"Tell you what kid, I'm glad that you are alright at singing because you wouldn't last a day as a tradesman." My Dad says to Harry as I open the door to the garage. The two of them look up at me. Harry is holding the timber leg of what looks to be the crib, meanwhile my dad is squinting while trying to put one of the nails through the hole.
"Dad, you should have your glasses on. That's why you can't see where to put the nail."
I walk over to where they are standing and Harry puts his hand out, stopping me from walking any further. "That's as far as you can come. I will not have my little girl in any danger."
I laugh at him and his serious facial expression. He's not kidding, he is genuinely concerned about me being close to their little building site. "It's not going to fall on me, the legs aren't on yet so it's not even as tall as my hip."
"With the way that this guy builds, anything could fall off and cause you harm." My Dad smirks slyly at Harry.
Harry ignores what my Dad says and simply shakes his head. "Come on old man, you got it in yet?"
"Now you're starting to sound like my wife, Harry."
"Oh my god Dad." I place my hand over my face, hoping to slap away the disgusting images that are now inside my mind from what he said.
"Too far mate, too far." Harry pats him on the back and when he takes his eye off the crib, the leg that he was holding starts to fall. Harry quickly sees it and catches it before it slips too much.
"Alright, I'll let you two get back to it. I just wanted to make sure that you are both alive and well. You haven't killed each other yet so that must mean something."
My Dad picks up the drill and puts it near Harry's head. "Yeah, not yet. I'll let him live for a few more months to see his daughter arrive."
"Isn't it crazy to think that she will be here in eight weeks." I say to the two of them, glancing down at my stomach which feels like it is growing more every day. My back aches from carrying around that bit of extra weight, and my pregnancy stomach is considered to be 'small'. I cannot imagine those women who carry multiple babies.
Women really are incredible.
"If she's anything like you then she will be here in 6. You came two weeks early."
Harry looks at my Dad with wide eyes. "Don't say that mate, I'll be just starting up on the next leg of the tour. From memory-" Harry closes one eye, bites down on his lower lip and states up at the ceiling while he is deep in thought. "-I'll most likely be in Wales. Cardiff to be exact."
"If only you knocked me up a few weeks earlier Styles, then she would arrive in your mid tour break."
Harry laughs. "If you didn't shut me out then maybe I would have."
I purse my lips together and stare at him for a moment before speaking. "Alright, this is my cue to leave. I am going to go back in now. Have fun you two." I turn around and walk towards the door.
"Hey." Harry calls out to me so I stop in my tracks and turn back around. "How'd the call go, did you get ahold of him?"
My face falls to the floor. I'll have to tell him sooner or later. But I would rather not tell him while he is building things. He needs to concentrate completely.
"Yeah, Zayn's doing better. I'll tell you about it later on."
"Baby, you good?" He asks, knowing me all too well. He can read me like a book. There's no hiding anything when it comes to Harry.
I place my hands on my stomach and smile at him. "I'm great. We can go for a walk- I mean drive later before your flight okay. We can chat then." A walk to the beach with Harry would be perfect, but it's not worth the risk of going out into the public.
I am still able to hide my stomach beneath a big jumper, but we have been getting some warm days as of late. It is April, we're still two months out of winter so the weather is still too warm for jumpers. And I can no longer get away with wearing an oversized tee. All it takes is one gust of wind to blow my t-shirt against my body and reveal the bump. I can no longer blame it on being bloated.
*
"And how long do you want for maternity leave? You've already had eight months off work Hailey. I understand that your career isn't your priority right now, but your career is my priority. We've already lost so many contacts and sponsors. We were planning for this big tour and then
"The tour will happen one day, but for the time being that dream of mine will be put on hold."
"Sweetheart, I don't want to sound like a bitch but you are only young and beautiful for a little while. You are not going to want to leave that little girl of yours until she is all grown up. So just say that you don't tour for eighteen years. You'll be nearing forty. You are at the prime of your career right now. That's all that I'm saying."
I shake my head, despite her not being able to see me through the phone. "That's my problem."
"It's my problem too. I am your manager. Look, I don't expect an answer now but just keep that in the back of your mind."
Obviously I am disappointed that I won't get to go on my tour that we were planning. But one day I will. Not in the foreseeable future because I don't want to be away from my daughter and I most certainly don't want her to have to tag along with me. Sure performing is a huge part of my career, but it's not everything.
I have been writing a lot lately, so I'll record and release those songs hopefully by early next year. I can perform locally in Australia. Eventually, maybe we can go on some family holidays and make the most of it while I perform in other countries. But for now I want to stay put and focus on getting her into this world safely and healthily.
We already have Harry's tour to worry about for now. He has a career of his own to worry about as well. We will figure everything out after she has come into this world. Right now, she is both Harry's and my number one priority.
