New York Surprise!

Chapter Forty Two

6 WEEKS LATER...

Karlie's P.O.V

I shut the laptop down in frustration and then pick up my cellphone to see if the real estate agent that we had hired had text me or emailed me any new properties. Currently we've been looking for almost two months and although it doesn't bother me that we are all living in the Nashville apartment I really want to get both Noah and Aubree into a house where they can actually go outside and run around on the grass. At the moment because it's coming winter and Aubree's birthday is next week no one has really been going anywhere. We're currently home schooling Noah, because although he is technically a sophomore he isn't up to the curriculum level so we hired a tutor and he's being a good sport about it despite the fact that it makes him feel bad. "What's wrong baby?" Taylor questions running her hands over the top of my shoulders and calming me down.  "This house hunt. It's driving me insane, it's like there are no properties that we like. Plenty that meet what we want but nothing that makes us want to live there and it's just frustrating me."  huff sitting back and folding my arms which makes Taylor laugh at me so I look at her and she fights to stop. "Babe, I'm sorry but that's the actions I expect out of Aubree not you. Just relax, it'll happen when it happens." I nod at her but turn back to the laptop, opening it again.  "Maybe I should look at L.A at least there will be property that we like." I joke and Taylor looks at me, even Noah looks at me from his place at the table where he is writing an essay. "Well why don't you?" Taylor questions. I turn and look at her as she moves to sit at the table near Noah so she can double check his grammar for him before he gives the essay to his tutor tomorrow. "You can't be serious, you'd live in L.A with two kids?" I question because all of the conversations we'd ever had about kids since we got together and got Noah she always wanted to raise them here in Nashville. I watch her shrug, "It's not like it's a big deal. I just wanted them to be allowed a little freedom from paparazzi but if we find a great house there why not?" she questions. I sit back and think about it. "Well you've already got your house there though." I state as Taylor looks at me with her eyebrows raised. "Yes, but I've been wanting to sell that for years, you know that. When I lived in New York I hardly went to L.A and if I did I stayed at Selena's or Gigi's. I haven't stayed there for at least a year or more. Cleaners maintain it for me. So if you find one out there that you like that meets what we want then we'll move there." She states handing Noah his essay back and pointing out mistakes before moving towards me and pecking my lips. "I love you Karlie and I know that you need to find us a dwelling, so if it's L.A it's fine with me." I nod and kiss her lips. It's true that in our relationship I take on the more masculine role because for one Taylor is not a strong person and doesn't like carrying heavy stuff and two she is more than happy for me to be the protective one and another thing is that she is more comfortable in dresses and skirts while I'd rather wear workout clothes or jeans so we naturally have different things that we bring to the relationship.

Turing around I pull up www.realestate.com and search for homes in L.A but I pause and yell out to Taylor who doesn't answer me. "Noah can you go and grab mom please." I state not even thinking about what I just said. "What?" he questions lifting his head.
"Can you go and grab her please, it's important." I state turning and looking at him only to see him looking at me with a shocked look on his face. "What's wrong Noah?" I question standing up and moving towards him but the moment he sees me moving towards him he stands quickly and heads to the doorway which makes me pause. "I'll go and grab her..." he trails off. I'm really confused and a few minutes later when Taylor walks in with Aubree in her arms with a look on her face that I've never seen before I look at her and she says, "what did you say to him?" I look at her.
"Huh? What are you talking about?"
"Noah, what did you say to him. He's going for a run and you know he only goes for runs when something happens. What did you say?" I look back at her and I'm taken back by her bluntness that comes out in her voice. "I asked him to get you when you didn't answer me before...."
"Think about it Karlie, what did you say exactly?" I think and then my mouth drops open. "Well what was it?" she pushes and I sit down, Taylor places a squirming Aubree down and she runs for Olivia in eating out of her cat bowl. "I told him to grab his mom..." I watch Taylor's face change and I drop my head into my hands. "What the hell was I thinking? It's way too soon. I've probably just given him a reason to run now." I state so mad with myself that I made that mistake when it's only been six weeks. But to be honest Noah just fits in so well with our family, he loves Aubree and lets Aubree climb over him while he's watching T.V or on his computer. The pair of them get on so well and he just found his match with Taylor, the two of them sit down and binge watch Law and Order SVU all the time and Taylor's got him hooked on Friends and Pretty Little Liars now too. He also slots in with me and we often go to the gym together or out for a run. Taylor and I have both seen him swim and the local high school is keen once he starts next year for Noah to join the Varsity swim squad despite the fact that he will only be a sophomore. But I can't believe that I made that mistake after Taylor and I agreed that Noah could call us what he wanted and that we wouldn't force the 'mom' thing on him. I'm sure he hears Aubree use mama all the time to get Taylor or my attention but that doesn't mean he has to.

