Lady in RED || Taylor Swift & Travis Kelce

Snow on the beach

The scent of blooming roses wrapped around Taylor like a familiar melody, warm and sweet, carried by the lazy hum of a summer breeze. The sun hung low in the sky, casting golden light over the sprawling garden, making the petals glow like they had been dipped in honey. She felt the warmth on her skin, the soft earth beneath her bare feet. Everything about this moment felt right like this perfect calm, peaceful state.

A soft thump, thump, thump echoed nearby.

She turned toward the sound, and her heart instantly swelled.

A little boy stood a few yards away, bouncing a mini basketball against the stone pathway. He looked be two, maybe almost three. His tousled, sun-kissed hair, a mix of golden wheat and soft caramel, curled slightly at the ends, catching the afternoon light like a halo. Those blue-green eyes, bright and untamed like the ocean meeting the shore, held a spark of determination she all too well. His rosy cheeks, warm from play, carried the soft glow of endless summer afternoons. Tiny brows pinched in concentration.

And then he looked up. The moment he saw her, his whole face lit up, eyes crinkling, a dimple flashing on his cheek  and suddenly he was full of wild joy. "Momma!" he squealed, dropping the ball and launching himself into a full sprint toward her.

Taylor barely had a second to react before she instinctually bent down, arms wide open, catching him effortlessly as he flung himself into her embrace. His tiny arms wrapped tightly around her neck, his legs automatically hooking around her waist, like he belonged there. Like this was the most natural thing in the world.

And it was.

Her heart pounded, not with nerves, not with fear but only love. A love so consuming it made her whole body ache in the best way. The weight of him in her arms, the warmth of his small body against hers, the way he buried his face into her shoulder. It was everything.

His giggles bubbled up, light and infectious. He pulled back slightly, his hands cupping her cheeks with surprising strength. "Smoochies, Momma!" he demanded between breathless laughter, pressing sloppy kisses all over her face.

Taylor laughed, tightening her hold around his little body. "Oh, you love kisses, huh?" 

The little boy nodded enthusiastically. Then, just as she was about to pull away slightly, his hands gripped her face tighter, his expression suddenly serious. His small lips pressed against hers in a perfect, innocent kiss, one so pure and full of love it made her heart clench painfully.

This was her son.

She knew him.

She knew the way he smelled, like sunshine and baby shampoo and something uniquely his. She knew the sound of his laugh, the way his little fingers curled into the fabric of her shirt like she always did to Travis. The way he fit so perfectly against her. She never wanted to let him go.

But then.....something shifted. A prickle of unease crawled up her spine.

It was subtle at first, a whisper at the edges of her awareness. The warmth of the sun dulled slightly, the lazy hum of bees growing faint. A shadow stretched across the ground in her periphery, just beyond the hedge of roses. It was nothing. A trick of the light. And yet... a deep, visceral fear struck her. Her arms instinctively tightened around the boy. She turned her head toward the darkness, searching. 

Nothing was there.

Nothing but roses. Nothing but sunlight.

But the dread remained, thick and suffocating.