In 1973, a 10 year-old Tad Martin was pushed out of the car and abandoned by his evil father, Ray Gardner, in a park near Pine Valley. In 1975, Ruth and Joe Martin became his legal guardians until his natural parents could be located. Ray Gardner came back to Pine Valley to "sell" Tad for $15,000 to the Martins. They refused, he raped Ruth, she pressed charges and Ray went to jail. In 1978, Tad officially became a Martin. In 1981, Tad was a troubled pot-smoking teen who stole to support his habit. After wrecking the family wagon, Tad ran away from home.

Tad returned to Pine Valley in 1983, a much wiser and street-smart con artist. His first affairs were with the young, innocent Liza Colby and her man-eating mother, Marian (simultaneously). In 1984, Tad was paid to date Dottie Thornton by her mother, Edna Thornton. While thus ensnared, he met and fell in love with the adorably sweet, Hillary Wilson. Upon learning this, Dottie quit her birth control and became pregnant with Tad's child. Hillary convinced Tad to "do the right thing" and marry Dottie. Dottie had a miscarriage, unbeknownst to Tad, while Hillary married Tad's best friend. In 1986, Tad finally got his act together. He married the then-single Hillary, but she soon divorced him when she learned of his knowledge of the Wade Matthews scam on her Aunt Phoebe. Once again, Tad left town in disgrace.

When Tad returned in 1988, he had a brief affair with Barbara Montgomery, after which he met and fell in love with little southern innocent Dixie Cooney, whom he rescued from the evil Adam Chandler. They were married and Dixie was finally "the love of Tad's life." Opal and Palmer (Tad's mother and Dixie's uncle, respectively), however, were not content to let the lovebirds live a happy life, and set about breaking them up. Palmer paid a woman to say she had slept with Tad; when Dixie heard this, she separated from him. Reeling from the loss of Dixie, Tad fell into bed with his old friend Brooke. When Dixie learned of his tryst with Brooke, she divorced him. Tad and Dixie reunited, however, after Tad rescued Dixie from nutcase Billy Clyde Tuggle, who wanted Dixie as his bride, and had kidnapped her when she turned him down. Plans were made for their second wedding, but on the day of the wedding, Tad and Billy Clyde got into a fight (Billy Clyde had a bomb), and they both tumbled off a bridge and into the raging river. Only Billy Clyde's body was ever found. Dixie and Brooke were both devastated by his death, especially since Brooke learned she was carrying Tad's child.

In 1992, an amnesiac Tad returned, believing he was a vineyard owner from Napa Valley, Ted Orsini. With Brooke's help, Tad regained his memory. Although he was still in love with Dixie, Tad married Brooke, wanting to be a good father. Tad and Brooke soon divorced and in 1994, he remarried his true love, Dixie. When the tornado swept through Pine Valley, Tad nearly died, and in his vision he saw his old friend Jesse and his sister Jenny, both of whom encouraged him to fight. All was well until 1996, when old flame Liza Colby returned to Pine Valley. While Tad and Dixie's marriage was going through a particularly rough spot, Tad slept with Liza. When Dixie found out about their one-night stand, she divorced Tad, left Pine Valley (with son Junior), and moved back to Pigeon Hollow. With Dixie gone, Tad found himself lusting after Gloria Marsh while still "feeling something" for Liza Colby.

Tad was in for heartache - Liza married Adam and Gloria married Dimitri, and Tad was left with no one. Suffering from multiple-rebound-itis, Tad became fixated on a woman he first saw in a heavenly shadow. Tad finally learned her identity, and befriended Camille, but she was killed in the explosion that destroyed Holiday's. Tad was upset by his friend's death, but in the wake of the explosion, his one true love, Dixie, returned to town.

