loved it when people underestimated him. He recalled that he hadn't been the only one in that relationship, and there had been feelings there. He and Brooke had created Hope, and if Ridge wanted to throw his weight around and sabotage himself, Deacon would be right there waiting.
Sheila noted that Deacon had made great strides with Hope. Sheila asked when it would be her turn to have a relationship with her son. She was irate at Steffy for ruining any chance of a mother and son bond. Sheila asked why Steffy was doing it to her. He reasoned that Steffy was Finn's wife, and wives usually tried to tell their husbands what to do.
Sheila didn't appreciate the joke, and Deacon apologized. He wasn't trying to be obnoxious or take her pain likely. She replied that he'd help her if he really felt that way. She claimed that he was close to the Forresters, but he replied that most of them hated him.
Sheila thought maybe she and Deacon could convince Steffy to give it a chance. Sheila insisted that Finn wanted her in his life and wanted her to know Hayes. Sheila asked what she'd ever done to Steffy. "You mean besides shooting her mother?" he asked.
Sheila seethed that Taylor would be dead if Sheila had wanted that. Deacon said Sheila talked like that but then wondered why she wasn't invited places. Sheila didn't think she had to censor herself with Deacon and stated that he shouldn't take seriously what she said when she was upset. Deacon asked Sheila to calm down and just let him get closer to Hope and Brooke.
Sheila slammed a chair into a desk, grumbling, "Brooke, Brooke, Brooke!" In Sheila's view, Deacon just couldn't stop thinking about Brooke. Deacon thought that was his cue to leave, and Sheila guessed she was boring him. He replied that Sheila was anything but boring. He thought of her as dangerous. Sheila claimed to know him and said he liked to walk on the dark side.
Holding up an apple, Sheila stated that if Deacon was still hungry, he could take a bite. To him, she sounded like a witch; he just didn't know if she was good or bad. Sheila replied that when she was bad, she was very good. She could make him forget all about Brooke.
Deacon decided that Sheila was giving herself too much credit. Sheila claimed she wouldn't take Deacon on a bet. "Then how come you're eyeing me like a plate of lamb chops?" he asked. Squinting, Sheila said that if she looked really hard, she could see what had made Brooke fall from grace. "I mean, you're sexy in a sleazy sort of way," Sheila determined. "That's coming from a woman who needs her eyes examined," she added with a smile. Deacon smirked and called Sheila "a sweet talker."
Deacon insisted that Brooke was warming up to him, and it was driving Ridge insane. Sheila replied that Deacon had made waves, but Brooke was far from being Mrs. Deacon Sharpe.
At Forrester, Steffy and Finn teased Thomas about a departing model who'd been flirting with him. The topic turned to Finn's parents. Finn was still processing the way Jack had hurt Li, and Finn didn't know that version of Jack. Thomas empathized, knowing what it was like for one's world to blow up in one's face. Steffy quipped that it always would with Sheila involved.
Steffy apologized, but Finn said he understood. He had to go to work. Steffy asked if they were okay. He said they were. They kissed, and he left. Thomas hoped that Sheila wasn't creating friction in his sister's marriage. Steffy said they were working through it, which was more than she could say about Brooke and Ridge regarding Deacon.
Thomas and Steffy discussed how hard it was for Ridge, and Steffy didn't get why Hope wasn't standing by the man who'd helped raise her instead of that loser. Thomas asked if Steffy ever thought about what it would be like if Ridge had chosen their family instead of Brooke. Steffy stated that she thought about it a lot.
Ridge stormed in upset. He conveyed that he'd told Hope to leave the property if she insisted upon seeing Deacon. Thomas guessed Brooke wasn't happy about it. Ridge said Brooke wouldn't let Hope move out. Steffy felt that Brooke and Hope were asking too much of Ridge.
Steffy had been talking to her mom, who wanted to return. Steffy felt that something -- or someone -- was keeping Taylor away: Brooke. It was hard for Taylor to see Ridge and Brooke together. Steffy was hoping Ridge would wake up and realize Brooke wasn't worth it. Steffy said Ridge had another family who supported him -- Steffy, Thomas, and Taylor.
