Taylor's POV
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"Bloody hell" Rachel laughs as I descend the marble steps with Matthew beside me, holding onto the baby. I eye her pale blue dress and smile, she suits the pastel colour and as I reach the bottom she smiles.
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"You know Taylor, new moms don't usually look this blooming hot" she jibes and I smile.
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"Now give me that baby" she smiles to Matthew as he passes Henry over. She coos at him and he suckles on his pacifier.
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"Evening Christopher" I say as he looks past my shoulder for Jay. Christopher strikes me as a very laid back kind of person, yet he's always in control of the situation. It's why Rachel and him work so well, she looks up at him and I can tell babies are already on her mind. He matched her outfit perfectly with a pale blue button up shirt and I smile looking over his shaggy hair, imagining their babies and getting rather carried away with myself.
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"He's on a business trip" I nod to him, they have become friends, both business minded guys that talk endlessly about different strategies. Rachel rolls her eyes before cuddling Henry as he lays in her arms sleepily.
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"Please come through" I say to them leading them into the kitchen and serving them drinks. Hospitality is my strong point. I notice Matthew delicately holds onto Henry again as Rachel takes her glass of Prosecco and I smirk. Sweeping past him and stroking his back lightly I inform him that I'm going to use the pump, in the living room to be discreet.
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"I'll pour your wine for you" he smiles and I laugh.
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Henry can smell when the milk is being expressed, the last time I pumped anywhere near his vicinity he cried uncontrollably most likely believing I was feeding another child. So we've learnt to use the pump out of his direct presence.
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Laying back in front of the fire that Ross tended earlier I set myself up, I figure both at once will ensure that I get this done efficiently. Once I've finished and I'm unclipping the pump, I steadily place the bottles down. Three full bottles should do the trick I think idly as I consider offering him a quick feed from the source before I enjoy my glass of wine.
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With my dress appropriately repositioned, and secured around my bust, I head back into the kitchen and place the bottles in the fridge. Hearing the chatter of the others as they sit around the kitchen island, having a home full of people is my idea of happiness I realise as I tend to the dinner quickly happy with how it is progressing.
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"He's adorable" Rachel smiles up at me and I laugh glancing over at Henry in his snoo, safely tucked in.
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"That smells glorious" Christopher says eyeing the oven and I smile over at him.
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"I hope it tastes just as good" I smirk joining the others as we head over to the oak dining table.
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"Where is Jay then?" Rachel asks clearly missing out on my conversation with Christopher earlier.
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"He's at a meeting in Dubai" I smile over to her and she rolls her eyes.
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"It was important, he's got a big role. I understand that" I say to her as the boys begin talking to one another. Sitting across from Rachel I take my glass of wine and refrain from it until Henry stirs. Matthew eyes me, seated next to Rachel and I smile at him. His eyes check in on me every now and again and I cannot help but to feel safe and protected by him.
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"Olivia then ? What's the deal?" Rachel asks rather bluntly and I wince slightly as Ross takes the seat next to my own.
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"Myself and Olivia ended things" Matthew explains calmly and I look down into my lap.
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"She was rather annoyed, but I felt it was for the best. We weren't compatible" he explains as I look up at him.
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"Bloody hell that is a relief" Rachel snarks and I chuckle.
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"She was nice enough" I smile and Ross strokes my arm encouragingly.
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"She wasn't Matthew. She was practically cosseted" Rachel gasps and I laugh.
"That is a very big word Rachel" I laugh and she smiles.
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"Are you sure that you know what that one means" Matthew laughs and she swipes him laughing.
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"Of course" she smiles looking to Christopher as he chuckles.
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"She was rather closed off too. But I'm not exactly the most reachable loving person am I? And so I feel like our dynamics did not match" Matthew says maturely and I smile standing up to check the dinner.
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I pace over to my oven and double check the meat which is practically there. I add a bit more seasoning and then proceed to plate up the roast potatoes.
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"She did deliver my baby safely I'll forever be thankful for that" I add into the conversation over my shoulder.
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"Lord I don't know how you guys remained so calm during all of that by the way" Rachel laughs.
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"Babies coming out one way or another" I laugh.
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"If I remember correctly Matthew cried" I smile as he stands up, approaching me.
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"And Ross almost fainted" I add and he smirks.
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"I'm actually just a slight bit happy that I don't have to look her in the eyes anymore though, she did have her head between my legs for a very long time and it was not a pleasant experience for me" I laugh and Rachel practically cackles.
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"What!? You don't remain friends with your midwife?!" I laugh as Matthew smirks beginning to carve the meat and I give him a warm smile. Henry begins to whimper at the commotion and I take that as my cue to give him some milk before I have my wine.
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Ross hands me the baby and I position myself on the table draping a cloth over my shoulder. I hike the dress down and feed Henry confidently.
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"He's hungry continually" I say looking up at Ross.
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"Does it hurt" Rachel asks inquisitively, usually she just says what she thinks, there is no thought before hand it just all comes out. It's one of her qualities that I have grown to love.
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"Not at all, weirdly" I say knowing full well that women do experience discomfort feeding however so far I have been at ease.
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"Can I see" she laughs full of interest and I smirk.
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"Okay avert your eyes anybody that doesn't want to see my entire chest" I laugh slightly.
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"Taylor you're at home, feeding your baby. Don't worry about it at all" Christopher says earnestly and I smile genuinely.
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"Yeah babe it's a natural thing" Rachel explains and I nod feeling slightly less self conscious.
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"Plus we've all seen your tits before" she laughs and I smile pulling the drape off.
