After hours of tossing and turning, feeling lonely in her bed, Taylor threw off her covers and stood from her bed. She crept down the stairs and slowly padded towards the couch to find her girlfriend fast asleep. She looked so peaceful and cute. With the model being so tall, the bottom half of her legs weren't even covered by the blanket. Taylor chuckled as her heart warmed at the adorable sight.
She carefully lowered herself onto the couch, laying down so her back was resting against Karlie's front. Strong arms quickly tighten around her and pull her close, adjusting to accommodate both bodies on the small couch. Taylor wasn't sure if Karlie was even awake at first, until she felt lips pressed against her neck followed by an adorably groggy sleep filled voice croaking out a "Hi."
The songwriter hummed at the contact. "Hi." She whispers shyly into the darkness. Taylor begins stroking the model's arms, causing goosebumps to rise on the soft skin when the sleepy voice speaks again.
"Your parents are gonna think I'm some kind of floozy or something."
Taylor laughs quietly. "Who even says that?"
"I say that." Karlie protests sleepily.
"My parents won't think you're a floozy."
"They better not. I'm not that kinda girl."
"Mmm." The songwriter hums. "And what kind are you exactly?"
"Psh. I'm obviously a good girl."
"Obviously."
The two lay there, the faint tick on the clock of the mantle, along with each other's breathing were the only things heard in the quiet of the house.
"What's wrong?" Karlie asks, sensing something was bothering her girlfriend.
"Nothing." Taylor sighs. "I just... I couldn't sleep knowing you were so close but you weren't with me."
"Hmm." The model hums, but decides not to press any further. "You know... this couch ain't big enough for the two of us." She drawls.
Taylor laughs quietly at the bad accent. "Are you trying to get rid of me?"
"Never." Karlie whispers, tightening her arms to pull her girlfriend impossibly closer.
"Night Kar." Taylor grins into the darkness.
Sleepy lips press a soft kiss to her cheek. "Night beautiful." Karlie replies, pressing her forehead to the back of the blonde's head. She takes a deep breath, the comforting scent of her girlfriend lulling her back to sleep.
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Andrea and Scott wake the next morning, coming down the stairs to find the two girls curled up together on the couch; Karlie holding Taylor from behind with the small blanket draped over their bodies. The adults share a smile, Scott's arm coming to wrap around his wife's shoulder as they head into the kitchen to make breakfast.
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Karlie is the first to wake, her internal clock used to being up early because of her crazy schedule. She smiles at the girl in her arms before slowly and carefully removing herself from the couch, making sure not to wake her girlfriend. Karlie bends down to adjust the blanket, covering Taylor as best as she can. The model brushes a few stray hairs away and kisses the songwriter on the forehead before standing up. She heads into the kitchen but pauses in the doorway when she sees the Swift's already up.
"Good morning Karlie." Andrea smiles warmly at her.
"Morning Mrs. Swift, Mr. Swift."
Andrea shoots the model a look, silently reminding her she doesn't have to call her that. Scott turns his attention from the stove to the model. "There's fresh coffee in the pot and I'm working on breakfast. Do you like omelettes?"
"I do actually."
"Anything in particular you want in yours?"
"Just a veggie omelette will be fine. Thank you sir."
"Where are you going?" Andrea questions, noticing the model turning around to leave the kitchen.
"I was going to get changed and go for a quick run."
Andrea takes a sip of her coffee, tilting her head towards the refrigerator. "There are some water bottles in the fridge if you want to take one with you."
"Thank you ma'am." Karlie smiles, grabbing a bottle from the fridge.
"Breakfast should be ready by the time you get back." Scott says over his shoulder.
Karlie nods and heads up stairs to change into her running clothes. Once her shoes are all laced up, she takes off along the sidewalk, following the winding pathways.
Taylor pads into the kitchen shortly after the model left, the small blanket wrapped around her shoulders. "You're up early." Andrea muses, smiling into her cup.
Taylor shyly ducks her head. "Where's Karlie?"
"She went for a run." Scott answers.
The blonde rolls her eyes, all too familiar with her girlfriend's habits. "Of course she did."
"Did you sleep well?" Andrea asks.