For months, Tad and Dixie danced around their feelings for each other, but it wasn't until they chased Palmer to New York City that their emotions got the best of them, and they kissed. During their time in New York, Tad and Dixie confronted their past, and decided to move on with their lives. They decided that if they were ready to re-commit to each other, they would meet on the roof of the Statler building in 24 hours, a la "An Affair to Remember." Tad was the only one to show up on the roof, and as a result, believed that Dixie had stood him up and no longer loved him. When he heard from Adam that Dixie had gone to Paris, his fears were confirmed. Or so he thought. In truth, Dixie had fallen ill with kidney failure, and had been too sick to meet Tad. Dixie's kidneys got better, but she developed a heart condition, and, not wanting to worry Tad, decided to keep her illness a secret. Tad, devastated by the loss of Dixie once again, went into a tailspin, trying to return to his Tad the Cad ways. However, Dixie possessed all of his heart, and his attempts at dating all failed miserably. Tad started to pick up on Dixie's strange behavior, and finally learned her secret. Tad then whisked her away to New York. Once there, he declared his undying love for her, and proposed. Dixie accepted, of course, and they are now simply enjoying the pleasure of each other's company.

It turned out that Dixie wasn't the only person in Tad's life who was keeping a secret from him. Tad learned that he had a half-brother, Adrian Sword, the result of Opal's love affair with Frank Dawson. Tad and Adrian took a instant dislike to each other when they first came face-to-face (not knowing that they were brothers), but Tad and Adrian grew closer because of their mutual love for Opal.

In the spring of 1999, Dixie learned that she was pregnant. Despite doctors' urgings, Dixie decided that she did not want to terminate the pregnancy --- even if it meant that her own health was at risk. Tad and Dixie were initially at odds over this decision, but Tad reluctantly agreed to accept Dixie's wishes. In August of the same year, however, Dixie suffered a miscarriage.

Tad was roped into Liza's revenge scheme against Adam in 2000 and ended up as co-CEO of Chandler Enterprises. Tad watched as Liza had Adam committed to a mental institution. Tad became uneasy of his wife's relationship with her new boss, David Hayward. Tad gently pressed for Dixie to quit her job, but Dixie refused. David enlisted the help of lawyer Leslie Coulson in his scheme to win Dixie. David asked Leslie, who had a crush on Tad since high school, to seduce Tad. Thanks to a drug called Libidozone, Tad ended up in bed with Leslie. Dixie and Tad grew apart and Dixie continued seeing David. Eventually, however, Dixie learned of David's antics and how he'd staged an elaborate setup to tear her way from Tad. Tad and Dixie found their way back to one another, but their happiness was to be short-lived.

Tad was determined to get back at David for destroying what he had with Dixie. He enlisted the help of Leslie Coulson to try to stick it to David. Leslie returned and tried to kill Tad; his plan had gone terribly wrong. Dixie was furious with Tad for bringing Leslie back into the lives and told him that she could no longer trust him.

In January 2002, Dixie quietly flew to the Caribbean and got a "quickie divorce" from Tad. Tad learned of what she'd done and demanded that he be allowed to go back to the islands with her and finalize the divorce properly. While there, Dixie nearly died from a genetic heart condition. David Hayward was flown to the island in the middle of a severe storm and helped heal Dixie using experimental therapy that he'd developed. Dixie and Tad returned to Pine Valley and though they were getting along quite well, Dixie was keeping a secret from Tad: she was pregnant. Rather than ending the pregnancy to spare her own life, Dixie arranged to stay at a clinic in Switzerland where she could have her baby under close guidance. Dixie's disappearance from Pine Valley caused Tad and J.R. a great deal of concern. While Dixie kept in contact with J.R. and even David Hayward, she shunned Tad completely. Tad made it his mission to find Dixie, but his searched were unsuccessful.

Dixie broke her silence after the successful completion of her third trimester. Dixie sent a letter to Tad to finally tell him that she was pregnant and was carrying his daughter. A jubilant Tad made plans to reunite with Dixie, who made it clear that she wanted to return home to be with Tad. As Tad boarded a plan bound for Zurich, Opal received a call that would change everyone's lives forever: Dixie had been killed in an automobile accident. The severity of the accident -- her car had gone out of control and over a cliff -- left no trace of Dixie's body.

Tad helped Brooke find Edmund's presumed-dead wife Maria Grey. Maria's return was surprising in another regard - she had known David all the years that she was gone from Pine Valley. Tad and Maria began to investigate David's involvement in Maria's life and uncovered some of David's dirty secrets. They discovered that David used an experimental drug on her to save her life after the plane crash, in which she was presumed killed. However, David walked away from the charges against him for his crimes against Maria, which angered Tad.

