Author's Note: I know it's two hours early, but I just really wanted to see what you guys thought of this chapter. Plus, I think you guys deserve a treat for getting me over 700 reads on this story in under three days (the best yet :D). This chapter isn't as funny as it is serious and cute. But either way, I think it's a great chapter... is that biased seeing as how I wrote it? Eh, I don't care. X) Well, I'll let you get to reading it.... as always, let me know what you think of it, because your comments mean the world to me. --Ekat =)
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Liam’s P.O.V.
Today blows big-time. It sucks as it is not being able to spend the day with Dani, Niall won’t stop complaining. Actually, scratch that; he’s not complaining, he’s whining. It’s still not as bad as this morning. We decided that we were going to carpool today, and for some unknown reason, appointed Louis as the designated driver. We didn’t trust Harry to drive for obvious reasons, and we wanted to give Niall as much time as possible to say goodbye to Alex and Zack. Plus, we all wanted to see Zackary too. Can you really blame us though?
We thought it would be a two second goodbye, and then we would head off to the studio. If only it was that easy. When we arrived at Alex and Niall’s house, they looked mopey already. I could see past Niall’s façade when he was trying to hold back tears, and be strong for Alex and Zack. Alex on the other hand, was letting a few tears fall from her eyes. There wasn’t any sobbing, just a few stray tears. It was killing me seeing them like this. When Danielle and I were separated, it was hard to move forward, and act like everything was okay. Keeping those walls up were so hard, but when Alex brought her back to the hotel in New York, my heart fluttered, like it did when we first met on X Factor. But when we separated, it was hard to believe in love. But Alex and Niall have changed my views on that. The way that they look into each other’s eyes… you can see the love inside of them. Their bodies radiate this energy that gives you faith that everything will be okay, and that you will find that special someone that you’re meant to be with forever.
These two have found that within each other, and now they can give so much of their love to little Zackary. Looking at him was painful. It’s like he knew what was going on, and he didn’t like it one bit. You could feel the tension between Alex and Niall, and Zackary was feeding off of it. His lip was trembling, and his eyes were big, and it was obvious he was seconds away from crying. It killed Niall to say his morning goodbyes, but he knew it had to be done. But he refused to say goodbye. He told them he would see them later, because saying goodbye would imply that he wasn’t coming back.
Unfortunately, we had to pull Niall away from Alex and Zack if we wanted to make it to the studio on time. Even though we’re almost never on time when we’re by ourselves, the girls were starting to get us on a schedule, and it seemed to be working. When we finally dragged Niall away from his family, who were in tears by the way, and got him into the car, he broke down. The entire way to the studio, we were convincing him it was for the best, and that he would see them in a few hours. No matter what we said though, I could see that Niall was still thinking about it… Zack crying for Niall when he let go, and kissed him on the forehead. To know that your son is crying for you, but you had to turn away, and walk away killed Niall. So even though we felt for him, we’re still sitting in the studio at three o’clock in the afternoon, listening to Niall whine about how much he misses Alex and Zack. Kill. Me. Now.
Niall’s P.O.V.
That had to be one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. Usually when Zack cries, I can walk over, pick him, cuddle him for a few minutes, and he’s the happiest baby you’ve ever met. Not this time. As much as I wanted that to be the case, it wasn’t. As much as I wanted to be the father to protect my child, and tell him that I’m not going anywhere, I wasn’t able to. I was the reason for causing him to cry. And let me tell you, it sucked big time.
I know the other lads are getting sick and tired of me whining and complaining, but I can’t help it. I’m a father now, and it’s my duty to worry about my family. Wow, it still shocks me to say that. And to think, none of this would have been possible if I wasn’t in One Direction with Harry, because Simon put us together, because he didn’t want to let us go, after the five of us decided to audition for The X Factor during the same year. I wouldn’t say that I believe in fate, but I definitely believe that everything happens for a reason. Without Harry, I would have never met Alex, and without a doubt, wouldn’t be able to hold Zackary in my arms. I love my family with all of my heart, and I’m going to be there for them no matter what.
I may come off as a cheeky, carefree Irishman that loves to have a good time, but I know how to be serious too. I’m not saying that I’m going to be serious all the time, which I don’t even think I could if I wanted to, but I only want to be the man that Alex deserves. She means the world to me, and I want her to know it.
To Lexi:
I don’t know how you and Zacky are, but just know that I’ll be home in a few hours. I love you with all of my heart Lex, and there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you. I’d love to call you, but I actually have to make it look like I’m working ;) Until we see each other again my love… -Nialler
The boys are right; I’m whipped… but it feels good.
Alex’s P.O.V.