"I did actually." Taylor smiles, settling into a chair beside her mother at the table.
Scott snorts from the stove. "I'm not sure how the two of you even fit on that couch."
Taylor blushes bright red at being caught. She runs her fingers along the grain of the table, avoiding her parent's eyes.
"Why didn't you just sleep in your bed?" Andrea asks.
The blonde sighs. "Because Karlie didn't want to make a bad impression, so she insisted on taking the couch."
"I knew I liked her." Scott comments, turning back to face the pan with a smile. Andrea smiles at the blush on her daughter's cheeks. She loves seeing her so happy.
"I told you guys. Karlie's perfect. She's very protective of me. She's old fashioned, so she's polite and well mannered; always thanking me and holding doors for me and checking to make sure I'm okay. She never pushes or rushes me into anything. She's so sweet and she takes really good care of me. She's beyond amazing."
"You better hold on to her. She's definitely a good one." Scott says, his eyes crinkling in delight at hearing how well the model treats his daughter. Karlie seems to be everything he could ever want for his little girl.
Taylor smiles as she stands up to pour herself a cup of coffee. She takes her mug and steps out the backdoor, closing it behind her. She moves over to the railing, watching the sun slowly rise over the water. The beaches are empty and it's nice and quiet, only the quiet rumble of the waves lapping at the shore. She looks down the sandy shoreline and sees the outline of her girlfriend running her way. She smiles just knowing the girl is that much closer.
When Karlie gets closer to the house, she spots her girlfriend on the back patio and blows a kiss to her, watching Taylor pretend to catch it while blushing adorably. The model slows her run to a jog before making her way to the stairs where her girlfriend is waiting for her on the last step.
"Hi." Taylor says quietly.
"Hi." Karlie says back, smiling widely at her girlfriend.
"I think you're a little sweaty."
Karlie shrugs, leaning forward to kiss her girlfriend on the lips, but Taylor pulls back.
"Nuh uh. No kissing until you shower missy."
"Is that so?" Karlie challenges, arching her eyebrow.
Before Taylor can say anything, Karlie is wrapping her up in a sweaty hug. "Ew, Karlie! Get off! You're all sweaty and gross!"
"You like it!" Karlie laughs, keeping her girlfriend locked up in her arms.
"Go shower stinky." Taylor yells, wriggling in her girlfriend's arms.
"Or..." Karlie says, relaxing her hold as she pulls back to look at her girlfriend with a devious glint in her eye.
"Or what?" Taylor questions, eyeing her girlfriend.
"Or..." Karlie leans down and scoops the blonde up in her arms. "We can both just shower in the ocean."
"Karlie, don't you dare!" Taylor shrieks, flailing her limbs wildly.
Karlie wiggles her eyebrows playfully before leaning in to steal a kiss. Taylor pulls back with a sour expression and a pout. "Oh, come on. You know I would never do that to you."
"I swear, sometimes I wonder if you're actually 22 or not."
"I mean, you can check my driver's license if you don't believe me." Karlie jokes.
Taylor swats her in the chest. "You're such a child."
"Psh." Karlie scoffs. "Would a child be able to carry you up the stairs like this?"
Taylor blushes, unable to argue with how attractive her girlfriend's strength is. The girls were so caught up in their own world that they didn't notice Scott and Andrea smiling widely at them as they watched everything from the window.
*******************************************************************
After everyone had eaten breakfast and showered, the girls decided to get dressed for the beach. Once they were out back, Karlie and Taylor grabbed a few rafts and inflatable toys, setting them down next to their towels.
Karlie quickly pulls her shirt over her head before shimmying out of her shorts and Taylor has to fight back her gulp as she tries not to drool. The model's lean muscles are on full display, flexing with her movements as Karlie discards her clothes.
The songwriter takes in her girlfriend's light blue bikini, which contrasts beautifully with the slight tan of the model's skin tone. Taylor admires the work of art before her, unsure how this goddess could possibly be real.
Karlie takes her sunglasses off and tosses them on her towel, along with the sandals she wore. She quickly throws her hair up in a messy bun before turning her attention to the blonde, immediately taking in her girlfriend's lighter skin tone as the songwriter slowly began sliding her shorts down her legs.
