Taylor's POV
Because of everything going on with my pregnancy we have to go to appointments every couple of weeks. We've been to a couple so far and I'm twenty six weeks along now, and so far everything is stable and both babies are doing really well. We're still staying vigilant and careful, especially as I get bigger and the boys get bigger, but today we're going to look at a house because we think we've finally found the perfect one for us.
"Are you ready to go?" Karlie walks into the kitchen as I pace and I laugh as I nod, "definitely, these boys are going crazy." The twins are so active right now and for some reason the car calms them so I'm eager to get out of the house and hopefully not have a baby kicking me in the ribs every five seconds because it hurts way more than I ever anticipated.
"Come on then, hopefully they'll calm when we get to our new home," Karlie rests her hand on my bump as she pulls me into a kiss and I pull away as I laugh, "we might not get it, Kar, it might not feel right when we get there." We're going to see it before we put down an offer, that way we will know for sure if its the right place for us. "It's going to be perfect, I know it," she smirks as she intertwines our fingers and I just smile as I shake my head, she's always so sure of everything and she's yet to be wrong.
We make sure we have everything and then Karlie helps me into her car. I've still got another ten weeks to go but I'm already so big. "Are you alright?" She laughs as I try and get comfortable and I send her a playful glare, "next time you get me pregnant, maybe try and aim for one baby."
The soldier laughs as she pulls out of the driveway, wearing a cheeky smirk as she looks over to me, "next time?" I roll my eyes as I blush, "theoretically? Sure. Realistically? Maybe not." I rub my bump as I smile, obviously having another baby might be something we talk about in the future but who knows how we're going to handle three kids, nevermind adding onto that.
"I'm not the only one responsible for this, it was your egg that split to create two of them," I roll my eyes as she smirks at me, "technicalities, Kloss."
The house we're looking at isn't on the base, we wanna set down roots here so we found a house in a good neighbourhood that will work for our whole family. It really is a nice neighbourhood and there are parents with little kids and yards with swing sets - it's a perfect place for our family.
"Wait there," Karlie laughs as she parks and gets out of the car, walking around to my door to help me out. "Thank you," I smile as I take her hand and once I get to my feet I press a kiss to her lips. "I think they finally fell asleep," I laugh as we walk up the driveway, the twins finally at peace, "I told you so," Karlie just smirks and I can't help but smile.
We meet the realtor as she opens the door to us and we all share quick greetings as Karlie keeps a grip on my hand. This is the third house she's shown us but this is the one we're all most confident about.
"It really is beautiful," I smile as she walks us through the house, the pictures online are amazing but it truly feels like a home being here. "Imagine it, Teff, Grayson and the twins playing in their playroom there, you baking one of your million recipes in the kitchen, a swing set or a sandbox in the backyard. This feels like home."
My heart feels so content as I nod, everything bad that has happened in the last few weeks feels at peace for the moment.
She leads us upstairs and there's enough room for the boys to have their own rooms eventually. "I'll give you guys a minute," the realtor smiles as she leaves us in one of the bedrooms and we both smile back as we nod.
"What are you thinking?" Karlie wraps her arms around me from behind and I smile, "that we should put a crib on each of those walls, the dresser in front of the window and a rocking chair in the corner." I peek over my shoulder at her and she's wearing an excited grin, "this is the one?" I nod as I laugh, "this is the one, this is our home."
Karlie cheers quietly as I turn to face her and pull her into a kiss, "are you sure this is what you want to do?" Karlie looks into my eyes with a deep concern but I just nod as I smile. When I left Nashville the only money I had access to was the trust fund set up by my parents. I swore I wouldn't touch it, it was bad money because of the source, but this gave me the opportunity to turn it into something good.
Karlie kept savings for a long time, planning ahead for when she would eventually settle down for good in the future, so we agreed I would match her savings and that would be our budget but she knows what this money was to me.
