I Will Never Let You Go (A Maxcer Fanfic)

Little Nervous.

Two weeks had gone by, and both Ayla and Willow changed so much. Ayla was staying awake more, opening her eyes enough so they could get a glimpse at her blue irises; and anytime she needed something, Willow was always right there, eager to help. But today she'd be taking on a new challenge, one that would not only rock her world, but theirs as well: preschool.
Max was sitting on the couch nursing Ayla when Willow and Spencer came down the stairs after getting ready. Willow had on a dress that looked like a pencil and a pink collared shirt underneath. Her hair was brought into a ponytail and a bow with measuring tape was clipped in front of it. Lilith had sewn the dress herself and Max put the bow together, making her first day of school outfit extra special.
"Aw you look so cute sweetie. Spence, did you take a picture?"
"Several." He said, opening the photo gallery on his phone and holding it out for her to see. One was of Willow looking at herself in the mirror and smiling really big and the rest were of her posing for the camera. She did some peace signs and funny faces, and even took some with Spencer.
"Can I take picture with Ayla?" Willow asked.
"She's eating breakfast right now, so how about I make you something to eat and when you're both done you guys can take a picture, okay?"
"Okay."
"What do you want for breakfast?" Spencer asked.
"Mickey waffle."
"Wanna be my helper?"
"Yeah!" Willow exclaimed as she ran into the kitchen, and Max and Spencer smiled as they watched her go.
"Let's hope she has that same enthusiasm when we drop her off." Max said.
"I'm sure she'll be fine." Spencer said, following Willow into the kitchen.
After making the waffles and setting Willow up with a plate, Spencer made her lunch and packed it all into her butterfly lunch box, then stuck it in her Disney princess backpack that her name embroidered on it. Once he was done with that, he made himself and Max a plate before sitting next to his daughter.
"Are you excited for school?" He asked.
"Yeah."
"What are you most excited about?"
"New friends!" Willow said, bouncing in her seat.
"That should be fun. Are you nervous?"
"No." She said, sticking another bite of her waffle into her mouth.
After a few minutes Max joined them at the table, leaving Ayla in her swing while she ate. It was nearing 10 a.m. so they cleaned the kitchen in haste before taking a few more pictures of Willow and buckling into the car. The preschool Willow was going to was only five minutes from their house and they'd done their research, confirming that the place would be a good fit for her.
Max held Ayla's carrier on her arm while Spencer held Willow's hand as they crossed the parking lot. There were two other families walking up to the door as well, with kids who might be in Willow's class. Stepping through the door, Willow didn't seem too worried; but as they got closer to her classroom, she leaned into Spencer's leg, almost trying to hide behind him.
"You alright peanut? You feeling nervous?" He asked softly, crouching down to her level.
"Little nervous." She murmured.
"That's okay. You know, I have to go to a lot of new places for my job and even I get nervous sometimes. But you wanna know what I do to make myself feel better?"
Willow nodded.
"I look at pictures of you and Mommy and Ayla on my phone, and I remember how much you guys love me, and suddenly I'm not so nervous anymore. Now of course you don't have a phone, but--." Spencer paused to unzip her backpack and pulled out a picture of the four of them, one that they'd taken during the first couple days after Ayla was born.
"Whenever you feel nervous, just open your backpack and we'll be there, okay?"
"Okay." Willow said, sounding cheerier. He put the picture back in her backpack and zipped it back up, giving it back to Willow for her to hold. With her other hand in his, Spencer led her inside her classroom and introduced her to her new teacher, Ms Carol. She still acted shy, but she didn't cower away when Ms Carol knelt down in front of her. After putting her backpack away in a cubby, another little girl with dark braids came up to her with some toy horses and together they ran off to play. Spencer took that as a good sign and took his leave, meeting up Max in the hallway who had been watching them through the window.
Heading back to the car without Willow was tough. They both had this feeling like they were forgetting something, or wondering if Willow had everything she needed, but they both knew they were overthinking it. Willow had grown up a lot since she turned two, and even more since she became a big sister, so they knew deep down that she was ready for this.
Max and Spencer sat next to each other in their seats in silence, staring at the doors that they'd just walked through. After a few moments, they turned their faces towards each other, seeing the silent tears that had formed in both their eyes and burst into laughter.
"Oh god, our Willow tree is growing too much too fast for me." Max whined.
"Well every tree has to grow at some point." Spencer surmised, placing a hand on hers before pulling the car out of its spot.