At Il Giardino, Liam pushed pasta around his plate as he tried to figure out how to have a conversation with Bill without his dad getting worked up. Liam said that he had been trying to be "supportive," clarifying that he really meant "protective," of Hope. Bill immediately knew that Liam was about to talk about Deacon.
Liam shared that Hope seemed determine to "absorb" Deacon into all of their lives and didn't care how anyone else felt about that. Bill became irritated when he learned that Deacon had already been into Hope and Liam's home and met their kids. He warned Liam that Deacon would exploit any opening that he was given.
Liam claimed that Deacon was trying "to polarize" him and Hope. Bill worried that Liam and Hope's marriage was becoming strained. Liam explained that Hope had waited her whole life for Deacon to return and "do right by her." Bill countered that Hope could "wait ten lifetimes," and that would not happen. He pointed out that Liam had pledged his life to Hope when they'd gotten married. "Do whatever you have to [do] to keep Hope and the children away from Deacon," he said coldly. Liam thanked Bill for being there for him.
At the cabin, Hope tried to downplay Ridge walking out. Hope suggested that it might be better if she, Liam, and the kids moved out. Brooke insisted that she did not want her daughter to leave. Still, Hope said that she did not want to be surrounded by constant conflict nor did she want to be the cause of trouble in Brooke and Ridge's marriage.
As Hope and Brooke talked, Deacon listened from outside the cabin. He eventually entered the cabin, apologized for eavesdropping, and voiced his support for Hope. Deacon stated that he hated that his presence was causing so much trouble. Hope told her father about Ridge's ultimatum. Deacon pretended that he did not already know about the ultimatum.
Deacon chuckled as he remarked that Ridge should have known that Brooke would never agree to kick Hope out of the cabin. Brooke turned her attention to Hope and said that it meant a lot to her to be able to have her grandchildren nearby. Deacon interrupted the tender moment to state that he wanted that same bond with Hope and his grandchildren.
Hope repeated her belief that Deacon was a "changed man." Deacon said that Hope's support was all the encouragement he needed. Still, he wished that his presence didn't cause Brooke heartache. "You are not a bad person," Hope said passionately. Deacon thanked Brooke for going to bat for him.
At Forrester, Ridge grumbled that he felt like he was fighting a battle on his own. Steffy assured him that he was not alone, reminding him, "You have another family, Dad. A family who loves and supports you." That family, Steffy added, included Taylor. Thomas nodded in agreement.
Ridge was not sure if Deacon was coming between him and Brooke, but he knew that he and his wife were "out of sync." Steffy asked her father if Brooke was "really worth" all the stress. Ridge insisted that he did not blame Brooke for any of the bumps in their marriage. Steffy pointed out that Deacon's presence was a "reminder of Brooke's worse scandal ever."
Ridge stated that Deacon was "still carrying a torch" for Brooke. Claiming she did not want to "drag" Brooke, Steffy said that Brooke's past with Deacon was "shady." Thomas noted that Bridget didn't visit very often. Ridge countered that Bridget was busy. Steffy argued that it might be because Bridget didn't want to be reminded that her mother had had an affair with her then-husband. Steffy and Thomas also noted that Brooke had destroyed their family by taking Ridge away from Taylor.
Ridge questioned if Thomas and Steffy's motives had more to do with Brooke and Taylor's relationship than with Deacon. Steffy asked when they would have to stop tying themselves in knots because of "the Logan women wanting what they want." She asked when Ridge would realize that his relationship with Brooke was unhealthy and end it.
At Il Giardino, Liam and Bill continued to debate the situation with Deacon. Bill said Deacon's attempt to bond with the well-connected Hope had "con" written all over it, and Hope was falling for it. Bill warned Liam not to let Deacon get close to Liam's wife and children. If Liam failed, Deacon would be bouncing Bill's granddaughter on Deacon's knee.