Taylor is hesitant to take her tank top off, knowing her body is nowhere near as toned as Karlie's. Her fingers fiddle with the hem of the shirt and before she has time to overthink everything and second guess herself, she quickly pulls the top over her head.
Karlie can't help but stare at how stunning her girlfriend truly is. The red bathing suit hugging the slight curve of Taylor's hips as well as the swell of her chest. The model took notice of the freckles and beauty marks she hadn't seen yet dotted along the smooth skin.
Taylor nervously chews her lip under her girlfriend's intense gaze, unsure what the girl thought. "Can you help me with the sunscreen?" She asks quietly, holding the bottle up.
"Of course." Karlie smiles, coming back to her senses. She opens the cap and squeezes some lotion onto her hand before reaching out to rub it all over her girlfriend's body. Karlie notices the goosebumps arise on the songwriter's skin. "Are you cold?" She asks.
"No."
"You're shivering." Karlie points out, continuing to rub lotion all along her girlfriend's skin.
Taylor exhales a deep sigh. "That's from you." She admits quietly.
Karlie is caught off guard by the comment but smiles a little, wondering how she could have that kind of effect on someone as gorgeous as Taylor. When she's finished, Karlie kisses her girlfriend's neck. "All done."
"Thank you." Taylor smiles. "Do you want me to do you?"
Karlie quirks her eyebrow at the unintended pun and Taylor scoffs, lightly shoving her girlfriend, "Such a child."
Karlie laughs as she tosses the sunscreen back onto the towels. "I'm ok. I put some on back at the house."
Taylor nods and the two grab their rafts before linking hands and walking to the water. The girls float around for a bit, their legs tangling together from time to time as they steal sweet kisses and talk about random things while enjoying the nice weather. They're brought out of their own little bubble by a nerf football landing a few feet in front of them, splashing water in their faces.
Taylor turns to glare at her brother who actually looks rather pleased with himself. The songwriter glances back at the football, eyeing it with disdain. She would love to whip it back at her brother, but she knows there is no way in hell she could actually hit him, and she doesn't need to embarrass herself like that in front of Karlie.
A few seconds later, Austin makes his way over to the girls, the waves from his movements causing their rafts to rock a little. "What do you want Austin?"
"I want to toss the ball around and that kind of requires more than one person. So I figured I would come bother you."
"You want me to play catch with you?" Taylor asks incredulously.
"Not really." Austin replies. "I know how much you suck at football..." He trails off; the blonde sticking her tongue out at him in response. "So I thought I'd ask Karlie."
"Me?" Karlie asks, slightly confused.
"Yeah. This one can't throw to save her life, and if I throw it at her, she runs away from it."
"Because you always whip it at my face and try to rip my head off!"
"No I don't. You just can't catch. And how would you even know when half the time I throw it to you, you close your eyes?"
Karlie's eyes bounce back and forth, smirking as she listens to the siblings bicker. It reminds her a lot of the arguments she has with her sisters. "We can play."
"Awesome." Austin grins.
"But your sister is playing too." She adds, grinning devilishly at her girlfriend.
"And how is that gonna work?" He asks.
"Monkey in the middle?" Karlie suggests and Austin's face lights up, knowing his sister hates that game since she's so bad at it.
Taylor rolls her eyes and groans. "I hate monkey in the middle."
"What do you mean you hate it? You played it at Dixie's birthday and never said a word."
"That's because I was playing against a 4 year old!" Taylor laughs.
Austin shrugs. "Works for me."
Taylor glares once more at her brother before looking back to the model who was looking at her with an adorable pout and pleading eyes. The songwriter was helpless against that look and sighed, knowing she was about to embarrass herself. "Fine." She relents.
Austin grabs the football with a grin before wading across the water to put some space between them. Karlie walks over to her girlfriend and grabs her hands, pulling her close as she kisses her on the cheek. "Thank you." She says sweetly.
"Yeah, yeah." Taylor laughs. "Why do I have a feeling I'm going to regret this?"
"Oh, come on. It's not going to be that bad."