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"Awww look at his little hand" Rachel smiles as Henry clasps onto my chest. I notice Christopher doesn't look out of respect, yet he doesn't make the entire situation weird or odd. He merely is not phased and that's totally fine by me.
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Ross smiles down at Henry and I just continue feeding him, feeling comfortable. It strikes me as odd that society has sexualised women's breasts so much that women feel continually weird about feeding their babies in front of men. When actually the sole purpose for them is for a female to be able to produce milk and indeed feed her young. Henry unlatches and I scoop him up to burp him whilst adjusting myself.
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"Can I cuddle him to sleep this time" Ross asks softly and I smile up at him.
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"Of course" I say softly handing him Henry before grasping at the wine glass. It's the very first sip I've had in just over nine months and truly the excitement is growing.
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"This is my first drink in forever" I smile as Rachel grins.
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"You're gonna be trashed if you have two" she laughs and I giggle slightly sipping the Italian wine instantly reminding myself of the sunshine and the grapes back in our vineyard. Jay standing in the cellar and fermenting grapes after we collected them on one sunny afternoon.
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"Well that tastes nice" I smile and Ross laughs, hugging Henry as he closes his eyes.
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"Just one though" I explain to Rachel.
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"I'll have to wake up in the night" I add as Matthew hands out the dishes and I thank him.
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"This looks incredible, the fact that you pulled this off with a newborn astonishes me" Chris explains smiling looking down at his plate.
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"I had helpers" I comment smiling waiting for Matthew to take a seat before I tuck in. Finally he sits opposite me and I sip my wine eyeing him before I cut up my food and begin eating. Ross turns the snoo back on and it resumes its gentle rocking motion as Henry falls into another slumber.
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"We're planning on the christening, in Italy. We had hoped to go for a week or so, before inviting everybody over" I begin as Rachel looks up at me.
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"Oh Taylor this is good timing just as it's getting cooler here" she laughs.
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"Italy is warm still ? Right?" she laughs questionably and I smile encouragingly.
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"It's still pretty warm yeah, it will be nice to have everybody there too" I say looking up at Matthew.
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"So yeah keep your plans pretty clear for the next couple of weeks" I smile at her and she laughs nodding.
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Not only do I enjoy the food I've prepared, I enjoy the chatter and the company of my friends as we eat. The wine goes down a treat and as I set my glass down on the counter after our meal, Matthew approaches me from behind. The others have retired to the living room by the fire and I'm set on loading the dishes and putting the steriliser on for later.
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"Firstly, let me" he whispers in my ear whilst taking over the chores.
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"Secondly, do you need me to clear the house" he laughs as I rest my head back into his chest and he looks down at me. Henry sleeping soundly in the snoo behind us.
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"Let's call it at like eleven" I tell him and he nods.
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I notice that he rolls his sleeves up settling on getting on with the chores and loading the dishwasher as I watch him. His brunette hair occasionally getting in his way as he brushes it back. I can't help but to wonder about his comments earlier of not seeing himself as a loving person and I couldn't disagree more.
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Matthew loves in the way that he looks after people. The way that he takes care of others, mostly selflessly. I can't imagine what could possibly have been going through her mind to have termed him as unloving. He glances up at me and self consciously pushes his hair away.
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"You're not unloving" I tell him softly and he smiles.
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"I treated her terribly" he mutters before placing the towel over his shoulder.
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"But you did try right. I mean that you tried your best to make things work" I say softly and he sighs.
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"I tried but not hard enough, because the outcome of the situation didn't mean as much to me as it should have" he says softly.
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"With you" he begins softly, and my tummy practically flips.
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"Everything is different right because I care about you. Because I care about your happiness. Because I love you and the baby" he says softly before we hear movement from the hall. Turning to place the steriliser on I watch him before heading over to Henry and checking on him. His little hands sprawled out over his head, pacifier in his mouth as he sleeps.
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Rachel huddled into Christopher walks into the kitchen followed by Ross. She makes the effort to stay quiet, and I notice she also has not drunk a large amount tonight.
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"Right we're going to give you lot some space" she announces and I smile up at her, this is progress. Rachel knowing when to call it a night, that's a big deal.
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"It's been so nice having you over, both of you" I explain and she nods happily.
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"You just let us know when you're planning on having the christening" Christopher says softly.
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"And we'll book our tickets" he adds, brushing his hair back and smiling down at Rachel.
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"Of course, I'll ask the boss" I smile at him and he chuckles before I walk them out to the hall with Ross.
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"I hope it's all going well with Matthew" Rach whispers in my ear as I stand by Christopher's car outside. The unmissable Audi logo on the front, as Ross talks to him at the drivers side.
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"He's down" I say to her and she nods.
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"After the split I drove to his house, to find him pretty much relapsing. And even though Olivia may have been short lived. You know what he's like" I explain looking at her and she sighs.
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"The whole world is his problem" she explains and I nod.
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"So having him help with the baby is win win" I tell her and she nods approvingly.
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"Keeps him busy and reduces my stress" I say.
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"However when we go to Italy I'm worried that he will just you know" I tell her, looking up to the steps realising that he must be sitting with Henry.
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"I'll keep an eye" she laughs, considering their tumultuous history I appreciate her saying so. Rachel has played the role of Olivia before, wanting him but never quite being with him properly.
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"Thank you" I smile hugging her before she climbs into the sleek black car.
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Ross and I watch them drive down the lane before he puts his arms around my shoulders and guides me back into the warm house.
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"I'm happy for her" he whispers as I look up at him quizzically before we enter the house.
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