Together

Light Of Our Lives

Well, I'm officially exhausted haha. It's been a long and stressful day for me, oh my goodness. I'm headed to sleep now, but I am excited for you all to read this chapter. It's a big one- you find out some big news. Also, it was prompted to me by the lovely Kath (sofaroffbway) (as a bunch of chapters were and I probably have forgotten to give her credit before whoopsies)! Enjoy/comment/vote xx
-ab

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June 21, 2026

Harper

At Foyles, Patrick and I pick out two movies each. I choose some girly ones, and he picks out some movies that are... well, more than slightly less soppy than the movies which Taylor and I enjoy watching for a good cry, every now and then.

Once we purchase the DVDs and a cheap, reusable tote bag to put everything together in, Patrick and I hop on the tube to Taylor and Joe's flat.

Once we are there, we knock on the door and Joe opens it. He's not expecting to see us standing outside of the entrance to his flat, but he seems to be plesantly surprised, as a smile breaks onto his face.

"Patrick! Harper! What a pleasure to see you two here today," he tells us. "Come in, please. Taylor! We have company!"

We hear Taylor's footsteps making their way slowly down the corridor as Patrick speaks. "We wanted to come by and say Happy Father's Day to our favourite soon-to-be daddy."

Joe blushes. "Thank you so much."

"If you're not doing anything today, and we figured you weren't, given Taylor's current position, we brought some movies and snacks... the girls can go off, and you and I can have some guy time," Patrick continues. Just as he says that, Taylor appears with her hands resting on her swollen stomach.

"Sound good with you, lovie?" Joe asks Taylor, who nods happily.

"You two are too good to us."

"That's what siblings are for," Patrick smiles, handing the bag to Joe, who begins pulling things out of it.

"I'd assume that these are for the girls," he laughs, pulling out the two movies which I chose at Foyles and handing them off to Taylor.

"I haven't seen either of these!" she exclaims with excitement, looking over the backs of the cases.

"I've not either," I tell Taylor. "It'll be a first for both of us."

"Come on," she says. "We can go up to my room and let the boys use the TV in the living room."

"Perfect," I reply. "Get some of the snacks, though, too."

Taylor and Joe divide up the snacks that Patrick and I picked up at Tesco, then I follow Taylor to her room, where she flicks on the telly and pops in one of the DVDs.

As we watch the movie, I notice that Taylor isn't taking her hand off of her stomach. Eventually, I turn to her and speak. "Is everything alright? You're not in pain, are you?"

"Hon, I'm always in pain now," Taylor laughs. "But no, I'm fine. I'm just having my insides kicked by a baby living inside of me. You know, the usual."

I bite my lip, unable to tell if Taylor is being cheeky with that statement or not.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" I ask in a small voice.

"No," Taylor laughs. "Harper, I'm fine. You don't have to worry about me. I'm not complaining, becuase it's all going to be worth it, come October. Every time I threw up, every sleepless night, and every single mean thing that I scream at Joe while I'm giving birth is going to be worth it when our little angel is here on this earth."

"Do you know whether it's a boy or girl yet?" I ask her.

"Can you keep a secret?" Taylor asks.

"Of course," I smile.

"It's a girl."

"Oh!" I squeal. "Tay, that's so exciting. She's going to be beautiful, just like her mummy. Do you know what you're going to name her, yet?"

"We have a few ideas, but Joe and I are keeping them on the down low for now. Seriously, you're the first one to even know the gender."

"Wow," I smile. "I'm so excited for you."

"Thanks," Taylor tells me. She pauses for a moment, and then, I notice something change in her face. Her smile fades, and it turns into a look of, what seems to be fear.

"Oh my god," she whispers under her breath. "Harper, what have I done?"

"What do you mean?" I ask Taylor, raising my eyebrows.

"It just set in... it all seems so real, telling you about everything. I'm going to be a mom. Harper, I can't do that. In three months, I'm going to be responsible for a baby human. I'm not going to be able to do that. Oh my god..."

Taylor breaks down into tears.

"Hey," I say, rubbing Taylor's back, "don't say that. It's not true, and we both know it."

"I'm not prepared for this. And I'm bringing this baby into such a terrible lifestyle for a child. Oh my god, Harper, I'm going to mess her up so badly. Her entire life is going to just be running away from paparazzi, and what about when it's time for her to go to school? Will I be able to send her to real school? Can I trust the other kids there? And how will she be able to make friends?"

"Hey, Tay, deep breaths," I instruct my sister-in-law. "You're seriously going to be the best mum ever. There's nobody in this world who I can think of who is more loving and caring than you are. You're going to set the greatest example for your little girl, who is going to grow up to be a strong and independent woman, because that's how her mummy taught her to be. She's going to be smart, and gorgeous, and the light of all of our lives, becuase you're all of those things, too, Tay."

Taylor wipes some tears out of her eyes and throws her arms around me in a hug. "I love you, Harper."

"I love you too," I tell her.

Growing up, I always wanted a sister. I'm so happy that I've finally found that sort of relationship, with Taylor.

"Hey," Taylor says, suddenly, "how are you doing? With Father's Day and all?"

"It's a bit hard," I admit, knowing that it's my first Father's Day without my dad, "but I'm alright. I'm here with you, and we are watching some cheesy movies and curled up with soft blankets and pillows. I can't think of a better way that I could be spending my day."

"Alright. If you need to cry about it, I'm here for a hug, alright?"

"Thanks, Tay," I give a small smile. "That means a lot to me."