a sound she hadn't heard before

forty-one.

By the time that Taylor leaves that police station, she feels bruised and battered. Worn down. She feels like she's going to be returning home merely a shell of the woman that she was this morning.

Telling her story, every last bit of it, to the police was the hardest thing that she has ever had to do. There were times where she was crying so hard that she could barely breathe, much less get any words out. It took her nearly three hours to get through everything.

She is thankful that they were able to accommodate her wishes and allow her to speak with a female officer on duty. She's always been afraid of police. She's heard too many terrible stories, seen too many instances of abuses of power. However, she came to a point where she didn't have a choice today. To get the level of legal involvement that she wanted, she had to speak with them. Knowing that, at least the officer was a woman, brought her some form of comfort.

She is thankful that she was believed and taken seriously. She presented all of the evidence that she had. She was assured that actions will be taken immediately.

When Taylor drives home, she starts to feel better as she realizes that it's over. That she's not going to have to worry any more. Not as long as the police keep their word. They'll take Adam into custody today and they'll expedite the trial to as soon as possible. Even if that still isn't for a few months, she's going to be able to find peace with the fact that he's rotting away in jail, while she's safe and happy with her sweet, beautiful little girl.

When she returns home, she finds Joe on the sofa and Ayla on the floor, playing with her American Girl doll.

"How was it?" he asks, standing up and walking to her, the moment that Taylor walks in the door. He can tell by the redness lingering in her eyes that it was far from easy for her; he already knew that it would be.

"It's over," she says, feeling his arms wrap around her body in an embrace. She leans into his chest. "It's all going to be okay."

"I'm so proud of you," Joe tells Taylor, stroking her hair. "You did it. You don't have to worry about him any more, and now, we can all enjoy a nice Christmas together. Does that sound good?"

"It sounds amazing," Taylor says, smiling up at him and staring into his electric blue eyes. She wants nothing more than to kiss him and never let him go. Right now, however, she refrains, because her daughter is only a few feet away.

"How about I make hot chocolate and we can just relax for the rest of the day, hm?"

"That sounds amazing," she tells him. "Thank you. For everything."

"Don't you even go there," Joe says, pressing a finger to Taylor's lips to shush her. "I'm just doing the little that I can. Thanks are not necessary."

Taylor simply shakes her head at him. "You have no idea how much you've done."

At that, Joe leaves the living room, walking into the kitchen to get started on the hot chocolate. Taylor walks over to her daughter, and she smiles to herself, remembering why she's doing all of this in the first place: to make a better life for that precious little girl.

Taylor watches from a few feet away as Ayla pulls a new dress onto the doll. "Look Mommy," Ayla says as she turns to her mom, a big smile on her face. "It's a red dress, because Christmas is soon, and I have a red dress to wear on Christmas too!"

"Wow," Taylor says. "You two are going to be twins, then, aren't you?"

"Yeah. And Courtney has curly hair too, just like me, and just like you do, Momma! And after I get her dress on her, she's going to sing a special Christmas concert with her guitar, just like you used to do. Except she's going to sing Christmas songs."

Taylor feels the corners of her lips pulling upwards into a smile. Her daughter never fails to lift her mood. "That's really special, Ayla. Can I have a ticket to the concert?"

"Of course you can, silly," Ayla replies. "Joe can too. And Dani. And Gramma and Grampa." She pauses. "Are Gramma and Grampa gonna come for Christmas like they did last year?"

Taylor shakes her head, biting her lip. She hopes that her little girl won't be too upset by the answer. "They're gonna spend Christmas with Uncle Austin and Aunt Kristy this year, but they promised that they'll come visit us before we go to London, alright? Christmas will just be you, me, and Joe." Taylor's younger brother got married to the woman of his dreams back in February, and Taylor could not be happier for him. The newlywed couple wanted to host Christmas dinner for both sets of parents, to which Andrea and Scott happily obliged.

"Alright," Ayla says. "Can we FaceTime them when I'm opening my stocking though?"

Taylor smiles. "I'm sure that they would love that. They sent you some presents too, so how about you open those on the phone with them?"

This makes Ayla excited. "Yes!" she exclaims. "Is Santa gonna bring presents from them too?"

Taylor laughs. "No sweetie. They sent them in the mail, and I got the package a few days ago. I have it, though, I promise. I'll put it under the tree for you."

Ayla gasps. "But what if Santa sees that there are already presents under there and thinks that he doesn't need to put any more presents out?"

"Santa won't think that," Taylor promises her daughter. "He's really smart, and the elves make toys especially for every child in the world. I bet that, right now, there's an elf making a toy for little miss Ayla Swift, and the elf is going to put your name on it, and Santa will know that he can't give it to any other boy or girl."

Ayla seems to be satisfied with this answer. "Okay," she says, then turns back to her doll, suddenly done with this conversation. Taylor can't help but laugh under her breath a bit. She watches as Ayla's little fingers pull up the zipper on the dress, then put a pair of sparkly shoes on the doll. There's something so magical to her about watching her daughter navigate the world. She can't believe that the sweet little baby that she held in her arms and instantly fell in love with, five and a half years ago, is becoming so grown up. She remembers how she laughed when her mom told her how quickly everything would go with Ayla. Her mom was right, though. Time is slipping through her fingers.

That's exactly why, Taylor reminds herself, she's fighting this fight now. She can't risk losing the time that she has with Ayla by living in fear. She wants to savor every single moment.

Taylor's thoughts are interrupted by Joe's hand being placed on her shoulder. "Cocoa is ready, love. Does Ayla want to put her own whipped cream on it?"

Taylor smiles. "I'm sure she'd love that."

"Ayla," Joe says, "I made hot cocoa. Do you want some? You can do the whipped cream for me."

Ayla eagerly jumps up upon hearing this news. "Yes!" She runs into the kitchen, with Taylor and Joe on her heels, calling for her to "use your walking feet" inside.

Just a minute later, the three of them are sitting around the table, sipping their warm beverages and listening as Ayla tells Taylor all about an episode of Paw Patrol that she watched earlier in the afternoon.

Taylor doesn't know what it is about the moment, but it feels so special to her. Just her, her daughter, and the man that she loves. Joe looking across the table at her, stealing loving glances that will later in the evening turn into cuddles and kisses. Taylor blushing every time that she feels him lay eyes on her. Ayla chattering away, so unaware of anything that's going on between the adults.

To Taylor, it really does feel like Joe is becoming part of the family. She likes that very much. In the back of her mind, she can't help but imagine what it would feel like to walk down the aisle in a white dress and tell Joe that she will love him for the rest of her life. To hear him say the same thing in return. She can't help but yearn to marry him, someday. The mere thought of it makes her giddy.

Both Taylor and Joe know that they've found their person in each other. They don't have any questions about that. Everyone knows it. Nobody who knows Taylor has ever seen her as happy. Nobody who knows Joe has ever seen him so sure of anything as he is of this relationship. Maybe, in some aspects, they're moving fast. But neither of them could imagine doing it any other way. It just feels right.