After bickering for a moment over the gifts, Karlie stubbornly insisting on carrying them all herself, Taylor shuts the car doors behind her before running up the steps to ring the doorbell. The girls giggle as they can hear an excited voice shouting, "I got it! I got it!"
Dixie flings the door open with a huge smile on her face. "Auntie Taylor! You made it!" She cries, flinging herself into the blonde's legs.
"Of course I made it. I wouldn't miss this birthday for the world!" Taylor replies, bending over so she can wrap her arms around the little girl in a big hug.
"Oh, I see how it is. I guess someone doesn't want their presents." Karlie chuckles.
Dixie pulls away from the songwriter's embrace and stares at the other pair of long legs behind her, her head tilted in confusion trying to figure out who was talking to her since the person's upper body and face were obstructed by the stack of presents.
"That's ok, I'll just take these back to the car then." Karlie jokes, turning to the side, which allows Dixie to see who was talking to her.
"Auntie Karlie!" Dixie shouts, tackling the model's legs the same way she had Taylor's.
"Hey munchkin." Karlie laughs, unable to return the hug since her hands were full. "Happy Birthday."
Dixie shakes her head. "It's not my birthday yet Auntie Karlie. It's just my party. My real birthday isn't for a few more days. "
Karlie and Taylor laugh at Dixie's rant, both of them knowing it wasn't Dixie's actual birthday, but finding her explanation adorable nonetheless.
"Dixie!" Lily calls from inside the house, knowing who was at her door from her daughter's excited squeals. "Let the poor girls in."
Dixie pulls back and stares up at the two, quickly grabbing Taylor's hand. "Come on!" She tugs the songwriter's hand, practically dragging her inside. "I'll show you where the presents go."
Taylor laughs as she's dragged around by a 4 year old, turning back to shoot her girlfriend a sympathetic glance as Lily had made her way to the door to help Karlie carry the presents.
They come to a stop in front of one of the coffee tables that has a few cards and gifts on it. "They go here!" Dixie points to the table as Karlie and Lily enter the room, setting the gifts down on the table.
"These ones are from my mom and dad, but Mom says I can't open them yet." Dixie crosses her arms and pouts.
"You can open them later with your other gifts sweetie." Lily laughs.
Dixie pulls a mischievous smile. "Can I open Auntie Taylor's gift now?"
Lily shakes her head at her daughter while Karlie and Taylor laugh, knowing Lily's had to deal with this all morning. "No. You can open her and Auntie Karlie's gifts later during your party."
"Okay." Dixie sighs, dramatic as a 4 year old can be, turning around to go upstairs.
"Where's Caleb?" Taylor asks as the three women make their way into the kitchen.
"He's at the store picking up a few things for the barbeque. He should be back soon."
"Do you need help with anything?" Karlie offers.
"Not really." Lily shrugs. "I probably would have, but since I was up earlier than I thought I would be, I got most of it done. Can I make you two a drink or something?" She gestures for them to sit at the island counter.
"It's only 12:30!" Taylor laughs.
"It's only 12:30? Wow. It feels so much later." Lily sighs. "Oh well. My little girl is turning 4 today, so I think I deserve a drink. You two in?" She asks, looking back at her friends as Karlie exchanges a look with Taylor, silently asking if she was in or not. Taylor simply shrugged her shoulders as Karlie just kept smiling at her.
"Oh my gosh. You two are ridiculous." Lily scoffs, playfully rolling her eyes at the pair as she pulls out a bottle of tequila.
"Oh no." Karlie puts her arms on the counter, crossing them in front of her. "Not tequila." She groans, burying her face in her arms.
Taylor chuckles, recalling the last time her girlfriend had too much tequila.
"What are you laughing at?" Lily chides, looking back to the songwriter. "You and I both know what tequila does to you."
Taylor's jaw drops in offense. She sends the brunette a pointed glare as she scoffs in protest.
"Relax." Lily waves them off, returning to her cupboards to pull out a blender. "I'm making margaritas."
Karlie glances between the two, obviously missing the history that lead to the comment. Intrigued, Karlie leans over and whispers in her girlfriend's ear, "What does tequila do to you?"
