10 years later [Tayvin AU]

Part 5

TAYLOR POV

Last night, after 2 movies, a very heated game of candyland, a bath, and pillow fort building, Lottie had fallen asleep in my arms as I read her 'Elmer' in the fort. I stayed there with her in my arms for probably almost an hour, just breathing in her little kid smell and daydreaming about maybe one day actually being a mother myself....or I guess even a step-mother to this little munchkin...although that was when my thoughts started to run away from me and I decided to move her to her own room and go to bed myself.

"T-A-Y-L-O-R!" Lottie squealed, jumping on my bed and bouncing to wake me up at 7am. "The sun is awake so I am awake!"

"Well someone has seen Frozen too many times!" I say, laughing and tickling her all over. "what do you want for breakfast?"

"I want to go to 'Bucks and get a muffin." She said, nodding her head to clarify the importance of this point.

"Ok....well shall we get you dressed? We can't leave the house in our pyjamas now can we!" I reply, chasing her out of the guest room and into her room again.

Lottie chose a purple corderoy dungaree dress with a black turtle neck and black boots, while I was wearing black skinny jeans and a deep red sweater with brown chelsea boots and a beanie.

"Do you want me to do your hair, bug?" I asked her. So far I had only seen her hair either in a hairband or in a ponytail, "I could braid it for you..."

"Really? Like Elsa?" She said, eyes wide.

"Sort of, yeah." I replied

"YES PLEASE!" She squealed, running into her room to get her brush and elastics.

Soon we were on our way to Starbucks to get breakfast.

"What are we going to tell your daddy when he asks how you got better so quickly?" I asked her as we ate our muffins.

"It's magic, obviously! I just needed you to look after me!" She replied, fluttering her eyelashes and giving me bambi eyes.

After we ate breakfast, we headed to the park to go on the swings as it was a sunny fall day.

"Lottie! Please don't go so high!" I said as Lottie pumped her legs back and forth, going higher and higher.

"You've got a daredevil out there!" A mother nearby said, "Must be a handful for you to look after! especially at your young age!"

"She's sweet, and pretty relaxed....just likes to push the boundaries a little." I tell her, understanding the fact that she assumed I was Lottie's mom, and not denying that fact. I already loved the little ball of energy as if I were.

Suddenly Lottie lept off her swing, landing perfectly on her feet and running over to me.

"Let's go to the zoo!" Lottie said, bouncing up and down again.

"Not today, sweetie, we should probably be getting home soon. We'll cook something special for dinner so we can eat with daddy when he gets home, ok?" I explain to her, taking her little hand in mine.

"Can we make cookies? I LOVE making cookies." She asked.

"Sure thing little bug! You're a girl after my own heart!" I replied, making our way down the road to the nearest supermarket to their apartment. "So what should we make for dinner?"

"Ummmm.....How abouts spinach and tomato pasta with loads of cheese and then lots of cookies and ice cream?" Lottie said pensively as I placed her in a cart and wandered into the store.

"Sounds like a plan!" I reply, laughing slightly and thinking about what ingredients we needed.

ADAM POV

My flight landed at 4pm and I made my way right back to the apartment to see Lottie and Taylor. I had had a great time in Florida, but wanted to be home really badly.

"Taytay! I got flour in my hair!" I hear Lottie squeal from outside the door as I unlock it, followed my squeals of laughter from the kitchen.

I walked in on one of the most domestic scenes you could imagine. There was Taylor, stirring a pot of something delicious smelling on the stove, apron on over her clothes, and Lotie sitting at one of the bar stools stirring a bowl of what looked like (from the puff of flour that emerged when she patted it with her spoon) cookie dough, with an apron and her little chefs hat on.

"Well, well....what do we have here?" I say, leading to both of them starting to laugh again.

"Daddddddy!!" Lottie says, jumping down from her stool with help from Taylor and running over to me, immediately jumping into my arms and covering my black t-shirt and jeans with flour.

"Hey darling! You look like you're feeling better!" I exclaim, tickling her tummy a little.

"It's like magic daddy! Taytay made me betters!" She said, eyes wide and nodding her head to emphasise her point.

"Is that so!" I reply.

"Yup! And she did my hair like Elsa!" She continued turning her head to show me her braid, which I had never been able to do. "And we are making cookies and dinner!"

I looked over at Taylor, who was just watching the scene unfolding in front of her, smiling slightly as she leant on the counter in front of her.

"Well it sure smells delicious!" I say, winking by accident at Taylor, making both she and I blush.

We sat down to dinner, which I found out was Lottie's choice, pretty quickly and were soon eating cookies on the sofa while watching an episode of Rugrats. Lottie was leaning on Taylor, with her legs on my lap.

"Why are they still in diapers when they can speak like that?" Lottie asked.

"Because they aren't as advanced developmentally as you were Lots." I said, absentmindedly, thinking back to potty training Lottie and how easy it had been somehow. She seemed to take that answer as she became quiet. as the episode ended I realised she had curled up in Taylor's arms and fallen asleep.

"I'll just go put her in her bed..." I said, leaning down to pick her up.

"Let me do it, she might wake up if you pick her up..." Taylor said, standing up with Lottie in her arms and wandering out of the living room. Luckily Lottie had put on her PJs before watching TV so it was easy to get her to bed.

"Ummm so....I guess I'll be going...." Taylor said, standing in the doorway of the living room, seemingly unsure about whether she should come in or not.

"Wait....come sit down a second." I replied. I'd been trying to get my next words straight for at least the past 24 hours.

"Umm...ok..." She replied, sitting on the edge of the other end of the sofa from me.

"Ok....here goes..." I started