To Lexi:
I don’t know how you and Zacky are, but just know that I’ll be home in a few hours. It killed me to walk away from the two of you this morning, but just know that I love you with all of my heart Lex, and there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you. I’d love to call you, but I actually have to make it look like I’m working ;) Until we see each other again my love… -Nialler
I know Niall says that he has no idea how to be romantic, but he’s only putting himself down. Niall knows exactly what I feel, when I feel it, and always knows how to make things better. The only fight we’ve ever gotten in, is when I was pregnant, and we had to fight over who got the last of the ice cream. We argued for about ten minutes, and then decided to split it. Even though we never physically say it, we both feel that fighting is stupid. Why get angry, and yell in each other’s faces when you can talk it out like two human beings? That was one thing that never made sense to me. I think we both feel that way because both of our parents are divorced, and we learned from those experiences. Yelling and screaming gets you nothing except angrier, unless you’re doing it while… wow, I’ve spent way too much time around the boys. It’s a real good thing I have my girls, because I don’t want to think about what my mind could possibly think of. Niall and I have both come to the realization that we don’t agree 100% on every little detail, close, but not everything and we’re perfectly fine with that. We each have our own outlets with music. Niall and I are both hopeless romantics though, and the message that he sent is so sweet.
To Nialler:
You certainly know how to sweep a girl off of her feet. Believe me; you have no idea how hard it was letting the boys pull you out of my arms this morning. Zackary wasn’t happy until I set his playpen up in front of the window so he could look out, waiting for you to come home. Even though he can’t speak using words, I can read his eyes about how much he’s missing you. Until we see each other again indeed my Irish Love! ;) –Lexi
A few minutes pass by as I clean up the house, and then I get a text from Niall.
From Nialler:
Thanks a lot Lex; now I have the boys teasing me because I’m crying :’( I miss you guys so much. I tried to get the guys to let me leave early, but they just glared at me, and told me no. Your brothers are being very mean to your Irish Love. Maybe you can make my day better, and cook me something for dinner? *insert pouting puppy dog face* --Nialler xx
He’s so adorable, that it’s sickening. That didn’t stop me from laughing at the text.
To Nialler:
Of course I’ll make dinner for my Irish Love =) And you tell my brothers that if they don’t stop, I’ll have to come down there, and beat them up. The girls told me that if they get out of line, I can do whatever I have to, to get them to behave. We decided that someone should be in charge of you lot, and since I’m Mommy Direction, I was sacrificed… I mean nominated. ;)
Not even five minutes goes by before my phone starts ringing. At first I thought it was a text, but it kept ringing. I saw that it was Louis calling. Oh this should be good.
“Yes Lou?” I questioned with a smile. Even when these boys aren’t here, they somehow manage to make me smile. A moment of silence goes by before he responds.
“You can’t beat me up,” he said childishly. Oh geez. “So what are you going to do if I don’t stop teasing your “Irish Love”?”
I hear snickering in the background. I guess that means that Louis has the call on speaker phone.
“Let me put this way; oh, and this goes to all of you, because I know you’re listening,” I started to explain. “You will stop teasing my little Nialler, because if you don’t you will face serious consequences; especially if I have get Zackary in the car, and drag him with me to that damn studio. If needed, I’ve already arranged it with Simon that for anyone that disobeys my orders, I can personally sign you up for this season of “I’m A Celebrity, Get Me Outta Here”.”
When I heard several gasps on the other line, I knew I made my point clear.
“Babe, I love you so much,” Niall said, and I could hear the smirk in his voice. That’s right, I could hear the smirk. “Maybe I should leave now, and give you a proper thank-you in the bedroom.”
I heard several thumps, and new that the boys were smacking him upside the head. Oh how I love my overprotective brothers.
“The offer goes for you too Nialler,” I explained. I could hear him swallow hard, and four other laughs fill the speaker of my phone. “Well as fun as this has been boys, I have to feed little Zacky.”
“Give me the phone Louis!” I heard Niall yell in the background. I heard a beep, indicating that the conversation was no longer on speaker phone. “Babe, can I speak to Zacky?”
“Of course you can Niall,” I said. I held up the phone after putting the phone on speaker phone so Zack could here. Niall whispered sweet words to Zack, making him smile and laugh. I expect the reason that Niall was whispering was because he didn’t want the boys teasing him anymore. Even when he kept up his childish persona, he managed to put that aside to be an amazing father to Zack. When you’re young, you always have high expectations for the guy that you end up with. Niall has taken those expectations, and has exceeded them in every possible way. I know it sounds unbelievably cheesy and clingy, but he’s the only that I want to spend every moment of the rest of my life with. He completes me. He was there for me when I revealed my past, and he stayed. His feelings towards me didn’t change; he didn’t think different of me. All he wanted was to protect me from my douche of an ex.
After what Tom did to me, I shriveled up into my own little world. When I met Niall, I decided that enough was enough. The first night I met him, the interaction we had in my room, playing our guitars that night. That was when I knew it was okay to trust people again. I had a gut feeling inside that told me that Niall might just be the person to help me see myself in a new light… and I was right. Now I’m in love with the person I want to spend the rest of my life with, and we have an amazing child together. My life has turned around in the last year and a half, and it can only get better from here.