Page 62 of Swept Up In You

“Agreed.”

They tapped their wooden forks together and tucked in. Taylor stabbed a prawn out of the paella with a scoopful of rice and chowed down. “Ermahhhgbbb.So goob, and still soho—ho-ho—hop,” she said, fanning her full mouth to try and cool it down. She swallowed, dabbing at her mouth with her napkin, and taking her time to start the conversation back up.

“So I should probably fill you in on everything with Liz.”

“You don’t have to,” Sam replied, squeezing her knee.

She appreciated Sam’s thoughtfulness in the moment, but she had to start doing what she preached, and talking about it only put the control back in Taylor’s hands. Not Liz’s.

“No, I want to,” Taylor said, seriously.

It was time.

She took a deep breath to settle herself, still feeling rattled after seeing Liz for the first time sincethat day. She hadn’t wanted to face her after she left. She had made sure Jess was the one at home when Liz had cleared out her things. She’d had nothing and everything to say to her. Staying away was thebest choice. It was space from doing something she would have regretted like begging Liz to choose her, to come back, to try one more time. Thank god she hadn’t stooped that low. She looked at the woman sitting across from her now, an encouraging smile that told her to take all the time in the world. How did she get so lucky?

“Liz and I met at a bar in town and hit it off quick. She wasn’t just my girlfriend; we became best friends. Date nights turned into game nights at my house with Jess and Adam, where she’d stay over a night here and there. That turned into a few nights a week until six months down the track she moved in with Jess and me, once her lease was up at her old apartment. It all made sense, and fit into place as natural next steps.

“About a year later was when I first started to notice changes, if I’m honest with myself. At first, it was little things—mood changes, a busier schedule. I thought it was her work. She’s a nurse, so long shifts and overtime were a given, but we’d always managed it together before. A few months shy of our two-year anniversary, I brought home Belle. She’d always talked about her love of dogs, and I’d hoped Belle would bring us closer together, but Liz gave her hardly any attention. There were more excuses.Not right now. Maybe later. I’m too tired.If she wasn’t excusing time with the dog, it was time with me.

“I tried to talk to her about it, but there was always a convenient half-truth I’d fall for, every single time. I loved this woman, and at the time, it was so easy to ignore the red flags, throwing them under the rug and focusing on all the good moments we still had together.

“Now here’s where I really berate myself.”

Sam frowned, about to cut in, but Taylor held up her hand.

“Wait. I’d bought her a ring, Sam. I was going topropose.”

“No…” Sam whispered, her hand flying to her mouth.

“She beat me to it. Luckily, I guess? Though instead of a proposal like I was hoping, Liz came home after work one night and blurted out she was in love with someone else, she didn’t know how else to tell me, she was so sorry—blah, blah, blah. All I could think about was that fucking ring sitting at the bottom of my wardrobe.” Taylor blinked back tears. “I felt like I was trying everything to fix us. And I still wasn’t good enough.”

Sam’s fists were balled by the time she’d finished. She was even chewing angrily. It was kind of cute. She put down her fork and held up a finger. “First, youaregood enough, and don’teverlet anyone make you think otherwise again.” She flicked up another finger. “Second, I’m so glad I didn’t know all ofthatbeforehand,otherwise I feel like I would’ve wanted to punch the girl. And I’m not even a violent person. Okay, that’s still too harsh for me to even say.” She thought for a moment, tapping her chin. “I would’ve wanted tovisuallypunch her, with a really mean look. Likeblue steelbut… mean.”

Taylor felt better already, like a weight had lifted off her shoulders knowing Sam now knew the truth. She chuckled. “You’re being so adorable right now. I like it when you try to be mean.”

Sam scrunched up her nose.

“Exactly like that. Can I kiss you right now?” She smirked.

“You may.”

Taylor leaned forward, giving her a quick peck on the lips.

Sam sighed dreamily. “Never enough.”

“No? I’m sure I can find more where that came from.” Taylor grinned.

They polished off everything on the table, every dish outcompeting the last.

“How good were those skewers?” Sam threw her last stick back on the plate.

“So good. I wish I’d got us double.”

They were lucky they’d got a table when they did. The place was now absolutely packed as more people crammed into the limited space. The music was louder, a steady dance beat seeming to urge the crowds on as they flowed around them. She sat back in her chair, relaxed, watching the fire next to them roaring away, entranced by the curls of smoke lifting into the night sky. Finally, she drew her eyes away and focused back on Sam.

“So, I meant to say thank you. For saving me earlier. Sorry for the whole introducing-you-as-my-girlfriend thing. I know we haven’t labelled… us… yet, or talked about, well, any of that. I was definitely wanting to show Liz and Emily up… and show you off.”

Sam looked thoughtful. “I liked it,” she finally said. “I feel like we’re not too far away from that, but I guess it is only our first official date. I just had fun making her squirm.”

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