Tad and Liza shared a kiss that made Liza think twice about reconciling with her husband Adam. A furious Adam fired Tad from Chandler Enterprises. Tad began working as a private investigator. He started a no strings "bed buddy" relationship with Simone Torres, although the latter developed romantic feelings for Tad.

Tad was dismayed to learn that Jamie spent the night with J.R.'s new wife Babe. Suspicious of Babe, Tad began investigating her past, leading to clashes with Babe's mother Krystal Carey. The two often found their arguments would lead to passion. Further complicating things was Liza, who publicly declared her renewed interest in Tad. Tad found himself torn between Simone, Liza and Krystal. Wanting to set a sound example for Jamie, Tad broke off with all three women. Krystal, however, remained a prominent presence in his life and he attempted to resist his feelings for her.

Tad discovered that Babe was still legally married to Paul Cramer. At Krystal's urging, he decided to keep the secret to protect J.R. while Krystal annulled Babe's marriage. Tad and Krystal grew closer and embarked on an official relationship. Tad was horrified to learn that Bianca Montgomery's daughter, Miranda, died shortly after birth. However, Tad was grateful that Babe and J.R.'s daughter, Bess, survived. Unknown to Tad, Bess was really Miranda and Babe bore a son (Ace), who was being raised by Kelly and Kevin Buchanan (of One Life To Live). This was due to an elaborate plot on the part of Paul to help his sister Kelly secure a baby.

Shortly after Bianca, Babe and infant Bess were rushed to the hospital, Tad began to wonder if Paul had made a mistake or purposefully told Babe that Bess was her daughter, when she was really Bianca's. Tad convinced his father to do a DNA test on the baby to prove maternity. Krystal, who shared Tad's suspicions and wanted to prevent Babe from enduring the loss of a child, switched the DNA test results so that it read that Bess was Babe's daughter. She kept this from Tad. Tad and Krystal fell in love, but her secret created a distance between them.

Slowly, Tad began to realize that J.R. was exhibiting Adam-like behavior. When it became apparent that J.R.'s desire to get Babe out of his life would lead to anything---including drugging Babe and indirectly resulting in Jamie getting stabbed-Tad found himself unable to stop J.R.'s transformation into as deceitful and controlling a man as Adam was.

Tad proposed to Krystal, but her guilt over the baby switch secret prevented her from accepting. Tad called Krystal on her emotional distance, but she never gave Tad an answer that he believed was the truth. The tension between the two grew, as Krystal (along with Babe's newly discovered father, David) worked to keep the baby secret. Tad grew more suspicious that Krystal was keeping a secret, and David knew what it was.

Liza approached Tad for help to get out of town with a new identity. Seeing how J.R. had been corrupted by Adam, Liza feared the same for Colby, her daughter with Adam. Tad helped the two escape with new aliases, raising Adam's ire. As vengeance, Adam attempted to use a doctored videotape to frame Jamie for the attempted murder of J.R. Tad negated the evidence by destroying all copies of the footage. Tad received a shock when Jamie announced he was in love with Babe. Soon, the two had left town without Babe's daughter Bess and only a goodbye note left behind.

Suspicious of Jamie's sudden declaration of love and Babe's decision to leave Bess, Tad confronted Krystal on what she knew. In the course of the confrontation, the baby switch secret came out. Tad lambasted Krystal, broke up with her and prepared to tell Bianca the truth. David stopped Tad by telling Tad that if Bianca knew the truth, it would mean a jail sentence for Jamie-for kidnapping and murder. David explained to a confused Tad that J.R. and Babe's son, Ace Buchanan was alive and that Jamie and Babe had kidnapped him. Further, David had spotted Jamie standing over the body of a dead Paul shortly before he kidnapped Ace. To tell Bianca the truth would bring the baby switch out, Paul's role in it, and soon after Ace Buchanan's origins would be revealed---and it would be a short road to fingering Jamie for the kidnapping and murder charges. Tad realized that in order to protect Jamie, he could not tell Bianca that her baby was alive. Worse still, if Tad told J.R. he had a son, he would risk the authorities capturing Jamie. Tad decided to find Jamie, hoping the mess could be straightened out once they were face to face.

