Bigger Than The Whole Sky ☆ Jaylor

Chpt. 8 - Big dreams, lazy days

October 8th, 2022. 

I'm sitting on the edge of the big outside deck at our Nashville house. I'm eating watermelon and it's really good. The sun is directly above me, bright and warm. It's summer. A notebook I've never seen before is filled with poetry in Joe's handwriting. I'm sitting next to it. I don't read it but my eyes catch a few words as they skim across the page: Sun, love of my life, cuddles, Finnybug, real, summer, Taylor, movie, perfect, soft, Finlay, sleep, arms, lucky. 

Finnybug. I think I recognize that name, but I shouldn't. 

"Taylor, love," a familiar voice calls. "Come look at our fort!" 

I walk around the corner of the estate to find a camping tent, surrounded by big rocks and piles of leaves. Joe suddenly hugs my waist from behind and kisses my neck. "Buggy helped me make it" he mumbles into my skin when a boy climbs out of the tent. 

He looked about 6 and he had Joe's eyes and mouth. He had little freckles and dimples in his cheeks. He saw me when he stood up, and ran towards me, wrapping his arms around me. 

"MUMMY! YOU'RE HOME!" he said, in a British voice. 

"Hi Buggy!" On instinct, I wrapped my arms around his small frame and lifted him into my arms. 

"Me and Daddy builded a tent and we're going to make a bonfire tonight and that's why Daddy texted you and asked you to buy marshmallows!" He excitedly wriggled around in my arms.

"Wow, that's so cool Finnybug! You have the best daddy in the world." I said, a little smile burst onto my lips, leaning back into Joe's arms. 

Finlay climbed up me like a monkey, so that he was looking at Joe's face, which was resting on my shoulder. "Oh and Mummy, we made something for you!" He yelled directly into my ear before he climbed off me and ran into the house. 

I laughed and turned around in Joe's arms, so I was facing him. 

"Our little boy." Joe said, smiling, before kissing my head and adding, "You know, he said he was really proud of you when you were in New York. I don't think he's ever said that before. He said we're his best friends in the whole world."

I just smiled and hugged him tighter. 

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"Tay," Joe asked, brushing my hair out of my face. "You okay?"

"Hm? What? What time is it?"

"It's almost seven, love."

I sat up. 

"Are you alright?" He asked again. 

"Yeah, fine." Although something was weird. I felt like I remembered something. "Why?" 

"You were just hugging me really tight. I thought you might be having a nightmare." 

"No, no it wasn't-" Suddenly it all came back to me. 

I burst into tears and Joe held my body against his chest.

"Hey, hey, it's okay. It wasn't real. You're safe." He whispered into my hair. 

"No Joe, it, it wasn't a bad dream. It was the best dream I've ever had." I told him, once I could talk. 

"Tell me about it?" he asked with a smile. He clearly already knew what it was about. 

"We had a son, Finlay, but we called him Buggy and I had been away for work and I came home and you'd put up a tent and Finnybug was like six, maybe? But he was so excited about the tent and I picked him up and hugged him and then he ran inside to get something for me and you told me that when I was away he had said he was proud of me and that we were his best friends and we loved him so much and it was all so perfect." I rambled, trying to get all the words out before my brain forgot the dream. 

Joe just sat up watching me talk, listening to the words and trying to visualize our little boy. "Wow." he finally said. "I- That makes me so happy." It was still dark in our bedroom but I could see how his eyes were tearing up. I threw myself at him and kissed his lips as he ran his hand over my tummy. 

"Hi buddy. Does Mummy's dream mean you're a boy, huh?"

"It's buggy," I cheekily corrected him, "and I forgot to tell you the best bit, he had the cutest little British accent and dimples and really light blonde hair like yours was as a baby. He had your eyes too." 

I looked up at him and he was doing that 'gosh I am so in love' smile and a stray tear was falling off his chin. I reached up to kiss him again, but this time he deepened it and held his hand behind my head. He bit my lip and I moaned a little bit. 

I could already see what he was thinking. "Do you want to-"

"Yes." I interrupted desperately. 

He kissed my lips, a lot more gentle this time, and pulled my long-sleeve pajama shirt over my head. He moaned and flopped on top of me, although he was careful of putting too much weight on my tummy, and wrapped his arms around my torso and kissed my boobs. I laughed and wrapped my arms over his muscular back.

"I love you, I love you, I love you." I suddenly had the urge to say. "I love all of you, Joe. You're just... You're my person. Thank you for choosing me." 

Joe just kissed me more and cuddled up to me. "You're everything to me, Taylor, and I'll love you forever." 

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Pretty soon after that we were both naked and I was hungry. It was cold so we put on our matching dinosaur onesies that Blake and Ryan got us for Christmas walked downstairs. Joe lifted me onto the kitchen bench (I could've gotten up myself) and asked what his beautiful wife would like for breakfast. 

I thought about it for a second and decided that "I want strawberries, cucumber and mayonnaise, please my beautiful husband." 

"What?!" He asked, laughing hysterically. "Got your first pregnancy craving, have you?" 

I pursed my lips trying not to smile. "It's not that funny," I said, but couldn't stop the little laugh that followed. 

"Okay, cucumber, strawberries and mayonnaise coming right up." 

And I was right, and it tasted just like watermelon. 

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asdfdghjhjhtmnbegrfgvbtyjrgef I'm very proud of this one!!

as always, comment any mistakes or constructive criticism!

- phe -

<3