a sound she hadn't heard before

twenty-two.

"You're sure this is going to be okay?" Joe asks Taylor for what feels like the thousandth time as the two are slipping out of rehearsal together. Today is the day: Joe is finally going to have a proper meeting with Ayla.

"Yeah, yeah, it'll be all good," Taylor says, more for her own reassurance than Joe's. She is nervous about this and Joe can tell. Taylor doesn't know why she's nervous- her daughter likes everybody she meets, and is ever-charming. It's going to go great.

The two walk to the parking garage and Taylor climbs into the driver's seat of her Toyota, with Joe riding shotgun. He sees Ayla's booster seat strapped in in the backseat and he smiles to himself. He loves seeing Taylor this way- as a mother. He hasn't experienced this side of her much but knows that he is about to.

"Ayla just goes to our neighborhood school in Jersey," Taylor explains as she pulls out of the parking space. "It's a public school but it's a small little community and most people there don't pay me much attention, which I love. It's so different from the city; I don't have to wear a wig or anything to pick her up. She loves school usually. It's been a little rough for the past few days because she's getting super frustrated with a boy in her class who is acting out and getting everyone in trouble. From the way she's talking, the teacher isn't handling it well at all, so I might have a little talk with the principal about it soon. I hope today is a good day so that she's in a decent enough mood for you."

Joe smiles as Taylor rambles on. "Relax, T," he says. "I'm sure I'm going to love her. I already do from that one brief moment that I met her."

Taylor looks over at Joe. "What did I do to deserve you?"

He reaches across and places his hand on top of hers, pulling it off of the steering wheel to bring it to his lips and give it a kiss. "After everything you went through, you just needed somebody who will treat you right and remind you how good that feels. That's why the universe brought us together."

Taylor blushes a little bit, a smile creeping onto her lips. "Thank you."

Joe doesn't even know half of what Taylor has been through in her past. He knows that she will open up when she's ready. He knows that she has never told anyone the full story. He knows that he might never get to hear it all, and is okay with that. He doesn't want to harp on the past when he can focus on building her the best future that she could ever imagine. They've known each other for such a short period of time, but deep down, Joe feels like he is never again going to know life without her by his side. He never believed it, when everyone told him that someday, he would meet somebody and just know that. Somehow, though, he found that feeling. He found the person who makes him happier than anybody else, and he doesn't ever want to leave her side.

The two cross the Hudson river and drive to Ayla's school, making it just in time for pickup. Taylor leaves Joe in the car and steps out to go meet Ayla at the door of the elementary school. Joe can't help but smile as he watches out the car window. A little blonde girl runs out of the building, her pigtails bouncing up and down as she excitedly gives her mother a hug. Taylor seems to be just as excited as Ayla is about the reunion. The two grab hands and start to walk back to the car. Joe can see that Taylor is talking to Ayla about something, and then, the door to the backseat opens. First, Ayla tosses her pink backpack onto the seat, then climbs in.

Joe doesn't know if he should initiate the conversation or not, so he is relieved when Ayla speaks before he even has the chance to.

"Are you Joe?" she asks.

"I am."

"Hi. I'm Ayla, and I'm five years old. My favorite color is glitter." As she speaks, Taylor climbs into the front seat of the car and smirks, amused by her daughter.