anger management

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"Daddy, is Taylor your girlfriend?" Ellie asked, watching her father make breakfast.

"No, why would you think that?" Travis asked, his face turning red.

"I found this," Ellie said, holding a picture of Taylor and Travis kissing.

"She's not, that was someone else," Travis lied.

"No, daddy, that's her," Ellie said, closely observing the woman's features.

"I said it's not her! Leave it Ellie!" Travis exclaimed, dropping the spatula he was holding onto the counter.

Ellie whimpered at the noise as Travis held his head, trying to calm himself down. Taylor was still a touchy subject for him and he didn't like talking about their relationship. Taylor walked downstairs, oblivious to what just happened, and Ellie ran over to her, grabbing Taylor's legs. Taylor picked up the girl and walked back to the kitchen to see Travis aggressively flipping pancakes and muttering something to himself.

"Trav, you okay?" Taylor asked, the nickname accidentally slipped out.

"Here, keep this and keep her, looks like she doesn't need me!" Travis yells, slamming the photo into Taylor's hands and storming up the stairs.

Ellie started to sob as she's never seen her dad like this; he was always so calm and goofy, he was the best father to her, now he's acting more like her mother which scared her. She gripped onto Taylor, trying to find some sort of comfort in the situation. Taylor rearranged Ellie and cradled her against her chest, while gently rocking her back and forth.

"Go to sleep, baby, I'll go talk to daddy," Taylor said to the girl.

After the small girl fell asleep, Taylor carefully put her down on a bed and surrounded her with pillows so she wouldn't fall even if she rolled around in her sleep. She then walked over to Travis' room and peeked her head in. Travis was laying on the bed, tears falling from his eyes; he rarely ever cried so Taylor knew he was really hurt. Undeniably, Tayor was still in love with him, which made her heart ache more. Maybe she made the wrong decision to break up with him, maybe they would have been okay.

"Oh, Trav," Taylor said, walking over to him.

"Leave!" the man cried, wiping his tears.

Ignoring his command, Taylor sat down on the bed next to him and moved closer until she was only a couple inches away from him. She ran her fingers across his short hair until he gave up on trying to get her to leave, allowing her to continue.

"Come here," Taylor said, trying to pull the man closer.

Giving up on acting like he hated her, Travis eagerly cuddled into Taylor, his head on her stomach as he tangled his legs with hers. Her soft and gentle breathing calmed him down as he followed her breathing, finding himself closing his eyes in tiredness. It was only eight am but his daughter woke up an hour ago, begging for pancakes, so they both got up and he made her pancakes.

"Why doesn't she like me anymore?" Travis asked, his voice breaking.

"She does, she's just really hurt right now. And I found her in that situation so I think she's still seeking that comfort, but that doesn't mean she doesn't like you any less. And what were you thinking? Acting like that in front of your daughter?" Taylor scolded.

"I wasn't thinking, I was just, I, Tay. My ex is not her mother, she was there since Ellie was two and she became a legal parent but now Ellie's mom came back from rehab and I'm scared of what she'll do," Travis admitted.

"Thank you for telling me, you're gonna be okay, she can't do anything yet. ANything she needs to do will be through legal action and I have an amazing lawyer. And right now Ellie is with you, so she's safe and that's what matters," Taylor reassures.

"Daddy?" a small voice said, walking into the room.

"Hey, girlie," Travis said, sitting up next to Taylor.

"Daddy," Elie said again, holding her hands out at the edge of the bed.

He picked up the small girl who immediately cuddled into his chest, letting out a small yawn. He looked down at the small kid in his arms, realizing how fragile and small she was. He gently ran his thumb over her visible bruises as he was them up close for the first time.

"I'm sorry for how I acted today, I'm sorry I scared you. Can you forgive me?" Travis asked.

"Only if I can sleep with you," Ellie said.

"Anytime, princess," Travis chuckled, laying down with his daughter still in his arms. 

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