The days passed and I felt more and more on edge as they did. Nobody had been able to find the person who had killed that poor dog and left him on our doorstep. The guards were fired for having neglected their duty and new ones were hired.
We had no idea what was going on.
Zayn and I started to get the hang of the whole parenting thing. We were a pretty decent team, but not even having each other's company could set our fears away. He tried to pretend that he didn't worry, but I knew him well enough to know that he did.
It was a constant fear that we'd be woken in the middle of the night to another dead animal, or worse, a person.
I sat in the living room with Louis, flipping through channels as I fed Nathan a bottle. He constantly took a glance back at me and my son, something that he didn't do before the dog incident.
"Louis, is there something bothering you?" I asked, removing the bottle from Nathan's lips slowly, careful not to wake him.
Louis turned over and shut the tv off. He sighed before he spoke. "Everything's fine. I just can't help but wonder about that other night, you know? I worry."
I set Nathan in his car seat and placed a blanket around him. "Do you think that it was a threat?"
"I don't see how it could've been anything else," he said as he stood and walked over to me. "I don't want to worry but I do. I don't believe that we should. We're safe. But it never leaves my mind."
I stood from the sofa and wrapped my arms around him. "Maybe we should just forget about it."
He hugged me tight. "Maybe we should."
The following day the boys offered to take care of Nathan so that Zayn and I could have some time to ourselves. Naturally, we both hesitated. We had never been away from our son, and although we knew he'd be in good hands, we still feared for his safety.
We ended up going, though. Zayn said that he had the whole night planned out, and I wasn't one to argue. We drove out to the same café that he and I had met the day that I had told him I was pregnant. Tears sprung to my eyes and he came around to open the door for me.
"I thought about picking someplace romantic. But then I thought it better to bring you somewhere that had meaning; a place that brought back memories. What better memory than the one of the life we made together? Or our son?"
I stood on the tips of my toes and kissed him. I couldn't have felt more loved by him. "I love you."
Zayn smiled. "It still feels unreal when you say that to me. Like I'm going to wake up any minute."
My smile faded a little. "I'm sorry."
He shook his head. "I think that waiting for you has made having you all the much sweeter."
I followed Zayn inside and we ordered some food. It wasn't the greatest food in the world, but it did remind me of that day where he and I met up. And it was better than then.
We joked all night and when we were done, we got up to leave.
"The night's not over yet, you know," Zayn tells me. "And the second part is better. Security won't even be a bother," he laughed.
I looked over at the front door and smiled. "It might have felt a little strange with them being here, actually."
When we pulled up in front of a hotel, I was more than surprised. I looked over at Zayn questioningly. "A hotel?"
Once again he opened the door for me and smiled. "I packed out bags. It's just for tonight. I didn't think either of us would feel too comfortable being away from Nathan too long. But tonight's our night, Riley. It's your night."
"How'd I get so lucky?"
"How did I?" He asked as he led me inside and into the elevator.
Security stayed close behind, following us down the hall and all the way up to the door. I was sure they'd be there all night.
Once Zayn opened the door, he let me in first. The room was decorated with candles from right to left, each a different style and color. I watched as Zayn locked the door behind us and walked up to me.
"How are you feeling?" He asked, his hands cupping the sides of my face.
I couldn't have smiled any wider as I wrapped my arms around his waist. "I couldn't feel any more loved."
"Riley, you're my everything. I love you so much," he said, leaning in and kissing me.
I let him hold me as we kissed, running my hands along his back. I hadn't been around this side of Zayn since before Nathan was born, and although I was fairly hesitant, I wanted him even more.
He led me toward the bed slowly and I let him. I sat back onto the bed and smiled up at him. "What're you waiting for?"
His breathing was uneven when he spoke. "Are you alright with this? We don't have to do anything if you're not ready."
"Who said I wasn't ready?" I asked, tugging at the bottom of his shirt.
He kissed me again, this time much more passionate than the last.