Rowan laughs heartily before Kian even gets a chance to step outside of the elevator.
"Who the fucks child have you kidnapped?"
Rowan chuckles again after managing to form the question.
He watches his little brother struggle to lug a pink car seat and luggage into the living room from the lift whilst balancing the small girl on his hip.
The child turns her head trying to get a good look at the person behind the voice whilst her father turns her in all directions.
"And why does she look like a mini you? Is she here for a film or something you're working on?"
Rowan pushes when his brother gives him no reaction.
Kian's expression is blank as he ignores he brothers joking remarks.
Once he has successfully dragged all of their stuff into the apartment, with no help from Rowan, he turns to face him again.
Just as Kian goes to open his mouth to respond, Kiara cuts in.
"Unc-a Ro-ro?"
Kiara points to Rowan in recognition and turns back to her dad as though to question if she's right.
Although the child has seen enough of their age appropriate films to recognise exactly who they both are at first glance which Kian had forgotten about.
He didn't consider the fact she had been taught who her uncle was aswell.
Kian snaps his mouth shut and turns his full attention back to his daughter.
"Yes sunshine, that's your uncle Rowan."
Kian confirms.
Rowan furrows his eyebrows, silently judging his little brother.
What was he up to? He knew he was always weird and childish but never had he stolen a child and pretended to be her father off set.
Maybe her real parents are on their way up to stay with us, Rowan thought.
"Where's the kids parents?"
Rowan decides to ask.
He stands up from his seat on the couch and takes a few steps closer to the pair.
Kian sighs in exasperation.
This is going to be harder then it was to convince me, Kian thought.
"I am her dad Rowan. LA PD called me the other day and I took a paternity test. She's mine."
Rowan folds his arms and hands his younger brother a deadpan expression. He tilts his head to one side and shakes it in disbelief.
"Just because she's ginger doesn't mean I'm going to believe you Kian. What are you playing at?"
Rowan asks.
Kian grumbles in frustration and walks past him, heading for the sofa where he sits Kiara down.
She had been watching the two as though she was watching a tennis match she really couldn't understand.
All she wanted to do was play with her uncle Rowan and share lots of giggles like she had done with Kian.
"Do you wanna watch the rest of beauty and the beast for a minute while daddy talks to uncle Rowan?"
Kian bends down infront of the tiny girl, holding her little hands and giving her his full attention.
"Yeh!" Kiara beams, wriggling on the large grey sofa in excitement.
She had gotten half way through beauty and the beast on the plane before they landed and had to leave the plane.
Kian fiddles with the remote and changes the channel to disney plus, skipping half of the film until it's round about the same place she left off.
He turns the volume up a few extra notches so that she doesn't have to hear their conversation which is bound to be interesting.
Kian kisses Kiara's chubby cheek before turning back to his dumbfounded brother and nodding his head towards the kitchen half of the room, gesturing for him to follow him there.
"What's going on."
Rowan sighs, turning serious suddenly after realising his brother isn't letting up.
"They called me the other night and told me to go to the station because something had happened."
Kian begins recounting the events of the past few days.
"They told me my daughters mother was shot dead in her home but my daughter was okay. I didn't believe it either Ro.
I took a paternity test to get them off my back but it came back a match. I flew over to London to sort things out because they said I was the only living family of hers they could find.
I wasn't going to keep her. I'm twenty two for fucks sake you know I can hardly look after myself.
But...just...look at her."
Kian finishes, looking over the kitchen island to his beautiful little girl, completely engrossed in the drama of the Disney film.
He avoided looking at his older brother throughout the whole retelling which is how Rowan knew.
He knew Kian was telling the truth.
Sure he was a stupidly good actor. After all, he learnt from the best.
And that's how he knew how to decipher the difference between Kian the actor and real Kian.
Ever since they lost their parents Rowan began to notice his little brother's give away gestures. Things he would do when he was opening up and being vulnerable.
He always avoided eye contact and fiddled with his father's rings on his hand.
Rowan never brought this to his younger brother's attention so that he'd always have that advantage and be able to tell when he's being truthful.
And this was one of those times.
Rowan felt butterflies in his stomach as the information sunk in.
He followed his brother's gaze and looked at the little girl on their sofa.
His niece.
"Who was her mother?"
Rowan asks, his tone gentle and considerate now that he realises the seriousness of the situation.
"I don't know Ro. I forgot to ask."
Kian sighs and turns to look at his brother for the first time since opening up.
The vulnerability in his eyes made his older brother feel guilty for making jokes about the situation and acting so stubborn.
That was an ability Kian had adopted after their parents' death.
He could guilt trip his brother into doing anything because he knew Rowan felt like he was now responsible for taking care of his younger sibling.
It was evil of him to use it for the petty things he has done before but Rowan has never called him out on it.
Despite the joking and boisterous brother persona Rowan has the majority of the time around his brother, he also is ten times more mature then Kian.
He can switch between being a mischievous and teasing brother to being a responsible parental figure within seconds.
Even if it annoys Kian to no end since he's been an adult for four years already. Not that he's acted like it.
Their aunt was more then happy to take them in after her sister had passed away but they were at that awkward age where they didn't necessarily need to be taken care of so much.
They didn't ask for help yet she encouraged them to get some so that they didn't have to feel awkward asking for it.
She understood the pressure boys are under to act tough and put on a front. She gave them the push they needed to grieve their parents healthily and find a way to move on.