Taylor snorts; her face turning beat red at the sound. Lily turns around to shoot her a smirk. The songwriter buries her face in her hands and groans in embarrassment. Karlie looks to the brunette who simply shakes her head at her before turning back to the margaritas.
"You're not going to tell me?" Karlie pouts, poking her girlfriend's side, to which Taylor flinches and straightens up quickly. Karlie's eyes widen in surprise. "Are you ticklish there?" She asks.
Taylor shakes her head, but she knows Karlie can tell she's lying. The model eyes her girlfriend, ready to tickle her again. "Oh my gosh, you are! How did I not know this?"
"Karlie, no. Don't you dare." Taylor warns, shifting on her stool to lean away from Karlie's reach.
Karlie cracks a devilish grin and shifts towards Taylor. The blonde jolts back to avoid being tickled, but she leans too far back on her stool and it starts to tip. She would have ended up on the floor had it not been for Karlie's long arms and freakishly fast reflexes.
"Are you okay?" Karlie asks, genuinely concerned since she grabbed Taylor pretty hard, but she didn't want the girl to fall.
"Yeah. I'm fine." Taylor mumbles; more embarrassed than anything.
Lily watches the exchange with a smile.
"Is Sel coming?" The songwriter asks, wanting to change the subject.
"No. She called earlier to wish Dixie a happy birthday though."
Dixie comes back in the kitchen and tugs on Taylor's hand. "Can we go outside and play?"
It only takes seconds for that pout and those pleading brown eyes to get Taylor to agree. "Ok." She agrees, going into the back yard with Dixie.
Karlie watches her girlfriend chasing Dixie around the yard for a bit. Caleb eventually comes back, setting the bags on the counter and kissing his wife in greeting.
"I'll put these away. You go set some chairs out." Lily suggests, taking the bags to start putting the food away.
"I'll help you." Karlie offers, following Caleb outside.
"Auntie Karlie! Come play with me and Auntie Taylor." Dixie shouts.
Caleb shoots Karlie a knowing smile. "I can take care of it. Thank you for offering though."
"Are you sure?" Karlie asks, but Caleb just nods his head, so she moves across the yard to where Dixie and Taylor were playing with a ball. "What are you two playing?"
"We were playing catch." Dixie informs her, bending over to pick up her purple ball. "But now that there are three of us, why don't we play monkey in the middle?"
Karlie and Taylor smile at each other, exchanging knowing glances. "Okay." Karlie concedes. "Who's going to be in the middle?"
"You first Auntie Karlie!" Dixie insists.
Karlie shoots an unimpressed look at Taylor, making the blonde laugh. "Fine. I'll be in the middle." She agrees.
"Yay!" Dixie jumps, clapping her hands together. "Now I get to play with my two favorite aunties."
"Oh, we're you're favorites huh?" Taylor asks, smiling at the little girl.
"Yep." Dixie nods as she throws the ball to Taylor, Karlie intentionally missing it. "Because you're both really tall.
Karlie and Taylor both laugh. "Is that the only reason we're your favorites? Because we're the tallest?" Karlie asks, pretending to be offended as Taylor throws the ball back to Dixie.
"No. You're both also the prettiest."
Karlie turns just in time to catch the flush of Taylor's cheeks. "So we're the tallest and prettiest, and that's why you like us the most?"
Dixie holds the ball to her hip, taking a moment to think about it. "Nope. I like you the most because you always carry me and you give really good hugs. You tell really funny jokes and you tickle me a lot. And you always tell me I'm pretty and you're nice to everyone. I like Auntie Taylor the most because she listens to me, and we bake together a lot, and she always plays with me. She lets me play with her cats too. And I like when she sings and plays the guitar for me cuz I'm the only person she'll play for. And she's always really nice to everyone too. Even when she's sad."
Karlie glances over at her girlfriend and can see the tears threatening to spill out of her eyes. Dixie notices too and quickly runs over to Taylor, holding her arms out for the songwriter to scoop her up. She wraps her little arms around Taylor's neck as Taylor holds on tightly to the sweet little girl in her arms. "Don't cry Auntie Taylor. I don't like it when you're sad."
