Found In A Family

3: Found On the Doorstep

Jen's POV

"I understand that you're hurt and sad. Taylor, do you like being my daughter?" I ask.

"Yes," she says like it's a weird question to ask.

"Do you like living with me?" I ask.

"Yup," she says giving me a weird stare.

"Taylor, you are better off here than you would have been with Riley. Look where you are now, you're living out your life to the fullest, you're getting an older sister, a niece, you have a father who loves you very much. Taylor, you're surrounded by people who love you and support you. I'm a better person when you're around me. You make me a better person, my best self," I tell her.

"Can I see the note that Riley left?" she says out of nowhere.

"Yeah, let's go get it," I say laughing internally that I just told her how much she impacts my life and all she was thinking about was the note. I set her on the ground and take her hand. Walking down the hall, I swing open the door to her room. Letting go of her hand, I go to her closet and get the container of old clothes and things that I kept. She stayed extremely close to me like she was literally right next to my side.

"Okay, Tay you're gonna need to let go of me," I say lifting the box up before descending down this stairs. This made her follow right behind my heels. I set the box down in the family room before lifting my silent four years old on my left hip and returning to our now cold breakfast.

Silence fills the room, well except for Pippi's click from her nails on the hardwood floor, as we continue eating pancakes and bacon. The eerie silence reminds me of when Taylor wasn't here. The time before she was here, I was alone. Slowly breaking inside but holding it together on the outside. I had the friend but I felt like they couldn't understand the pressure I was feeling. Thank god for Liam and Josh, we experienced the big change together. I eventually made new friends, not including Josh and Liam and things got better but Taylor really fixed the loneliness.

****

After breakfast, I help Emily clean up the kitchen while Claire and Austin help the kids get dressed and ready for the day.

"Jen, last night I was talking to Taylor and she was so wrapped up in being normal. She told me that people were being mean to her because she was different. Then she said that she wanted to be normal so people would like her," Emily says loading the last of the dishes into the dishwasher.

"Uh huh, what did you say?" I ask.

"Something along the lines of You doesn't need everyone to like you or for everyone to be kind to you. You'll have good days and bad days, you'll meet good people and bad people but you get to decide who is who," she answers throwing soap into the dishwasher.

"You're right, we do decide who is good and who is bad," I agree.

"Are people bullying her in school?" Emily asks me.

"Oh my god, I'm so stupid. I didn't think about her. What I do affect her social life, oh my god I'm such an idiot. I bet school is hell for her," I say getting frustrated.

"Jen, she is strong enough to handle that, but I think you need to assure her that if she's having problems that she can come to you," Emily says looking me directly in the eyes. Only then is when I notice that she isn't in school. But I can tell by the extra blinking that she was hurt in school.

"I have a lot of things to do," I say after taking a few deep breathes.

"Yes, you do now let's sort out Tay then maybe we could go get dinner and head out to the park," Emily says knowing that we probably will need a break from this drama.

"You are amazing," I smile at her.

"I'm not but go get Taylor," she says directing me towards the stairs.

"Thanks for cleaning up the kitchen," I shout as I hurry up the stairs.

****

"What exactly are we doing?" Claire asks as I hand her a box.

"Looking for a note says something like 'this is Taylor Ann....'," I say telling everyone about the note.

"Okay?" Austin says probably still confused. I hand everyone a small shoe box which I had filled with random things. Which I obviously didn't label.

After sorting through about ten boxes, I finally, well Claire finally, finds the note. "Austin, is this her handwriting?" I ask motioning for Claire to pass the note.

"Yeah, she's the only one I know who writes her a's and I's like that," he confirms.

"Taylor?" I call from where we were sitting in the kitchen.

"Yeah?" she comes skipping in.

"Here's your note," I say handing it to her.

"What does it say?" Taylor says squinting her eyes at the paper.

"Here I'll read it, 'This is Taylor Ann. I have left her in your care because I can no longer give her the life she deserves. Her parents are both dead due to drugs. Please give her a family, which will take care of her and love her forever. Her birthday is August 13, 2011. She is 18 months old. Thank you so much. And Taylor I will love you and remember you forever. Love your aunt,'" Emily reads aloud after Taylor passes her the note.

"Daddy, you aren't dead?" Taylor says processing the information she just learned, "And I thought that Riley left me," she says looking around the table at us for answers.

"Tay, come here. Do you guys mind giving us some space" I say from the opposite side of the table? She comes around to my side and I lift her up on my lap. Emily, Austin, and Claire quickly leave the room with Faith. "When you were left on the doorstep, no one ever saw exactly what happen or at least my security cameras never picked up on what happened that night. I remember that the doorbell rang and I ran to answer it because it was February and I thought it was cold out. But either way, when I opened the door you were there in a car seat but alone. Alone with a diaper bag. Riley gave you up, she dropped you off on the doorstep. She told you that last night. Riley lied in the note, your birth parents are both alive and kicking. And she left you on the doorstep," I tell her.

"Why didn't she want me?" Taylor asks looking into my eyes. I look at her with a broken expression that can't begin to understand how someone could leave their child on a stranger's doorstep.

"I don't know, I don't know," I say hugging her tighter to me.

****

After dinner which turned out to be Chinese from a place about ten minutes from here, Austin and Claire headed back to Ally's while Emily and I loaded the kids up in the stroller for a late night walk.

A/n

Thanks for reading. I'm so appreciative of those who are willing to read these books or the rewrite of these books. 

CQ: What brought you to Wattpad?

A book called Begin Again by @ficional_fangirl.

She's an amazing writer. The book is like reading the fourth hunger games book. Without her, I wouldn't have met any of you or written anything.