Liam believed that dictating to Hope would push her closer to Deacon. Bill countered that Deacon would get further entrenched in Liam's life if Liam did nothing. Bill asked if Liam wanted Bill to step in. Liam didn't and reminded Bill that Hope, despite her feelings for Bill, had never ordered Bill out of Liam's life. Liam didn't want to seem disrespectful or insensitive to Hope.
Bill said that Liam was a great husband who was in touch with his wife's feelings. He said Liam wasn't wrong about Deacon, and Hope's inability to see it didn't make Liam wrong. Bill sensed that Deacon was running a con; Deacon was bad at it and could cause some damage. Bill reiterated that Liam was right to protect his family from it and said there was no fault in it.
At Forrester, Steffy claimed not to have meant anything by what she'd said about Brooke. She said that Brooke was Ridge's wife. "And so is Mom," Thomas interjected. He said Ridge had loved Taylor. Ridge agreed, saying he'd had many happy years with Taylor. Thomas added that there had been many unhappy years due to Brooke. Steffy said they weren't blaming Ridge, but they missed the family they could have been if Ridge hadn't "left Mom for Brooke."
Ridge said he could have handled the situation better. Steffy stated that Ridge had gone back and forth between Taylor and Brooke for years. Ridge could only imagine how hard it had been for Thomas and Steffy, but his love for his kids had never wavered. Thomas replied that it didn't change the fact that he'd chosen a life with Brooke over Steffy, Thomas, and Taylor.
Thomas and Steffy claimed to get the "extenuating circumstances" under which Ridge and Taylor had broken up, and Thomas knew there was a special place in Ridge's heart for Taylor. Ridge stated that Taylor was a lovely woman and mother. Thomas asserted that she wasn't Brooke, and he thanked God for that.
"You know what? No," Ridge said. He got that Steffy and Thomas had problems with Brooke, but Brooke was a part of their family. It was a dysfunctional family, but it was working. "Except when it doesn't," Thomas said, and Steffy added that it didn't when Brooke sided with her daughter. Ridge replied that no one was taking sides. His kids glared at him, and he admitted that Brooke was taking sides.
Thomas claimed that the Logans stuck together and put each other first. Steffy asked if Ridge knew who put him first then answered -- her mom. Steffy repeated that they missed their family -- Steffy, Thomas, Ridge, and Taylor. Thomas claimed that he and Steffy didn't sit around talking about it, but things had never been the same as when their family had been whole.
Steffy didn't blame Ridge and claimed that Brooke had been relentless. Thomas and Steffy said Brooke was forcing Ridge to make a choice again about Deacon. They could see the toll it was taking on Ridge, but Brooke couldn't. Thomas added that Brooke had always been surrounded by scandal, and Deacon, her biggest, was back for a repeat performance. Steffy said they accepted Ridge's feelings for Brooke but had always wondered what it would be like if he hadn't chosen Brooke and the Logans. Steffy asked if Ridge wondered it, too.
In Hope's cabin, Deacon checked his phone and said he needed to take off. Hope asked if they were all good. Brooke hesitated, but Hope believed Brooke was seeing the change in Deacon. Deacon didn't want to make it any worse for Brooke, who wanted to support her husband and her daughter. Hope asserted that Ridge was making it increasingly difficult.
Brooke felt that Ridge just needed to cool off, but Deacon doubted any cooldown would change Ridge's view of Deacon. Hope hated the way Ridge's view of Deacon had led Ridge to try to throw out Hope's family, but she said Brooke had taken a stand for Hope and Deacon.
Brooke said no one would force her daughter out. Brooke wished things hadn't gotten that way, but she knew her husband, who thought he was doing the best for them. Hope got it but didn't want to cause a wedge between Ridge and Brooke. Brooke thought she and Ridge could handle it, but Deacon stated that Brooke had her work cut out for her as long as he was around.
Deacon got another phone alert. He expressed how much it meant to him that Hope and Brooke had accepted him and welcomed him. He noted that he hadn't hit anyone up for anything. He wasn't that guy anymore. He'd realized that being in Hope's life was most important, as was being in Brooke's life -- as Hope's dad. Brooke tightly grinned.
