The Vacation Of Reconnecting

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"Daddy, are we going on holiday this year?" Poppy asked Travis, pausing from her colouring to stare directly at him.

"I'm sure we can figure something out, whatcha thinking?"

"The beach with Mommy!" She exclaimed, dropping her lilac crayon onto her mini table and climbed onto Travis' lap.

"I'm sure Mommy would love to go to the beach with you and can plan that, what should we do though Pops?" He told her, frowning at Poppy's confused face.

"No Mommy and you and me please, at the beach," She explained, "Ooh! And Mommy's kitties!"

Travis's breath caught in his throat as Poppy's words sunk in. He leaned back on the couch, trying to hide the tension that had just built up in his chest. Poppy had been so young when he and Taylor separated, too young to remember the few months they'd spent together as a family. He and Taylor had done their best to make co-parenting work, but as Poppy grew older, her questions about why they weren't all together became more frequent.

He looked down at her, her bright eyes full of excitement and innocence, and felt the familiar pang of guilt. How could he explain to her that things weren't as simple as just going on a trip together? He exchanged a glance with Poppy, seeing so much of Taylor in her—the same determined eyes, the same natural blonde curls. He knew he couldn't let her down, but he also couldn't make promises he wasn't sure he could keep.

He ruffled her hair gently, trying to buy himself a moment to think. "So, you want to go to the beach, huh? That sounds like fun."

Poppy nodded enthusiastically, her curls bouncing. "With you and Mommy! And we can play in the sand and maybe see them dolphins! And you and Mommy can laugh together!"

Travis's heart ached at her words. Poppy had never seen them as a couple—her idea of them laughing together, being a family, was more a dream than a memory. She was trying to piece together what she thought a family should be, based on stories she'd heard or movies she'd seen. But for her, there was no "before"—only a hope for what could be.

"Pops, I'll talk to Mommy about it, okay? I'm not sure what we can do yet, but I'll see what she thinks."

Poppy's face lit up with a smile that could brighten the darkest of days, and she threw her arms around his neck. "Thank you, Daddy! I love you so much!"

"I love you too, Poppy," he whispered, hugging her back tightly. For her, he would do anything—even face the possibility of reopening old wounds.

Later that night, after he'd tucked her in and Poppy had fallen asleep, Travis sat on the edge of his bed, staring at his phone. He knew he needed to call Taylor, but he kept hesitating. Their co-parenting relationship had become routine, almost mechanical. They communicated well enough to make sure Poppy was cared for, but they rarely delved into anything personal, avoiding the parts of their past that still stung.

Finally, he took a deep breath and dialed Taylor's number. It rang a few times before she picked up, her voice sounding tired, he'd totally forgotten New York were a little ahead.

"Hey, Travis. Everything okay?"

"Yeah, everything's fine," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Sorry if i woke you, I just... wanted to talk to you about something Poppy mentioned today."

Taylor's tone immediately grew concerned. "Is she alright?"

"She's fine," he reassured her quickly. "She's great, actually. It's just... she's been asking about going on vacation. With both of us. To the beach."

There was a brief silence on the other end, and Travis could almost see Taylor's expression, the way she would purse her lips when she was thinking something over.

"Both of us?" she repeated slowly. "Together?"

"Yeah," Travis said, feeling awkward. "She said she wants us to go together, to have fun like the families she sees. I told her I'd talk to you about it, but I'm not sure... I mean, I don't know if it's a good idea."

Another pause followed, this one longer. Travis wondered if she was thinking the same things he was—about the potential for disaster, for old emotions to resurface and complicate everything they had worked so hard to stabilize.

"I mean.. we could probably work something out right? For her?" Taylor suggested cautiously, rubbing her eyes as she sat up in bed, turning the lamp on by her bed.

"Yeah, yeah, it can't be that hard," Travis replied, though the words felt heavier than he wanted them to. He could hear the hesitation in Taylor's voice, the same hesitation he was feeling.

There was another silence, this one stretching out longer than the last, filled with all the things they weren't saying. Travis could almost hear Taylor thinking on the other end of the line, weighing the pros and cons, just as he was.

"For Poppy," she finally said, almost as if she was reminding herself. "We'll make it work."

"Yeah, for Poppy," Travis agreed, though he wasn't entirely convinced. They had been able to co-parent without too much drama, but this was different. This was stepping into territory they hadn't been in since... well, since things had fallen apart.

"So, uh, do you have any ideas?" Taylor asked, her tone lighter now, as if she was trying to push through the awkwardness.

"Maybe somewhere quiet, a small beach town or something? We could rent a place, stay for a few days. Hope nobody knows of you down there."

"Right," Taylor said, sounding relieved at the practical suggestion. "That makes sense. I'll look into some places tomorrow. We'll figure it out."

"Okay," Travis said, grateful that she was taking the lead. "Just let me know what you find."

"Will do," she replied, and then there was that awkward pause again, neither of them quite sure how to end the conversation. "Thanks for calling, Travis."

"Yeah, no problem. Goodnight, Taylor."

"Goodnight."

Travis hung up the phone and let out a long breath, running a hand through his short hair. He wasn't sure if they were making the right decision, but it was too late to back out now. Poppy's excited face flashed in his mind, and he knew they had to try. For her, they'd do this.

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The next few days passed in a blur of logistics. Taylor found a nice hotel in Tulum, Mexico, which was built right by the water. It was perfect, or as close to perfect as they could hope for under the circumstances. They checked they're schedule and picked a week good for them both, and they coordinated the trip down to the last detail—who would bring what, who would fly to who first, what time they would arrive.

Despite the careful planning, there was still a sense of dread that lingered in the back of Travis's mind. The idea of being around Taylor for an extended period, pretending everything was fine for Poppy's sake, made his chest tighten with anxiety. But he pushed those feelings aside, focusing on the logistics, on making sure Poppy would have the best time possible, which they would definitely make sure of.

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I forgot to apologise in the last chapter but sorry for the lack of updates in the past few weeks i've had a writers block and i had about 5 versions of that one chapter written out but kept ending up stuck and not being able to write anymore halfway through but i managed something!
hope you enjoy and i'll keep trying to get chapters out faster :)

They're going to be travelling next chapter!!