---
The moment my heels hit the carpet, the noise exploded.
Cameras flashed like fireworks, people shouted my name from every direction, and the golden lights bounced off my dress like I’d stepped out of a dream. I forced myself to breathe slowly, placing one foot in front of the other, reminding myself that I belonged here—that this used to be normal.
But it hadn’t felt normal in a while.
Still, I smiled. I posed. I gave them the looks, the twirls, the signature over-the-shoulder glances they always loved. The slit in my gown showed just enough leg to get tongues wagging, and honestly? That was the goal. Let them talk. Let them wonder. Mama’s still got it.
A reporter waved me over. “Taylor! Taylor, can we get a quick word?”
I nodded and stepped up to the mic, heart thumping just a little too fast. The lights felt hotter than they used to. Or maybe it was just the double breastfeeding metabolism. “Hey!” I said brightly.
“You look absolutely incredible tonight,” she gushed, holding the mic with one hand and her phone with the other, probably live streaming. “Who are you wearing?”
“Versace,” I said, giving the camera a little wink. “And my daughter’s spit-up, if we’re being real.”
She laughed. “You just had a baby five months ago, right?”
I nodded. “Yup. Mira’s five months. My other daughter, Lily, just started preschool. It’s a full house.”
“And yet you’re here, looking unreal.”
“It takes a village,” I said honestly. “And about fourteen people to get me ready.”
She laughed again, then her tone shifted just slightly, a glint in her eye. “There’s been a lot of talk lately about you embracing this sort of...free-spirited mom era. Do you feel more confident than ever?”
I tilted my head thoughtfully. “You know what? I do. Being a mom didn’t take anything away from me—it just added. More love. More perspective. And yeah, more laundry. But I’m not hiding. I feel powerful.”
The reporter beamed. “And Travis? Think he’s surviving this transformation?”
I smiled wider, heart flipping. “Barely.”
A few more photos, some solo shots, a couple paired up with other artists I’d collaborated with—then I was finally ushered inside. My phone buzzed in my clutch just before I took my seat.
Travis: Jesus, Tay. You’re gonna break the internet.
Travis: And me.
I grinned so wide I nearly forgot where I was.
Me: Good. Then I’m doing my job.
---
I made my way through the aisle in the heels I was definitely going to regret by hour two, when I spotted her—Sabrina already sitting in our row, legs crossed, wearing something sleek and sparkly that looked like it had been stitched out of stardust. She lit up when she saw me.
“Look at this goddess,” she whispered as I leaned in for a hug. “Two kids who?”
I laughed, hugging her tight. “You flatter me, but my boobs are literally just full of milk and Versace.”
“I support both,” she grinned.
And then—Gracie. Sliding into the seat on my other side, grinning like a kid who’d snuck into a grown-up event. “Do I look like someone who belongs here?” she asked, smoothing down her black satin jumpsuit.
أنت تقرأ
Invisible String
أدب الهواةWe always thought it would be easy - or at least, easier than this. Starting a family was the next chapter we were so ready for. After years of tour buses, locker rooms, sold-out stadiums, and quiet nights tangled up on the couch, we finally looked...