Tad found Babe and Jamie as the two prepared to tell Bianca the truth about Miranda. Tad urged them to turn themselves in and tell J.R. about his son (Babe and Jamie had renamed the baby James). Jamie refused and knocked Tad out. While Babe told Bianca about Miranda, Jamie kept J.R. locked in a warehouse to prevent his interference. Desperate to escape and in deep denial that Bess was Miranda, J.R. clubbed Jamie with a pipe, nearly killing him. Shortly after, Bianca fell off a balcony and slipped into a coma after demanding her baby from J.R. Tad told Bianca's mother, Erica Kane, the truth about Miranda, and she got a DNA test which proved Miranda's maternity. J.R. attempted to flee with the baby, but Tad stopped him and helped return her to Bianca, who recovered.

Seeing how ruthless J.R. had become, Tad chose not to tell him his son was alive. It was a difficult decision, but Tad did not want his beloved Dixie's grandson to be corrupted by the Chandlers, as J.R. had been. J.R. learned the truth on his own and swore Tad out of his life for keeping the secret from him. J.R. worked fervently to find Jamie, Babe and his son. Fearing J.R.'s wrath, Tad tracked down Jamie and Babe and prepared to get them out of the country. J.R. caught up with them and had Tad, Babe and Jamie arrested for kidnapping.

Tad was released on bail and prepared to support Babe in her custody battle with J.R. and Kevin Buchanan, baby James/Ace's legal guardian. Tad thawed towards Krystal, when he identified that, like her, he had made hurtful choices to protect his child. At the custody hearing, the kidnapping charges were dropped thanks to clever testimony from Kelly Cramer. In order to get Babe off of charges for keeping Bianca's child, Krystal accepted a ten year prison sentence. Despite everyone's efforts, J.R. was awarded custody of his son, whom he named Adam Chandler III (or "Little Adam").

Krystal was sent to prison, where she began getting harassed. Tad, his feelings for Krystal still very strong, told her he would use his influence to make sure it stopped. Krystal thanked him, but didn't want Tad to feel obligated to her. She told him that he needed to move on and forget about her, as it was now impossible for them to be together.

When Tad met the Chandler nanny, Diana Cole, he felt a strange connection to her. Tad was shocked when a Swiss doctor called him and told him that Dixie's wrecked car had been found in the mountains, but without a body. Slowly, Tad began to gather clues that led him to suspect Diana was really Dixie. Tad had her fingerprints tested and they were a match. Tad confronted Diana, who admitted to Tad and J.R. that she was Dixie. "Dixie" explained that she had lost their baby in the car accident, and endured a grueling series of surgeries that changed her appearance. Tad realized that "Dixie" came back to town with a new identity because she wasn't sure that she wanted to reunite with Tad. Hurt, Tad swore off "Dixie." What Tad didn't realize was that "Dixie" was really Di Kirby, an ex-con hired by David to pose as Dixie in an effort to get Babe more time with her child.

Tad learned the truth about Di and although he was initially angry, he was able to eventually get past it and the two began planning for a life together. They even got engaged, but after Tad discovered that Dixie was really alive and well and Di had known, he couldn't forgive her for it. He received a double blow when he learned that Dixie had indeed given birth to the baby girl they had wanted to name Kate, but had given her up for adoption, believing that Tad couldn't love the baby if she died. Although furious with Dixie and determined to find his daughter, Tad couldn't stop wanting Dixie.

Tad comforted Krystal, one night, and they had a one night stand. Krystal wound up pregnant and told Adam and Tad that Adam was the father. Adam and Krystal planned to name the baby Charlotte after Adam's sister, Charlotte "Lottie" Chandler. However, the truth soon came out that Tad, not Adam, was the biological father of Krystal's baby. Dixie was one of the first to know about this but she promised Krystal that she would not tell Tad the truth. Dixie never got a chance to come close to doing this since she died after ingesting poisoned peanut butter and banana pancakes meant for Babe.

