The Singer's Girl

Chapter 1

CAROLINE'S POV

One thing I'd learned this summer is that it was easier to cope with my grief when I was organized. And I don't mean when my room was nice and neat and everything was in a certain place, I mean when my thoughts were organized. I'd organized everything in my head to what was before my dad's death and what was after. Lately I'd been organizing my days into good days and bad days.

My string of good days had lasted longer than usual, which was nice. And by good days I just mean days, the nights were hardly ever good. Recently it was hard for me to get to sleep because my mind would just be racing. And on the occasion that I did get to sleep I would be woken by a nightmare. But that didn't stop me from being happy in the daytime.

And I had a good reason to be happy today. It was the last day of summer and Taylor and I were going down to the courthouse to sign some papers that would officially make her my mom. I was really excited about it, the adoption process takes a while so it's been going on all summer, but today was finally the day.

I remembered the day she asked if she could adopt me and how grateful I was for somebody like her in my life. I still am and everyday I'm reminded of how lucky I am. Of all the things that could've happened to me after my dad died I was here getting adopted by Taylor Swift. I smiled to myself as I put on my shoes to go to the courthouse, even though I was really excited about it, my heart was still pounding. After all, this was a huge milestone in my life.

"Are you ready, Care?" I heard Taylor's voice ask and I looked up to see her standing in my doorway.

"Yeah." I said and I got up to follow her outside to the car. On the way to the courthouse I could see her hands shaking as she gripped the steering wheel, this was a big milestone for her too, she was becoming a mom. I watched out my window as we were stopped at a red light across from a public pool, it was packed full of people since school starts tomorrow.

"Oh my gosh, Taylor, do you see that guy?" I said while laughing and pointing to a chubby man wearing green swimming trunks, a green shirt, and a green bandana around his head. She looked over and then smiled at me.

"He looks like I ninja turtle." I laughed. She didn't really laugh she just looked at me smiling lovingly while I had a fit of laughter. She had told me the other day how happy it makes her when she sees me happy. I still did have my bad days, but there had been more good than bad.

We arrived at the courthouse soon after. A man gave us all of the final paperwork and the three of us sat down at a nearby table and started filling it out. Me and Taylor were both filling out the same page. Under date of birth I put 02/01/1999 and she put 12/13/1989 and I thought about the fact that the woman that was about to become my mom was barely 10 years older than me. But I wouldn't have it any other way.

Then there was a big packet that Taylor had to fill out about me, that took a while and I was left sitting beside her, studying the patterns on the man's tie.

"This is the final sheet and once both of you have signed this and given it back to me the process will be over and you'll free to go." The man said and I took in the last couple of seconds of being 'that girl who's dad was killed in Afghanistan' because soon I would be 'that girl that Taylor Swift adopted'.

Taylor signed the paper first on the box where the adoptive mother was supposed to sign. Then she handed the paper and pen to me. I signed one of my boxes as Caroline Connor and the next as Caroline Swift just as I was instructed to do. And that was that. In that moment I had a mom, we signed some papers and she became my mom just like that.

That's when I realized that she'd been my mom all this time, it didn't matter that we just signed those papers. Those papers where more like closure, because I'd been living with Taylor for over a year and she'd been treating me and taking care of me as her daughter for over a year. And I've always loved her like I would love a mother.

Taylor gave me a long and tight hug after we stood up, along with a kiss on the top of my head. I think she was about to cry. When we walked out of the courthouse Taylor stopped somebody on the street and asked them if they could take of picture of her and I in front of the courthouse. They said they would and Taylor wiped a tear out of her eye and hugged me in the photo with the courthouse in the background.

When we got back into Taylor's car I thought about how this was the first time I was siting in this passengers seat as a Swift. Before she even turned the car on she reached for a Kleenex to wipe her now running mascara. And that's when my own wave of emotion washed over me.

I loved Taylor more than words can say. And she had just adopted me. Taylor just adopted me. My best friend. I look up to Taylor so much, she's so cool, but she's also a good parent. I wanted to be just like her when I grow up, besides the singing and everything. My dad would be so happy for me. And the moment I thought of that the first tear escaped my eye and it was caught by my lower lip that was curled outward.

"Awww." Taylor said when she saw me. Then she laughed because tears were spilling out of her own eyes as well. She leaned over from her side of the car to reach me and she gave me a hug.

"I love you." I said into her ear while softly and happily crying. She leaned in and gave me a kiss on the cheek before finally starting the car and heading home. Home. We went home. The Swift family went home. And no, not the Swift family of Scott, Andrea, Taylor and Austin. The Swift family of just Taylor and Caroline. And it felt damn good.

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It's finally here guys! This chapter was extremely short because it was just an introduction, but they'll get longer. I'm super excited about this story, I have the whole plot planned out because I would never post a story if I didn't know where it was headed.

And if you haven't heard this particular series is going to be made up into 4 stories. Number 1 is The Soldiers Girl. Number 2 is The Singers Girl. Number 3 will be about Caroline's junior year. And number 4 will be about her senior year.

Thank you guys so much for all of your support!