Noah's P.O.V

The familiar pounding of my feet on the pavement gives me a little space to think. But I can't get over that word 'mom' it's just floating around in my head. I've been with Taylor and Karlie for six weeks and two weeks ago they fully adopted me. I chose to change my name to Swift-Kloss because that's what Taylor and Karlie will have as their family name when they get married in June next year. Aubree is already a Swift-Kloss so it made sense to just change it now and have it done but I never thought of them as my parents, my mom's until Karlie referred to Taylor as mom less than half an hour ago. I stopped at a bench in the park where Karlie and I usually stretch during our warm up jog we take on the way to the gym and as I sit and stretch I think about all the things that they've done for me in the last few weeks. All the clothing, electronics, hiring a tutor because I'm not fully ready for sophomore year having missed most of freshman and they've already taken me to the athletic coach at the high school so I'll be trialling for the Varsity swim team next year when I start. It's when I begin to think about everything that they've done for me that it gets me. They didn't have to, they could have let me leave that night in St. Louis but they asked me to stay and now I've bonded with everyone. I think that Taylor's parents are awesome, I love her brother Austin because he just likes to piss Taylor off, Karlie's parents and sisters are awesome too and I got on really well with them during staying there. But something's always stopped me from referring to Taylor and Karlie as mom and I think it's because I'm afraid to get hurt again but as I look around the park and see moms with their kids and dads tossing footballs I happen to look and see a mom and her son who wouldn't be much older than me laughing and shooting hoops at the public basketball court and it hits me that they are my moms and they have been trying to let me make the decision as to what to call them but now it all makes sense and it's clear that I have a mom, two of them and they care about me as if they were mine from the start. On my run on the way home I decide that I'm going to call them mom and see how they react but I hope they don't cry on me. That would just be mushy.

Taylor's P.O.V

I hear the front door open and then close and then the sound of Noah kicking off his running shoes, I smile because he does it the same way that Karlie does, just chucks them wherever and the moment he comes through the doorway to where I am in the kitchen I look at him and he looks where he's been. "Oh sorry mom, I'll go and fix it." I nod as he smirks at me and the moment his back turns I think about what he's just said and I happen to drop the plate that I'm washing. Karlie rushes in from the study having been answering an email to a shoot in Paris that she can't attend next year because it's the week of our wedding at the end of June. "What's happened? Who dropped what?" I laugh at her shocked and frightened expression but when I gesture to the mess on the floor she quickly hugs me and rushes off for a broom while Noah comes back in and I raise a finger to point at him. "That wasn't funny Mr. I love that you called me that but next time don't shock me while I have a plate in my hand." I watch as he laughs but nods and then says, "I want to get mom when she comes back." Pride flitters though me as I think about what it would mean to Karlie to hear him say that to her. "Just make sure she's not holding a plate or glass, promise." He crosses his heart and we both wait for Karlie. The minute she steps back in he looks at her and says, "are you a witch today mom? Gonna fly away somewhere." I watch Karlie laugh and start to pick up the pieces of plate and sweep. Noah and I sit there with baited breath knowing it will hit her sooner or later. "Wait what did you say?" she suddenly states turning to face us both. Noah smiles and says, "I called you mom. I hope this is okay?" Karlie then rushes towards him and I and we have a big hug. "That's more than okay. We love you so much and I'm sorry for earlier. You just fit in so well that sometimes I forget that it's only been a few weeks and despite the adoption we didn't want to rush you into something you weren't ready for." I watch Noah nod and then he pulls us in again and says in a low voice.
"I love you moms." Which makes me feel like I'm walking on air and from there the day continues as normal with Noah trying out the word mom often. He blushed the first hour but by dinner he's okay. We're almost finished when Karlie states, "I found a house in L.A it's perfect for us and it's out of the city." My mind shatters for a second but then I realise that we found a house, a hub for our family. I lean over and kiss Karlie and say, "well we better go for a look then. Where's that computer gone?"