Taylor just quirks her eyebrow before kissing the model on the tip of her nose. "You have no idea what you've gotten yourself into." She says evasively, wading through the water towards her brother. Karlie just grins in response as she watches the two splash around, Taylor chasing her brother to try and get the ball from him before it quickly gets launched her way.
She catches the ball quite easily and watches in amusement as her girlfriend begins moving towards her. Karlie's head tilts to the side when she notices a mischievous grin on the songwriter's face and before she can think about it, Taylor launches herself at the model, clinging to her body in an effort to tackle her and take the ball.
What Taylor didn't anticipate however, was Karlie's body strength. She looked up in amazement at her girlfriend effortlessly supporting her weight. "How are you this strong?"
Karlie chuckles, adjusting her feet so she had better balance. "Whatcha doin' there?" She asks playfully.
"I was trying to take you down, but I forgot that you're not human."
"Are you getting down anytime soon, or are you just gonna hang out there for a while?"
"I think I'm good here." The songwriter smiles, wrapping her arms around the model's neck and pulling her in for a kiss.
While Karlie was distracted getting lost in the kiss, Taylor took the opportunity to snatch the football out of her girlfriend's hands. She smiled victoriously as the model's eyes opened, staring at her in shock. Taylor removes herself from her girlfriend, slowly walking backwards.
"You play dirty." Karlie says, eyeing her girlfriend as she moves to follow her back towards Austin.
"You have no idea." Taylor says suggestively; a certain twinkle in her eye.
They toss the ball back and forth for a while. Austin would splash water in the girl's faces, trying to prevent them from getting the ball. Taylor kept trying to tackle the model, hoping she would be able to catch her off guard and take her down, but she was unsuccessful. Karlie played fairly, and even though she wouldn't admit it, she actually rather enjoyed enduring her girlfriend's methods of distraction.
Eventually everyone gets hungry, so they decide to go into the house to grab something to eat. Scott informs them that he just ordered a pizza and Austin volunteers to go pick it up.
Taylor turns to her girlfriend. "I need to go wash my hair and try and get some of the sand out of it."
"I don't know how you got so much in your hair." Karlie chuckles. "You were the one climbing all over me."
"Yeah, well... we can't all be as perfect as you."
The model scoffs. "I'm hardly perfect."
Taylor lightly shakes her head and sighs. "You are though. And the fact that you don't see it proves that even more."
"That doesn't even make sense." Karlie laughs, bending down to rest her forehead against Taylor's.
"Yes it does."
Karlie lightheartedly rolls her eyes and the songwriter silences her protest with a kiss.
"Okay." Taylor pulls away. "Did you want to shower first? I can probably use the one in my parent's room if you wanted to use the one upstairs."
"That's okay. You can go first. I'll just take one later."
"You sure?"
Karlie nods. "I'm sure." She says softly, kissing the blonde once more before lightly pushing her towards the stairs. "Go on. I'll be waiting."
Taylor smiles widely at that and quickly turns around to go up the stairs, hoping she was fast enough so the model didn't see her blush.
"Karlie?"
Karlie turns around in surprise at hearing her name, not realizing Scott had come back in the kitchen.
"Would you like to join me out on the patio for a bit? I was hoping we could get a chance to talk."
"Sure thing Mr. Swift. I would like that."
The two head back out onto the patio, settling down in the chairs around the table. Scott eyes the model , noticing how uncomfortable she suddenly appears to be. "Relax." He says softly. "I'm not going to grill you or anything. I just want to talk about a few things."
"Okay." Karlie attempts to swallow her nerves, but she's still feeling a little on edge. She was wondering when she would get "the talk" from the blonde's parents. "What did you want to talk about sir?"
Scott grins at the model still addressing him as 'sir'. "My daughter."
Karlie nods her head slowly. "What about her?"
"I know you care about her. That has become more than obvious just from watching the two of you together."
"I care about your daughter very much. She's an incredible woman, and I'm very grateful to have her in my life."
"I know she feels the same. I may not have all the inside information like my wife probably does, but I know my daughter. And I know that I have never seen her half as happy as she is when she's with you."
