Taylor's POV
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Rachel embraces me the second we arrive back at the house. Cooing at Henry as she glances in the car seat where he is just beginning to rise from his nap. Jay carts him through the hall his blanket draped over him as he purses his lips and opens his little eyes. I glance up at Christopher who nods to me and gives me a warm smile.
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"How are you both" I say softly waltzing through to the hall with my mother, slipping off my sandals and jacket before I head to our kitchen.
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"Amazing, Taylor this place is a dream" Rachel sighs and I giggle slightly offering her wine the second I notice the open bottle on the counter. A nice bottle of red, which I pour glancing up at Matthew who smiles at me.
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"Thank you" I smile handing her some wine as Jay cradles Henry patting his back and quietening him as he murmurs and coos.
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"Ohh this is fancy" she smiles sipping the wine and smiling as she looks out over the at the grapevine. The outdoor lighting and lamps illuminating the grounds under the dark night sky.
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"It's from the vineyard?" Chris asks scooping his sandy hair back and sipping the glass of wine.
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"It is from the vineyard" Jay chimes in proudly as I smile happily watching him embrace Chris as Henry looks up at his green eyes and lets out a huge ohh sound. A captivating grin over his small lips as his eyes take in Christopher's face. We all giggle and stare at him.
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"He likes you Chris" I smile as Henry babbles.
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"Oh he's even talking" Rachel smiles as Jay grins down at him.
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"He looks just like you, Jay" Christopher laughs as Jay bounces him up and down slightly.
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"Poor little thing" Jay laughs and I smirk heading over to the fridge to take out the lamb for dinner. It's not a quintessentially Italian dish however a roast is easier when you're serving a large group of people. I pour some wine intending on slipping it down the sink whilst our guests are talking, Rachel is unaware of my pregnancy and I intend on keeping it that way until I am further along.
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"Mon amour" Jay whispers in my ear as Henry looks up at me.
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"I will not have you cooking again" he whispers in my ear.
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"What do I need to do" he says in my ear whilst stroking my back with his spare hand.
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"Meat, vegetables and roasts" I whisper taking Henry from him.
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"Where's your dad" I ask softly as he looks down at me with a slightly tense expression on his face. The moment we walked into the kitchen Claire had nodded to Jay just slightly as if she was answering his questions. He had looked around for his father and it dawned on me that he missed his departure earlier whilst we were having lunch.
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"He had to fly out" he murmurs in my ear as Henry begins babbling again. He gazes down at him smiling before returning my eye contact.
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"It's important don't worry about it he'll be back" he laughs slightly beginning to season the lamb and tie it up on the basting tray.
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"I love you" I whisper before pouring a small amount of the wine down the sink inconspicuously.
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"Love you my darling" he smiles as I take Henry over to the table. Taking a seat next to my mother I discreetly feed him scraping his blonde tufts of curls back as I do.
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"So Christopher has settled a date for the wedding" Rachel begins looking up at Matthew and Ross whilst clasping onto Christopher's hand. The stars beam brightly outside and my eyes settle on the poker chips still scattered in the middle of the table as I reminisce on our poker night.
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"It's soon" Rachel goes on as I look up at her, wearing a light pink dress that skims over her body.
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"How soon" I smile encouraging her as Matthew watches me whilst sipping a brandy.
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"We're having a Christmas wedding" she gushes clapping her hands almost hysterically as Christopher laughs.
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"That's so romantic" I smile at her and she laughs beaming at me.
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"Have you booked a place" I ask her softly as Ross nods.
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"Christopher booked Pelican hill in Cali" she gushes and I smile imagining her dressed in ivory silk standing upon the rotunda like an angel as she says I do.
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"It will be cooler weather so I'm thinking of a fully sleeved gown" she swoons and I chuckle.
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"I'd like to ask you actually" she begins as my mother takes Henry whispering that she will get him ready for bed. Directing her to his bedroom as she hasn’t visited us before.
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"Will you be my maid of honour" Rachel gasps, her eyes alight with happiness. Brighter than the stars in the Italian night sky.
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"Of course, Rachel I would be honoured" I exclaim rising and hugging her as she cries.
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"It will be amazing" I tell her holding onto her face as she smiles back at me.
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"Nice one man" Jay says clapping Christopher on the back as I gaze up at him, his shirt rolled up from preparing the dinner.
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"Foods on" he reassures me as I smile thanking him and he retrieves the wine. He tops Rachel up before placing a second bottle of brandy upon the table. Excusing myself briefly to catch up with my mother, I pace up the sweeping staircase and across the first floor to Henry's room. As I crane my head past the door and take in my mother rocking him to sleep. The moonlight streams through illuminating the rocking horse and his crib.
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"You deserve a night off" she says clearly placing him down in his bassinet and looking at the bed next to it.
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"But you need to read palms" I giggle as she takes a seat.
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"You want me to read your palm" she states looking up at me.
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"You've got a lot going on in your mind and your heart my daughter" she remarks sighing slightly before I take a seat.
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"Here" she whispers, retrieving my palm and having a look as I smile gazing into eyes that mirror my own.
