Taylor's POV
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"So the wedding is all booked" Rachel informs me, blushing in her turquoise gown that she had picked out from a small vintage store in Florence earlier today. Henry practically squealed the place down whilst she tried on several dresses in the changing rooms. I sat pleading with him before I tried baby food to no avail and then ultimately whipped out the baby teethers. That did the trick as he gobbled all over them to relieve his teething pain.
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Now I gaze over at him in his pale grey polo shirt and chino shorts and consider him to be the most fashion conscious baby in the world. Clad in Ralph as he sleeps soundly in the bassinet a dummy in his mouth.
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"Booked, wow where's my invite" I laugh placing my mocktail on the glass patio table, the sun is just dipping beneath the skyline and Chris is firing up the BBQ surrounded by Ross and Matthew. I place an additional cotton blanket over Henry and his bare legs.
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"Taylor actually" she begins as I push my brunette waves over my shoulder and eye her.
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"I would like to formally ask you actually if you'd be my maid of honour" she gushes as I wipe my eyes. Being pregnant makes me unbelievably easy to set off. Happy tears, of course.
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"Yes!" I exclaim pulling her in for a hug as she hastily places her wine down so as not to get any of it on my cream silk dress. Another new purchase from our shopping adventure, a cream slip with a trailing skirt and a bodice cut close around my cleavage. The skirt skimming over bump nicely.
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"Lord you cry a lot" she giggles as I stand and head over to the BBQ to check on the progress of the food, babies make you hungry I've decided.
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"I'm pregnant and bound to cry almost every ten minutes sorry" I laugh grasping the wine from the side and topping up her glass.
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"Asking me to be your maid of honour well that is bound to make me cry" I giggle and she rolls her eyes.
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"Rachel whatever were you thinking setting her off!" Ross quips and I nudge him laughing before dabbing at my eyes.
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"Well thing is the wedding is sooner than we had planned" she begins sipping wine as she eyes Christopher tossing burgers on the grill.
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"How much sooner?" I ask inquisitively whilst picking at a few olives and eating them. Real Italian olives are quite something.
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"Well actually whilst you were all away, we called up the venue and asked them if they could shift us forward" she begins and I smile, Rachel is very eager to be a married woman.
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"It's in a few weeks!" She squeals as if she's been holding it in since we came back, like a secret she simply must divulge to us. She beams happiness from her smile and I cannot help but be ecstatic alongside her.
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"A wedding dress, we need do go shopping for it!" I say and she nods.
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"You and I are going to that fancy bridal shop in Florence and we are going to pick it all out! I need a tiara" she squeals as Christopher turns with a grin on his face and kisses her cheek.
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"Of course" I say smiling before I hug her again.
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"I'm beyond happy to be your maid of honour and I'm so happy for you both" I say looking from her to Christopher as he nods.
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"Jay better be back for my wedding" Christopher laughs and I smile.
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"I'm sure he will" I say confidently waltzing through the glass doors to the kitchen to warm up a bottle and Henry's dinner. Dinner is peas and sweet potatoes, it's a favourite for him and I'm sure that he will get it all over himself. Grabbing a few bibs and muslin cloths I turn with the puree looking over at my kitchen island and imagining being in America again for the wedding. California seems like a distant memory even though I've only been living in Italy for a short time.
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Wrapping the baby puree in the bowl with foil to keep it warm, I place the bottle of breast milk in the bottle warmer and wait for it to heat up. Feeling Matthew behind me as his hands go over bump and I smile briefly.
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"You should not be openly..." I begin softly facing the other way.
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"Shhh they're all facing the swimming pool not us" he whispers as I shake my head.
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"Not my point" I say softly watching the bottle heat up.
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"What's your point?" He whispers slowly in my ear.
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"We should be keeping our distance is my point" I say slowly.
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"I know" he sighs running his hands up my sides before he breathes out heavily.
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"I know I've just been you know" he begins as I turn around having grasped the warm bottle in my hands and dried off the sides. I hand him the bottle and he keeps my eye contact. His brunette hair tousled over his forehead, lightly tanned skin and green eyes. A white button up shirt pulled around him, concealing the bandage that I know is there on his bicep. Slight apprehension in his stare shadowing his normal relaxed outlook that I yearn to give him back, to take away the worry and the pain and to look into the eyes of the nineteen year old lover I once knew.
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"You've been through enough" I whisper slowly transfixed by him.
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"I'm here" I say softly and he smiles genuinely. Warmth and compassion in his eyes as he holds onto my forearms after placing the bottle down on the kitchen island.
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"Even though I can't be you know... I'm here" I explain hoping that he understands that I am here for him even though I cannot be with him romantically.
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"When you're ready to tell me what happened"
I begin slowly suddenly hearing the clinking of glasses and a male clear his throat. I flick my eyes up and see Ross as I breathe out a sigh of relief.
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"He won't tell me either" Ross whispers slowly approaching the beers and passing Matthew one as he sips his own.
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"It's like a mental block" Matthew declares shaking his head.
