Adopted by Taylor Swift

Chapter 40: 'Lover' Releases

August 23, 2019
Taylor's Perspective

I wake up before my alarm and for a few seconds, I don't remember why.
The room is still dark, the curtains only beginning to let in the first hints of New York's morning light. The city outside is quieter than usual, like it's taking one last deep breath before the rush of the day begins.
Then it hits me.
Today's the day.
Lover is finally out in the world.

I lie there for another minute, staring at the ceiling.
No matter how many albums I've released, this feeling never changes. It's excitement tangled together with nerves. Months-sometimes years-of writing, recording, rewriting, and hoping all lead to this one moment when the music no longer belongs only to me. Now it belongs to everyone else.

I reach for my phone on the nightstand and see hundreds of notifications, texts from friends, photos from fans who stayed up until midnight, and videos of people screaming when the album appeared on streaming services.
I smile before I've even opened the first message.

One text from Harry catches my eye.
Harry: Before you check the internet... breakfast first. Trust me.

I laugh quietly. That's suspicious. I pull on a hoodie and make my way downstairs. The smell of pancakes greets me before I even reach the kitchen.
"...Hello?"
"SURPRISE!"
I jump.

Standing in the kitchen are Harry, Elijah, and Astrid. The table is covered in pink flowers, pastel balloons, and homemade decorations that are charmingly crooked. A hand-painted banner stretches across the windows.

CONGRATULATIONS, MOM!
The letters aren't perfectly straight and I love it immediately.
Astrid looks almost embarrassed. "The banner was Elijah's idea."
"It was a team effort," Elijah says quickly.
Harry flips one last pancake onto a plate. "We figured album release days deserve pancakes."
I blink a few times. "You guys did all this?"

Three innocent nods. My heart feels impossibly full. I walk over and pull all three of them into a hug.
"Thank you."
"Careful," Elijah laughs. "You're crushing me."
"Worth it."
Harry chuckles. "I was wondering how long you'd keep hugging everyone."
"I can make it longer."
"No doubt."

We settle around the table, the conversation bouncing effortlessly between pancakes, plans for the day, and guesses about everyone's favorite songs.

Astrid takes a sip of orange juice. "I still think 'Cruel Summer' is going to be everyone's favorite."
Elijah shakes his head. "No way. 'Paper Rings.'"
Harry points his fork toward me. "I'm calling the title track."

"And what do you think?" Elijah asks.
I smile."I think once songs leave me, they become whatever people need them to be."

The room grows quiet for a moment.
It's strange, for years, release days meant checking charts every five minutes, refreshing social media, and wondering if people understood what I'd been trying to say.

Now...I still care. Of course I do. But my first morning with this album isn't spent alone refreshing numbers. It's spent around a kitchen table with my family. That feels like the bigger success.

An hour later, my phone is vibrating almost constantly.
Jack.
Andrea.
Tree.
Friends.
Other artists.

Everyone is celebrating.

I finally open social media and the internet has exploded overnight. Fans are posting lyrics, videos of first reactions and people debating their favorite tracks only hours after release.

I laugh as I scroll past someone declaring they have "emotionally adopted" three different songs already.
"Anything good?" Harry asks from the couch.
I grin."They're arguing over which song should've been Track Five."
"That's... incredibly on brand."
"It really is."
Elijah wanders over. "So... millions of people are listening to your album right now?"
I nod.
"Probably."
He lets out a low whistle. "I get nervous presenting to twenty people in English class."
"I still get nervous too."
He looks surprised. "Really?"
"Every single release."
"Even after all these years?"
"Especially after all these years."

Because every album feels like handing someone your diary and hoping they'll understand why you wrote it.
Sometimes they do.
Sometimes they don't.
Either way, it's terrifying.

That afternoon, we head out for one of the final release-day appearances.
As we're leaving the apartment, Astrid catches my hand. "You know..." I look down at her. "I think this one's my favorite."
"The album?"
She nods.
"It feels happy."
I squeeze her hand gently. "It was."