Karlie's incredibly stunned to be hearing this directly from her girlfriend's father . "Thank you sir. I feel the same way. Your daughter makes me very happy. She's the best thing that's ever happened to me." She says quietly.
Scott nods his head. "It's been a long time since I've seen her like this. And I don't want that to change."
"I assure you sir, I would never do anything to intentionally hurt her. I wish I could promise you that I never will, but I won't make a promise that I can't keep. All I can tell you is that I don't ever want to hurt her, in any way. I just want her to be happy. No matter what."
"That's good to hear." Scott sits back in his chair and scratches his chin in thought for a moment. "I don't know if she told you or not, but it's been quite a few years since she last came up here with us."
"She mentioned that."
"I figured as much. I wish I could say I knew why that was, but I honestly don't. All I know is she hasn't been herself for quite some time now, that is until she met you."
The model doesn't say anything, just absorbing what she's being told.
"As a parent, you just want what's best for your kids. You want to encourage them to chase their dreams and follow their hearts, but you also want to keep them safe and never let them feel pain or get their heartbroken. As a father, it's your job to protect them." Scott sighs. "Sometimes I feel like that's where I let her down most."
"Sir?" Karlie questions, unsure what Scott is trying to say.
"My daughter has always been a hopeless romantic. As a little girl, she loved princesses and fairytales and stories with happily ever after's. She grew up hoping and believing she could live out that happily ever after. And I always encouraged her to follow her heart and dream big. But naturally, as a father, I wanted to protect my little girl. But you can't always protect the ones you love. Sometimes you just have to let them make mistakes and hopefully learn from them, then be there to pick them up and kiss their cheeks and try to fix the pain the best you can."
"I was there for all of her firsts. First laugh, first words, first steps, her first day of school, the first time she fell off her bike. I was there for her first crush, witnessing how excited she was when someone at school told her she was cute. I remember the look on her face the first time she wrote a song. She just had this look in her eye, and I knew she would be able to do anything she set her mind to. Sometimes when I look back, I can't believe all the incredible things she's accomplished."
Scott releases a deep sigh. "I always encouraged her to chase her dreams and follow her heart, and I know those have been some of the most painfully heartbreaking moments in her life. I remember her first heart break, how my wife had to hold me back from beating the crap out of the kid. When she broke down in tears before telling me she was gay. When she was having problems with her record label contract and how devastated she was and how she thought she wasn't good enough."
"I think after awhile, she just stopped believing in her dreams. She suffered so much pain and heartbreak that she gave up on happiness. And it was incredibly painful to watch because there was nothing I could do to protect her."
Karlie's heart clenches listening to Scott lay out all the hurt his daughter's gone through. She'll never be able to understand how her girlfriend could go through so much and still be as incredible as she is. "But you were there for her when she needed you most, and that's what's important."
Scott looks at the model and sees the love she has in her eyes. He knows this girl is good for his daughter. "Did you know you're the first person she's ever dated that we got to meet? She's never brought anyone home before."
Karlie was beyond surprised. She knows Taylor said she hadn't dated much, but she still figured she'd bought people home to meet the family before. She recalls Austin mentioning he had to give a protective brother speech before. She doesn't really know what to say. "I'll take care of her sir, I promise."
Scott leans over the table and squeezes the model's hands. "I know you will."
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Taylor and Karlie both had work on Monday, so after dinner Sunday night, the girls packed up their things and loaded the car. Karlie made sure to thank the Swift's for their hospitality.
Andrea pulls the model in, giving her one of those hugs only a mother can give. "You know you're welcome here anytime. I hope we'll see you again soon."
Karlie smiles at the older woman. "I hope so too. Thank you again for everything Mrs. Swift."
"Of course dear."
The model turns to see Scott extending his hand for a handshake. She sticks her hand out to return it but is once again pulled into a warm hug.
"It was nice meeting you Karlie. Take care of my little girl for me." He whispers.
Karlie nods against his frame, pulling back to look Scott in the eye. "I will sir."
Taylor watches the exchange with a smile. She knew her parents would love Karlie.
"You ready?" Karlie asks, moving to stand next to the songwriter.
Taylor nods. She hugs each of her parents once more before linking hands with the model to start their drive back to the city.