a sound she hadn't heard before

four.

"Auntie Blakey!" Ayla exclaims, running towards her mom's best friend with open arms for a hug.

"Ayla!" Blake smiles at the little girl, picking her up and twirling her around in the air. The two families met at a parking garage in midtown, all dressed up and ready for a day out. The kids are so excited for the big surprise that their moms have been hyping up- the Broadway show that they'll be seeing in just a little bit.

"Auntie Tay!" Inez is the first one to run up to Taylor for hellos.

"Hey Nezzie," Taylor smiles. "How have you been? How was your first week of school?"

"It was good. I got to give Betty a tour since she was new."

"That's pretty special. I bet that you were a great tour guide."

"I was," Inez smiles proudly.

"James, how about you? How was your first week? It's your last year of elementary school- that's a big deal, isn't it?"

James giggles. "It was good. I like my teacher."

"How does it feel to have both of your little sisters at the same school?"

"It's weird," she says.

"She stuck her tongue out at me in the hall," Betty says, crossing her arms across her chest and stomping her foot into the ground.

"James!" Blake scolds. "You have to be nice to your sister at school."

"Mooommm," James whines. "She was screaming for me and wanted a hug in the middle of the hallway. It was embarrassing."

"First of all, I don't know why this is the first that I'm hearing of this. Second of all, I don't care. She's your little sister and she loves you, and I know that you love her back, so you need to be nice to her. You can give her a smile and a wave or something."

Blake walks over to Taylor and whispers in her ear, "So, the pre-teen stage is fun."

Taylor chuckles. "I can tell."

"Come on girls, let's get moving. Unless you want to stay in the parking garage all day," Blake announces to the four young girls.

"No!" Ayla exclaims. She runs over to her mom and Blake. "I want to hold Auntie Blakey's hand."

"Okay," Taylor laughs. "Just so long as you hold one of our hands."

The two women exchange looks. "All ready to go out there?" Blake asks Taylor. When they're in New York together, they both wear wigs and sunglasses in an attempt to keep a low profile, but they also realize that somebody could see right through them. This worries Taylor especially, who really doesn't want to be spotted in public, and certainly not with Ayla.

Ayla knows that her mom makes music, but doesn't really understand what Taylor's life was like before she was born. Ayla also doesn't realize how secluded her life has really been. Taylor knows that now that she has started kindergarten, it won't be long before she comes home asking for things like playdates with her school friends and gymnastics lessons, and she has to admit that she's a little bit terrified for that day. That's why she loves when Ayla gets to play with Blake's kids. They live a similarly secluded life, and Taylor also knows that Ayla will be completely safe with Blake and Ryan supervising. She would trust them with her life. She plays all of her new music for them before anybody else.

She doesn't know how she'll be able to bring herself to trust the other moms, if Ayla ever wants a playdate with another friend. She doesn't really know how she'll ever be able to trust anybody new, and especially not with her little girl, after what happened with Ayla's father.