Destined 2 Love ( Sequel )

P R I D E

"I-I can't imagine myself moving miles away and my daughter not be allowed to come with me." Taylor paced her living room in a panic. Kross had officially served her with court papers and to her surprise, he was able to have an emergency hearing. She was nowhere near prepared to stand in front of a judge. "Babe, calm down." Emmi, her girlfriend, tried calming her nerves. "Relax?!" Taylor's head jerked, "What exactly is there to be relaxed about? Kross and Destiny will easily come off as the perfect poster parents for Skylar."

"Do you really want to snatch her away from her father and siblings though?" Emmi questioned. Taylor's face turned sour immediately. "Who's side are you on?" Emmi's eyebrows furrowed, "Yours. Always. You know that." She looked Taylor in the eyes. "But just because I'm on your side doesn't mean I'm going to agree with every decision you make." She clarified.

Taylor was offended in the moment. "So, what is it that you're trying to say exactly?" She folded her arms across her chest. Emmi walked closer to where she stood. She sighed. "When we first met I remember you telling me how much your daughters father saved her from the system. Fighting him for custody, now, you'll only be making her another product of the failed parenting system." Emmi reasoned. She was more the rational one in their relationship.

Taylor scoffed. She sometimes disliked how honest Emmi could be, but she was typically right almost every time. Tears pooled Taylor's eyes, "W-What am I supposed to do?" Her lips trembled from fear. "It's not about how you, or Kross feel. It's about what Skylar wants. Have you even asked her how she'd feel if you guys were to move back to New York?" Emmi had another point and Taylor also disliked that. "No." She answered. "I was doing this for us... me." Her voice was on the verge of cracking.

"I know. That's why I turned down the job offer." Emmi admitted, shocking Taylor. "Look," she cupped Taylor's face in the palm of her hands. "I know you love me, and you were ready to pack your entire life up to my convince, but Skylar would have way more to lose. I care for her too much to let you do that all at the expense of our relationship." She said. A tear rolled down Taylor's cheek. "It's not just about that though," she sniffled, "My mother, her grandmother, is ill. I don't want to live with regrets if something happens. She's way too good to Sky to not give her that much." Taylor found herself being fully transparent and vulnerable.

"And I hear you, I really do." Emmi placed her hands around Taylor's waist. "But, you don't have to start fires just to fulfill that. I'm sure Kross will allow you to take Sky back home so that the both of you can get the well-needed time with her." Taylor let out a shaky exhale. "You know," there was a long pause in her sentence, "sometimes I wonder if going back into Skylar's life was the right thing." There was a wave of dreadfulness that took over.

"Nope. We're not doing that. Sky loves you, staying away would've done more bad than good." Emmi stared deeply into her eyes this time. Taylor nodded, sniffling, again. "Thank you, for always being here." She planted a kiss on Emmi's lips, bringing her to a small smile. After Taylor got herself together, she wasted no time phoning Kross. He picked up within the first couple of rings.

"Wassup, Taylor?" He didn't sound too thrilled to receive her call. "Hey. I wanted to know if I could stop by later on today? I want us to hash the custody agreement out... without lawyers and judges." She said. There was a short pause, then Kross replied from his end. "Okay. You can drop by around seven." He told her. She thanked him and the call ended. She was thankful that Kross was frequently understanding. In fact, she was starting to regret throwing his past in his face the other night.

She'd only hope that this talk would smooth their co-parenting relationship out. Taylor mentally prepared herself for their conversation, even though she was almost certain it would end on a positive note. When she arrived at the house, it was fifteen-minutes after seven. She rang the doorbell, tucking a strand of her thick curly hair behind her ear while she waited.

The door slowly opened soon after, revealing Kross. He welcomed her inside the house and she took notice to the silence. "Where's Destiny and the kids?" She asked. "Everybody's getting their rest." He answered, leading her into the kitchen. Taylor claimed her seat at the table while Kross stood behind the island. Taylor looked him up and down briefly. His demeanor was nonchalant. She cleared her throat, "I want to drop the custody rearrangement. I'd rather not fight you on this, I'm willing to compromise." She said.

Kross was taken back, although he was confident a judge would work in his favor regardless. "Can I ask you why you changed your mind all of a sudden?" He stared at her for a split second then chugged some of the water from his bottle. Taylor lightly tapped her gel manicured nails against the surface of the table. "This is now Skylar's home. She loves it here, and she loves being with her family." The words rolled off her tongue effortlessly and without envy.

"Well, I appreciate that." Kross nodded. On the inside, he was lighten about not showing up to court and explaining why he was the more fit parent to raise Skylar full time. He was even more sparky now that Taylor seemed to come to her senses. "That's all I really wanted to say and it had to be face-to-face, like when I brought the idea to you." She told him, standing from the chair and pushing it in.

"I respect it. I'll have Sky give you a call in the morning." He walked her out. She nodded with a smile, heading to her car. A gentle smirk crept into Kross's face once he closed the front door. He couldn't wait to give his wife the exciting update. It was as if everything was going to be on the uphill from here on. He had much gratitude.

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