Krystal confessed to both Tad and Adam that Tad, not Adam, was the father of "Charlotte." Tad blew up at Krystal over this but promised her he would be a part of his baby's life. Krystal gave birth to a baby girl and named her Jennifer "Jenny" Colby Martin after Tad's sister, Jenny Gardner. Tad and Krystal suffered a parent's worst nightmare when Jenny was kidnapped from the hospital nursery. Janet was the culprit and we saw how Adam and Janet teamed up to kidnap Jenny so Adam could get revenge on Tad for sleeping with Krystal. Jenny was eventually found and Tad and Krystal were relieved that their daughter was okay.

Tad and Krystal decided that they should get married and be a family since they had a daughter together. Tad and Krystal married on Christmas Eve of 2007.

Tad never stopped looking for his daughter with Dixie, Kate. It turned out that Kate was actually Kathy Mershon, the little girl who Julia Santos took in after Kathy's adoptive parents died in a car accident. Adam found out that Kathy was Kate but kept this a secret from Tad. Ghost Dixie tortured Adam from beyond the grave and told him that she would not stop doing this until he told Tad where his daughter was. Adam told Tad the truth about how Kathy was Kate and Tad finally reunited with Kate. Tad decided to let her keep her name of Kathy.

Tad and Krystal brought Kathy back home to live with them and Kathy's half sister, Jenny. Kathy became jealous of all the attention Jenny got and started to act out. Tad and Krystal fought over how best to deal with Kathy but, eventually, Kathy got over acting out and behaved herself.

Tad comforted Krystal when the devastating tornadoes killed her daughter, Babe. This was when David came back to town and vowed revenge on the Martins and Chandlers. David started to drug Krystal and this lead to Krystal having an affair with David while Tad was out of the country (Tad had heard that his brother, Jeff, and his son, Jamie, were lost in Darfur and decided to go there to find them). When Tad returned to town, Krystal confessed that she slept with David while Tad was gone. Tad filed for divorce and for custody of Jenny. During the court hearing to determine custody for Jenny, Krystal accidentally dropped the pills that David had been giving her. This convinced the judge to grant full custody to Tad. Tad decided that Krystal could see Jenny any time she wanted since he knew that Jenny deserved to have both of her parents in her life as much as possible. Tad and Krystal's divorce was finalized.

Krystal married David and helped David pursue custody of Babe and J.R.'s son, Little Adam. Tad stood by J.R. through the custody battle, which J.R. eventually won, in large part due to Krystal's support. Adam blackmailed Krystal. She testified against her husband, David. Although divorced, Tad supported Krystal when she told him the secret Adam had been blackmailing her with. Krystal and David had another child, Babe's twin, but Krystal had sold the other baby at birth. The child was Marissa Tasker, a supposed family friend that had been staying at Wildwind with David and Krystal. When David learned the truth and threw Krystal out, Tad allowed her to move back in with him.

Just prior to the murder of Stuart Chandler, Tad's mother, Opal, had a premonition that dark times were ahead for Tad. On the night Stuart Chandler was murdered, Tad was on the Chandler grounds. When he tried to flee, he was shot several times by his good friend, Chief of Police Jesse Hubbard. One bullet landed in his frontal lobe, which affected his personality. Tad acted strangely upon being released from the hospital. He was making jokes and acting reckless. He claimed he had a new lease on life and was grateful the bullet had landed where it did.

When Tad's brother Jake fell in love with Amanda Dillon, Tad assisted Jake in protecting Amanda's baby from David. They believed David was the baby's father. David threatened to take the child away from Amanda, so Jake devised a plan to fake the death of the baby, and then secretly have the child adopted. Tad knew Liza Colby and Jake were up to something when he walked in on numerous secret meetings between the two. When Tad accidentally hit Liza's pregnant stomach with a dart, she did not react, and Tad realized she was faking a pregnancy. Tad learned of the plan to have Liza adopt Amanda's baby and urged Jake to call it off. When Jake continued with the plan, Tad transported a newborn to his basement and helped Liza fake her delivery. The baby Tad took to Liza was not actually Amanda's son.

Taylor Thompson, a friend of Jake's, became involved in hiding Trevor, Amanda's son. Taylor and Tad were casually dating. Taylor hid the baby at her apartment, and Tad helped her care for the newborn until Jake and Amanda could arrange to adopt him. Krystal was bothered by the connection between Tad and Taylor, especially when Tad spent the night at Taylor's. When Krystal asked Tad for another chance, he turned her down. Although Tad's relationship with Taylor fizzled out soon after it began, he was not able to forgive Krystal.

