evermore [taylor swift adoption]

four

Taylor looked over at the small, fragile girl who was asleep in her arms, gently running her fingers through her hair. Since it was almost three in the morning and none of the family ate anything after noon, Scott suggested they eat something light and eat a late lunch. They all stop at a nearby diner, which was luckily open the whole day and night, and order some food. One of Taylor's security guards picks up the food and the family eats in the car as they go home.

As the driver parks, Taylor sees the lights on and the whole family is alarmed. They hesitantly walk over to the front porch and see Tree's shoes.

"It's just Tree," Taylor sighs, letting out a breath of relief.

They all walk inside to see Tree sitting on the couch with three notebooks and her laptop, scribbling down something while on the phone with someone. She looks up and notices the family and quickly ends the call and shifts her attention to the Swift's and the small girl.

"Hey Tree, how'd you get in?," Taylor asks, taking a seat next to the woman.

"You gave me a key, remember, just in case the cat incident happens again," Tree reminds.

"Oh, yeah," Taylor responds, her cheeks turning red in embarrassment from the memory of the incident.

"What incident?" Andrea asks, looking at her daughter.

"Taylor! You said you would tell your mom!" Tree scolds. " Taylor called me at three in the morning saying there were three intruders in her house. I checked the camera and there was nothing so I hurried over. She had drunk half a bottle of tequila and thought her cats were intruders. She was so drunk it took her fifteen minutes to open the door for me, so she gave me a key after that."

"When was this?" Andrea questions.

"About a year ago, I think," Tree responded.

Lucky for Taylor, before Andrea could scold her about her alcohol intake a year ago, Arden had woken up and started to cry because she didn't recognize the surroundings. Taylor's eyes widened as she tried to bounce the small girl in her arms.

"Baby, it's me, Taylor," Taylor said.

"Tay tay?" Arden asked, confused, tangling her hair into Taylor's hair.

"Yes, it's Tay tay," Tay said, using the nickname the girl gave her.

Arden looked over at Tree, intrigued by the different colored hair that she's rarely ever seen. She reached over to Tree, trying to grab onto the older woman. Tree smiled while putting her computer aside on the couch and complied with Arden's non-verbal request. As soon as Tree's hair was within reach, Arden started to tug at it and inspect it. Seeing that the small girl was occupied with her hair, Tree took the opportunity to talk about the serious topic with the family.

"Guys, we need to have a serious conversation now," Tree says.

After all the adults' attention shifts onto Tree, the woman continues. "We need to call Child Protective Services and Taylor, you can't just keep her. You have to go through a lot of training and a course before you are eligible for fostering. So she will probably be put in another orphanage or a foster home."

"W-what, but that's not fair! I love her already and what if she gets hurt again!" Taylor exclaims.

"Taylor, I know you do but we can't disregard the law. We can try to get you to finish your course really soon, within two months and then see if we can get you to foster her," Tree reassures.

"This is bullshit! Can't I keep her and not tell anyone!" Taylor yells.

"Taylor, honey, it's five am and we're all tired. Let's get some sleep and talk about this," Andrea suggests, knowing her daughter's absurd responses are stemming from her lack of sleep.

Taylor reluctantly agrees, standing up and walking up the stairs, catching Arden's attention. The small girl climbs off the couch and runs to Taylor, attaching herself to the woman's leg. Taylor sadly smiles and picks up Arden and goes upstairs to her room. Taylor puts Arden on her bed before changing into a loose shirt and a random pair of shorts, after taking off her makeup and putting her hair into a loose braid, she gets into the bed. Arden scooches closer to Taylor, feeling the comfort and protection of her arms.

After some desperately needed rest, Taylor leisurely woke up at noon, forgetting the current situation at hand for a tiny moment. As she opens her eyes and sees the small girl asleep next to her, all the events of the last night revive in her brain.