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"Just as I remember" she smiles looking up at me.
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"A strong lifeline. An interesting beautiful kind of girl" she laughs slightly.
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"But here" she says softly holding onto my hands.
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"Taylor life takes on many forms and lessons and we should never take for granted the process of learning from it. No matter what" she says seriously clasping my hands in her own.
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"What do you mean mom" I ask softly.
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"There's disruption, an incongruent time amongst all of this" she smiles looking up at the grandeur of the home.
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"You still have so much life to live Taylor" she says simply.
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"My darling you are so young" she smiles down at me.
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"What is it mom?" I say almost unsteadily, a feeling of worry filling the pit of my stomach.
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"You need to keep in mind that things change, continually. Like the butterfly effect I told you about when you were younger. Things are continually altering course." She says softly.
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"Oh Lord" she says standing up and grasping her bag from the side, returning with a deck of her cards. Tarot cards that she has used throughout my whole life and most likely before my existence.
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"Let's see what course you're on" she remarks sitting crossed legged on the bed.
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"This card" she explains lifting up the first one and flipping it over to an image of a huge beaming sun and a small child on a horse smiling.
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"This is your current influences, the sun in the major arcana presented in the upright position is a positive card. Taylor this symbolises success and joy within your spread." Evelyn, my mother explains.
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"Next card is your obstacles Taylor" she says lifting the next one and turning it over.
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"Temperance in a reversed position" she says softly revealing a card that can only be described as an angel with sweeping wings. An ethereal woman with two cups pouring a substance between the two of them.
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"It denotes a lack of balance, excesses or extremes in this position." She explains as I try to work out just how that could relate to my life.
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"Next is your past foundations" she moves on swiftly. Lifting another card which is altogether the scariest one of them all. A devil with two horns either side of the beasts head. A woman and a man either side chained to him. I grimace and she shakes her head fervently.
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"No not at all, it's in the reversed position. It merely means there was a change in behaviour which lead you to this point in your life. Separation and revelations. A breakthrough" she explains as my mind instantly wanders to my split with Matthew.
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"Okay the next card represents your future, are you ready?" She asks softly and I nod.
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"The tower reversed" she whispers, as I gaze upon a card with a tower on it, people falling out of it to their deaths. A cacophony of fire and flames. A tear sweeps down my cheeks and she curses.
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"No it's reversed, it's not half as dramatic as it denotes through the imagery. It simply means somebody that will be resistant to change. Avoidant even of fate. Denial and fear of the unknown" she surmises and I nod wiping my face.
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"Always accept the facts" she whispers to me.
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"Jay said that to me once" I smile and she nods.
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"Okay your card. This one I already know" she simply says lifting the next card and smiling.
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"The moon upright position, I could have guessed it" she says smiling.
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"Just entirely my child. Intuitive and possessing natural wisdom to deal with what comes to her door" she smiles looking at me in the eyes.
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"Navigating your life with courage" she says simply relieving my tension and smiling encouragingly.
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"Jay is your guidance he asks of you to accept the facts, but you must always trust your own inner wisdom Taylor. For without him otherwise you would be lost" she surmises as my mind scrambles lost in the imagery of the cards, the angels and devils presented before me.
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"Your hopes, fears and ideals" she says tapping on another card before revealing the next one.
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"The death card" she says revealing a card with a skeleton riding on horseback to his fate. I gasp feeling like a child who wants to hide her eyes from a scary monster.
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"Don't misinterpret this. It's positive in an upright position, denoting change and the birth of a new chapter" she says simply.
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"Endings always continue onto beginnings Taylor" she reassures me as I begin to wonder what a new beginning could look like.
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"The final outcome" she hesitates before lifting the card. Henry splutters making us both jump before I smile and she giggles.
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"You want to know? I have already guessed it" she smiles knowingly.
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"How could I not" I whisper nodding as she turns the card over and smiles.
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"The lovers in an upright position" she explains simply looking upon a card.
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"A signifier of union and partnership. A complete story Taylor. A finish. A choice made and a deeper connection valued" she says avidly looking upon me knowingly. My mind swirls, thinking of Jay. My past, my present and my future.
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The card haunts me in its imagery. The devil before in my previous card has been replaced by an angel. The man and woman on the card are the same as before however instead of being in chains they are gazing upon rhe angel lovingly. A sense of freedom, a release and like my mother said; a completion. A story completed and resolved. I gaze up from my spread having taken in the direction of the reading and trying desperately to relate it to myself and my life.
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“Life doesn’t have to be planned and understood, only lived in the moment.” My mother interrupts me, a small smile on her lips.
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"This is your current course and honestly Taylor, yes there are trails and tribulations but somehow the end remains positive." She smiles encouragingly.
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"I just felt it" she sighs collecting up the cards.
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"You always know" I say softly as she strokes my brunette locks back.
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"Enjoy the sun, brace for the storms, learn from the tricky bits and relish in the outcome" she whispers as I nod following her as she clutches my sleeping baby into her chest and walks towards the hall with her cards in hand.
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