*Taylor's POV*
Something was tapping my shoulder lightly.
"Stop it Adam", I giggle, thinking that Adam was up to some funny business. The tapping stops and I start to fall back into my deep sleep. Then I hear whimpering.
I shoot up and see Ellie standing next to our bed, sucking her thumb. Her cheeks are tear stained and her eyes are red, her breathing heavy and unsteady. As soon as we make eye contact, she starts to bawl her little eyes out. Calvin started stirring beside me, and then he sits up.
"No, baby don't cry", I coo, and put my arms out to lift Ellie up onto the bed. She clings onto me like a baby monkey and buries her head into my chest. Adam scoots over towards us and puts one arm around my waist, the other on Ellie's back. Soon her breathing returns to normal and she has stopped crying.
"I-I h-had a b-ba-ad dweam", she mumbles into my chest. "Daddy came back fwom dwinking the yucky brown stuff with his friends and he hit me in the eyes a-and I couldn't see anymore", she continues. I glance over at Adam and we look into each other's eyes. I can tell that he's angry. He hops out of the bed and quickly walks out of the room. I bring my attention back to Ellie, ignoring Adam for now.
I kiss the top of her head. "It's okay, baby. He can't ever hurt you again, I promise. Mommy and Daddy are going to protect you, okay?", I turn her around so I'm looking directly into her eyes. "You are never going to see him again". She takes her thumb out of her mouth and whispers something inaudible.
"What did you say baby?", I ask her softly.
"I wuv you momma", she says, smiling at me slightly. My heart melts and I can feel the tears brimming in my eyes. She cuddles back into me and wraps her little arms around my neck, her head resting on my shoulder. "I love you too, Ellie, because you're my favourite girl", I say.
I look at her face and I can see her eyes drooping, so I rock her back and forth in my arms, and decide to sing.
"Looking at it now, it all seemed so simple.
We were lying on your couch, I remember.
You took a Polaroid of us. Then discovered. Then discovered.
The rest of the world was black and white, but we were in screaming colour.
And I remember thinking;
Are we out of the woods yet?
Are we out of the woods yet?
Are we out of the woods yet?
Are we out of the woods?
Are we in the clear yet?
Are we in the clear yet?
Are we in the clear yet?
In the clear yet? Good.
Are we out of the woods yet?
Are we out of the woods yet?
Are we out of the woods yet?
Are we out of the woods?
Are we in the clear yet?
Are we in the clear yet?
Are we in the clear yet?
In the clear yet? Good."
I look down at my baby and I smile to myself as I see her asleep, snoring softly, her thumb still in her mouth. I kiss her temple. "Sweet dreams, my little one", I whisper.
Deciding that I don't want her sleeping alone tonight, I shift her off my lap and lay her in the middle of the bed, next to me.
Then I get out from under the blankets and go to find Adam. I hear loud banging coming from downstairs, and I run down. As I rush towards the kitchen, it gets louder, and when I walk inside, I see that the back door is open. I walk out into the garden and I see Adam.
He looks angry. Really angry. He is punching a tree, and the tree is winning the fight. "Adam!", I shout and he stops, turning around. He's sweating and his knuckles are bleeding. He walks towards me, and then he just breaks.
He collapses onto his hands and knees in front of me, and starts bawling crying. I've seen him cry before, but never like this.
I don't say anything. I just sit down beside him, on the grass, and we share a hug. Soon enough, my tear ducts have also won their battle, and I'm crying too. We sit there and cry for what seems like forever in each other's arms, until Adam finally speaks.
"I'm going to kill that bastard. Nobody hurts my baby like that and gets away with it.", he says.
"She's scarred for life, Taylor. She's three years old, and she's having nightmares about being beaten to a pulp. It's just... it's not okay", he continues.
"I know babe", I say. "But she's with us now, and she's safe. She has parents who love her. I never said it was going to be easy, but it's worth it just to see her smile."
I look at Adam and I can see his face softening.
"I want him locked up for life", he says. "I won't sleep properly until I know he's far away from my family". Adam takes my face in his hands and continues. "It's my job to keep my girls safe, and that's what I'm going to do".
He leans in and our lips meet. We share a passionate kiss, full of love and full of lust. I break away, and stand up, taking his hand.
"Come on, let's get your cuts cleaned up", I say. He gets onto his feet and follows me inside.
"Taylor?", Adam says.
"Yeah?", I say, turning around.
"I really love you"
"I love you too, Adam. Until the day I die."
******
The next morning I wake to an empty bed. I open my eyes and see that Ellie and Adam aren't there. I hear giggles coming from downstairs, and I smile to myself as I make my way towards the staircase.
I stick my head in the door of the living room and I see the two of them lying on the couch, Ellie with her head on Adam's chest. They're watching The Little Mermaid.
"Sometimes I wish I was a mermaid", Ellie sighs.
"You can be whatever you want to be, if you put your mind to it, Princess", Adam says, playing with the the ringlets in Ellie's golden brown hair.
"Shhhh Daddy, this is the best part", Ellie glares at Adam and points at the screen, and I can't help but giggle.
They both turn around and as soon as Ellie sees me she jumps up and runs towards me. "Mommy!!", she screams.
"Hey little bear", I say picking her up.
"Good morning, babe", Adam says, walking towards me. "We said we'd let you have a little sleep in this morning, isn't that right bug?", he says, looking at Ellie, who is giving me cuddles. She nods and looks up at me shyly.
"So, who wants waffles?", I ask.
They both scream excitedly as I giggle, and hand Ellie back over to Adam as I make my way towards the kitchen.
****
20 minutes later
When the waffles are ready, I set them on the kitchen table, and go to call Adam and Ellie.
When I walk into the living room, I see that the two of them have fallen back asleep. I decide to leave them asleep, and quickly take out my phone to snap the first family picture.
I walk back to the kitchen and eat my waffles, unable to wipe the smile off of my face. We really are going to be okay.
I take my phone out again, and decide to post the picture of Adam and Ellie sleeping on Instagram. I caption it "Daddy bear 🐻💛", and hit post. I then delete the app and lock my phone, realizing that I've probably just broken the Internet. I smile to myself and sit back, enjoying my morning coffee, wondering what the future will bring.
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Here's a Christmas gift from me to you!! It's the night before Christmas Eve and I'm so excited to relax and spend time with my family!! I hope you enjoyed this longish chapter, I felt like I had a lot to write. Once again, I'm always happy to hear your opinions. HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
Much love xx