"Our boys deserve a good place to grow up, Karlie. My parents always called this 'an investment in my future' and now this is my future, our future. Anyway, you have more to lose in this than I do, you've worked your whole life for your money."
I silently ask if this is definitely what she wants and Karlie nods confidently, "Texas is where we fit and we should build a stable and loving home for our boys, that is what I've worked for, Teff." She rests a hand on my bump and I nod as I pull her into a kiss, this is the first step towards our forever.
Karlie's POV
"Here you go, babe," I smile as I hand Taylor an iced tea, even in February its really warm here and with her pregnancy she's basically a space heater. "You're a Saint," she laughs as I sit down beside her.
We just put an offer down on the house, so now we just have to wait for the owners to respond and then we might be able to buy our dream home.
"We should really start getting ready for them soon," I observe her as she sits in the shade, absentmindedly rubbing circles on her bump. We have a few little things for the babies, but definitely nowhere near what we're going to need and because we move a lot I don't have any of Gray's baby things anymore.
"I know, let's just see how the owners react to our offer," I smile too as I nod, reaching out for her hand. "Do you wanna move in out of the sun? You're really warm, Tay," I look at her, little concerned as I feel the heat radiating from her. "Sure," she laughs, knowing that it's easier to ease my nerves than have me nah at her about it.
I help her up from the chair and we both go back inside where there is air conditioning to help keep her cool. The doorbell rings as Teff takes residence in her favourite armchair and I smirk, pressing a kiss to her cheek before going to answer it.
"Can I help you?" The faces are unfamiliar to me as I open the door, so I wear a stern look as I speak to the couple. "We're looking for our daughter. We were informed that she lives here." The look of disgust on their face as they look at our house and me has already set a deep fiery rage inside me and I know fine well who this is.
"Mom?" I hear Taylor's voice behind me and turn to look at her, my frown immediately softening as I see the fear in her eyes. "Hello, Taylor," she stands by my side and I lace my fingers through hers, trying to ease her sadness. "What are you doing here?" I can't tell if she's mad, upset or surprised, but I think it might be a mix of the three.
"Aren't you going to invite your parents inside? Surely we raised you better than that." The arrogance in the older woman's voice and the condescending way she talks to Taylor really doesn't sit right with me. She isn't a child who needs to be scolded. "Sure, yeah, come in," Tay frowns as she steps to the side, still clinging to my hand as her parents step into our home.
"It's okay, I'm right here," I squeeze her hand, talking to her gently as we follow them into our living room, but the blonde just takes a deep breath as she nods.
Taylor's pov
"Are you going to introduce us or is she going to hover by your side like that the whole time?" I frown as my mom looks Karlie up and down as she sits on the arm of the armchair I'm in, clearly judging her. I squeeze Karlie's hand tight as I look up to her, "Karlie, these are my parents," the word doesn't sit right as I say it, they were never parents to me, "mom and dad, this is Karlie, she's my fiancé."
I smile as I meet Karlie's eyes, her presence comforting me more than anything else could. "And I would appreciate if you didn't look at her like that," before Kar I would never have had the confidence to call them out on anything and that explains the shock on my mom's face.
"Really, Taylor? You left everything we gave you? For this?" I know the anger settling in my heart isn't good and I can sense Karlie getting wound up too. Nobody in my life has ever loved me as fiercely as Karlie does. "What are you doing here?" I keep a stern expression as I repeat the question, looking from my mom to my dad who has stayed silent so far. "Tom told us where you were and then we hired a private investigator to find you."
Of course Tom had something to do with this. "We came here to bring you home but that obviously isn't going to be as easy as we thought." My dad speaks up for the first time and his eyes drift to my bump where my hand is resting, some part of my subconscious trying to protect my boys from them. "I'm happy here. We have a family, a real family, and I'm not going to walk away from it. Especially not to go back to being miserable."
