Little Swift

Part 2

"Don't worry.... This is weird, right? It's not just me?" I asked him, watching as his face broke into a tiny crooked smile.

"Just a little bit." He said, with a short laugh, "So...um... you have a kid? When did that happen?"

The way Adam asked that seemed a little too forced, I could still tell after all these years what he was probably thinking.

"Well, you know.... when a man and woman really love each other..." I started saying jokingly, watching Adam's brow crease and his eyes widen, "Nah. I've had her about 6 months.... I adopted her Adam."

"Oh...." Adam said, trying to mask a look of relief, "That's really, um, really nice of you to do. You are doing a great job with her."

"I know what you were thinking... it's the same thing a bunch of people have thought really." I said, "Maisie and I look related, her age would put her conception at about February 2016.... I get it, but I promise you are in no way biologically related to this child."

"I wasn't thinking th- "Adam started to say as I gave him a 'cut the act' look, "Okay, fine, you got me.... but she is cute Tay...really cute" Then under his breath, looking out at Maisie on the jungle gym and smiling to himself thinking I wasn't looking at him or listening closely "To be honest I wouldn't have minded if I were her dad."

I took a deep breath and tried to push that out of my mind.

"So, um, what are you doing in Nashville.... Or more specifically at Big Machine?" I asked him, changing the topic swiftly.

"Oh, well I've kept in touch with Scott a little mover the years." Adam started to say, watching me carefully as I kept just looking at Maisie, "And he had a project proposal for me to produce some tracks for a new pop artists on the label, but didn't want to email the tracks....so I came over to speak to him about it and listen to the tracks."

"Cool.... Did you like the tracks?" I asked, "Wait...who is it for?". I suddenly wondered if it was someone I had worked with.

"Well, um..." He said, rubbing the back of his neck and his slight beard, now not looking at me at all, "It's for Jackson....um, actually it's one of the songs you wrote with him."

My jaw dropped at this point.

"You're the producer who is going to help sell him to the wider world!" I said, slightly annoyed at Scott for not telling me and slightly stupid that I hadn't picked up on it, "Of course it's you! That's who Scott wouldn't really tell me anything, he thought I'd be annoyed or some stupid thing like that.... Wow."

"So... you're not mad?" Adam asked carefully.

I thought about it for a minute.

"No... to be honest it is the best thing for Jackson. He's young and wants to appeal to a wider audience. He's a great songwriter too, just needed a little refining. I'm glad Scott went to the best." I said, smiling at Adam, who smiled back looking completely relieved.

I started to get drawn in by his smile, taking deep breaths to calm myself. He still had an effect on me after all these years and all the crap we put each other through.

"MOMMY!" I heard a terrified little voice yell, which immediately broke my stare as my head whipped around just as one of Maisie's hands started sliding off the tall monkey bars.

I froze. I didn't want to, but I did. MY little girl was about to fall over twice her height and I just froze. Just for a second. But a second was long enough. She started to slip off with the other hand and I could just imagine what was about to happen, how the media would twist it all, how it would kill me to see her hurt. Suddenly a saw someone rush up to her and grab hold of her under her arms just as she was about to fall completely.

It was Adam. I hadn't even realised he had moved. I watched as Maisie threw her arms around his shoulders and he smiled, making my eyes start to tear up, and tucked her head under his chin as they walked back over to where I was still standing.

"Mommy! Mister Adam saved me again!" Maisie told me immediately, reaching over to climb into my arms, "He's for sure prince charming, mommy."

"Is he now sweetheart?" I asked her, making her nod vigorously.

"I'm going to the sandbox mommy." Maisie said, wiggling down again, obviously unfazed by the whole situation.

As soon as she had walked off to the big sandbox, I threw my arms around Adam, quite obviously surprising him.

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" I said, not letting go of him. Gradually his arms came around my shoulders and I felt all my stress of the last few minutes vanish.

"I couldn't let such a lovely little girl fall now could I, it would ruin my prince charming persona!" Adam said, laughing slightly and trying to relax the situation.

"I think that is solidly cemented in her mind now. You will forever – or at least until next week - be her prince charming." I said, adding under my breath "And mine too right now."

We sat down on a bench and started to talk about the song I had helped write and Adam was going to produce. It felt so.... Normal, familiar, comfortable.

I only realised it was getting later when the air started to cool more. WE had been at the playground for 2 hours already.

"Hey Maisie? Time to go home." I called out, watching as she sighed and left the outdoor music instrument panels she had been playing at. "Do you want to come for dinner tomorrow? Tonight, we are going to my parents for her birthday, but I'm sure Maisie would love having you over, and it would be a thank you for everything today." I asked Adam.

"Um, sure.... yeah. Still in the same apartment?" He said, asking carefully.

"Actually, I've moved.... Needed more space. We are up by my parents. Here, hand me your phone and I'll put my address in.... and my phone number come to think of it." I told him, watching Maisie walk over.

He gave me his phone, unlocked and on my contact page, and I inputted my address and new phone number.

"Maisie, what do you say to your lovely prince charming Adam coming for dinner tomorrow?" I asked her, making her eyes go wide.

"Really? Please come mister Adam! I can show you my guitar and my dolls and my aprons and my cats!" Maisie said, jumping up and down.

"It would be my pleasure." Adam said, making Maisie cheer and hug him around his legs.

"Awesome! So, 6pm tomorrow? We eat early in our house these days." I told him, as he nodded and we all started back to where our cars were parked.

"Mister Adam.... Do you like cats? My cats are really nice I promise.... One of them is really old and a little angry so doesn't really like most people and the other one is really silly but super soft and cuddly." Maisie told Adam, who smirked slightly.

"Maisie-kins, Adam has met the cats before." I told her, making her eyes go wide.

"Before me?" She asked, in awe.

"Before you were even born sweetie." I told her.

"Woah..." She said, skipping slightly and looking down.

"She's obviously easily impressed." I said quietly to Adam, who chuckled lightly. "Well this is us.... We'll see you tomorrow?"

"Yup! 6pm at your glamorous new house." Adam said, crouching down to Maisie's level, "Happy Birthday miss Maisie. I will see you tomorrow night."

"Thank you, Prince Adam." She replied, smiling sweetly and hugging him tightly.

"Good to see you Tay." Adam said, standing slightly awkwardly.

"You too Adam." I said, rolling my eyes and giving him a quick hug.

"See you lovely ladies tomorrow!" HE called out as he kept walking down the road.

"I'm going to tell nana and grandpa all about my prince charming!" Maisie said as I strapped her in.

"Okay sweetie." I said, with a smile, thinking to myself 'this is going to be an interesting dinner."