Page 77 of That: Taylor & Brooks

“Y’all could’ve just told me instead of all this sneaking and creeping.”

Taylor exhaled sharply, the frustration finally bubbling over. “Blake, it wasn’t that serious, and you don’t know everything.” Her voice wavered. “You just don’t.”

“Well, tell me what it is, then, because right now, this feels like my best friend betrayed me.” Blake’s voice softened, but it was no less sharp. “And if I’m wrong, I’m woman enough to say I’m wrong.”

Taylor swallowed; emotion thick in her throat. She hadn’t wanted to hide it for that long, not really.But everything had happened so fast, and telling Blake meant acknowledging how real it all was.

“When’s the last time you called to check on me?” The question slipped before Taylor could stop it. She wasn’t trying to turn this around, but damn something had to give. Everyone had to take accountability, and she was taking hers.

The silence that followed was different this time. Heavy in a way that said Blake knew she was right.

“Y’all seem to believe I have this perfect life, and the truth is I don’t.”

Blake let out a long sigh. “Taylor, be fair. You don’t say anything either. You‘ve enjoyed being the perfect friend, the friend that had it all. I love you, but we gon’ keep it a buck.”

Taylor closed her eyes, that was true. She had hidden behind the illusion of perfection because it was easier than admitting things were falling apart. It was easier than ruining girls night because your man couldn’t hold it together. She wore her silence like armor, afraid of becoming someone’s burden again.

“Yeah, well, maybe,” she admitted, her voice quieter. “But that doesn’t mean things have been perfect in my life. I got my shit too.”

Blake sighed again, the sharpness in her tone fading. “Well, I’m your friend, and I’m listening if you want to say more. But you go all recluse on us, and we respect that.” A pause. “I’ll do better.”

Something in Taylor’s chest loosened at that.

“Me too, B.”

She hung up, the weight of the truth feeling a lot less heavier. The words still stung, but the air was clearer now. No more hiding. No more dodging.

Taylor stared at her phone a little longer, then set it down to focus on the mission.

Tonight wasn’t about Blake. It wasn’t even about the past.

Tonight was about Brooks.

About the man who’d met her where she was and loved her anyway. The one who saw her mess and didn’t flinch.

She moved with more purpose now, reaching for the lamb chops, her playlist already queuing up.

She couldn’t fix everything with a meal—but she could show him she saw him. She appreciated him.

And she wasn’t running anymore.

As she worked, Sweet Thing played softly in the background, and for the first time, she looked around and really saw her home. This kitchen had witnessed so many lonely nights. So many tears were shed over a man who barely came home.

Now it was warm, alive with laughter and music. She’d replaced the wedding photos with artwork that made her happy, painted one wall a deep terracotta that made her skin glow. Changed the bedding, got a new mattress. Small things, that felt big. That reflected her.

The vibration of her phone on the counter made her pause. Her heart dropped into her stomach when she saw her mother’s name flashing across the screen. Taylor hesitated, finger hovering over decline. They hadn’t spoken since the day she shattered their expectations and walked away from the life they’d picked for her. But something in her gut told her to answer. It was time.

“Hello?”

“Taylor.” Her mother’s voice was softer thanusual, hesitant even. “How are you, baby?”

Taylor stirred the potatoes, keeping her voice even. “I’m good, Momma. Just cooking dinner.”

A pause stretched between them, too long to be casual. Taylor sighed, filling the silence. “How are you?”

They hadn’t always been at odds. Before the fear, before the church swallowed her whole, her mother used to be warm. Supportive. Fun.

“Making it, honey. Listen, I’ve been praying about our conversation,” her mother admitted. Taylor braced herself for another lecture, another attempt to pull her back into the fold. But her mother surprised her.

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