I tear up as I shake my head. They were so oblivious to how horrible my life was before. They never saw any of it. "Miserable?" My mother scoffs as she glares at me, "don't be so ungrateful, Taylor. You had everything you could have needed; a nice man, a beautiful home, money and status? What part of that was miserable?"
I'm trying my hardest not to get worked up but I'm already trying to hold back tears. Although I'm not sure if they're from sadness or anger.
"The part in which having that 'nice man' entailed daily beatings, constant degradation and gaslighting." My heart is thumping out of my chest, but I don't falter for a second. "Or maybe it was the part where my parents forced me into a relationship with a man nine years older than me because his name made them look good." They watch me as my anger rises and every ounce of pain and anger I've felt over the part twenty five years reaches the surface.
"What about when I was twenty two and that 'nice man' was so angry about losing a business deal that he came home and beat me so badly that I miscarried my first child."
The hurt in my voice is so evident by this point and I can feel Karlie trying to soothe me, the soldier rubbing my back.
"I am happy here, with a partner who loves and protects me and our boys," my tears finally slip as I glance up to Karlie for any ounce of courage, the woman holding so much sadness and love in her emerald eyes. "So, please, just leave and never come back here."
A tense silence settles over the room and its painfully shattered by the giggling little boy running through the front door with his Auntie Abbie hot on his tail. I completely forgot that we asked her to pick him up today because we weren't sure what time we would be finished with the realtor.
I quickly wipe my tears as Grayson comes barrelling into the room, the five year old stopping by his mama's side when he realises it isn't just us. "Who is that?" He frowns as I hold a hand out to him and pull him into my lap and as far away from them as I can, Abigail standing confused and worried in the doorway. "They're nobody important, buddy, it's okay," Karlie is glaring at them, urging them to leave. "Mommy why are you sad?" He looks up into my eyes and the concern on his face makes me wanna cry all over again. "I just missed you so much, baby," I glance up to Karlie and then to my parents, "why don't we go with Auntie Abbie and grab a snack real quick?"
Grayson nods and Karlie squeezes my shoulder as I push myself up, looking to my parents one last time as I take Gray's hand and we walk out of the room. I take him into the kitchen, Abigail following close behind, and I find him a snack before letting him out into the backyard to play for a bit.
"What the hell, Tay?" Abbie takes my hands as she stands in front of me, clearly seeing how upset I am by this whole scenario, but I just glance up the hall as I watch Karlie escorting my parents out of our home. "He was evil, Abbie," my voice is tired and broken and I can't even look up to her because there is so much shame in my heart.
"Hey, are you okay?" Karlie comes back to my side and I immediately wrap myself in her arms. I didn't need that today, I was happy. "I've got you, it's okay," she sighs, wrapping me in her protective arms as I let myself fall into her warmth. I need her more than anything else in this world.
Karlie's POV
"How are you feeling now?" I frown as I walk back into our bedroom. After everything this afternoon Taylor took a turn and wasn't feeling the best so I made her come up to bed. That led to all of us spending the rest of the evening in our bed. "I'm fine, Karls, absolutely perfect with this little man keeping me company," I smile as I flop down beside them, Grayson cuddled up beside Taylor.
"Good, we need to keep these boys in there for a little longer," I press a kiss to her bump as she smiles down at me. I know it really must have thrown her to see her parents today, I can't imagine how stressful that whole situation was.
"It's the realtor," my heart races as my phone starts to ring, "answer it!" Taylor laughs, pushing me gently away from her bump to grab it. I push myself up, standing beside the bed as I answer the phone. "Really?" Taylor is watching me intently as I listen to the woman speak, "thank you so much!" I laugh as I grin at my fiancé, this is the good news that we needed today.
I end the call and throw my phone on the bed, "we got it, the house is ours." The blonde bursts out laughing as she hugs Grayson, "you're gonna get your treehouse, buddy." Grayson grins too and I shake my head, pulling Taylor into a gentle kiss, "we got our dream house, babe."