Their therapy sessions only made their bond grow stronger and over time Rowan became more and more protective over Kian.
And Kian was counting on that side of his brother to help him raise his daughter.
Because he knew that he could do it if Rowan was by his side.
The brothers break out of their thoughts and Kian shakes his head, opening his mouth to speak.
"Her name should be on her birth certificate wherever it is. It's probably in her suitcase somewhere but for now...
...I have to find some food because I forgot I have to feed her."
Kian moves around the kitchen and starts looking for something substantial that the toddler can eat.
He had no idea what he was looking for but he had faith that something perfect for a baby would jump out at him.
Rowan chuckles at his little brother who has never seemed so serious about anything in his life.
"You're a fucking dad.
That's insane...
Absolutely fucking mental."
Rowan leans on the counter with one arm watching his brother with raised eyebrows.
"Okay pack it in with the swearing. There's a child in the room."
Kian chastises.
Rowan's jaw drops open in complete shock.
Rebellious little Kian was telling Rowan to stop swearing?
How the tables had turned.
"You telling me not to swear? Bro, has she put a spell on you."
Rowan almost shrieks.
He truly can't believe anything he's hearing tonight.
He considered going to bed and seeing if he would wake up in the morning, this all having been one crazy dream after ingesting too much sugar before sleeping.
"Shut up and stop trying to give me a midlife crisis would you? I haven't had a chance to think yet and you aren't helping how f...flipping stressed I am."
Kian scolds his brother, saving himself from swearing in the same vicinity as Kiara.
"Okay okay."
Rowan holds his hands up in surrender, beginning to walk always before remembering to ask something.
"Wait...
What's her name?"
Kian turns to look at his brother to answer; a small involuntary smile tugging at his lips as he tells his brother his daughters name.
"Kiara Georgia Wiley."
Rowan can't help but return the smile upon hearing his niece's pretty name.
He turns to look at her once again whilst repeating the name in his head.
It suits her, he thought.
"Go talk to her. You were being a difficult mong before when she was trying to talk to you."
Kian encourages, glaring at his brother for ignoring his niece when he'd first seen her.
"Hey, no swearing remember."
Rowan points a finger at Kian returning his own words from mere minutes ago.
Rowan spins around on the heels of his feet and strolls towards the tiny dot in the middle of the sofa.
She's clutching her fluffy turtle toy to her chest whilst her eyes are glued to the gigantic tv screen.
Rowan takes a minute to really admire her while her attention is elsewhere.
She literally is a mini version of her dad, Rowan ponders.
They have the same bright blue eyes with dark rims around them that both Rowan and Kian got from their late mother. The same straight red hair that both brothers had inherited from their father.
She even had the same dusting of freckles that only Kian had in their family.
She is the cutest little child I've ever seen, Rowan thought.
Kiara senses a presence beside her and tilts her head to find her uncle standing observing her with a small smile.
"Hi there. What you watching?"
Rowan asks his niece.
"Beauty 'n a beast!"
She exclaims excitedly in reply.
Rowan's smile brightens as he thinks about how adorable her little voice is and the fact she can't pronounce some words properly.
"Come watch?"
Kiara asks in a questioning tone, patting the seat beside her in invitation.
Rowan joins her on the couch.
How could he say no to that face?
It seems she already has him wrapped around her finger within minutes of meeting him too. Just like she had her dad.
"What you got there?"
He asks, pointing to the teddy in her arms.
" 's wush"
She answers, holding it out infront of her happily showing off her most prized possession.
"Wush?"
Rowan repeats, tilting his head to one side whilst smiling down at the fluffy turtle.
"No. Wush."
Kiara shakes her head and corrects her uncle.
Even though she technically said the same exact thing, she was actually trying to say the correct name in her mind. She just couldn't yet pronounce it properly which was all the more endearing Rowan thought.
"I can't understand what you're saying munchkin."
Rowan laughs.
"Wush!"
She repeats enthusiastically.
"From nemo!"
She adds once he still doesn't catch on.
"Hold on a second."
Rowan mutters as though he's talking to someone his age. He pulls out his phone and unlocks it whilst Kiara watches his screen with a curious expression.
'Name of the turtle from Nemo' is what he googles.
The cartoon illustration of the turtle pops up along side the name 'Crush'.
"Wush!"
Kiara calls out in recognition, pointing to the phone as though to tell her uncle that this is what she was referring to.
She innocently thinks that it was a coincidence, not being able to fully understand how mobile phones work.
Her mother had tried to keep her away from such technology, wanting to give her a proper childhood where she could play with toys and go outside and see the world around her instead of having her addicted to a phone by the age of two.
"Ahhh, Crush. I see." Rowan laughs, reaching over to ruffle up her soft hair, just like her dad had done.
There was something about a baby's silky hair that made it hard to resist touching. It didn't help that she was the most precious mini human they had ever laid their eyes upon either.
Satisfied with her uncles understanding, Kiara sat back and became caught up in the disney film once again.
After a minute or two of silence she shuffled closer to Rowan and leant her head against his bicep.
And his heart fluttered in his chest.
♡ ♡ ♡ ♡
A/n. On a roll with these chapters.
Don't get too used to it though lmao, just ask my Navi readers😬🙈
Also the song is just fitting idk😂😂😂i just like to use the song feature don't judge me😂