The Singer's Girl

Chapter 25

TAYLOR'S POV

"Caroline do you have your winter coat?" I asked her while I was going through my suitcase Saturday morning.

"Taylor did you bring my winter coat?" She responded and I looked up at her.

"No, I'm kidding, of course I have my winter coat. it's winter. What would I do without it?" She said walking over towards her stuff and pulling her winter coat out of her suitcase. We were getting ready to go on a hike at Smoky Mountain National Park. The high for today was 52 and the low was 23, so I figured we'd be good in our warm clothes, we were walking uphill too, so that helps us stay warm.

We left in my car that morning to go to a pancake place before we went hiking. There weren't many people and I hoped what happened last night didn't happen again. Although I was appreciative of fans and people who want to get a picture, I took Caroline here for her birthday and I wanted it to be a nice time.

When the chocolate chip pancakes we ordered came to our table Caroline looked up at me expectantly.

"Could we get some peanut butter please?" I asked the man waiting on us, just like Caroline had asked me to earlier. He said he would come back with some and walked away from our table.

"I think you could've done that." I said to her.

"But you did it so well." She joked as the waiter brought the peanut butter.

"Thank you." I said on behalf of Caroline. I watched as she spread the peanut butter over her pancakes, then poured syrup over them. Peanut butter and syrup was always how she ate them.

We talked and ate breakfast before paying and heading to the trail we were going to hike on. It was a half an hour drive to get there, but the scenery was good. The road was surrounded by trees and you only realized how far up in the mountains you actually were when there was a break in the trees and you could see out.

"I kinda have to go to the bathroom." Caroline said once we were well into the middle of nowhere.

"Are you serious right now?" I asked looking over at her.

"Yeah." She said looking out the window. I sighed and kept my eyes open for any place that might possibly have a bathroom, the problem was that there wasn't any. We ended up getting to the trial before we saw a bathroom. I parked my car in an open space on the side of the road where a few other cars were parked.

"Do you still have to go to the bathroom?" I asked Caroline when I got to her side of the car where she was getting out.

"Yeah." She said, looking at me.

"I don't know what to tell you." I said as I handed her a pair of gloves.

"I could go behind these trees over here." Caroline said while pointing further back behind the trees on our side of the road.

"I don't think you should." I told her.

"Just stand behind me so nobody can see." Caroline said, walking behind the trees. I reluctantly followed her and was the look out while she squatted down behind a tree. It's not like anyone was coming though, we were the only ones crazy enough to come here in 40 degree weather. With our warm clothes it really didn't feel that cold.

Suddenly Caroline stood up and we walked over to the start of the trail like nothing had happened. Apparently there was a 6 mile way and a 3 mile way, Caroline and I opted for the 3 mile.

The trail wasn't steep, it was just a gradual incline with twists and turns. To the left of us there was a steep drop down with trees growing upright, and to the right was a steep uphill with trees growing upright. So the only flat ground was the trail we were walking on.

Caroline and I talked while we walked and the cool air started to feel good. At some points we stopped to take selfies with all the scenery in the background. When we were about halfway up Caroline pointed down and to her left.

"Oh my God, Taylor look." She said and I looked to where she was pointing. There was a little baby bear a ways down the mountain from us. I took out my phone and took another selfie of us with the bear in the background. The bear was so far away that you could hardly see it in the photo, but it's the thought that counts.

When we made it to where the trail ends there was a little waterfall going into a river that runs down the mountain. We took lots on pictures and even after I said not to Caroline reached down and put her hand in the freezing water because she thought it would be funny.

"It's so cold." Caroline laughed and pulled her hand out, trying to act nonchalant about it. She put her glove back on but kept discreetly rubbing her hand with her other hand. I got my bodyguard who had had to follow us up here take a good picture of Caroline and I with the waterfall in the background before we headed back down the way we came.

"My hand is so cold." Caroline admitted once we were going back down.

"Well why would you do that?" I asked, grabbing her hand with my hands and rubbing it. I put her hand up to my mouth and breathed on it, hoping to warm it up. Eventually she stopped complaining and was fine again.

The way down was more pleasant than they way up because it was less tiring, but at the same time I was worried that Caroline was going to slip off the trail and tumble the snowy mountain. So I made her switch sides with me so I was walking on the fall-to-your-death side and she was on the safe side.

Once we were back down where we started I checked my phone and realized that even though it was only 3 miles we were up there for a couple hours because we stopped so frequently. I decided that Caroline was probably getting hungry so once we were back in my car I drive us back into town.

Since it was Caroline's birthday tomorrow I took her into a bakery after we ate lunch and had her pick out a cake. She picked a circular blue one and I had them write 'Happy 16th Birthday Caroline' on it. They said we could pick it up anytime tomorrow. I thanked them and we stopped back at our hotel for a while, where Caroline's birthday presents were safely hidden underneath the bed.