"It's okay sweetie. They're happy tears." She assures the girl, pulling apart from the hug.
Dixie's frown turns to a pout. "But you don't look happy."
Taylor rubs her hand soothingly along the girl's back. "I am. I promise." She smiles at the girl.
"Ok. I love you Auntie Taylor." Dixie throws her arms around her neck again.
"I love you too Dixie. So much." She whispers, trying to reign in her emotions.
Karlie watches the interaction in awe. The two are obviously really close and Taylor's really good with her. She's never really seen Taylor with kids, and it's definitely filling her with all sorts of emotions.
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
"Auntie Karlie's staring at you." Dixie whispers.
"Is she now?"
"Yeah. I think she's looking at you with heart eyes."
Taylor chuckles, pulling back and nuzzling her nose with Dixie's, making the girl giggle. "And where did you hear that word?"
"Mommy says it a lot."
"She does, huh?" Taylor smirks, glancing over at her girlfriend to see her currently talking to Lily.
"Yeah. She says every time Auntie Karlie talks about you, she gets heart eyes."
Taylor chuckles and sets Dixie back down on the ground. "Let's go see if your mom needs any help."
///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
"Everything alright over here?" Lily asks, walking over from the patio. She sees the way Karlie's looking at Taylor and smiles.
"I think so." Karlie says quietly, letting the other two hug it out a bit longer.
"Getting ideas already Kar?" Lily teases quietly.
"I just... she's really good with Dixie."
Lily nods. "She is. They're really close."
"I can tell." Karlie mumbles, smiling as the two start giggling over something she couldn't quite hear. She turns to face Lily. "Dixie told us we were her favorite aunts."
"Ah." Lily hums knowingly. "That's probably true. She won't come with me to work unless you're going to be there. And Taylor, well, they do everything together; bake, play, draw, you name it. She's also the only person Taylor will willingly sing and play the guitar for."
Karlie nods her head, having heard Dixie just say something like that. "Dixie mentioned that."
Taylor and Dixie come walking over hand in hand. "Do you need help with anything Lil?"
"Nope." Lily smiles. "The margaritas are ready if you guys want some." She sticks her hand out, wiggling her fingers as her daughter takes her hand. "Come on sweetie. Let's wipe the grass and dirt off your knees and get you changed for the party."
The two brunettes head inside, leaving the blondes to themselves. "Are you okay?" Karlie asks quietly.
Taylor smiles, nodding slightly. "Yeah. I'm good."
"You want a drink?" Karlie asks, picking up the pitcher to fill a glass for herself.
"Sure. After that work out with Dixie, I could use one."
Karlie laughs and pours them both a glass.
"Thank you." Taylor smiles, accepting the drink.
Karlie sits down in one of the chairs and pats her lap, gesturing for Taylor to join her.
"I'm not sitting on you."
"Why not?" Karlie challenges.
"Because I don't want to hurt you or break the chair."
Karlie laughs. "You're not going to break the chair. And you certainly won't hurt me by sitting on me. Come on." She pats her lap again, putting on her best pout. "Please?"
Taylor tries to resist, but she's pretty powerless when it comes to saying no to Karlie. "Fine." She relents, grabbing her glass and moving over to where Karlie's sitting. She carefully lowers herself down, making sure not to put too much weight on the model.
Karlie scoffs and scoops Taylor's legs up to pull her onto her lap, wrapping her arms around her girlfriend and holding her close. "Much better."
"You're ridiculous." Taylor laughs.
"You like it." Karlie quips, pulling Taylor back to rest more comfortably against her in the chair.
"I do." Taylor concedes with a smile; the model kissing her cheek in response.
*******************************************************************
Eventually, guests begin to arrive for the party and pretty soon, things are in full swing. Dixie's running around the yard with a few of her friends, already getting her new outfit dirty, much to Lily's dismay. Caleb and a few other guys are manning the grill; an assortment of different grilled meats being put on and taken off.
