𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘭𝘦𝘯 𝘭𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘦𝘴 4

Chapter 4:

Public Announcement & Cravings

Reese never thought she'd be famous enough to have her own name trending on Twitter.

She figured Taylor's name would be there—because when wasn't it? But hers? That was still weird.

Yet here they were, scrolling through an endless wave of tweets and Instagram posts, all because of one decision: whether or not to announce their pregnancy.

They had spent the last three days debating it.

On one hand, this was their moment. It was private, beautiful, and deeply personal. Part of Reese wanted to keep it just between them, their families, and their closest friends. But on the other hand, keeping secrets from the world was damn near impossible when you were engaged to Taylor Swift.

People already suspected something. The tabloid leaks, the sudden disappearance from public events, the fact that Taylor never disappeared from public events unless something huge was happening.

Their fans were smart. They would figure it out eventually.

So after hours of going back and forth, Taylor finally pulled Reese into her lap, wrapping her arms around her waist.

"Baby," she murmured against Reese's neck, pressing a soft kiss there. "Do you want to share this?"

Reese hesitated. "I don't know," she admitted. "I love that it's just ours right now. But I also don't want it to feel like we're hiding it."

Taylor nodded, rubbing slow circles into Reese's back. "Then let's tell them in our way."

And just like that, the decision was made.

—

They kept it simple.

A black-and-white Polaroid of Taylor's hand on Reese's stomach. The engagement ring shining on her finger. A second picture of them, curled up on the couch, Reese's head on Taylor's shoulder, both of them smiling softly at the camera.

Taylor captioned it:

"Baby Carter-Swift coming soon. ❤️"

Reese reposted it on her page, adding:

"Can't wait to meet you, little one."

They hit post.

And within minutes, the internet exploded.

Reese had never seen so many notifications in her life.

The love was overwhelming.

@selenagomez: crying rn omg I love you both so much ❤️😭

@gracieabrams: my heart is FULL 🥹

@sabrinacarpenter: I am already the baby's favorite aunt. It's science.

Fans flooded the comments with messages of support, excitement, and absolute meltdowns.

But, of course, not everyone was happy.

There were critics. People saying Taylor was "ruining her career" by having a family. Others questioning why Reese was the one carrying the baby. And, of course, the ones who just lived to hate anything Taylor did.

Reese tried not to care. She really did. But some of it got to her.

Later that night, curled up in bed with Taylor, she sighed. "How do you deal with this all the time?"

Taylor shifted, pulling Reese closer. "You mean the internet being a flaming dumpster fire?"

Reese laughed softly. "Yeah. That."

Taylor kissed the top of her head. "I remind myself that their opinions don't mean shit. The only thing that matters is what we know is real."

Reese tilted her head up, looking at her. "You make it sound easy."

Taylor smiled, tucking a loose strand of hair behind Reese's ear. "It's not. But it's easier when I have you."

Reese melted, pressing her face into Taylor's neck. "God, I love you."

Taylor grinned. "I know."

—

Pregnancy was wild.

Reese had read all the books, listened to all the advice, but nothing could have prepared her for the insatiable cravings.

One night, at exactly 2:37 AM, she shoved Taylor awake.

Taylor groaned, face buried in the pillow. "Mmmh. What?"

"I need pickles," Reese whispered urgently.

Taylor cracked an eye open. "Baby, it's the middle of the night."

"I know."

Taylor sighed, but she was already sitting up. "Okay. Pickles. Got it."

Reese grabbed her wrist before she could leave. "And peanut butter."

Taylor blinked. "Pickles and peanut butter?"

Reese nodded, completely serious. "Yeah. Together."

Taylor stared at her for a long moment before muttering, "Jesus Christ, I need to mentally prepare for this," and getting out of bed.

Reese grinned.

—

It started off innocent.

A few days later, they went out for lunch, just the two of them, trying to enjoy a normal day.

Then, halfway through the meal, Reese saw something on the menu that changed her life.

"Holy shit," she whispered.

Taylor, mid-sip of her drink, raised a brow. "What?"

Reese pointed at the dessert menu. "Fried pickles with chocolate sauce."

Taylor made a face. "Baby. No."

"Baby. Yes."

Fifteen minutes later, the plate arrived.

Taylor stared at it in horror as Reese eagerly picked up a chocolate-covered pickle and took a huge bite.

She moaned. "Oh my God."

Taylor gagged. "Reese. That's disgusting."

Reese just grinned and held out a piece. "Try it."

Taylor stared at her like she had lost her mind.

"Absolutely not."

"Please?" Reese gave her puppy eyes.

Taylor groaned, leaning forward to take the tiniest, most reluctant bite.

The second it hit her tongue, she gagged.

"Oh my God, that's the worst thing I've ever tasted."

Reese cackled. "You're so dramatic."

What they didn't know was that a fan had been sitting a few tables away, recording the whole thing.

And by that night, the video was everywhere.

"Taylor Swift vs. Reese Carter's Pregnancy Cravings"

It went viral.

Memes. Edits. People recreating the fried pickles and chocolate disaster and rating it. Even celebrities jumped in.

@lizzobeeating: okay but why does this actually slap

@jackantonoff: petition to ban Reese from ever ordering food again

Taylor, mortified, groaned as she flopped onto the couch. "Baby. I'm a meme."

Reese, scrolling through TikTok, giggled. "A really cute meme."

Taylor narrowed her eyes. "You're lucky I love you."

Reese leaned over, pressing a soft, lingering kiss to Taylor's lips. "I know."

Taylor sighed dramatically, pulling Reese into her lap. "God help me when you start craving weirder shit."

Reese smirked. "Oh, baby. You have no idea."

And just like that, another chapter of their wild, beautiful life had begun.