Timeless: Tayvis Oneshots

the secret of us (excerpt)

set after the epilogue, Clover is almost a year old

Taylor's POV

"Mmm!" I heard a light insistent noise in my ear, waking me up from my attempt to go back to sleep.

"Okay, okay I'm up!" I mumbled, unable to resist the adorable nature of the baby clumsily crawling over me once Travis had put her on the bed. "Good morning my baby girl." I opened my arms and Clover giggled, crawling into my arms and snuggling up.

"See, she always works when I can't get you up." Travis chuckled, sitting down next to me.

"Mean." I commented as I kissed my daughter's soft blonde hair, but I didn't mind and he knew that. Every morning I woke up and got to see my family was a perfect morning. "Oh my baby girl, I can't believe you're turning one tomorrow." I sighed as she babbled away to herself, playing with my hair. "It's too soon."

"It's far too soon." Travis placed his hand on my hip. "I swear she was born yesterday."

I nodded, hugging Clover tighter. God, time had flown. All of a sudden I was a mom, married to the love of my life, and our baby was turning one. I knew I was going to be an absolute mess. 

Travis rubbed my arm comfortingly and then went to make me some coffee, which I practically lived on even more than I used to. Decaf since I was still breastfeeding sometimes, but we were trying to wean Clover off and start her on food. She wasn't all that happy about it so most days she refused a solid food meal at least once, but we were getting there.

"Ba." She mumbled as we lay there.

"Yeah?" I murmured absent mindedly, gazing into her eyes. Every day I loved seeing those eyes. Some people might call it a defect, but I thought having two colors was beautiful. She was even more unique because of it.

"Mmm." Clover grabbed a lock of my hair.

"Careful." I said automatically. "Gently with mommy's hair."

"Mmm." She said again.

"You want to say mama?" I tried for what felt like the millionth time in the last few weeks. She'd started making more sounds recently and Travis and I thought she wasn't too far off her first word. "Mama?" I asked her as I grabbed my phone, starting to record and balancing it on the bedside lamp just in case she said anything. I wanted a record of her first word.

Clover and I went back and forth for a few minutes as I tried to coax her into a word, and eventually Travis came back with coffee. He sat in bed with us as Clover lay back on my knees, smiling happily as I bounced my legs very gently.

"Bouncy baby." I crooned with a smile as Travis ran his fingers through my hair. 

"Mmmma." Clover clapped her hands together.

"Mama?" I asked.

"Mmm...mama!" She laughed, and I did a double take. My head snapped around to look at Travis, who was staring down at Clover, looking just as shocked as I felt. 

I put my coffee down, quickly checking to make sure my phone had captured it. It had. Oh my God she'd said it.

"That's right baby girl!" I lifted Clover into my arms and peppered her cheeks with kisses. "I'm mama!"

"Mamama!" She giggled, placing her chubby hands on my face. I melted.

"Oh you are so cute." I nuzzled my nose against hers and then smiled at Travis. "Told you she'd say mama before dada." I told him, resisting the urge to stick out my tongue.

"You know." He whispered, tucking some hair out of my face. "I don't even care I lost that bet, because the look on your face was so worth it Bug." Leaning in, Travis kissed my cheek. "I think you deserved to win."