Songs:
Marry You: Jason Derulo
Something Special: Usher
Let Me Love You: Ne-Yo
Until It Beats No More: Jennifer Lopez
Grow Old With Me: Tom Odell
Harry's POV
Two weeks have gone by since we moved into our new home. Our kitchen was finally, fully functioning and most of the main rooms were also set up, now the focus would be on the baby's nursery and the basement rooms. We had already picked out all the furniture for the nursery and agreed on the style we wanted, all the was left was to paint it and set up said furniture. Katarina was going to work on the mural we discussed while I was away with the boys and I would paint the rest when I got back.
"Come on babe, it's avocado week," I called out for Katarina who was packing snacks for our camping trip.
I'm pretty sure she did that for Niall's sake, if it were just me going, she would probably let me starve.
"I'm coming, geez," she came into the living room, handing me the box of snacks, which I had specifically asked her not to carry. "Say avocado, again," she giggled.
I laughed, no longer angry with her after I heard her little giggle. "Why?"
"I like the way you say it, it's cute," she giggled, again, getting ready for me to take the pictures. "Please," she pouted.
I rolled my eyes, pretending to be annoyed, before giving in. "Avocado. Avocado. Avocado. Avocado. Avocado. Avocado." I repeated, earning a kiss from her each time.
She scrunched her little nose, wiggling from side to side. "Thank you, kind sir, we greatly appreciate you," she mockingly curtsied, before getting into the pose for the picture.
I took the pictures I usually take every week before taking a few impromptu ones, for me to take with me on my trip. I couldn't believe I was leaving them for an entire week. I wasn't ready for this, but we both agreed that a little time apart was good for us, and I really missed spending time with the boys.
I kneeled in front of, Katarina, again, holding the baby bump between my hands. "Thank you for being such a wonderful model, my little avocado, I'm going to miss you so much," I smiled, kissing her belly before standing up. "And thank you for being such a wonderful model as well, mummy of my precious avocado." I chuckled, kissing Katarina on the lips. "I'll miss you too, just a little bit," I teased.
She frowned a bit. "It's okay, I'm not going to miss you," she shrugged, also teasing, but I felt like there was a hint of sincerity in her words. She smiled, shaking her head, probably noting the change in my facial expression. "I'm teasing, of course I'm going to miss you to pieces, but I know you'll be with your friends, having fun."
"And the girls are all coming over right?" I double checked. I didn't want her to be alone, so I suggested that the lot of them had their own sleepover type thing and do girly things.
"Yes," she groaned. Okay, so maybe it was like the millionth time I asked, but I just wanted to be sure my girls were not completely alone.
Before either of us could comment on anything else, the doorbell rang. After the fifth ring, I was already regretting giving the boys the code to the gate. At least I was going to know when it was them.
The both of us went to the door, Katarina yelling for whoever it was to calm down, but they kept going. When I finally got to the door and opened it, Niall practically ran me over, saying a quick hello before informing us that he had to use the bathroom.
"Why do you always have to take a shit when you come over?" I yelled after him as he ran towards the guest bathroom.
"Make room for, Sloan's food," he yelled back, disappearing into the hall.
"Babe, I need you to sign these," Katarina called for me, handing me a packet that Olivia had just handed to her.
"What's it for?" I asked, signing them anyway. I should have learned not to do that by now, but I trusted, Katarina.
"To make us producers," she explained as I signed.
Oh yeah, we had both decided to be producers for the movie based on her book. I was actually pretty excited to be working on a project together. I probably wouldn't know what to do, but at least it would be done together. And it would be great for her to have some say in how the movie went. Not to mention the fact that my sister was going to be part of this as well. Katarina had noticed her interest and insisted she would only do it if, Gemma also joined our little venture. Thankfully, she didn't hesitate to accept.
I handed the packet back to her who handed it back to, Olivia as she was giving, Liam directions to the place we were going to and all the information we needed for this trip. When we asked her why she picked him instead of one of us, she simply stated that out of all of us, she trusted, Liam to bring us all back in one piece. I mean, she was probably right, but her admission stung.
Once all our goodbye's were over, the six of us men headed out into the world. This was going to be an odd experience for sure. I had never gone on Holiday with Ed or Chris, so that was going to be interesting. But, I was excited, either way. I had my three brothers and really good friends, despite my missing, Katarina, this was going to be a good time.
The six hour drive ended up taking us ten hours, something, Katarina had anticipated, which was why she made us leave by seven in the morning. Most of our detours were for food or bathroom breaks. Then we got lost twice when, Louis started driving, I don't know why anyone let him behind the wheel. It was about about five in the evening when we finally got to our camp site. We had rented a cabin as well, just in case we got tired of sleeping on the ground. We even took bets on who would cave first, my bet was on, Louis. We all knew, Liam would make it the entire week, Niall didn't give a shit as long as he had food and Chris seemed like he knew his way around a camp site.
It took us about an hour to get our tents up, gather some wood and set up all our crap. By then, it was dinner time, according to, Niall.
"I don't want to share a tent with, Niall," I raised my hand, letting it be known. "He farts too much."
"I have quality farts, mate," he yelled. "You aren't worthy enough to smell them anyway."
After a bit of arguing, sleeping arrangements were established. Since they were both farters, Niall and Chris decided to share, while Liam claimed Ed over me and Louis. We apparently both snuggle and I snore. They're so rude.