Harry walks through the door and pulls his hair out of the bun that he had it tied in. "I'm going to go for a shower." He mouths to me and points to the stairs. I nod my head at him and continue my phone call with Heather.
After speaking to Heather, my brain hurts. I get that it is her job to worry about my career and I appreciate her for caring. But she needs to understand that my career isn't my life anymore. My daughter is my life now. My little family will come before everything.
Obviously I miss touring, I miss the celebrations and I miss being in the studio. But I can have that again one day. Just not right now.
I walk upstairs and see Harry sitting on my bed with water dropping from his wet hair which falls over his shoulders. He is dressed in only his towel which is wrapped around his waist. He locks his phone and throws it behind him on the bed. He looks me up and down with a small smile playing on his lips.
My eyes immediately drop down to my body to make sure that I look okay. I don't know why, but whenever he stares at me I can't help but feel self conscious. His gaze is so intense and I always feel the effects of it. No matter how many years I have known him, that stare of his always gets me. I don't think that I'll ever be used to it.
He is just so beautiful and when he has that serious facial expression while clenching his jaw and staring straight at me with those eyes ... those damn eyes. I can't handle it. I feel like I'm melting into a puddle.
"Look at you, you are so beautiful." He reaches out to me and I hold out my hand to take hold of his. His hand holds mine tightly and he gently pulls me towards him. I take a couple of steps forwards and stand in between his legs. Harry places his arms around me and pulls me downwards so that I am sitting on his lap. He kisses my cheek then buries his head into my neck. I feel his wet hair which is cold against my neck, but his face is so warm. His skin is always so warm.
"I love you so much. Have I ever tell you how lucky I am?" He looks up at me.
I can't fight the smile this time. I lean into him and connect our lips. His hand drops to my thigh and he gives it a firm squeeze. I place my fingers in his hair and circle my fingers around the long, wet locks.
I break away from the kiss and continue running my fingers through his hair.
"If you're thinking of cutting it, it's not happening."
"No, I actually dig this long hair. Usually I don't like long hair on men but I think you have changed me. I think it's so sexy when you wear it in a bun."
He smirks. "Does it turn you on?"
"Harry, when you breathe it turns me on."
He laughs at me. "You're lying."
"I'm not joking. Everything you do is so fucking hot. Even when you chew loudly on your gum. I hate the sound, but god you look how chewing on your gum."
"I'll chew a little louder for you next time then." His face then turns from a smile, to a frown. "By the way, what aren't you telling me about the Zayn call? If he was fucking rude to you again then I will-"
I place my hand on his cheek to calm him. He leans into my hand and lets out a sigh.
"He wasn't rude to me. He told me that him and Perrie broke up."
"You're fucking with me."
I shake my head. "I wish I was."
"What happened?"
"He broke up with her-"
"Why the hell would he do that?" He says angrily but then stops speaking and takes a deep breath. "Sorry." He says more calmly. "Why did he break up with her? I thought they were solid."
"They were, but Zayn has so many mental demons that he has to deal with. He is getting help and his psychologist told him that in order to heal, he needs to let go of everything that is connecting him to the pain. Perrie's career is music. She is still in a band and still touring, something that he stepped away from. When he looks at her, he sees his old life."
Harry is quiet for a moment and I choose to let him have a moment to think and process everything.
I place my hand on his shoulder. "You okay?"
He nods his head. "Yeah, I just didn't expect that. With everything they have been through, he is just going to throw it all away just like that?"
"He is really struggling Harry."
"But losing you would be way worse than anything. Yeah, he hated being in the band. But to me, life would be so much fucking worse without your girlfriend - or in his case, his fiancé. They were engaged Hailey. You'd think he would fight harder for her."
He does have a point. I too am shocked that their relationship ended suddenly. But that's the thing. It is their relationship. Nobody knows everything that goes on. I wish that Zayn fought harder for their relationship, but he needs to heal and if this is what helps him then I will always support him. Hopefully once he heals, they will find their way back to each other.
"You're right."
"Of course I am. I'm sorry Hailey but I just can't get my head around it. Perrie has always been supportive of him. He needs her throughout this. Where is he? In London or LA? Last I heard, he was in LA. That means he's not even with his family."
I lean into him and hug him. "You're really taking this a lot harder than I thought."
"I just feel for Perrie."
I run my dingers through his hair and kiss his cheek. "I know. I want to check in on her to see how she's doing."
He nods his head and then his phone catches his attention as the screen lights up with a phone call. He turns his phone upside down.
"You should answer that, it's your manager."
"And she can leave a message. Right now, I am going to spend my last few hours with my gorgeous girlfriend." He lifts me off his lap and then places his hands on my shoulders and pushes me backwards ever so gently. He did it with such little force that if I wanted to use what's left of my core strength, I would have been able to stay sitting up. But I am so exhausted that I decided not to fight it.
"So where is it that you wanted to go for a drive to?"