All I've Ever Known

16. The Unexpected

"Don't be afraid of being scared. To be afraid is a sign of common sense. Only complete idiots are not afraid of anything."

― Carlos Ruiz Zafón

After we spent an hour and a half playing Taylor's drinking game, she took a shower in her bathroom and got ready to go to dinner, and I took a shower in the guest bathroom and got ready.

She had on a dark red strapless floor length dress with her hair curling around her neck in a loose braid. She smelled heavenly and, god-forbid, she had heels on. Looks like I was the shorty tonight.

I had on a suit with a tie that matched her dress. I had combed my fingers through my hair and put on some aftershave. I pulled on a pair of dress shoes I had put in my bag on a weird insight that I might need them. Thank goodness I had packed them.

We climbed into her car, and she drove to her parents' place. She explained to them that I had secretly flown in this morning and that I was her date tonight. They greeted me warmly, as always, then we all got into a car and rode to the restaurant.

Once we arrived at the restaurant, we ordered and conversation flowed freely and easily. The biggest topic, of course, was the wedding. Taylor and Andrea couldn't hardly stop talking about it enough to eat. Scott and I just exchanged knowing glances and agreed whenever we were asked if one them was right on something.

It was late in the evening when we finally left the restaurant. It was even later when Taylor and I got back to her penthouse.

I changed into a pair of basketball shorts and climbed into her bed. Minutes later, she came in from the bathroom, dressed in an oversized t-shirt with her hair still braided to the side, and cuddled up in bed with me against my bare chest. I put my arm around her and was just about to fall asleep when I heard her take a deep breath.

"Uh, Taylor?" she whispered.

"Mmm?" I mumbled, barely awake.

"I, uh, I have something I should tell you..." she trailed off.

I rubbed my eyes. "Yeah Taybae?"

"I've been off my birth control for about 2 months," she whispered quickly, "And I've had morning sickness for the past week."

I was wide awake now. "Taylor, does that mean that you could...?"

"Yeah that's why I thought I should tell you," she replied.

I sucked in a deep breath and thought for a few moments.

"Well it's late, we can talk more about this in the morning," I said, already drifting asleep.

"Ok," Taylor agreed.

I was almost asleep when I felt Meredith hop up on Taylor's bed and curl up at our feet. I hoped that she didn't get accidentally kicked off tonight. Of course, that wouldn't be the worst of our problems right now.

I woke up the next morning to Taylor's beautiful blue eyes staring into mine.

"Hey Taybae," I said groggily.

She smiled her smile that made me weak in the knees.

"Good morning Tay," she said cheerily and pecked me on the nose.

She flung back the covers and flounced over to the window the open the shades and let the sunlight in. I was just about to get out of the tangled covers when she jumped back on the bed and crawled over to me. She rested her head on my chest again and sighed.

"So how did my princess sleep?" I asked, trying to avoid the difficult subject that we had left last night for this morning.

She shifted next to me. "Just like a princess," she replied.

I smoothed her kinky hair with my hand. Some people prefer her hair curly, and some people prefer it straight. But then there's me, who prefers to have it however she likes it. I don't care, she always looks beautiful to me.

She cut me out of my thoughts with a question that I'd been trying to push to the back of my mind, something I'd been trying to avoid and ignore. But now, it was out in front of us.

"Taylor," she said with a shaky voice, "I can't stop thinking, what if...what if I'm pregnant?"