As the elevator doors close, I realize something.
Lover may be a love album.
People will hear romance.
They'll hear vulnerability.
They'll hear hope.
But when I think about this release day years from now, I know I won't remember the charts or the headlines first. I'll remember pancakes, a crooked banner, and Three kids (or two and a half) who made an already unforgettable day feel like home.

By early evening, our phones have barely stopped buzzing.

The apartment is quieter now, the excitement of the morning settling into something softer. Harry is cleaning up the last of the dishes while Elijah has claimed the living room stereo, determined to hear Lover on "proper speakers."

Astrid is curled up on the sofa, absentmindedly humming along to "Daylight."

My phone lights up with a familiar name.

Selena❤️
A video call that I answer immediately.

"Well," Selena says with a grin the moment her face appears, "look who's officially released another album."
I laugh."I was wondering how long it'd take you."
"It would've been sooner, but these two insisted they had something important to say."
The camera suddenly jerks.
"Ryan, don't grab the-" Too late.
Ryan's face fills the screen. "TAYLOR!"
I burst out laughing. "Hi, Ry."
"Congratulations!"
"Thank you."

He beams before moving the phone so Emily squeezes into frame beside him.

Emily waves enthusiastically. "We stayed up until midnight!"
Ryan nods dramatically. "We listened to the whole album."
"And?" I ask.
He pretends to think very hard."I have... opinions."
Selena sighs. "Oh, here we go."
Ryan points confidently. "'Cruel Summer' is amazing."
Emily nods. "Agreed."
"'Paper Rings' makes me want to dance."
"Also agreed."
Ryan continues, "And I think 'Lover' is really pretty."
Emily smiles warmly. "That one's my favorite."

Before I can answer, Elijah walks into the room.
"Who's on-" He stops. "RYAN!"
Ryan practically yells. "ELIJAH!"
Within seconds, the phone is no longer really my conversation.
"Did you hear the album?"
"Duh!"
"What'd you think?"
"I told you 'Paper Rings' would be good!"

Astrid hears the commotion and immediately joins us.
"Emily!"
Emily smiles brightly. "Astrid!"

The girls begin talking over each other, asking about books, school, and whether Astrid had finished the mystery novel Emily recommended last month.
"I did!"
"And?"
"I figured out the ending too early."
Emily laughs. "I knew you would."

Harry walks over carrying four mugs of hot chocolate and raises an eyebrow. "Looks like we've lost the adults."
Selena laughs from the other end of the call. "Tell me about it."

We both step back for a moment, letting the kids catch up. Watching them talk, you'd never guess they live in different cities now. The friendships had survived the distance remarkably well.

Ryan suddenly looks into the camera. "So...can we all hang out before school starts again?"
Selena laughs. "I knew this question was coming."
I glance toward Harry. "I think we can make something work."
Ryan throws both fists into the air. "YES!"
Emily, ever the calmer one, smiles at Astrid. "I've already got three bookstores picked out."
Astrid lights up. "I'll bring my list."
"And Elijah," Ryan says, pointing dramatically through the screen, "this time I'm beating you at Mario Kart."
Elijah folds his arms. "You've been saying that for a year."
"I've been practicing."
"We'll see."
Harry chuckles. "I have a feeling our next get-together is going to become a Mario Kart tournament."
Selena smirks. "You say that like it isn't guaranteed."

As I end the call, I look around the apartment. Elijah is already replaying parts of the conversation. Astrid has a small smile on her face as she returns to her book. Harry slips an arm around my shoulders.
"Good day?"
I lean into him. "The best."

Lover had been released to the world.

But seeing our kids still so close to Ryan and Emily-despite the miles between them-felt like another kind of success entirely.
Some families are born together.
Others find each other.
And somehow, ours had done both.

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# of Words: 1400