Tad focused his attention on J.R.'s battle with cancer. J.R. only told Tad about his illness because he knew Tad would not use the information to go after custody of J.R.'s son, Little Adam. When J.R. needed a bone marrow transplant, Tad tracked down an illegitimate son of J.R.'s father, Adam. The son never showed up in Pine Valley. Eventually, others learned of J.R.'s cancer, and David claimed to be dying from a rare type of cancer. Tad believed David was fabricating his condition after he saw the sympathy J.R. received. Tad began investigating David's supposed illness. He tracked David to Gloucester and just missed discovering one of David's secrets, the presumed-dead Greenlee Smythe. In time, David's lies were exposed

Tad dated Liza Colby, and they became lovers. Liza was concerned about her daughter Colby's involvement with Damon Miller. Damon was the biological father of the child Liza had tried to adopt. When Damon's ex-girlfriend, Bailey Wells, left town with their child, Damon remained in Pine Valley and dated Colby. There were a rash of burglaries, and Damon was accused. Tad defended Damon and invited Damon to live with him when he learned Damon was homeless. Tad became Damon's legal guardian.

Tad was shocked when he learned Damon's mother was Hilary Wilson. Years before, Tad and Hilary had briefly been married, and a DNA test confirmed Tad was Damon's father. He did not tell Damon. Liza was not fond of Damon, so Tad and Liza cooled their relationship. Tad continued to support Damon when he stole pills from the hospital and when he crashed a car. He was texting while driving, and Colby was in the car. Damon learned Tad was his father, and Tad helped Damon address his poor decisions. Damon was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Despite Tad's support of Damon, Liza continued to undermine Damon. She sabotaged a job offer Damon had received, switched Damon's medication with placebos, and tried to destroy Damon's relationship with Colby. She set Damon up with a stripper. The stripper did not show, so Liza tried to seduce Damon instead. Things got heated until Tad interrupted, and Damon sneaked out. Damon had, however, taken compromising pictures of Liza. When Tad officially adopted Damon, he tried to patch up his relationship with Liza. When Liza slept with Damon, Tad was done with her, but he agreed not to tell Colby. Damon left Pine Valley to attend college in California.

After Damon left town, Tad needed someone to talk to. He became friends with Jake's ex-wife, Dr. Cara Castillo. Jake and Cara met through Doctors Without Borders but divorced when Cara had an affair. Cara arrived in town shortly after the man she'd had an affair with. Tad learned that Cara's supposed lover was actually her brother, Dr. Griffin Castillo. When Tad realized Cara had faked an affair to protect Jake, they became friends.

Cara was in the country illegally, so Tad married her. A drug cartel was after her, but Tad chose to protect her because she had protected Jake by leaving him. Tad knew Cara still loved Jake, but they got along well and their friendship deepened. Tad also helped Griffin when he was accused of stealing drugs from the hospital.

Although Tad had started his marriage to Cara under the guise of friendship, his feelings for her began to change. Tad enjoyed the easy banter he and his wife exchanged and they continued to bond as they lived under the same roof and platonically shared a bed. Tad was also attracted to the way Cara interacted with his daughters and they started to act like a family. When Cara felt like she lost her family when Griffin went in to hiding, Tad encouraged her to lean on her new family with him.

Tad knew Griffin was still in Pine Valley and he struggled to keep the information secret from Cara. Griffin pretended to disappear while he was actually in town investigating Ricky Torres. Tad and Griffin decided it would be best if Cara was not involved even though she missed her brother. Tad often regretted keeping a secret from his wife but she forgave him when Griffin found evidence that proved he had been set up and the charges against him were dropped. Griffin shared with Cara how Tad had helped him and acknowledged that Tad's support had never wavered. Tad received an endorsement from Griffin when he told Cara that she married the right Martin this time.

Opal sensed Tad's feelings toward Cara had changed and Tad shared that his younger, beautiful wife would never be attracted to him. Opal talked Tad into letting her take some of the gray out of his hair. Tad was furious with his mother when she misread the directions and colored his hair bright blue. Tad tried to conceal the color from Cara by wearing hats and hoods but Cara realized Tad was hiding something. When Cara saw Tad's hair she assured him she had always loved his hair and he did not need to change anything to impress her. She restored Tad's hair back to its normal color and reassured him with a kiss.

