The Malikson Family

We all need a little help sometimes

Louis POV

"You could've given me a bit more notice mum, you must've been planning this for months! Look at all these table plans and spreadsheets and whatnot" i gaped, going through the boxes of wedding decor that filled my mums kitchen. The invite only arrived about two weeks ago now and for some strange reason she neglected to mention 'oh and by the way, I'm getting remarried in the next few months' during our visits or even during our daily phone calls.
"Sorry boobear but i thought it would be easier to just announce it all of a sudden so it would feel more casual. I dont want people stressing out over the wedding especially since its not going to be a massive affair. I only invited close friends and family." She reassured softly as she hung up the bridesmaids dresses.
"Now, the best man better go up to his room and try on his suit because his mum wants to check the size.Ill watch out for Niall." Mum said mockingly as she draped the navy suit and matching tie over my arm. "Now go on and if you come down to me with those trainers on ill literally rip them off of your feet, got it mr?" She chuckled, giving my bum a light smack and sending me on my way.
"Alright, alright, but i hope you remembered that i only had a baby a couple of weeks ago. My tummy's not as flat as it used to be." She knows how conscious i am of my tummy nowadays. Its like it just wont shrink and theres all these horrible pink stretch marks as well. I don't know how Zayn even finds my body remotely attractive anymore.
"All accounted for boo! Now get a move on or we wont get into 'Galileo's' for lunch and you can bring in your own wine as well so we can have a glass or two and get dan to pick us up." She chirped excitedly and pranced off to sort out whatever other wedding stuff she had while i just trudged up the stairs to my childhood room. I wish she gave me some extra notice to give me a chance to get rid some of this disgusting fat across my middle. Im going to look like a damn whale all day and the thoughts of it are making me feel sick.

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The restaurant was packed by the time we got down but thankfully there was only a 15 minute queue to get in so that wasn't too bad. However, somewhere in the queue Niall had drifted off on my shoulder, his dummy bobbing up and down in his mouth as he slept.
"He's really not like either of you is he? He looks more like daisy and Phoebe." Mum said softly, moving some of his dirty blonde hair out of his face with her nimble fingers.
"Zayn didn't get a look in. Not one of them has dark hair or dark skin. Although this whole curly hair thing must've come from his side because Harry's is starting to curl too." And with that a waiter came over and led us to our seats, sitting us next to the front window so there was room to put Niall in a highchair as soon as he wakes up.
"Will he eat anything or you just going to give him something light?" Mum asked as the waiter took our orders.
"He can just have some of my pasta, he wont eat much because i gave him a sandwich on the drive down here."
Mum and I continued to catch up and chat about everything and anything, as we always have, the smell of various different herbs and spices tingling our senses and making our mouths water as we waited for our meals.
Thankfully we didn't feel the time passing by being so into the conversation and all so it and before we knew it there was a rather handsome young waiter with a red bow tie serving us our meals.
"Niall... Wakey, wakey sunshine. Your nummies are here, darlin'" i said gently to the toddler and pressed a lingering kiss to his warm forehead as he began to stir and rub his tired eyes with his small fists, his hair ruffled from lying on my shoulder.
"Daddy" He croaked with bleary eyes as he clung onto my T-shirt.
"Daddy's here Ni, daddy's always here" for a minute he just stayed snuggled up to me while i rubbed his back to help him wake up a bit. Its not often Niall would cuddle like this unless he was feeling ill or he'd been hurt and was feeling rather sorry for himself but it was nice to savour the moment for a while.
"Would you like to go into the high chair now?" I whispered into his ear as he pulled away from my chest and took in his surroundings for a moment. Two seconds later he was sleepily nodding and putting his arms up to be lifted.
"I got you some pasta and afterwards you can help us to collect daisy and phoebe from school" i explained softly but you could tell once the word pasta was mentioned he got excited and stopped listening.
"Eat slowly or ill have to feed you.Do you understand?"
"Yes daddy"
"Good boy!" And with that i finally got a start on my dinner before smiling across the table at my mum "if i didn't tell him to eat slow he probably wouldn't even chew."
"He wouldn't be our Nialler if he did chew" mum chuckled as she watched him struggle with the spoon he was given, resulting in him just giving up and using his fingers. Who needs table manners anyway?
"ill just pretend i cant see that" i laughed as mum took another sip of her wine. I was happy with my glass of water. Alcohol just wasn't going to sit well in my stomach at the moment... 'Not that i needed the calories anyway' my subconscious reminded me ever so subtly but i shook it off.
"Louis.. if I ask you something will you give me an honest answer?" mum quizzed, making me look at her in confusion.
"umm- of course... what's up?" I asked hesitantly, knowing she meant business just by her expression. it made me so nervous my mouth felt dry and my palms were starting to sweat ever so slightly so as anyone would do I took a drink... but it wasn't exactly well timed. "Are you pregnant?" she blurted out causing me to do a spit take.
"WHAT!?! no way! What made you think that?" I whisper-shrieked while attempting to mop up what came out of my mouth with a stray few napkins.
"Well you had your hand hovering over your tummy while trying on the suit, i saw you taking a tablet earlier, you're not drinking and you're constantly texting zayn all day" she jusified. I must hand it to her, they were all very good points but she needs to stop over analysing everything.
"No mum, my stomach had been unsettled all morning from the drive up so i took something to settle it and drinking will probably only aggravate it and i was texting zayn to see how harry went off this morning. Tricia and Yaser are watching him while zayn was in work and he's never been there on his own so I thought he might've been strange there." I explained but there was still one question looming in the back of my mind.
"Mum... D-do i look pregnant? I know you're going to say im not bu-"
"Boo bear you had a little boy 3 months ago. Theres bound to be some extra weight around you're tummy but to answer you're question no, you don't. You just look like you had a big lunch. Nothing drastic, i promise." She reached over the table and took my hand in her delicate one and rubbed her thumb over it ever so gently as only a mother can do.
"I can get you a control panel for under you're shirt for the wedding if you'd like?"
"Id love that" i smiled tightly, still not feeling very secure about my body image as i scooped another forkful pasta into my mouth, chewing slowly.
"Daddy, i miss hawwy" niall lisped quietly, looking at me with his wide blue eyes. While i literally had to spit my water back into the glass out of shock. Again. Niall? Admit he loves harry enough to miss him? After his behaviour over the past few weeks?
"Excuse me? Im not sure if hearing this right, did you just say you miss Harry?" To which he nodded. Oh my god wait until Zayn hears this. He'll be speechless!
"And he misses you too darlin' and he loves you very very very much but when youre mean to him it makes him sad and he'll want to play with liam instead and we cant have that now can we?" I said softly, moving his fringe from his face as he shook his head quietly. "So are you gonna start being nice to him?"
"Yes daddy"
"Thats my boy! We can FaceTime them all later but for now eat up your nummies" but obviously niall being niall didnt have to be told twice to eat up. How were going to cope with him in his teenage years is beyond me because he literally eats EVERYTHING.
I looked across the table and mum was sat with a massive grin across her face while she watched us. "You know that you really are an amazing dad, right" She smiled, putting another forkful into her mouth.
"I learned from the best" i chuckled, fixing my t shirt and going back to my meal.