Arranged love - jaylor AU

safe with me

- taylors pov -

Later tonight there is a gala, but I still haven't chosen a dress. There are four dresses infant of me, and I don't know which one to pick. My stylist brought all four of them here and they are all tailored to fit me so eventually I will wear them all. But now it's about which one to choose for tonight. I wish I could just stay at home with Lilly and Joe in our jammies watching a movie or playing a game, but now I need to dress up and mingle with people I don't like.

I've grown up in this world, attending banquets and galas since I was a little kid, around Lillys age actually. But it was no place for a child, I would have been better off at home or at the playground. It's not that I resent my parents for making me go to those places, making me take etiquette classes and have a stylist as a young child, but I can't help but feel like I missed out on a childhood. they wanted me to be prepared for the life they wanted me to have, but I wish I got to be a kid as well.

When I got pregnant with Lilly, I made a promise to myself that I wouldn't give her the same childhood I had. She would be allowed to play in the mud, do activities, go to mommy and me playgroups and just be a kid. She can wear whatever she wants and be her goofy silly self. I'm not trying to change her into something that she is not or make her grow up too quickly. She deserves to experience the joys of childhood for as long as she can, because she has the rest of her life to be a responsible adult.

«Mommy I like the blue one» Lilly says as she comes skipping into my bedroom pointing to the V-neck baby blue dress that's one of the options. «Then I will wear that then, I think it's pretty too» I say and pick her up kissing her cheek.

«Mommy I like joey; he is really nice. Do you like him?» She says and I grin at him «he is a really good person. And I'm happy that you get along since he is going to be in our lives» I tell her. I've grown feelings for Joe, but I'm not about to tell my six-year-old that when I don't even know what to do with those feelings myself.

**

After getting ready Joe and I arrive at the venue for the event and walk in hand in hand. He knows me well enough now to know that these events make me really nervous, and I would rather be anywhere but here. «You're okay Taylor. If you want to leave squeeze my hand twice and I will know» he says quietly so only I can hear after we walked the red carpet together.

Just like it always is, the ballroom is filled with people in expensive outfits drinking Champagne and mingling. The venue, theme and company may change between the galas, but they are all basically mirroring the last one. It is yet another thing that makes them straight up boring.

We grab a glass of champagne and do what we are expected to do, mingle. But I spot my parents here who are waving me over while Joe is being summoned by some friends. «Meet up with me later» we both say at the same time before we go our separate ways, him to his friends and me to my parents.

I've been avoiding them ever since the wedding because I was pissed, they made me do this. What they did to me is something I could never do to my own daugther, so I don't understand why they did it. Sure I'm starting to have feelings for Joe, but that doesn't mean I accept what my parents did. But they are also my parents, and I can't hold a grudge against them forever. Even though it was hurtful they did have my best interest at heart I guess, at least that's what I'm pretending happened.

«Oh darling, you look Wonderful» my mom says brining me in for a hug before my dad gives me a hug too. «Thanks. Lilly picked out my dress» I say and can't help but smile with the mention of my daugther.

«We all knew your daugther has good taste, after all we know who her mother is» my dad says, and I chuckle. My parents seem in a good mood today, so I'm trying to play along and not get in an argument. I've after all learned to like Joe, but that doesn't mean I think what they did was fair on either one of us, or fair to Lilly either.