Lily's off hovering from person to person, being the perfect hostess, offering drinks and snacks. Karlie is breaking bags of ice; adding more ice and drinks to the cooler . Taylor's inside, setting crackers, fruits, veggies, and all kinds of snacks on the table, trying to keep up with the demand.
Karlie walks into the kitchen to find her girlfriend adding more chips to the empty bowls she knows were full a few minutes ago. "Need a hand?" She offers.
Taylor turns around and smiles at her. "I'm okay. I just didn't expect everyone to attack the food at the same time."
Karlie laughs and steals a chip from the bowl, wiping the grease from her fingers onto her pants before wrapping her arms around her girlfriend. "I know what you mean. There was barely any ice left in the coolers and most of the drinks were gone too. I had to run to the garage to grab more."
Taylor chuckles, crossing her arms over her chest and linking her hands with Karlie's; flinching in surprise at the cold. "Your hands are cold."
"Sorry." Karlie mumbles, nuzzling her nose into the songwriter's neck.
They stand there in each other's arms, relishing in the brief respite they've been given. Not that they minded helping out, but they haven't spent much time together since the guests arrived.
"Of course I would find you two in here being all huggy and gross."
Karlie feels Taylor tense in her arms and she sighs, immediately recognizing the voice and knowing this was just the beginning. "Hello to you too Cara." She squeezes her girlfriend's waist before removing her arms.
"That's all I get?" The Brit scoffs.
Karlie crosses the kitchen and hugs her friend. "That's better." Cara pats her on the back, smiling cheekily.
"Are you the only one here or are the girls with you?" Karlie asks.
"Jourdan and Behati are in the back talking to Lily. And I think Martha said she was picking Gigi up, so they should be here soon." She looks over Karlie's shoulder and sees how nervous Taylor looks. She decides to take it easy on the girl, knowing the other girls probably won't let up on them. And she does like Taylor. "Have you forgotten your manners Karlie?" Cara asks.
Karlie scoffs and rolls her eyes, moving to stand beside her girlfriend. "Taylor, you remember Cara."
"Nice to see you again." Taylor offers, sticking her hand out for a handshake, but Cara just pulls her in for a hug, catching Taylor off guard. "You too." She pulls away and takes a few steps back. She glances around the kitchen and smacks her hands together. "Alright, where's the booze at?"
Taylor breaks out into a smile and Karlie laughs at her friend's behavior. "Liquor and mixers are on that counter over there, and one of the coolers out back has beer and wine coolers."
Cara immediately heads for the Tequila and holds the bottle up. "You two ready for a shot?"
"Cara." Karlie warns, but surprisingly, Taylor speaks up.
"I'll take one with you." She offers.
Cara and Karlie both turn to look at the songwriter in surprise. Cara grins widely, turning back to Karlie. "You in Kar?"
Taylor and Karlie have a little stare down and Taylor arches her brow, challenging her girlfriend. "I'm in." Karlie smiles.
"Awesome." Cara pours three shots into plastic cups while Karlie starts cutting up the limes; each girl taking one.
"Cheers ladies." She says, holding up her shot. They clink their cups together; tapping the counter in unison before throwing the shots back.
The girls make a variety of faces, Cara mostly smiling while the other two purse their lips, biting into their limes. "Ah." Cara smacks her lips, while Karlie gathers up the now empty cups and throws them away.
Someone from the backyard yells, "Food's ready!" and that's all it takes for Cara to dart out the back door. Karlie just shakes her head.
"She's something else." Taylor says, linking her hand with Karlie's as they head to the backyard.
"She sure is." Karlie laughs. "So... what's the story with you and tequila?"
Taylor shakes her head but leans into Karlie's side to whisper in her ear. "Maybe you'll get to see for yourself."
Karlie's cheeks flush and Taylor sends her a flirty wink for good measure.
There's a picnic table filled with all sorts of food. Everything from chips, pretzels, dip, salad, pasta salad, fruit, corn, beans, different kinds of potatoes, macaroni and cheese, burgers, hot dogs, chicken wings, and all sorts of desserts.
Once their plates are filled, Karlie and Taylor grab one of the lounge chairs on the patio to sit on. They sit side by side with their plates propped up on their laps.
"Do you want anything to drink?"
