Timeless: Tayvis Oneshots

what came next (excerpt)

set after the epilogue, where Olly is 16, Bella is 9, and Avery is 5

Taylor's POV

"Hey, my angel it's okay." Travis rubbed my arms as I ducked my head, hiding my tears from the kids as they ate breakfast.

"I'm sorry." I mumbled. "I can't stop."

"I know, I know." He hugged me close where we stood in the kitchen. "I know it's a really big day."

I'd thought it was hard the first day we'd sent Bella to school, but this was so much harder. It was Avery's first day of school, the very first day of all three kids going off. I wasn't ready. It only seemed like yesterday I'd given birth to her and now she was running around getting ready for school for the very first time. Her hair was already in little plaits, and I'd tried so hard not to cry while doing them for her.

"Mommy why are you crying?" Bella asked as she came to put her bowl in the sink.

"Nothing baby, I'm fine." I shook my head, ruffling her hair. "Go get changed okay? See if you can get your brother up."

"Okay but don't get grumpy at me if I jump on him!" Bella called as she ran off to wake Olly up, who in classic teenager style, was still sleeping. 

"They grow up so fast." Travis sighed, resting his chin on my shoulder as we watched Avery sitting at the table, mumbling to herself. She'd been practicing her basic math and English recently, wanting to do well on her first day. It was really sweet. "I can't believe this." He whispered. "I swear it was only yesterday we moved here."

I nodded, placing my arms on top of his and leaning my head back. Time had gone so damn fast and I couldn't believe our babies had grown up so fast. God, Olly was sixteen now. Bella was starting to become a pre-teen, and my sweet baby Avery was no longer a baby. She was a school kid.

"Honey I can't." I sniffed. "I'm going to miss her so much."

"I know angel, that's why I took today off work." Travis rubbed my waist. "I'm staying with you, and we'll try and turn this around to make it a good thing. I know it's really hard for you to let them go, but it's going to get easier. And look how excited she is."

"Yeah." I smiled weakly. Avery had been bubbling with excitement for weeks. Travis was right. It was time to let go a little more even if it was hard.

Travis kissed my neck and then let me go, moving to finish cleaning up the kitchen. Olly emerged grumbling at being woken up a few minutes, and I laughed at him, earning a roll of the eyes that I knew he didn't mean. He was a little moody sometimes but he was still my boy.

Too soon, we left to drop the kids to school, and I was tense with emotions as we dropped Olly at his high school and then went to the primary school down the road. Bella skipped off to her friends without a hitch, but Avery stayed in her seat even when Travis unbuckled her.

"Everything okay Tootsie?" Travis asked her, using the little nickname she'd coined soon after her birth. I didn't know where it had come from, but randomly we'd started calling her Tootsie Pop, and then just Tootsie. 

"Hey sweetie." I moved closer to the car door and stroked her cheek. 

"Mommy." Avery held out her arms to me and I let her climb into mine, hugging her to my chest. "I don't wanna anymore." She mumbled, hiding in my neck. "Can we go home?"

"Oh Tootsie, I know." I hugged her close, fighting tears. "I know it's scary so why don't we come in with you? We can talk to your teacher and make sure you know where your class and the bathrooms are?"