Beautiful Secret

o n e.

"Breakfast is ready baby," Taylor called out to her 12-year-old daughter. Eleanor groaned as she rubbed her eyes and got up. She didn't change or brush her hair, she was too tired.

She walked into the kitchen to see her mother and  "father" kissing. Travis Kelce, her mother's boyfriend hasn't been in her life for very long but they adore one another. Sitting down, She grabs her fork and pokes it into the yolk of her egg.

"How'd you sleep, brat?" Travis chuckled as he sat down and looked over at Eleanor. She yawned as she looked at him. "Fine.." She sighed. She's been so upset lately and no one can seem to figure out why because she never talks about how she feels.

"Eleanor.." Taylor sat down before trying to reach for her hand. Pulling away quickly, she looked down and quickly finished her food before cleaning her plate off and running to her room.

"I don't know why she's been acting like this recently but I'm starting to get worried about her.." Taylor nervously bit her lip as she looked at Eleanor's closed door before looking back at Travis.

"Maybe you should go talk to her, Tay. She's not normally like this. I think she needs her mom."

Taylor nodded as she continued to eat. Thoughts raced through her mind as she thought of every possible answer. As much as she got upset with Eleanor, she was her daughter and her number one priority.

The sound of forks hitting plates filled the sound of the room. Travis looked up at Taylor who was visibly shaking. He pulled his chair right next to her.

"Tay, baby.." He said as he started to rub her back. He pulled her onto his lap and put his hand on her thigh to stop her from shaking. No one could read her better than he could. "She's okay baby, we just need to talk to her. She's going through a hard time and we're the only people she will open up to, so we need to be there for her."

Travis always knew how to make her feel better.
He grabbed her waist sat her back down on her chair and patted her back.

"Finish up eating sweetheart. I'll talk to her. Please love, don't worry yourself too much. I got this."

Knocking on her door softly, Travis called for Eleanor.

"Ells, Can I come in? I want to talk to you"

Eleanor jumped as she heard his voice. Choking back on her tears, she wiped her tears and walked up to the door. Hesitantly, she opened the door, letting Travis come in. She could see her mom looking into her room over Travis's shoulder. She sat back down on her bed and watched as he sat down as well.

"Ellie, I've noticed a change in your behavior recently and it's worrying your mom and I. If you don't feel comfortable talking to me, you can talk to your mom. We just want you to know that we're here for you and we care about your happiness."

Ellie sniffled as she nodded and wiped her tears. She looked down and sighed before looking back up at Travis. She bit her lip as she held her words back.

"Trav, please don't be mad at me."

"Eleanor, why would I be mad at you? I just want to be here for you and for you to know that I am. Please just talk to me, Ells."

"Trav, I'm struggling to express this. I feel exhausted by constantly being unseen. Despite my mom's worldwide fame, I'm 12 years old, yet hardly anyone knows about me. I understand that my mom has her reasons for keeping me out of the public eye, but I long to be acknowledged. It's wearing me down to be kept as this hidden secret. It makes me feel like I'm a weight on everyone around me."

Travis silently nodded, absorbing every word she spoke. A hint of concern creased his brow as he detected a tinge of melancholy in her voice. His gaze shifted momentarily towards his girlfriend, who sat at the table, nervously shaking her leg.

"Ellie, I am so sorry. We didn't realize the depth of your feelings. Your mother loves and cares for you immensely, and she always wanted to protect you from the potential risks that come with her fame and public exposure. From a young age, she understood that her rising fame could pose a threat to your well-being, her precious child. She aimed to shield you from these dangers for as long as she could. Of course, she couldn't keep you hidden forever, but she was determined to safeguard your childhood years."

As Travis pondered what else to say, he paused to take a deep breath, feeling a mix of empathy for Ellie and a sense of restraint, knowing that it was not within his right to voice her mother's thoughts.

"Ells, would you like me to go get your mom to help you talk about this? I'll still be right here next to you. I just think that if your mother is aware of this situation, she will understand and likely will be able to help. She's been concerned about you, Ellie."

"Yeah.. that's fine.." She sighed as she nodded and choked up on her tears.

Travis nodded as he patted her knee then walked into the kitchen to Taylor. He bent down and kissed her cheek as he started to rub her back.

"Tay, Ellie wants to talk to you about something that's been on her mind lately. She's okay from what I understand she just needs your help with something."

Taylor looked up at Travis. She got out of her chair and wrapped her arms around his neck. He wrapped his arms around her waist, trying to comfort her.

"I love you so much. Thank you for talking to her Trav, I'm so beyond grateful for you." Taylor muffled as she buried her face into his chest.

He smiled as he kissed her cheek and then let go of their hug. Travis put his hand on her back and guided her to Ellie's room.

Taylor and Travis both sat on Ellie's bed right across from her. Taylor found as she saw the upset look on her baby's face.

"Oh, Eleanor.."

Taylor paused as she grabbed her daughter's hand and sighed.

"Tell me what's been bothering you, baby."

Ellie nodded as she looked down at their hands and then back up at her mother. Even though she was upset, she knew she was in the safe arms of Taylor.

"I'm always feeling tired because no one notices me. Even though my mom is famous worldwide, I'm just 12, and hardly anyone knows I exist. I get why my mom wants to keep me out of the spotlight, but I wish people would acknowledge me. It's tough to be kept as this big secret. It's like I'm a burden on everyone around me."

Taylor gulped as Ellie finished her sentence. She felt so bad and she had no idea that her poor daughter felt this way.

"Ellie, come here sweetheart"

Taylor opened her arms for Eleanor to come to her. She crawled onto her mother's lap and Taylor wrapped her arms around her as tears started to stream down her face. Travis wrapped his arms around the both of them, securing their small little family.

"I'm so sorry Ellie. I am. We will get this figured out for you sweet girl."

Taylor kissed the top of her daughter's head before Travis pecked her lips and wiped away her tears.

"It'll all be okay my sweet girls," Travis said as he rubbed Taylors' back.