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"And when that block is cleared I'll be all ears" Ross smiles as I nod guiding them over to the doors. Watching Rachel fawn over Chris and the pool glisten under the twinkling lights in the distance.
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"Barbie's done!" Christopher says openly as I smile down at Rachel and her fiancée's easy carefree attitude.
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"Nice one man" Matthew smiles plating up a burger and passing it to me. I place the bottle and Henry’s dinner on the high chair and begin tucking into my food as Matthew settles down next to me. Henry stirs and Ross picks him up in his arms offering him the warm bottle as I smile thanking him.
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“Suits you” Rachel laughs looking up at Ross cradling the baby.
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“You think I’d be great father material” he giggles as I sigh watching him swoop his hair back.
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“Hey I’m just saying” she laughs as he takes a seat feeding Henry the milk, Henry’s small hands holding onto the bottle as he drinks. Big blue eyes looking up at him.
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“You are your mummy through and through” he whispers to him and I chuckle.
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“Can I just say man, these burgers are awesome” Matthew smiles over at Christopher casually placing his spare hand on my thigh. Rachel’s eyes widen and I roll my eyes awaiting her questions. However they do not follow as she simply sips her wine, watching me wedged between Ross and Matthew on the opposite side of the patio table.
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“Taylor buys good food” Chris says easily and I nod.
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“There are local farms in the area” I explain as Matthew strokes me. He’s on beer number four and it’s affecting him.
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“They sell amazing produce” I explain as Rachel nods sipping her wine and Christopher pushes his golden locks back. The sun sets behind the pool and I flick the outdoor heaters on, we have a fire pit that Christopher rises from his chair to get going. I watch as the flames lick up into the sky before Ross places Henry in his high chair in front of his dinner.
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“I’m surprised he’s still hungry” Rachel smiles.
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“Oh he can eat” I laugh feeding Henry the mashed vegetables with a plastic spoon. Placing my hand over bump and rubbing my waist. Bump has popped and I cradle my waist in my hands. Henry finishes off all of his dinner and I smile wiping his face afterwards as he looks around him clapping his hands together and wiggling his legs clearly pleased with his company. Babbling and cooing as he sucks on his spoon.
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Rising from my seat I take the baby bowl out and pace across the heated kitchen floor straight over to the dishwasher that I load up. Before wiping down all of the sides and clearing away all of the ingredients. I grasp a glass of water and lean on the side holding onto bump.
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“Taylor” Rachel whispers walking through the door as I look up and see her sashaying through the kitchen with her glass. She heads straight over to the wine and pours another.
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“He’s ugh” she begins looking out of the glass windows at Matthew seated next to Henry and deep in conversation with Chris.
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“He’s going through stuff” I begin slowly knowing that she is about to lecture me.
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“You know” she begins changing tact, a wry smile on her face.
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“A long time ago when you were first dating. We were at Ross’ and…” she laughs as I turn to watch her downing my water. Matthew had taken me to Ross’ house party after our first date. We were two youngsters that were wildly in love even after just one date.
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“And he ran off outside, talking to Jay on the phone. Jen glaring at him on the porch. You didn’t know Jay then, he was tenacious and charming” she begins and I nod.
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“He was intrigued by you before he met you. Jen mouthed off about this girl that wears prada and looks the part. He was fascinated. Matthew was floundering that night, playing him down on the phone. He may as well of begged him to stay abroad” she laughs slightly before looking up at me.
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“I told him on the porch that night when he hung up the phone to Jay, I told him to never let Jay near you and that he must I don’t know keep you” she says slowly chugging more wine before looking into my eyes.
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“You did that because you knew Jay. You knew what he was like with woman then” I say and she nods.
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“Back then Jay was an animal. I just thought you were nice and that you deserved a guy that would do right by you” she smiles softly.
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“I saw that in him then. You know he…” she begins before looking into her wine, swirling the dark red liquid in the glass.
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“He still thinks he can win you back” she says bluntly as I stare up at her following her eye-line to Matthew.
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“He’s in love with you” she murmurs watching me as I contemplate her bringing it up at all.
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“He’s thinks that he can swoop back into being nineteen and in love with you Taylor” she says slowly watching me pointedly.
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“I know but what am I supposed to do” I say finally placing my glass down on the side slowly.
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“The last time I blocked him out of my life he tried to take his own” I reason with her, she sighs watching me and I shake my head beginning to get irate and emotional.
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“I don’t want him to be like this either. I want happiness for him too” I whisper and she smiles just slightly. Sweeping her blonde hair back and shaking her head.
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“Enough” she sighs rubbing my back before I burst into tears.
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“We all okay in here” Christopher asks from the doorway as Rachel turns swiftly a smile plastered over her face.
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“All okay my darling” she practically sings waltzing over to him. I shake off the melancholy and place a smile on my lips as Matthew and Ross join us. Matthew holding Henry into his chest as he approaches me with my sleeping baby.
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“He was sleepy” Matthew murmurs softly as I nod sweeping my hair back and placing a smile on my face.
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“I should get him up to…” I begin and he nods
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“I’ll take him up with you” Matthew whispers cradling the baby into his chest before we say goodnight to another evening in Italy.
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