"I'll just take a water for now."
"Ok. Be right back." Karlie sets her plate down and kisses Taylor on the cheek, making her girlfriend blush.
Unfortunately for Taylor, Karlie's model friends all saw it and let out a loud "Aww" as they fill in the empty chairs around her, which only makes the songwriter blush even more.
After grabbing two water bottles from the cooler, Karlie returns to her girlfriend to find her surrounded by Cara, Jourdan, Behati, Martha, and Gigi.
"Hey guys." Karlie says wearily, handing Taylor her water before sitting down next to her.
"Thank you." Taylor smiles at her girlfriend; unscrewing the bottle to take a sip.
"You're welcome." Karlie smiles back, not noticing the looks her friends are all shooting each other.
"You two aren't drinking?" Behati asks, noticing both girls drinking water.
"They both took a shot with me earlier." Cara mumbles through a mouth full of food.
Taylor smiles; grateful for how easily the Brit breaks up any awkward tension.
"You bitch!" Jourdan smacks Cara on the arm. "I can't believe you guys did shots without me!"
Cara just shrugs and digs into her food, everyone else doing the same for the moment, but Karlie knew it wouldn't last.
"So Karlie," Jourdan draws out, eyeing her friend with a smirk, "I was at work a few weeks ago and one of the make-up artists was going on and on about you." Not waiting for a response, she continued. "She said you wouldn't stop gushing about this girl you were seeing."
Karlie lifts her eyes and shoots Jourdan a warning look.
"I heard something about that." Behati says nonchalantly. "A few of us were at a fitting and the stylists kept gushing over how cute you were when you talked about her."
"Guys." Gigi warns, seeing how red Karlie and Taylor both were. She didn't want them to feel too embarrassed.
"What?" Jourdan holds her hands up in defense. "I'm just saying, you seem to be the talk of the industry. Everyone wants to meet the girl you won't shut up about."
Karlie's face is beyond red with embarrassment. She knew her friends would do this, but that wasn't enough to prepare her for what it was like. Taylor is sitting quietly next to her, not havening said anything yet.
"And the other day, all anyone could talk about was that picture of the two of you on Instagram." Jourdan adds.
Taylor's cheeks turn almost as red as Karlie's, knowing that picture was mainly her fault since she's the one that posted it. Luckily, the girls were saved by Lily.
"We're gonna let Dixie open her presents now."
Everyone gets up and moves over to where Dixie has her presents piled high on a table. The 4 year old starts tearing through her presents, being sure to read each card and thank each person once she opened her gift. She got all kinds of things; clothes, books, dolls.
Dixie purposely saved Auntie Karlie and Auntie Taylor's gifts for last and when Lily asked her why, she simply said, "Because they're my favorite aunts, duh."
All the adults laughed at the sass and no one took it personally, although Karlie got a chuckle and an elbow in the side from Cara at the comment.
Karlie had gotten her a make-up kit, a personalized bag to hold it all, and a customized pair of Adidas shoes that had Dixie's name stitched into the sides. Dixie opened the gifts and ran up to give the model a hug.
"Thank you, thank you Auntie Karlie!" She squeals.
"You're welcome munchkin." Karlie returns the hug.
Dixie goes back to her last present and starts opening it. The large box happened to actually be several presents, each one individually wrapped inside the box. Dixie opens her gifts to reveal an apron with her name embroidered on it and some new art supplies. She grabs the last box, the biggest one and opens it.
"Whoa." The 4 year old says; stunned as she pulls out more pieces of the gift.
"I can't believe you got her that." Lily laughs, recalling Taylor mentioning she wanted to buy one for Dixie.
Dixie quickly opens the box and pulls it out, confused when she sees her aunt's name on it. "Auntie Taylor, why did you get me a guitar with your name on it?"
"That's the name of the people that made the guitar." Taylor chuckles.
"Oh. Like how Daddy has a Fendy guitar?"
Another round of laughter breaks out before Caleb corrects his daughter. "Fender sweetie."
Dixie nods her head and gently sets the guitar down, running into the songwriter's arms. "Thank you so much Auntie Taylor. It's my favorite gift ever."
