DOROTHEA

TWENTY-THREE

"...And I think you should come live with me
And we can be pirates
Then you won't have to cry..."

———

"What about Peanut for a nickname?"

"No way."

"Why not!"

"Because in case you haven't noticed, I still want to like peanuts!"

"Are you implying that you don't like your child?"

"No. But that doesn't mean he or she won't do something to change that,"

"Thea!"

"What? Don't all parents dislike their kid at some point?"

"Maybe. But I'm pretty sure they try not to say it out loud,"

Dorothea laughed sharply. "If only you knew Heather ten years ago."

"Heather Madison?" Taylor asked, looking at the girl across the backseat of the SUV. "The lovely southern woman I met last month, who thinks the only way to like a photo on Instagram is to tap the heart in the corner?"

Dorothea smirked, bringing the plastic lid covering her chai tea to her lips. "Dean and Maeve were little shits," she explained.

"And what about you?" Taylor lifted an eyebrow.

"I was perfect."

"Of course you were." She rolled her eyes while the other woman continued smiling to herself.

Taylor looked out the window, then down at the time on her phone. They still had another few blocks to go before they would arrive at Dr. Marshall's office and she was nervous they were going to be late. They didn't have time to stop for coffee, but they did anyway. Thanks to Dorothea convincing her to stay up another hour—"to have sex, pretty PRETTY please!"—she very much needed the caffeine, and of course, she was now the one stressing, as opposed to the woman who the appointment was actually for.

Dorothea was still smiling to herself as she played with the paper sleeve on her to-go cup. "My vote is still on Blood-Sucker."

"No." Right as Taylor expressed her disapproval of the nickname —for what must have been the fifteenth time in the past half hour— her phone chimed multiple times. She already knew it was her mother, who had been texting her nonstop the last few days with the anticipation of their approaching arrival in Nashville. Taylor had planned the visit months in advance as a solo trip, though things had clearly changed since then. To be understanding, she had given Dorothea the option to join her, but she agreed anyway. She immediately sensed that the girl was nervous at the prospect of meeting the most important woman in her life. But then her next question came seconds later, so unexpectedly that Taylor found herself scrambling for an answer.

"She knows we're dating, right?"

Taylor's eyes widened, but she didn't say anything. Then Dorothea laughed, adding, "Taylor, I've heard your phone calls."

"Thea—"

The brunette cut her off with another laugh. "More importantly, does she know about Satan Junior, here?"

"Stop saying that!" Taylor hit the other woman, who was still giggling. "And yes. She does."

Dorothea's laughter faded a few moments later. She looked up at her, eyes soft and sincere. "How does she feel about that?" She asked.

"She was surprised when I told her," Taylor replied honestly, "but she also said it's been a long time since she's seen me this happy."

While Taylor responded to her mother's inquiry about their flight, she now heard the younger woman's phone go off several times, as well. Dorothea made a strange noise, causing her to look up from her own device. "Should I be worried?" Taylor asked.