a sound she hadn't heard before

eight.

"Ayla, I need you to hold still so that I can tie your swimsuit top," Taylor laughs, wrapping her arms around her wiggly little girl's waist. Her playdate with Jane is in half an hour, and to say that she's excited might be an understatement. It's a beautiful, warm day; perfect for a swim. It's the weather that is typical for early September- the last golden days of summer, after August has already slipped away but the leaves haven't quite begun to change to brilliant hues of red and yellow.

Ayla giggles as she wriggles around in her mom's grasp, but eventually does calm down so that Taylor can tie the strings on her swimsuit.

"Let's get going, shall we?" Taylor asks her little girl, who smiles and nods in return. "Go find your flippity floppities and I'll grab your sunscreen. We have to put that on before we leave so that it'll have time to dry before you jump in the pool, okay?"

"Fine." Ayla runs off and Taylor goes in the other direction to find the sunscreen.

Ten minutes later, Ayla is strapped into her car seat and Taylor's GPS is routing her to Jane's house. "Now remember," Taylor says, looking up to see Ayla in the rear view mirror, "you have to be a good girl when you're playing with Jane, okay? And when Mommy says it's time to go home, I mean it."

"Okay Mommy," Ayla says, kicking her legs against the driver's seat with excitement.

Taylor has to admit, she's incredibly worried about today, but she can't show that and worry Ayla. She wants Ayla to have fun with her new friend, really, and it's a massive relief that she'll get to stay around while the girls play. She can't let her anxiety get the better of her.

When the two show up to Jane's house, Taylor is relieved to see that it is a very nice house in a very nice neighborhood. Taylor holds Ayla's hand as the little girl reaches up to press the doorbell.

In just a moment, Jane and Holly open the door.

"Ayla!" Jane exclaims. "Come on, come on! I want to show you my pool."

Ayla follows Jane as the two instantly run into the house, causing the moms to laugh. "We should probably follow them." The women walk through the house, trailing the little girls who were heading to the pool.

"It's lovely to finally meet you, Miss Swift."

"Please, it's Taylor," she replies. "The pleasure is mine."

In this moment, Taylor realizes that Holly had no idea who, exactly, Ayla's mom was. As she removes her sunglasses, Holly's mouth drops. "Well, that explains the security concerns, I suppose," she laughs.

Taylor can't help but grimace a little bit. "Yeah. Sorry... um, we are just trying to lay low and have a normal life, you know? Please, don't tip off the press... I can pay you more to keep it secret than they would pay you for telling them our whereabouts, and I really just want Ayla to be safe, and-"

Holly cuts her off. "I wouldn't dream of it. Really."

"Oh, thank god," Taylor says. "I thought that you knew already." She pauses, feeling sudden guilt. "I'm sorry that I went straight to the assumption that you might... and that I went straight to money. I really just... I want Ayla to be able to have a life that isn't hiding from photographers and seeing her name on the cover of tabloids. I'd just do absolutely anything to achieve that."

"No, no, I completely understand. I'd do the same thing to protect Jane if I was in your position."

The more that the two adults talk, as the children play in the pool, Taylor starts to feel more comfortable. She can't help but think that she has had more new people come into her life in the last few weeks than she has for Ayla's entire life. Though she has lost some friends in the last 10 years, she hasn't gained any new ones. People like her creative team, Dani, and Holly, however make her think that maybe new people aren't that bad.