Meet the Parents (Jaylor)

Starstruck

"Joe! It's so wonderful to have you home again!"

Joe grinned as his mum, Elizabeth, wrapped him in a tight hug the moment she opened the door. He waited until she'd pulled back, then he turned to the stunning, tall blonde standing confidently at his side.

"Mum, this is the woman I've been telling you about." He smiled warmly at his girlfriend of two months.

"It's so great to finally meet you, Elizabeth. I'm Taylor." Taylor laughed happily when she was immediately pulled into a hug by the older woman.

"Please call me Liz, dear. It's lovely to meet you as well, but I have to say..." Liz pulled back with an incredulous look on her face. "Even with everything Joe's mentioned, I certainly wasn't expecting Taylor Swift to be standing at my door tonight. Oh, Pat's just going to be over the moon when he sees you, but what am I doing? Please, come inside, dear. We don't need the neighbors seeing you and giving away that you're here. I'd guess you'd prefer to keep your privacy for now, until you're ready to step back into the spotlight," she said wisely, as she ushered the younger woman in the door.

Joe obediently followed, although he noticed with a chuckle that his mum seemed to have forgotten his presence entirely.

"Is Tom already here, too?" Joe asked, as he helped Taylor take off her coat.

"Oh yes, he arrived hours ago. He's up with Pat, helping with some project." Liz looked back to Taylor. "Would you like a glass of wine while I finish up dinner, dear? A nice Cab perhaps?"

"That would be lovely, thank you."

Taylor grinned when she saw pictures of little Joe and his brothers dotting the walls.

"You used to be so little and cute!" She reached up to playfully fluff her lover's hair up. "I can't believe how adorable you and your brothers look together."

"Wasn't he just the sweetest?" Liz laughed as she led them into the kitchen. "Richard, this is Taylor, Joe's girlfriend."

Richard's eyes grew wide, and he immediately set down the spoon he'd been using to stir the vegetables.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Taylor." He walked over and gently shook her hand. "I hope that boy of mine hasn't been giving you any trouble," he joked.

"Not at all, except when he wants to get up at the crack of dawn, instead of letting me sleep," she laughed. "It's so nice to meet you, too. Dinner smells delicious. What are we having?"

"We've got some mixed vegetables to go alongside our steaks and fresh-baked bread. I hope you're not vegetarian," Liz said with a smile, as she brought Taylor her wine.

"Not at all. That sounds amazing." Taylor took a sip of her wine, and hummed happily. "And I'm sure the wine will be excellent with it, thank you again."

"Oh, it's no trouble, dear. Everything's just about ready, so we'll sit down to eat in a few minutes."

"How about a little wine for your son, mum?" Joe complained jokingly, seeing that his mum immediately moved back into finishing dinner.

"Joe, you're a big boy, and you've been living in this house your entire life. I'm quite certain you can pour yourself a bit of wine all on your own," Liz scolded with a laugh, completely missing the blush that heated up her son's cheeks.

"That reminds me Joe. You haven't done your chores yet this week, and the upstairs has been looking pretty shabby," Richard hinted. "You may want to take care of that either later or tomorrow."

"Dad," Joe groaned, looking at Taylor with embarrassment clear on his face.

She just smiled at him with amusement in her eyes. It was a new experience, seeing him at home with his parents, but it was nice.