corporate affairs [Niall Horan AU]

N I N E

N I N E

After chatting on the front law for a few minutes in the cold, Maura invites all of us into her home. Greg and Niall insist on carrying mine and Katherine's bags, showing off their masculinity as they tease each other in a way only brothers can. Niall pulls our bags behind him as we walk up the driveway towards Maura's warm home. It's a beautiful stone front cottage-mansion that's even prettier on the inside. We all congregate in the mudroom as we strip ourselves of many layers of coats, scarves, gloves. Niall's boisterous laugh echoes around the small, warm room, and I want to take out my phone and capture how he looks with his hair slightly messy, his skinny jeans hanging loose around his too-skinny legs. I shake the thought from my head, laughing silently. Who knew Elouise Watson is such a lush?

Inside the conjoined living room and kitchen, Maura has spread out an assortment of cookies, home-made breads, dips, and beer, lots of beer. Each man in the house helps himself to a beer as he introduces himself to me. Pretty soon I'm familiar with Niall's dad, Bobby, Niall's Uncle, a few cousins, and his grandfather. After disappearing for a while, Niall appears again, wrapping his arm around my waist and cracking open a beer. I stiffen slightly at the contact, but force myself to relax before anyone notices.

"Ever had an Irish pint, Elouise?" Greg asks me with a welcoming grin, beaming wider when I shake my head no. "Well, get ready for your first taste of real, quality beer. Not that crummy American stuff your lot calls beer."

I laugh lightly and hold my palm out towards him to accept the beer in his outstretched hand. I place the glass to my lips cautiously, aware of both the Horan boys' eyes on me. After taking a small sip I press the bottle back to my lips, savoring the sweet taste of my first Guiness. "You're right, Greg. Loads better." I tip my glass to him and he cheers, winking his cheery grey eyes my way.

Niall leads me to the living room, where Katherine and Denise are speaking intently, a little boy grinning between them. "Hey, Theo, remember Uncle Niall?" Denise asks suddenly, smiling brilliantly at Niall and I. Theo grins at Niall's smiling face, evidently remembering his uncle. Niall lifts Theo into his arms easily, sitting on the ground with his back against Katherine's legs and Theo in his lap.

"Hey, buddy." Niall coos, smiling widely at the little boy.

"Hey, I'm Denise, Theo's mum and Greg's wife." I shake her waiting hand, introducing myself as well. She and Katherine invite me into the conversation, and it flows smoothly. Denise is bubbly and humurous, and makes me feel like I've been attending Horan family-get-togethers all my life. Niall gives me a warm smile as I sit down beside him while Katherine and Denise excuse themselves to get something to eat.

"He's so handsome," I coo, rubbing Theo's chubby cheeks with my finger. He flashes me a wide grin, his little hand grabbing my finger and holding onto it tightly.

"Lots of people think he looks like me," Niall informs me, waggling his eyebrows at me. "Look, he likes you!" Theo giggles as I wriggle my other finger in his direction. Suddenly Niall hands him to me, nodding reassuringly as my eyes widen. "You got him, there you go."

As soon as Theo's in my arms, I'm amazed by his tiny little self, the way he grins up at me full of adoration and amusement. I bounce him in my arms, making him clap and squeal in delight. I blow raspberries in his face, laughing when his slobbery little hands come to rest against my cheeks.

"Do you like Elouise?" Niall asks Theo in a girly voice, a voice I'd never expected to come out of Niall's mouth. Both Theo and I giggle at Niall, and for a moment, Niall's eyes hold mine.

"You better keep Elouise close," Denise says from behind us, her phone held up in her hands as she flips it around to show us the pictures she'd taken. "I think Theo might steal her from you, Ni."