Baby Love

Chapter 56

Happy April 13th (iykyk) 😉

Word Count: 3722

Taylor's POV

It's been a couple of days, and Averie has not left my side. She seems terrified to be alone. I had to have Greg come sit with her so I could take a shower. I understand that she's been through this big terrible thing, but I'm being pushed to my limits. To make matters worse, Joe encountered an issue on set, resulting in the postponement of filming. He's also being called to London for some ADR work or some bullshit meeting. He might have also said it was funeral arrangements or custody things, but I stopped listening when he pushed his return date back again. It's incredibly frustrating because I feel so out of my depth, and he's not doing anything to help. He has called Averie a few times, but she hasn't shown much interest. It also seems like his attention isn't fully on her, irritating me and exacerbating the situation.

Averie woke up three times last night because of nightmares. She's absolutely exhausted and extremely sassy. To make matters worse, I have the first of two Rhode Island secret sessions, so this will be the first day I can't spend with just her.

We worked out a plan to have one of our interns, possibly my mom and Greg hang out with her during the session, but I'm not sure how she'll cope with that. She gets anxious even when I'm out of her line of sight for just an hour. Her separation anxiety has skyrocketed, undoubtedly fueled by the circumstances surrounding her mother's passing. Even during naps, she wants to be close to me. Our routine includes at least one contact nap a day.

My mom was over the previous day to try and get Averie used to being around her since she's in town to help with the session. However, Averie was pretty shy and kept her distance, so I'm not sure if her being around will help any.

I had hired some extra help to clean the house since Averie has been really struggling with separation. While the cleaning was underway, I decided to spend the day baking and have my mom spend some time with Averie to hopefully ease her into the idea of being a little further from me.

However, despite my mom's attempts to watch over her, Averie grew increasingly distressed, especially when she couldn't see me. She kept darting into the kitchen, and I found myself constantly worried about her safety amid the hustle and bustle of baking. I was scared I'd accidentally hit her with a pan or she'd walk into an oven. It felt like the worst-case scenario me had taken over, and my arms definitely weren't strong enough to carry her and bake. Thankfully, Parker and Greg bought a new sling in London, which has truly been a lifesaver these last few days. With Averie securely nestled against me, I could focus on baking and hanging out with my mom.

All morning, my crew has been working on setting up the house for the Reputation secret sessions. Everything needed to be perfectly in its place. No pictures of me with Joe or Averie were left out. The cats will be hidden away in the office but they're in my room right now. Hallways and stairs were marked off with tape to ensure guests stayed where they needed to be.

Averie is currently in my bedroom, keeping my mom on her toes while I put the finishing touches on my makeup and outfit in the ensuite bathroom. I left the door slightly ajar so she could feel my presence nearby. Despite my efforts, it seems the sassy girl isn't heeding my mom's guidance. I can hear the distinct revving sound of her remote-controlled car as she zooms it around, likely terrorizing the cats in the process.

A chorus of meows echoes through the room as Averie recklessly maneuvers her car. Meredith is probably on the brink of losing her patience. The choice to purchase the remote control car was made by Parker and Greg when I sent them shopping with my credit card. I hadn't specifically asked for toys, but apparently, they deemed them necessary.