GETAWAY CAR

62. Family Time & Announcements

December 22nd 2017

Taylor's POV

It's been three days since Maisie first got sick, and it has been like something out of a nightmare. The little one screams all the time, so she's constantly in our arms which means neither of us have been able to do anything. We kept Maisie away from Tilly which meant that we couldn't have meals together, we couldn't cuddle together, and we were constantly getting up in the middle of the night to soothe her since we couldn't bring her into bed with us. But then, like a miracle, her fever broke last night. She's still getting over the cough and the congestion, but she's no longer contagious and is hopefully over the worst of it.

"Good morning, little bug." I smile as I spot her sitting in her crib awake. The past couple of days she would just scream until I woke up, but this is a welcomed relief from that. I wince at the crick in my neck as I get up from the rocker and walk over to her crib, Maisie reaching her arms out to me as I bend over to scoop her up. "Till?" She grabs onto my shirt, looks into my eyes and says her sister's name. She's still too little to say Tilly or Matilda, but Till suffices and warms mine and Karlie's hearts when she says it. "Do you wanna go see Momma and Tilly?" I coo and her eyes light up, "pa!" She calls out and I laugh, "you'll see Grandpa later, baby." I shake my head, the more she starts recognising people, the more I realise that my little baby is growing up.

"Lets go find Momma." I coo, planting her on my hip as I walk out of the nursery and across the hall to Karlie and I's room. "Who's that, Maisie?" I laugh as we walk in, finding Karlie still asleep in the bed with Matilda on her chest, a swaddle blanket over them, a pacifier in the crook of Karlie's neck and a baby bottle in her hand. "Mama!" Maisie calls as I put her down on the end of the bed and she crawls over to Kar, pulling herself up and shouting at her until she wakes up. I sit down on my side of the bed and smile as I watch Karlie's eyes slowly open as she laughs. "Mind your sister, bugs." I take the bottle from her and sit it up on the nightstand and she uses her free hand to pull Maisie down into her side, plastering the toddler with kisses as she giggles and squirms.

"Good morning." She grins as I lean over to press a kiss to her lips. "She's a lot better this morning." I laugh as Maisie pulls at her shirt, pretty much back to her usual self. "Well somebody missed her mommy last night." Karlie coos as Tilly starts moving on her chest. "Hi baby." I laugh as I take her so that Kar can sit up. "There's my smiley baby." I kiss her face as I take Matilda in my arms. She has the cutest little smile and she's always using it whereas Maisie didn't really smile much as a baby, well not compared to her sister anyway.

"I need to pick my parents up from the airport at twelve." Karlie sighs and looks over to me as I nod, "we can take the car seats out of your car after breakfast since I'm sure neither of your parents or your sister would want to be left to sit in them or be squished between them." I laugh as Tilly holds onto my finger. "Do you think Mais is going to be well enough to go to this dinner tonight?" Karlie is holding the toddler in her lap and she seems perfectly fine now, but we don't know how she's going to be later. "I'm not really sure, I hope so. We're just going to have to keep an eye on her and decide later." I shake my head, my parents decided that since both of our families are going to be together for the first time in months, that we should all have dinner over there tonight once Kris and her family get here since they're driving down earlier than anticipated.

"It's only my parents' house so we should be fine. I'd be more worried if we were going to a restaurant." We considered it, but there are just too many people to try and get into a restaurant and it's not worth the hassle, and anyway, my mom is excited about cooking since Karlie and I are hosting Christmas this year and she won't get to do that. "I know, babe." Karlie smiles and then presses another kiss to my lips.