"Is my mommy your mommy too?"

It seemed like the whole atmosphere of the room changed. No one said anything or moved. Everyone was just silent and still, waiting for me to run out of the house in a rage, which I was now famous for, or blow up at Gerard for putting ideas in her little head, which I was also famous for. But I kept my cool and focused on the movie playing, or tried to at least. Bandit had found her way into my lap again and kept looking up at me. I rolled my eyes at her and tilted her head towards the screen.

"Tay...?"
"What?"
"Well, is she?"

I bit my lip, thinking of the right answer for everybody. I could feel everyone's eyes on me and it made me uncomfortable. I sighed, running my fingers through my hair.

"Yeah... I guess so."
"Guess so what?"

I looked over at Lindsey and Gerard and smiled feebly before looking back to the flat screen.

"I guess your mom is my mom, too."
"Really?!" Bandit squealed happily.
"Yes, now shut up and watch the movie." I laughed, cuddling her close to me again.

***

After Bandit was put to bed that night, I was finishing up the last few dishes from dinner. Gerard was out in the garage, working on some project, and Lindsey was putting laundry away. I felt someone watching me and I turned around and saw her staring at me with a slight frown on her face. She set the laundry basket down on the kitchen table and sighed as she stood next to me, helping put the dishes away.

"Is something wrong, Linds?" I asked, draining the sink and wiping my hands with the towel on the rack.
"No," she mumbled. "Well, sorta."
"What's up?"
"Well, it's about earlier today."
"What about it?"
"You didn't have to say that, you know."
"Say what exactly?"

She closed the dishwasher and turned it on, wiping a few crumbs off the counter top. She tossed them into the trash and leaned against the counter edge.

"That I'm your mom."
"Oh... Well, Bandit would've kept nagging us about it eventually so--"
"I know that but I don't want you to feel like I'm trying to replace your mom."
"I know you're not. I do. It's just that you act more like a mom to me than she did."
"What do you mean?"
"I didn't go to school in Paris for the hell of it, Linds," I chuckled bitterly. "Mom shipped me there the day I turned 10."
"That doesn't mean that she was a bad mother, Taylor."
"Trust me, she was. I can't remember a holiday or any day where she wasn't drunk off her ass or insulting me. She always said that she would have an art career if she had aborted me like she wanted to."
"I'm sorry, hon. That's awful."
I shrugged and chuckled. "Meh. It's alright."

Soon, she engulfed me in a tight hug and sighed into my hair. "I don't expect you to call me 'Mommy' or anything like that, okay?"
I laughed softly and wrapped my arms around her waist. "I didn't really plan on it, to be honest. I think 'Linds' is just fine."


She laughed in response and kissed my forehead. "You should probably get to bed too, honey. I think Gerard had some plans for you and him tomorrow morning."
"Okay," I yawned. What the fuck? I'm yawning now? It's not even 9 o'clock!
"I guess playing with B all day kinda knocks the life right outta ya, huh?" she chuckled.
"Kinda," I laughed back.
"Welcome to my world."

Notes

HELLOOOO, MY LOVELIES. I WAS AWAY ON VACATION FOR A WEEK AND I DIDN'T HAVE INTERWEB ACCESS SO PLEASE ACCEPT MY APOLOGIES WITH A FILLER.

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