Two weeks pass and their time in London comes to an end. Taylor's sad to say goodbye to the place, she'll genuinely miss Joe's friends and family. London has been so incredibly freeing for her. This had been a trip she'd truly needed. Now the two of them are sitting on a plane, snuggled up under a blanket on their way to Nashville. Taylor's nervous, she's retuning to an old life that had continued without her while she'd been with Adam. She can't help but wonder how much has changed while she's been gone. It almost scares her.
"What are you thinking about love?" Joe's soft voice jolts her out of her thoughts. She sighs, resting her head against his shoulder.
"Just thinking about how much has probably changed since I've been gone. How much I've probably missed while I was stuck." She feels his fingers gently rub her head.
"I really can't imagine what it's going to feel like for you. But I do think you'll have a good time catching up with everyone. All your friends seem super supportive of you Taylor, your parents too." Taylor just looks up at him, pressing her lips to his.
"Thank you for coming with me." She murmurs, snuggling into his side again.
"Of course, wherever you go, I'll follow."
They've decided not to stay with Taylor's mom, to be honest she's a bit afraid it's all going to be super overwhelming for her and she's going to need her own space to retreat. They're flying in late anyway, so it just made more sense for them to crash in a hotel, rather than bother her mom late at night.
Before long, they touch down in Nashville. The moment they step off the plane, Taylor just feels at home. This is where she grew up, her formative years were all here. But god she feels so far away from the person she was when she left. She's been through so much since then.
The pair of them hurry through baggage collection before quickly getting in an Uber. She's exhausted at this point, her whole body feels lethargic, but she supposes that's the jet lag and the fact that they've been travelling for most of the day. She leans against Joe, thankful for his arm being around her. Just as she's about to properly drift off, they drive outside their hotel. Joe grabs their bags, insisting on carrying hers as they check in and make their way up to their room. She's so exhausted by the time they make it to the room that she just collapses on the bed, sighing as she feels the soft mattress underneath her. Finally, a comfortable bed - the day of travelling hasn't exactly been the most comfortable thing ever. She feels a dip in the bed next to her, Joe having joined her laying on the bed. She moves her head to look at him, smiling, before entwining her fingers with his.
"I'm glad you're here with me." She murmurs. He smiles at her, gently pecking her cheek.
"I'm excited to meet your friends and family." He says softly, genuinely, exhaustion clear in his voice.
"C'mon let's get changed and sleep." She says, but making no effort to move. Joe's arms wind around her, pulling her body close. She rests her head in the crook of his neck, soaking in his warmth and letting it lull her closer to dreamland. But just as she's about to drift off, Joe sits them up. She groans, pressing her face into his chest.
"We'll regret it if we don't get comfy." He gently kisses her forehead.
"Mmm." She replies, her eyes still closed. She feels him stand up, picking her up with him. "Joeeeee" She whines, finally opening her eyes to look at him, winding her arms around his neck. He just grins at her, setting her down in their ensuite and handing her some PJ's.
"Get dressed, I'll be waiting for you in bed when you're done." He gently kisses her lips before leaving the room and closing the door behind him. She's exhausted so she changed quickly, throwing her hair up into a small bun and leaving the bathroom, climbing into bed beside Joe and falling into waiting arms, her own winding around his waist. "Sleep tight love." He murmurs, pressing a kiss to the crown of her head.
"Love you." She mumbles, slipping into a deep sleep.
"Love you too."
-----------------------------------
Taylor wakes up early, far too early. Joe's arm is thrown over her waist as he sleeps soundly. She likes that he's always holding her in some way - even in his sleep. Physical touch has always been her love language and she's glad Adam hadn't completely ruined it for her. She carefully lifts Joe's arm up so she can quietly slip out of bed. The sun spilling into the room is nice, and she wants to just sit in it. So she eases open the sliding door to the small balcony that's attached to the hotel room, closing it again behind her. She leans against the balustrade and just takes in the city. This is her home, or it was anyway - before everything that's happened. Her whole life had been here before she moved to New York. She went to school here, made friends. A part of her misses who she was before she'd left. But looking back at Joe's sleeping form, she knows she wouldn't have traded any of it, knowing she'd end up with him. She'd go through every hard moment all over again to end up here. She can feel the nerves rattling around her head again. She's seeing her mother today - for the first time in over a year. And tomorrow? Her brother, her father. And the days after that? The friends she's left behind. But she's trying not to get ahead of herself here. She's trying to take it one day at a time, or else she might really panic. Because it's all really overwhelming for her.
