Growing Up |TAYVIN (Sequel To AWRFT) *discontinued*

37. The Last Day Of Summer

*Taylor's POV*

Silence engulfs the room, and Ellie stares at me curiously, waiting for me to answer her question.

"Okay. We're leaving, now", Adam says, lifting the cat off of Ellie's lap, and picking up our daughter, placing her on his hip.

"Adam, please", Lisa says desperately, looking at Adam with pleading eyes.

"Who's Blair?", Ellie asks again, completely confused by what had happened in the past two minutes.

"Blair was Lisa's daughter, honey, but she died", I mutter, smiling at Ellie, to reassure her that everything was okay.

"Oh. I'm sorry that your baby died, Lisa", Ellie whispers, forcing herself out of Adam's arms and running towards Lisa to give her a hug.

Lisa bursts into tears as she holds Ellie in her arms, and I rub Adam's back, letting him know that this was okay.

"That's very sweet of you, honey, but she wasn't a baby when she died. She was all grown up", Lisa mumbles, stroking Ellie's hair, before she lets go of her.

Ellie stares into space for a second with a puzzled look on her face, trying to regain her thoughts, before speaking.

"She was still your baby, even if she was all grown up. That's what Mommy says to Noah and Lukey and I. She tells us that we're always going to be her babies, no matter how old we get. So Blair was still your baby, Lisa", Ellie whispers, smiling shyly at the woman whom she so strongly resembled.

A smile slowly makes its way onto my face from hearing Ellie's statement, and I look at my child in awe.

"You two have raised the sweetest little girl I have ever met", Lisa says, smiling at Adam and I.

"Yes, we have", Adam says defensively, wrapping an arm around my shoulder.

"Stop it", I whisper, shaking my head and looking at my husband.

"Ellie, why don't you take Ginger out into the garden for a couple of minutes, while I have a little chat with your Mommy and Daddy?", Lisa says, winking at Ellie and opening the back door.

"Can I Mommy?", Ellie asks, turning around and looking at me, seeking permission.

"Okay, but just be careful. No running too fast, we don't want any more broken bones", I mutter, as my daughter picks up the cat and walks outside.

Lisa sits down at her kitchen table and gestures for us to join her.

I sit down beside Adam and stare into Lisa's eyes, unable to read her expression.

"I'm sorry, it slipped out", Lisa says, rubbing her temple and shrugging her shoulders.

"We made a deal before we came here. Ellie has been through enough already and the last thing we want to do is confuse her. We will eventually tell her everything, when she's old enough and when the time is right, but that's not your decision to make", Adam says coldly.

"I really am sorry. At least she didn't suspect anything", Lisa whispers, and I can't quite decipher whether she is speaking to us or to herself.

"It's okay", I say reassuringly, reaching out for Lisa's hand across the table, anxious about the fact that we were speaking to a dying woman, and that we should be more considerate of the circumstances.

"It's not okay. I've broken our trust. I've ruined everything", Lisa says, looking down at her feet.

"No, it's my fault", Adam says, sighing to himself. "I shouldn't have reacted the way I did", he mutters.