Although Tad knew Cara had feelings for Jake she insisted those feelings were in the past and she was ready to move forward and she surprised Tad with a date. He was initially thrilled that his wife was interested in him until he worried Cara would be settling for him and he would never be her great love. Cara convinced Tad she did not believe she was settling and they agreed to take things slowly. Tad and Jake discussed how Tad's feelings toward Cara had changed. Tad was aware Jake had been tempted to enter into a relationship with Cara but Jake assured Tad that Cara was in his past and he wished Tad and Cara happiness.

Even though Tad's marriage to Cara was slowly turning into a real marriage, he continued to think about Dixie. She appeared in some of his dreams and Tad had numerous conversations with J.R. about her. J.R. started drinking again and Tad did the best he could to honor his promise to Dixie that he would always take care of J.R. Tad decided to let go of some possessions that tied him emotionally to Dixie after her received her diary. He was relieved to finally be at a place where he could remember Dixie without all the pain. He gathered a few family members and friends to publically break ties with Dixie's things while he eulogized her.

J.R. continued to drink and Tad tried numerous tactics to convince J.R. to take back his sobriety. Eventually Tad was out of ideas and decided to leave J.R. to his own devices instead of having Tad clean up his messes. Tad thought tough love might be what J.R. needed to sober up. At the same time, Cara was feeling stressed at work and admitted she would like to be alone with Tad on a beach. They decided to go on a honeymoon to Martha's Vineyard.

While waiting to embark on his honeymoon, Tad remained conflicted about moving on. He went to the park and talked to the stars and asked Dixie to give him her blessing on his new relationship. When Tad turned to leave he saw Dixie and he touched her. Although Dixie had suffered some sort of trauma and was not fully coherent she spoke the words "together forever" to Tad, which were the final words she had spoken to him before she supposedly died. Dixie was unable to explain where she had been or what happened to her so Tad held her in his arms and they stayed in the park all night.

In the morning Tad took Dixie home and introduced her to her daughter Kathy. Dixie also wanted to see J.R. but Tad tried to postpone their reunion until J.R. was sober. Tad also delayed explaining the details of his marriage to Cara even after Dixie found the wedding photo. Instead Tad focused on helping Dixie adjust from whatever she had been through. She could not explain what had been done to her, only that David Hayward had been involved. Tad witnessed an encounter between Dixie and David which shook Dixie. Afterwards, Tad cheered her up by reuniting her with J.R.

Dixie blamed herself for J.R.'s drinking and she decided to stay at the Chandler mansion instead of with Tad. She explained she could be there for J.R. and give Tad and his wife space. Cara moved out so Tad and Dixie could sort through their relationship. Tad told Dixie the details of his marriage to Cara and assured her that whatever feelings he may have developed for Cara disappeared the moment he saw Dixie again because she was his one true love.

Tad and Dixie temporarily set aside sorting out their feelings for one another so they could focus on helping J.R. after Marissa was awarded full custody of their son. J.R. continued to spiral out of control and Tad and Dixie offered to help J.R. in any way they could but he rejected the offer. Instead, Tad helped out his good friend Jesse after Jesse confided that he had covered up the death of his daughter and passed another woman's child off as his own. Angie was furious with Jesse and Tad listened and offered advice to Jesse regarding how to proceed in his marriage.

Jesse's marriage got back on track as did Tad's relationship with Dixie. She honored Tad's first proposal to her by wearing a chicken costume and they reminisced what they had in the past and made plans for the future. Dixie proposed to Tad and he accepted, unknowingly broadcast to his family over speakerphone. The Martin family celebrated the news, including Jamie, Ruth, and Joe.

The good news continued when Stuart Chandler was revealed to be alive after receiving treatments from David Hayward's Project Orpheus. Adam hosted a party at the Chandler mansion to welcome Stuart home and Tad and Dixie attended. Tad gave a toast which celebrated the love of neighbors, family, and friends in Pine Valley. Shortly after the toast, a shot rang out.