November 2026
'Travis? I need your help, come up here a second please', Taylor called downstairs, her voice carrying down to Travis, who was preparing lunch for them.
He makes his way upstairs, breaking out into a run when he sees Taylor, eight months pregnant, climbing the ladder into their loft.
Grabbing her back from behind, he gasps out, 'Taylor! What are you thinking? Why on earth are you up a ladder? You do realise you're pregnant, right?'
She shoots him an annoyed face, eyebrows furrowed together. 'Of course I do. I'm trying to get that box of newborn clothes we kept, I want the baby to wear the same coming home from hospital outfit Mia did'.
She doesn't budge from her position on the ladder until Travis attempts to lift her, his face stern. 'Okay okay, Mr. Cranky Pants, I'll get down'.
'Why didn't you ask me to do it? Honestly, Tay, I just about had a heart attack there', he asks once she is safely back on solid ground.
'Oh I don't know, I'm just sick of feeling so useless this whole pregnancy. And the idea was in my head, so I thought I'd get it myself. I realise now it may have been stupid', she says sheepishly, wrapping her arms around him as far as her bump would allow.
He relaxes into her hold, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. 'Please, go downstairs and sit down, and I'll get the box. Anything else you want up there?'
'Just that one box, I think. What were you making for lunch?'
He smiles, never so glad to hear Taylor ask about food than this week. Her sickness had stopped, almost overnight, her ability to eat semi-regular foods coming back full force. He was delighted when she'd woken him up in the middle of the night last night to beg for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, only too happy to make it.
'That pasta that you like, plus I got fresh bread from Trader Joes when Mia and I went this morning', he replies, and she happily heads downstairs to finish making it.
Travis dutifully heads up to get the box, finding it amongst the Christmas decorations, which he decides on a whim to get down too, knowing Taylor would have him back up there getting them before the week was done, anyway.
He's soon called down for lunch, and he smiles at the sight of Taylor in their kitchen, in her oversized t shirt and biker shorts, barefoot, with Mia in similar attire, toddling after her as she plates up their food.
'So I got down the Christmas decorations too, thought we could tackle that today', he tells her, and is surprised by the tearful reaction that follows.
Taylor laughs, shaking her head and uprighting Mia's juice cup on the table. 'Sorry, hormones. I'd love to, but we don't have a tree yet'.
Growing up on a Christmas tree farm, Taylor was team real tree, all the way. They did have various fake ones throughout the house (an all-out Christmas decorations kind of family), but the main tree was always real, the living room smelling of pine for the duration of November and December.
'Well we can get one this afternoon. I'll call the tree farm, get them to stay open a little later for us'.
Later, Travis is dutifully standing holding one tree against another, darkness descending and Taylor deciding between two different trees.
'Tay, they look the same. Come on, it's getting dark'.
She shoots him a look, one he's seen before, and he knows to keep this mouth shut from now on.
45 minutes later, they're on their way back home, Taylor eventually choosing the first tree she had liked. They spend all evening decorating it, Mia taking an interest this year in the pretty lights, and Taylor snaps some pictures of her in front of the tree, sending them out to the family.
'Hey hey, what's wrong?', Travis asks, noticing the tears on Taylor's face as she sits on the couch, watching Mia toddle around in her Christmas pjs, the fairy lights from the tree the only ones lighting up the room.
She starts to laugh, covering her face, and then can't seem to stop, Travis joining her on the couch and Mia climbing onto his lap, catching on and joining in with her own little giggle.
'I'm sorry, I actually don't know why I started laughing. My hormones are all over the place, clearly', she says, plucking Mia out of Travis' grasp and blowing raspberries on her tummy, making her squeal.
'You were getting emotional about the fact that it won't just be Mia anymore, right?', Travis says quietly.
Taylor sighs, shaking her head, forgetting that Travis had an uncanny ability to read her thoughts and know exactly what she was thinking. 'Yes, actually. I felt a little guilty, because her life is going to change, and she has no idea. But then I started to think about her with her little sister, and got even more emotional. You sure you're glad to be married to this emotional wreck?'
Travis laughs, watching Taylor and Mia smile at each other, Mia perched happily on top of Taylor's baby bump. 'Tay, I'm glad every single day to be married to you. And I've thought about it too, but then we both have such amazing siblings it can only be a good thing for Princess here to have to share the attention, once in a while'.
'You're right, of course you are', Taylor nods her head, 'Isn't daddy right, Mia? You're going to love your baby sister'.
They both smile as Mia babbles 'Ba ba' back to them, her attempt at 'baby', which Travis had been trying to get her to say for weeks.
'That's right darling, baby. She'll be here soon', he says, pulling Mia's pacifier out of her mouth and requesting a kiss from his little girl, who happily gives in to his demand.
They put Mia to bed together, Travis watching as Taylor reads to her in the rocking chair, and they both take their time telling her goodnight, knowing their evenings of sole attention for her were soon coming to an end.
Later, when they're ready for bed themselves, Travis comes out of their ensuite expecting to see Taylor already in bed, but the space is empty. 'Tay?', he calls out into the hall, a muffled 'In here!', coming from the room across from theirs.
He opened the door and smiled at the sight: Taylor, surrounded by the clothes he had rescued from the loft earlier, sitting in the middle of the floor in their second daughter's room. They had been getting it ready for a while now, and Travis had given in this time and gotten someone in to do the painting and furniture building.
The room was lit by a lamp on a little table beside the brand new armchair glider, Taylor opting for more comfort in the nursery this time. They'd had to buy another cot, Mia not ready to transition out of hers yet, and it was set up in the corner, a little pink blanket draped over the side. The new stroller, big enough to fit both girls, was set up in here too, car seat beside it, awaiting the new arrival. Travis' heart beat faster in excitement every time he opened the door, knowing the days were truly numbered before their baby girl would be here.
'Tay? Why are you doing this now, sweetheart?', he asks softly.
'No idea. Call it nesting, I suppose. Couldn't go to bed without finding this', is her response, still hunting in the plastic box in front of her, a mess of white and pink baby onesies flying past him as she tries to find what she's searching for.
'Aha! Here it is', she turns to him, triumphant, holding up a tiny pink onesie with a white peter pan collar and matching jacket, her smile as wide as could be. 'Knew it was in here'.
He smiles in response, reaching out to take it. He marvels at the size of it, how tiny it looks in his hands, and before he knows it the tears come, thinking of how quickly Mia grew out of this exact outfit.
'Hey mister, I thought I was allowed to be the only emotional wreck around here', Taylor says as she wraps her arms around him, hand slowly stroking his back.
'I was just thinking about how quickly they grow up. It seems like yesterday Mia was in this'.
'It does, doesn't it? Like we blinked and she's walking and talking. Just you wait until she has a little sidekick, you'll never know any peace', Taylor says playfully, poking him in the side.
He grins down at her in his arms, 'Can't wait, Tay. Can't freaking wait'.