Later, Deacon arrived at Il Giardino, and Paul asked if Deacon had gotten the text messages. Deacon said he'd been with his daughter. Paul advised Deacon that there would be a health inspection the next day, so the boss wanted the kitchen thoroughly cleaned. Pushing a mop toward Deacon, Paul said not to forget the bathrooms.
Deacon recalled Hope saying she was proud of him. He sighed and commenced mopping. Once he was done, he pushed the bucket into a small storage area that had room for a cot and a side table. He laid down on the cot and grinned, thinking of Brooke and Hope accepting him.
Back in Brooke's cabin, Liam poured wine and talked about how great it had been to catch up with his father. Hope wished he'd understand about Deacon. Liam said that his father, like hers, was no saint. Each father had a morally ambiguous character, but Liam felt that the difference was that Bill's flaws and inability to obey the rules got channeled into caring for his family and getting them incredible opportunities. Deacon was the opposite: he didn't give; he took.
Hope got that Liam felt that way, but she wanted him to trust her as his wife and trust her belief in her father.
At Brooke's house, Brooke was alone when Ridge arrived. Seeking to be up-front, Brooke told him that Deacon had been at the cabin. She explained that Ridge had hurt her by trying to throw Hope out. She knew that he was trying to protect them, but it wasn't necessary. Brooke wasn't naïve, and she'd been even more skeptical than Ridge. Brooke had noticed a difference and said Deacon had changed. Ridge wanted to believe it, but he felt Deacon would soon show them that he hadn't changed at all.
At Il Giardino, Paul knocked on the door to the supply closet and entered. Deacon said everything had been cleaned, and Paul let Deacon know he had a visitor. Paul left, and Sheila entered, chuckling as she asked if Deacon was really living in a storage closet. Deacon called it temporary. Gripping his mop, Sheila told him it was ridiculous, and he should go back to her hotel with her. Deacon refused. He didn't want to let Brooke and Hope down.
Later, Deacon donned a busboy's apron and took a request from the bar to deliver some drinks. Sheila followed him, unable to believe it was a wise decision for him to crash in a bar. He said it was a restaurant with a bar, and he was trying to avoid her and the bottles. She sneered at him for preferring to sleep with a mop over sleeping with her. She said she had more than enough space. Deacon was sure Ridge would never let Deacon have a place with Hope if he got caught with Sheila.
Sheila suspected that Deacon was nervous about the sexual tension between them. Deacon replied that they were friends, but even being that was flirting with disaster. She asked him to go back to the hotel and see what would happen, but he felt that he was better off cuddling with his mop. Sheila relented but persisted in her belief that it would never happen with him and Brooke.
Deacon whipped out his phone with the intention of texting Brooke for some ideas of something special to do for Hope. In a pitying tone, Sheila said he was doing all he could to reach out to Brooke. "Bye," Deacon said, glaring at Sheila.
At Brooke's house, Brooke was into a shoulder massage by her husband until he mentioned Deacon. Ridge's phone chimed with a message from Thomas. "Overstep?" Brooke asked, reading it. Ridge explained that he'd had a conversation with his kids about their mother, and they'd reminded him that he had another family with them and Taylor.
Brooke thought that was a strange way to put it. In her view, he didn't have a second life. She said Ridge had always been there for them. She hoped he wasn't feeling guilty. If he was, however, she suggested he spend more time with them. Brooke loved Steffy and Thomas. She had been there for them when they'd been little and had helped raise them. Brooke didn't want them feeling neglected and wanted them secure in their relationship with Ridge.
"Especially considering who their mother is," Brooke stated. Ridge asked what that meant. She suggested that his kids looked at their mother as the reason for their little lost family. Taylor hadn't even been there for Steffy's wedding. Brooke felt that Taylor could have been if she'd wanted.
Ridge defended Taylor for working in Africa, helping people who really needed it. Taylor had been through a lot, and he didn't know what it would do to a person -- what Sheila had done to Taylor. "So, we should try not to say anything against Taylor," he concluded.
