Cater to the Stars (Niall Horan Fan Fiction)

Chapter Seventeen - Daddy

"Harry, I think Harry is the best choice as of now." It broke my heart to say it, but I had seen what I needed to see. Harry could make Claire giggle and smile for hours, he was playful and wonderful to have around, I didn't love him - I barely knew him - but my daughter adored him almost as much as he adored her.

Niall immediately stormed out of the room, I couldn't help myself when I followed him to the porch. His face was red and twisted with anger - no, rage. My decision infuriated him and I knew it would be hard for him to understand my reasons.

"Did it have to be him?" Niall yelled in my face, I could feel his breath on my skin. I swear I could have seen his heartbeat through his chest.

I slowly leaned forward and being as gentle as possible, pressed a kiss to his cheek. All of the anger melted from him as quickly as it appeared. His eyes were soft again and he wrapped me in his arms, my nose touching his so lightly.

"I wanted to choose you, I really did, but-"

"Then why didn't you?" He asked with a clipped tone.

I sighed. "I must think about Claire when I make any huge decision and she wants a father as soon as she can possibly have one. Niall, you don't have children, you can't comprehend just how much they affect your entire life. I know I want to be with you, but you're not what's best for Claire. I'm sorry." A tear rolled down my cheek for some odd, unknown reason.

Niall kissed my forehead and whispered something I truly didn't need to hear. "I love you." With that, he left. Walked away from me entirely and drove by without a second glance.

He loved me, I knew that, but the guilt would eat me up if he said it. Three words that change a person's life. It's always silly, just how powerful words can be, they're just sounds that we put together to form a language. If Niall would have spoken to me in another tongue, I would have no clue just how much I meant to him. Loving him was something I didn't want too admit I could do, but losing him was the worst feeling I had ever imagined multiplied by twenty; death would have been more pleasant.

( ^-^)ノ∠※。.:*:・'°☆

Harry really was a dream, it had been just over a month and already most of my stress was gone. Claire went over to Harry and Louis' apartment when I had a gig, which was very convenient. She had a blast and gave me every little detail of her day when he dropped her off back at home.

Niall hadn't spoken to me since that day he just up and left. It was wrong to think that I could invite him to Claire's birthday party, but I did. I knew it would be unfair to him, seeing Harry and I so happy together. Though, I don't think Niall could possibly say no to her face. She wanted to ask him personally, an invite an everything, Claire wanted to decorate it herself, so, I set up an arts and crafts day for the two of us. 

She sat next to me with the folded piece of paper and a marker, doodling a few random designs on the light blue square. 

"Mummy, can you write down what I want the card to say?" Claire asked me, her puppy dog eyes working their magic. I nodded and took a black pen from the box of writing utensils. Her eyes looked upward and to the right, she really was thinking about how to invite him to a birthday. Claire took a deep breath and began. "Niall, I would be most delighted if you could attend my birthday party this coming Saturday. I apologize if this inconveniences you in any way, but it would mean a great deal to me. P.S. I really miss you being around the house." She smiled and looked at me with bright eyes.

I was absolutely dumbfounded, she didn't know what half of those words meant. "Where did you hear that?" I asked slowly, hoping that it wasn't some adult movie Harry had showed her without my knowing.