Saving Grace {Haylor}

Chicken Fingers

"Alyssa, Annie, this is my girlfriend Taylor."

I wave shyly and goto shake Alyssa's hand put Annie sticks out her hand, shaking her head. "Mommy said life's too short for handshakes. Hugs only."

"Annie, it's okay sweetie..." She looks up at me, "a handshake is fine."

I lean down and hug her. "No, no. I prefer hugs anyway."

She latches on to me, but in a weak kinda way. I'm pulled back by a tiny hand, tugging at my shirk and I look to see Annie holding up a twizzler as bright as her hair. "Twizzler?"

I look to Harry while Alyssa hushes Annie. He smirks and I look back. "Sure, why not. Hey, Annie." I take the Twizzler and she looks up at me wide eyes and a big grin. "I brought this for you, I don't know if you like cats, but I like them, and it was cute so-" she brings the cat from arms and immediately dancing around the room, mouth full of Twizzler.

"Oh my goody gumdrops!" She squeals and then runs back to me, wrapping her arms around my legs and I nearly stumble in my three inch heels. "Thank you, Taylor!"

"You didn't have to do that." I look up and Alyssa has a sparkle in her eye, I then realize is a tear.

"Oh no worries, I thought it was cute and what is an adult to do with a stuffed animal, anyways." I feel Harry clench my waist and I take it as a sign I'm doing the right thing.

"Tay, do you think you'd mind taking Annie to grab some lunch in the caf?" I look from Harry to Annie and then to Alyssa. They aren't making it a big deal like I am in my head. How was Alyssa to trust her child with someone she's met five minutes ago? Harry pulls lightly at my waist so I face him. "We just need to talk quickly, it won't be long. I need the update. I prefer not when Annie's around..."

"Yeah um, sure. Is that okay with you?" I look down at the child intensely examining the plush toy.

"Meow!" She laughs, nodding and adding a smile.

"Alright Miss Annie, let's go get you something to eat, shall we?"

"We shall!" She chimes in and grabs my hands and dragging me out the door without any protest.

Annie and I are winding our way to the caf and she says she knows where she's going. And I'm trusting her. She seams to know this place. Nodding to people and saying hello, giving a high five here and there. This child was so light hearted, yet was going through the worst. I didn't understand. "My daddy talked a lot about you." She says, skipping still holding my hand. "He was right, you're really pretty."

I'm taken back a little at first and not really sure what to say. "Why thank you. I think you're very pretty too!"

"Thanks..." She looks up and smiles. "My daddy said that he loved you. And that I should love you too. I didn't need him to tell me that though, because you're just really loveable anyway."

"You're so sweet!" I laugh looking down and her freckled face, she looks ahead. "Do you think we could be friends?"

"I think so!" She says instantly. Maybe this wasn't going to be so hard. This little girl seemed wise beyond her years. Maybe we would get along. "That's the caf!" She smiles and points, "I'll race you there!"

"Oh, I don't know, Annie, I'm not very good-"

"That's okay!" Before I know it she's grasping my hand once again, dashing as fast as she again while pulling me with her until we nearly bump into someone going the direction. She squeals a sorry and then bursts into a beautiful laugh. One that's almost like her fathers. Where her eyes squint and her nose twitches up.

I get Annie something to eat and pass for myself with nothing but a diet coke. I wasn't hungry, too much on my mind. But Annie had ordered a nice plate of chicken fingers and fries. She pleads that we sit and eat here and I agree. Her feet dangle from the hair as she pops to some song in her head. "Aren't you hungry?" She asks and I shake my head. "Why not?"

"I'm just not very hungry. I have a lot on my mind." I smile across the table and take a sip from my pop.

"Is it because of me and my mommy?"

"No, no. Don't worry."

"Are you sure? Cause my daddy said that you might be nervous at first... He said that it was okay to be nervous. Especially since mommy is ending her journey." She dips her finger into the plum sauce as licks it before proceeding to do so with a chicken finger. "It's okay to be nervous."

"It's not you, sweetie. Don't you worry about a thing, okay? You're little, you have your whole life ahead of you." I tap her nose and she giggles.

"Share with me?" She hands me a chicken finger and even just this small gesture, means more to me than she'll ever know. And even though I'm not hungry, and far from it, I take the piece of chicken from her and smile.

"Don't mind if I do." I bite at the chicken and she watches me so cautiously. "So Miss Annie, why don't you tell me about your self... What grade are you in?"

"Well..." She swallows a mouthful and sips at her apple juice. "I just finished kindergarten."

"Oh yeah? Did you like it?"

She shrugs. "Yeah. It's okay. Daddy promised me he would home school me though."

I narrow my eyebrows. "Why's that?"

"I don't like the people. They aren't nice."

"They aren't nice to you?" I try to hold back a frown.

She shakes her head. "No. They make fun of me a lot. They don't like my hair. Or my freckles. Or the way I talk when I'm nervous or the clothes I wear." It's only now that I realize she's got a slur. She looks down at her lace dress. "It's okay though. Cause my daddy said when people say mean things to you, it just means they're jealous."

"Har... Your daddy is very smart, did you know that?" She nods. "Then I think if he says it's okay, it's gonna be okay."

"You're smart too, Taylor. What do you do?"

"Oh um," my eyes widen and I sit back in my seat. "I take photos."

"Really?" Her green sparkling eyes light up as if hitting the lighting at the perfect moment.

"Yeah, I take pictures for people and then give them to them. Have you ever head of a photoshoot?" She nods. "Just like that!"

"Will you take pictures of me? Could we do a photoshoot?" I look down into her beautiful eyes. And smile just as widely as she is.

"Absolutely, 100 percent. Without a doubt." I tap her nose again and she pops a fry in her mouth continuing to smile and giggle without any care in te world.

A/N

Hey guys sorry this chapter was kinda at a stand still I wanted to introduce Annie cause if you guys want the story to go on she's gonna be a pretty big character so I hope you don't mind this chapter. In other news my auntie started her battle against cancer today and she's doing alright. It hasn't spread so we're praying it stays that way.

Thanks for your love

A