*Taylor's POV*
I'm upstairs laying on my bed when my Mom finds me.
"Are you okay, sweetie?", she asks, as she comes in and sits on the edge of the bed.
"Am I a bad Mother? Should I not be letting Ellie be so clingy?", I whisper, avoiding my Mom's gaze.
"Taylor Alison Swift! You do not listen to that woman, do you hear me? You and Adam are doing a great job raising Ellie", my Mom says firmly, as I sit up.
I wipe the tears from my eyes and my Mom engulfs me in a hug.
"She doesn't even know Ellie", I sigh.
"She's only met her 3 times, and she has no right to treat her like that. She's just as much our child as the new baby is", I mumble.
"I know, sweetie. She just doesn't understand that she's wrong. There's a reason Adam left Scotland, and it's sitting downstairs in your living room", my mom says softly.
I laugh quietly, and my Mom takes my face in her hands.
"Look at me", she says.
"Ellie is the most beautiful little girl in the world, and you cannot let that woman's opinion ruin your baby's Christmas, okay? So, you need to go down there and be polite, and just pretend that nothing happened. Be strong for your daughter Taylor. It's what I'd do for you", she whispers, kissing my forehead like she used to when I was little.
"I know Mom", I sigh.
"Ellie doesn't even remember her old parents, or that she's adopted. She has totally forgotten about how her biological Father used to treat her, because of the amazing life she has now. You really love that little girl Taylor, and I'm so incredibly proud of you", my Mom says, starting to cry.
She takes my hand, and guides me to the door of the bedroom.
"Now, let's go downstairs and put on a brave face for everybody okay? Let's make Christmas magical, it's the last one with Ellie as an only child", my Mom says, brushing a stray strand of hair out of my eyes.
I nod my head, and follow my Mom downstairs, to face the wrath of my soon to be Mother in law.
********
"Mommy! Daddy! You have to wake up, Santa came", Ellie screams, jumping up and down on the bed.
I look at the clock. It's 6:03am on Christmas morning.
"Are you sure you've been good enough?" Adam asks teasingly, grabbing Ellie by under the armpits and holding her in the air, making her scream even louder.
"YESSS IM SURE", she shouts excitedly, grabbing both of our hands and pulling us out of bed.
Adam grabs Ellie again and pops her on his shoulders, as he runs down the stairs to the living room.
I snap a picture on my phone and post it on Instagram with the caption
'I have two very excited kids in my house this morning! Merry Christmas from my family to yours 🎅🏽 x' .
The minute I post it the fans go wild, so I delete the app and follow my family in to the living room, where there are presents covering every surface.
My parents and Adam's parents are already sitting down with cups of coffee, and Austin is helping Ellie open her first present. We're all in our matching pyjamas, and I take my Mom's advice and try to get along with Adam's Mom, Pamela.