"I'm glad you like it." Taylor whispers, smiling at the joy on Dixie's face.
"Do you think you could play me a song too?" Dixie whispers into Taylor's ear.
Taylor pulls back and looks at the little girl. There's no way she can say no to Dixie, especially on her birthday. "Ok." She agrees and is rewarded with a bright smile and an excited squeal.
Dixie runs over to her mom and whispers what Taylor told her, the brunette shooting her a look to make sure she was okay with it. Taylor nods. "You guys can go up to her room if you want, or you can go down into the basement into Caleb's studio. But don't take too long. We still have cake and ice cream."
Dixie nods and grabs her guitar and Taylor's hand, dragging her towards the house. Lily chuckles in amusement as everyone helps clean up the wrapping paper and the empty plates from around the yard.
Dixie leads Taylor up to her room and makes sure to shut the door behind them. "Will you play me a new song Auntie Taylor?"
"A new song, huh? Well, there's one I've been working on, but it's not quite finished yet."
"Is it a happy song or a sad one?" Dixie asks as she settles on her bed.
Taylor grabs the guitar and starts tuning it. "It's a happy one."
"Okay." The 4 year old nods. "Can I hear that one?"
"Anything for the birthday girl." Taylor smiles as she sits beside Dixie on the bed. She strums the guitar for a few seconds, picturing the person the song is about. She takes a deep breath before letting the words flow out.
"I like the way you sound in the morning
We're on the phone and without a warning
I realize your laugh is the best sound
I have ever heard
I like the way I can't keep my focus
I watch you talk, you didn't notice
I hear the words but all I can think is
We should be together
Every time you smile, I smile
And every time you shine, I'll shine for you
Whoa oh, I'm feeling you baby
Don't be afraid to
Jump then fall
Jump then fall into me
Be there, never gonna leave you
Say that you wanna be with me too
So I'm a stay through it all
So jump then fall
I like the way your hair falls in your face
You got the keys to me
I love each freckle on your face, oh
I've never been so wrapped up, honey
I like the way you're everything I ever wanted
I had time to think it oh, over
And all I can say is come closer
Take a deep breath then jump then fall into me
Cause Every time you smile, I smile
And every time you shine, I'll shine for you
Whoa oh, I'm feeling you baby
Don't be afraid to
Jump then fall
Jump then fall into me
Be there, never gonna leave you
Say that you wanna be with me too
So I'm a stay through it all
So jump then fall
The bottom's gonna drop out from under our feet
I'll catch you, I'll catch you
And people say things that bring you to your knees
I'll catch you
The time is gonna come when you're so mad you could cry
But I'll hold you through the night until you smile
Whoa oh, I need you baby
Don't be afraid, please
Jump then fall
Jump then fall into me
Be there, never gonna leave you
Say that you wanna be with me too
So I'm a stay through it all
So jump then fall
Jump then fall baby
Jump then fall into me, into me
Every time you smile, I smile
And every time you shine, I shine
And every time you're here
Baby I'll show you, I'll show you
You can Jump then fall, jump then fall
Jump then fall into me, into me, yeah"
As the songwriter finishes strumming, she realizes she found the lyrics she couldn't quite come up with before. They just came to her naturally and blended perfectly into the song.
"Is that song about Auntie Karlie?" Dixie asks.
Taylor turns to the little girl, surprised she picked up on that. "What makes you think that?" She asks, trying not to smile.
"Well, you used to be really sad and you didn't really smile much. But now you smile a lot, especially when Auntie Karlie's around."
Taylor nods her head but doesn't say anything. Dixie was completely right. It was surprising how observant the 4 year old was.
"Mom thinks you and Auntie Karlie are falling for each other."
Now that catches Taylor off guard. "She does, huh?"
"Yeah. I do too." Dixie nods, leaning into Taylor's side as the songwriter's arm wraps around her. "You make each other smile, and I like seeing you both happy."
Taylor shakes her head. "You're too smart for your own good you know."
"You should play that song for her so she knows."
Taylor rests her head against Dixie's, smiling as she takes in the girl's advice. "Maybe I will."