a sound she hadn't heard before

thirty-six.

With the plans of London being established, Taylor knows that it really is time to have a talk with Ayla. She owes her daughter a lot of explanations about a lot of things that have been going on lately. She can't pretend that she doesn't. It's time to tell her everything.

"Are you sure that you don't want me to stay?" Joe asks, as the two are driving back from Rhode Island, the morning after they found out the good news. "I can help you to talk to her."

"No," Taylor admits. As much as she wants Joe to be by her side, she knows one thing to be true: "This is a conversation that I need to keep between the two of us. Just me and my daughter. That's how it has always been for her, and I don't want her to think that, just because somebody new in my life, that relationship between us has changed at all. I love her and care about her just as much as I ever have, since that first moment that I held her in my arms, the day she was born."

Joe nods, understanding completely. He can sense that Taylor is nervous about having this conversation by the way that she is gripping the steering wheel of her Toyota so tightly. By the way that she's almost completely silent for most of the drive home. By the way that, every now and then, she just lets out a sigh before biting her lip, stealing a glance at Joe, and then quickly turning her eyes back to the road.

Eventually, Joe can't stand to see her like this anymore. "T, talk to me," he says. "What's on your mind, love?"

"Just... everything," she admits. "I know that this conversation with Ayla is going to be the hardest one that I've ever had, and I'm trying to figure out how to word it all. I don't think that I can avoid scaring her, but I also don't want her to live in constant fear, because she's safe. She doesn't need to worry. I just don't know how I'm going to convey that to her. And on top of that, I'm going to break it to her that I'm pulling her out of school, away from her friends, and moving her to London for an indefinite amount of time."

Taylor's voice is shaky as she speaks. Joe's heart breaks. He hates seeing her upset, but he also knows that every word that she is saying is true.

"She trusts you," Joe speaks, choosing his words carefully. "I think that she will appreciate you being honest with her, and there are things that you can do to prepare her for the changes that are coming her way. She'll still have a little bit of time. We start working in February, which means we will want to move in January, so let's say that gives her a month to prepare. Of course, she won't have school for all of that time because of Christmas, but that does give her lots of time to say goodbye to her friends, and she'll even get to stay in her classroom and do the fun holiday activities with them. It's good that you're telling her now, really."

Taylor sighs. She knows that Joe has a point. "I just can't even imagine how hard it's going to be for her."

"It's going to be hard for you too, T. But you're in this together, and I'm in it with you. Don't you ever forget that. I love you, and I love her, and I want to make sure that both of you are happy."

Taylor smiles upon hearing those words, and Joe rests his hand on her thigh as she continues driving along the highway. She is so thankful that she has him to support her throughout this time, which she knows is going to be very difficult for her and her daughter. "You're the absolute best," she tells him.

"I'm not," he protests. "I'm just doing my job as a boyfriend."

It isn't too long before she has dropped Joe off at his apartment and Taylor finds herself back at her house. Her parents have a flight in the evening, so they start to make their way to the airport, leaving Taylor and Ayla alone.

"What do you say we have some ice cream for snack?" Taylor suggests. "A special treat?"

"Yes please!" Ayla exclaims, jumping off of the couch and running into the kitchen, where she picks out a tub of chocolate ice cream from the freezer. "Will you help me scoop it, Mommy?"