She stands there, lost in her thoughts for a while before jumping slightly at the door opening behind her. She smiles when her eyes fall on Joe, in all his disheveled glory.
"Morning." She murmurs, grinning at him.
"Morning." He smiles, walking over to her and wrapping her arms around her waist from behind, his chin resting on her shoulder as they look out at Nashville together. "Have you been up long?" He asks softly, pressing a kiss to her cheek.
"I don't think so." She leans back into his arms, feeling a wave of peace wash over her.
"Are you ready for today?" He asks gently. She sighs softly.
"I don't think I'll ever be ready for this." She answers him honestly. "Are you sure you're still okay with coming with me? I know it's a big step for you too." She spins around in his arms to face him, resting her arms over his shoulders.
"Of course, I'm excited to meet your family Taylor - I'm sure they love you as much as I do." His thumb gently caresses her hip, causing her to smile a little. She rests her head on his chest, enjoying being held by him as she works up the courage to start getting ready for brunch with her mom.
------------------------
A few hours later, they're in the back of an Uber on the way to her mom's place. Taylor's nervous. She doesn't think she's ever been more afraid of anything in her life. Which is definitely an exaggeration, but it's how she's feeling right now. Her stomach is doing flips, and she's gripping Joe's hand as though her life depends on it.
"It's going to be fine love. You know she'll just be happy to see you!" He whispers in her ear, squeezing her hand.
"I know. I know. It's just been so long." She murmurs, looking over at him. He gently wraps his arm around her shoulders, pressing a kiss to her head.
"I understand. It'll all be okay." He says softly. "I know even when this goes well, it's going to be overwhelming for you. So I promise when we go back to our hotel, we'll just unwind." She smiles, resting her head against his shoulder and linking her hand with his.
"Thank you" She whispers. "For understanding." She closes her eyes, focusing on him for the rest of the drive. She reminds herself that she's taking things one step at a time. Today is her mom, tomorrow, her dad, then her brother, then Abigail. She's going to do this slowly, and she's going to do it with Joe. Well, Abigail she's going to do alone - but her and a group of friends are going to do a meetup so Joe can meet them all.
It doesn't take much longer before they've pulled up outside her mom's house. She just stares at it for a moment, before finally climbing out of the car with Joe. He starts walking forward, his hand in hers, but she stops moving. Just as he spins around, she starts to back up.
"Taylor?" He asks, moving with her.
"This is stupid. This could've waited a few more weeks." She's shaking her head, the fear building in her chest.
"Taylor, my love." He cups her cheeks, gently caressing her face. "You're just scared. You know deep down that you want to see your mum. The moment you see her, the fear will go away and your excitement and emotions will take over." She swallows, gripping onto his shoulders. She knows he's right, but she's panicking.
"Joe" She says helplessly, tears in her eyes. She really can't do this.
"You're okay, I promise. It's all okay." He pulls her close to his chest, holding her as she tries to calm down from her panicked state. They don't say anything for a few minutes, he just runs his fingers through her hair, holding her tightly. She calms down quicker than she usually would, thankfully.
"I'm sorry." She mumbles, pulling back from him and looking down at her feet.
"There's nothing to be sorry for." He says kindly, grabbing her hand and squeezing gently. "If you really can't do this today, we don't have to. I'm sure your mum would understand."
"No, no. You're right, I do want this. I want to see her. I'm just...scared." She finally looks back up at him, into his blue eyes.
"I know." He presses a kiss to her forehead, not at all rushing her to get going.
"Okay." She breathes out. "I think I'm ready." She says, looking past him at the front door, just past the front gate.
"You sure?" He asks softly. She just nods, leading him down the path. She knocks on the door quickly before she's able to rethink the whole thing again. The door swings open seconds after she's knocked.
