NEED TO KNOW
Dakota Mortensen’s latest betrayal has gone too far for Taylor Frankie Paul.
The former pair go into season 3 of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives working toward a healthy coparenting relationship, with Dakota even visiting Taylor at her weeks-long therapy retreat with “the goal of healthy coparenting, and to focus on our healing individually, set boundaries and just so we don’t go back to our old cycles,” the MomToker, 31, shares.
Those patterns do re-emerge, however, when MomTok and DadTok head to Stagecoach, where things go from snarky to flirty between the two.
“I know Taylor very well. I still think she wants to be with me. But I also understand she has her boundaries, which I respect,” Dakota says of the situation in a confessional.
“I love that, but if Taylor was to come to me and be like, ‘Hey, I want to be with you,’ I’d say, yeah.”
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Taylor explained her side of things in her own confessional, explaining she was looking at things with new eyes after a family member’s cancer diagnosis reminded her how short life can be.
“It’s hard because the goal is to focus on a healthy co-parenting relationship, but ever since I found out about my family member, there has been something in me that’s, like, ‘We need to be thankful for what we have,’ because we don’t know the last time we’re going to talk to somebody. And so, in this moment, there is a part of me that’s, ‘Oh. I do love him,’ but it’s also confusing.”
There were mixed feelings from MomTok about the two hooking up during the weekend away. While there were jokes made, different members of the group have different opinions on whether Taylor should be working on a relationship with Dakota.
It’s in Jessi and Jordan Ngatikaura’s conversation about the situation that Dakota’s latest secret —a flirty texting relationship with a family friend, who is close to Taylor’s mom — comes to light.
“From what he told me, was — is that [the unnamed friend] started kind of coming onto him, and he fed into it. And then when it was time to actually hang out, he’s like, ‘I shut it down,’ ” Jordan explains.
Jessi is initially conflicted on whether she should say something to Taylor, with Jordan asking her to give Dakota a chance to handle it himself.
In a confessional, Jessi says, “I feel sick to my stomach right now knowing this secret about Dakota because I can relate in so many different ways, so I really feel for Taylor, but I do feel for Dakota in the sense that I know he’s probably beating himself up. And shame is a really hard emotion to work through, especially when trying to work through it in a relationship.”
During that time, Taylor was continuing to spend time with Dakota and figure out what she wanted for their future.
“This is the first time in a long time that I’ve enjoyed Dakota’s company, and after everything we’ve been through, I just want to enjoy it, and I am enjoying it,” she shared in a confessional, adding, “I’m just living in the moment, and that’s that.”
Taylor Frankie Paul/Instagram
The two even come together for a photoshoot for their son Ever’s 1st birthday, during which Taylor explains what it would take for them to make things work.
“If ever there was a future for Dakota and I, there would have to be no more lies. No more secrets, and he has said that he’s told me everything. At this point, I’m really hoping he’s honest because my heart wants it to work.”
It was soon after, however, that Taylor got a call from her therapist, asking her to come in for a session with Dakota, as he had some hard news to share. Taylor was unable to go to the session and upset, called Dakota and asked him to come clean before she left for her work obligations.
Taylor explains the situation to her sister as she prepares to leave town, sharing, “Dakota came out with another lie with another girl, and you’re never going to believe who it is.”
After revealing that it is the family friend, Taylor shares in a confessional, “Hooking up with Dakota at Stagecoach. I feel dumb, to be honest. Like, it’s me. Get over it, he’s gonna lie to you.”
After she tells her sister who it is, Taylor explains in a confessional, “This is basically a family member. My entire family knows her. She’s at our Christmases. She’s at everything.”
In conversation with her sister, she continues, “And, like, I remember her saying, ‘Dakota’s, so cute! I would totally date him if I could.’ F—— bitch, you tried! And guess what? You can have him now.”
Of Dakota’s admission, she added, “He was like torturing me. He’s, like, ‘Okay, before I tell you just know, I really loved you, Taylor. I really loved you. And I just I had no one.’ And then I’m like, ‘Go to any other b—-!’ ”
Taylor was further upset that the family friend was “open to it” and claims, “They’re both just gross.”
“It makes me just so grossed out,” she continues, explaining that she didn’t tell her mom, Liann, about the recent development because she was so excited about Taylor’s upcoming press.
“She’s so excited for this week. And then she’s planning on flying out for my interview with Jimmy Kimmel, and then it’s Mother’s Day, and I feel like it’s gonna like ruin her, but I don’t know.”
Talking about getting through the situation, Taylor says, “I’m heading to one of the biggest weeks in my career. I have a huge interview with Jimmy Kimmel. I got invited to that opportunity. I have my press, our premiere, and I am gonna truly have to disassociate. I can’t believe it. This is not mendable. I think that what broke my heart is that maybe I had a glimmer of hope this last week, but now there’s like nothing. I’ll never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever consider you ever again.”
Once she knows that Taylor has been told, Jessi checks in to see how she’s doing. When the two compare stories, however, the details between what Dakota told Jordan, who then told Jessi, do not match what Dakota ultimately told Taylor. She calls him on the spot and confronts him, to which he doubles down on his story.
Taylor decides she needs answers from the source and, together with her mom, calls the family friend. Both are shocked when she tries to deny and minimize the situation, to Taylor’s frustration, and she concludes they are both awful for what they’ve done
The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives season 3 is now streaming on Hulu.