Brooke was trying not to make a big deal out of it, but she didn't like Ridge's kids chatting him up about how much better his life had been with their mother. "Is that what you heard?" Ridge asked. He claimed that the kids had just been feeling nostalgic.
Brooke termed it "convenient nostalgia" because he'd been angry with her. Ridge claimed he loved Brooke and could never be angry with her. He was angry with the situation and asked how he could refrain from being upset about Deacon and Hope's decision.
Hope entered through the terrace and assumed Brooke and Ridge were talking about Deacon. Ridge told Hope that she'd get hurt, and he asked why they weren't listening to him. Brooke and Hope wanted Ridge to trust them, but he exclaimed that it meant trusting Deacon. Hope asked Ridge to name one thing Deacon had done wrong since his appearance.
Claiming he could name 20, Ridge started with Deacon hooking up with Sheila. Hope said Deacon had realized it had been bad judgment and had ended it. Ridge replied that Deacon had ended it because of how it had looked to Hope. Ridge felt Hope and Brooke didn't get that Ridge was there to take care of them. Brooke said they loved him for that, but it wasn't necessary.
As Ridge, Hope, and Brooke spoke, Brooke received a text message. Ridge assumed it was from Deacon, and Brooke affirmed it. Ridge yelled that it was the very thing he was talking about. He asked why Deacon thought he could do that and how he'd gotten her number. Ridge said Deacon represented the worst mistake of her life, and she was about to make it again. Brooke scowled.
Ridge implored Brooke and Hope to see his side. Brooke did, but she couldn't deny Hope the opportunity to get to know her father after shielding her from him for her entire childhood. Brooke said Hope was a grown woman who could take care of herself. Ridge replied that Brooke was going to protect Hope until the day Brooke died.
Hope stated that it was her decision, and she'd live with the consequences. Ridge said Deacon might be a changed man, but one day, he'd con Hope. Hope reasoned that, until that day, she'd have quality memories with her father. Ridge got that Hope wanted a little girl fantasy, but he raged at Brooke, who knew better. "I can't do this," he said, and he left.
Hope asked how Brooke felt about Ridge walking out again. Brooke thought everything would be okay, and Ridge just needed time to think. It was hard for them all, but Ridge would come around and accept Hope's decision. Brooke believed that she and Ridge were solid.
At the cliff house, Steffy was surprised when her mother walked through her front door. "I'm back," Taylor said, and they hugged. She hadn't told anyone about her arrival. She'd wanted it to be a surprise. Steffy was anxious to talk and figured her mother wanted to see the kids.
Later, Taylor returned to the living room after checking on the sleeping kids. She said it was "so much better" than video-chatting. Taylor and Steffy both said they had missed each other. Steffy was proud of Taylor for volunteering and making a difference around the world, but Taylor felt that she should have been there for Steffy's wedding. Steffy said she would have liked it, but she and Finn understood that Taylor had had her reasons.
Taylor claimed that, as much as she'd wanted to be there, the thought of sitting across from Brooke and Ridge, after all those years, was still very difficult. Steffy understood it and said not to worry about the wedding. All that mattered was that Taylor was there.
Taylor claimed that moving away and signing up for missionary work had been rewarding, but it had been an excuse to be far away and unreachable. Steffy got that Taylor didn't want to have to wear a fake smile while Ridge lived out his fantasy with Brooke. Taylor didn't get it. She felt she should have let go of it, and she asked why she hung onto the pain of losing Ridge. Steffy replied that it was because Taylor had thought Ridge had been the one.
Taylor changed the topic to the great husband Steffy had, even if Sheila was his mother. Taylor said Steffy wouldn't have any more trouble out of Sheila as long as Taylor was there. Steffy had really needed to hear that. She asked Taylor to say she'd stay a while. Taylor said she might.
Later, Taylor was alone in the living room when the front door opened. In walked Ridge, who claimed he hadn't wanted to drink alone. Taylor braced herself. "Hey, Ridge," she said.