"Taylor!" Her mother's already crying, pulling her into a tight hug.
"Hi mom." She says softly, hugging her back. She feels tears burning in her eyes again, she really had missed this.
"I'm so glad you're here." Her mom says, before letting her go and looking over at Joe.
"Oh, mom this is Joe." She watches him give her mom a broad smile.
"It's nice to meet you." He says politely. She sees him looking a bit caught off guard when her mom envelopes him in a huge hug as well.
"It's lovely to meet you!" She lets go of Joe, smiling widely at the both of them. "I'm so glad you're both here! Come in, come in!" She ushers them inside and they follow her into her living room. Sure enough her dog, Kitty, is still around. She lets out a single bark, wagging her tail and walking up to Taylor. Taylor bends down, giving the dog a nice pat. Although Kitty isn't a cat, she feels comforted by the presence of an animal. She stands back up again after a few moments, looking around and realising how similar everything looks to the last time she'd been here. She's glad. She isn't sure she could've handled it if the house looked completely different this time. Which might seem a bit ridiculous to anyone else, but she just hates the reminders of how stuck she'd been for all that time.
Her mom sits them all down at the dining table, she's made tea and has an assortment of sandwiches and cakes out for brunch. She isn't sure what questions her mom might ask her while they're here, but they'd discussed what had happened at length over the phone - so she hopes it'll just be left at that. Thankfully, the discussion at brunch is light. Her mom asks Joe about his job, they talk about Meredith and how cute she is (Taylor shows her a bunch of cute pictures from her phone), they talk about their trip to London, as well as their plans for while they're here in Nashville. She's so grateful no one had bought up her time away, or anything from the past few years. After they've finished eating, Taylor excuses herself to the bathroom. As she walks down the hallway, she lets out a little sigh. She feels so happy to be back here, but Joe was right, as he quite often is, she's feeling a bit overwhelmed by it all. She's grateful she's doing this one person at a time, is certain now that too many people at once would've been too much.
As she exits the bathroom, she makes her way slowly back to the table, sitting down and smoothly rejoining the conversation. She's happy Joe and her mom seem to be getting along so well, she knew they would. She smiles at them both, it feels so surreal to be back here, to actually be freely sitting here without having to worry about anything else but this moment.
Eventually, they do wrap up their brunch. Her mom gives her the biggest hug when they get up to say their goodbyes.
"I really am so happy for you Taylor. I'm so glad you're safe, and that you've got someone who really cares about you." She whispers into her ear. Taylor blushes a little, squeezing her mom a bit tighter.
"I'm glad to be back. I love you mom." She says softly.
"I love you too." Her mom gives her a kiss on the cheek before giving Joe a quick hug and waving to them as they walk out the door. The Uber is waiting for them, so they quickly slide into the backseat. She sighs contently, resting her head against Joe's shoulder. They'd spent maybe three hours there, and she's glad she's done it. She knows next time will be easy, she'll be able to see her mom again. Part of her doesn't want to return to New York again, she almost just wants to stay here, with her mom nearby.
"Did you have a good time?" Joe asks her gently.
"I did, I'm glad we went. Was it okay for you? I hope it wasn't weird..." She says sleepily, jetlag hitting her hard now.
"It was nice, your mum is an amazing woman." She feels him kiss the crown of head delicately.
"She is." She whispers, nuzzling her face into his shoulder. "I love you." She murmurs, summing up her appreciation for everything he's done for her today.
"I love you too T, I'm so glad you want me here with you through all of this." His words touch her and she smiles.
"Always." She says simply, enjoying his arm firmly around her as the car takes them back to their hotel. She's so glad they're doing this together, she's so glad he chose to stay with her despite all the risk that came along with it for a while there. She really can't wait to spend the rest of her life with him.
-
-
-
-
-
Hi guys!! Sorry this is so short, I wanted to get this out to you ASAP! There will be more coming from their time in Nashville, but be warned, I won't be able to update for about six weeks while I finish my uni semester and write my endless stream of assignments. I hope this ties you over for a while! Thank you for those who have stuck around waiting for me to update, I appreciate you all so much, and I hope you're all doing well xx