Each of us did something to prepare for dinner, I handled grilling the chicken since the last time Liam made it we all got sick from it being under cooked.
It was probably going to be the only decent meal for the rest of the week. Liam decided for the rest of us that we would go fishing for the remainder of the week. I mean, fish for one night was one thing, but fish for every meal for the next six days was going to be torture. All I know is that, Niall better not finish off all the snacks before our trip ended, or I probably would hurt him. Well, probably not, but I'd think about it.
"So, what's being a dad like, Tommo?" Liam asked after dinner, getting everything ready for some s'mores.
"It's something else. It's pretty incredible," Louis gushed with a proud smile. "I hated leaving her, but Brianna and I came to an agreement and I gotta keep up my end," he shrugged, his smile falling slightly.
"What's she like?" Niall asked, moving away from the baby's current living situation.
"She's absolutely perfect. Even when she cries, it's just wonderful." His full blown, proud smile returned. "You're going to love it, mate," he clapped my shoulder.
"Ah, yes," Chris cheered from the table near Liam. "My little niece," He smiled. "Ready for that?"
"Yeah, Styles, are you ready for that?" Niall repeated.
I took a deep breath, not knowing how to actually answer. "Yes, I mean, I'm scared. But, I think I'm ready. Well, not ready, ready. but," I rushed my word, taking a deep breath to collect myself. "Of course, I'm not ready, I don't think anyone is. I'm actually scared shitless, but, I'm ready for her and the responsibility that it entails and I'm ready to hold her in my arms." I smiled at the image of a little girl in our arms. "I already love her to death," I admitted.
"The little Sloan Styles, baby," Chris grinned widely. "Did you guys decide how to go about the last name for my little niece?" He asked.
Hmm, we never actually talked about that. I mean, I had an idea of how to solve that problem, but just in case, we still needed to talk about it. She was rather important in the business world and even if we did get married, she was probably going to keep her last name or hyphen. I was okay with that, but I needed to know where that was going to leave our baby.
I got up from my seat, getting out my backpack, rummaging through it until I found the little box I was looking for. I walked back to the group, taking a deep breath before I opened the box and showed them the ring I was going to ask, Katarina to marry me with. All their jaws dropped, Ed, being the first to speak up.
"You're going to ask her to marry you?" He asked, getting up from his seat to look at the ring.
They all, pretty soon, joined in, looking at the ring and asking me a million questions all at once. I snapped the box shut, which effectively shut them up.
"Why the hell did you bring it with you?" Louis asked, taking the box from me and looking at it again.
"Katarina has a habit of finding things she isn't supposed to and I didn't want to leave it at the house where she could easily come across it."
"You owe me big time," Ed laughed looking at Chris.
"Nah, she still hasn't said yes," he shook his head and clicked his teeth. "He hasn't even asked her yet."
"What the hell are you guys talking about?" I looked at the two of them, who looked like they had just been caught.
Before either of them could clarify, Liam spoke up. "Harry, mate, are you sure?" He clapped my shoulder. "I mean, don't you think it's going to fast?"
"Liam, shut the fuck up," Niall smacked him upside the head. "They fucking love each other, they already moved in together and bought a house, not to mention the bun in the oven, for crying out loud" he rolled his eyes, turning his attention to me. "Harry, you ask her, and if she say no, ask her again, until she says yes. That girl is the best thing that has ever happened to you and you would be stupid not to put a ring on that."
"I'm best man, right?" Louis yelled, passing the ring off to the next person.
"We'll see," I shrugged. "I have to ask her first."
"Do you know when you're going to do that?" Chris asked.
"I was planning to talk to Esteban and Derek first," I shrugged.
They were probably the closest thing she had to a father, so I felt it necessary to do so. I knew I really didn't need their permission, but I also wanted to be cautious and mindful of them. She loved them dearly and even if she wouldn't admit it, I knew that simple gesture would mean everything to her.
A.J.'s POV
A week without, Harry was actually miserable. I didn't even make it through the first night without crying. I blamed it on the hormones to make myself feel better. But, I knew even if I wasn't pregnant, I would have missed him. Probably not to the point where I was crying, but still. I had grown used to having him next to me, every night and every morning when I woke up. I wondered if this was how he felt when he woke up and I wasn't there. I guess now I understood why he hated it so much, I thought he was exaggerating, but I guess I was wrong.
I tried not to let it show too much when he came home last night, but I think he saw right through me. Thankfully, he didn't mention anything, he just went along with whatever I was putting out there. Though, I knew he missed us too, especially by the amount of pictures he took this time around for, 'navel orange week'.
This week, he decided to take the pictures in the nursery, in front of the mural I had just finished painting while he was away. It was a little forest like painting with a castle in the distance and a rainbow going over it, at Harry's request. It was a little girly for my taste, but I knew this little girl was going to be a total princess. She was, Harry's daughter after all, there was no way around it. She was going to be his little princess and the sooner I accepted that, the easier it would be on me.
Once the pictures were taken, we rushed out of the house to meet everyone else at the airport. Everyone was pissed because I scheduled such an early flight, but it's their fault for being lazy and making me do things. Besides, they'd thank me later, when we got off our eleven and a half hour flight and no one was there to bother us. The only thing I hated about this trip was the fact that the carnival had already passed.
Even though there was hardly anyone on the plane, I still kept my stomach covered, just in case. Maybe it was a little paranoid of me, but I didn't care. I still wasn't ready for the world to know. Harry slept for awhile, but eventually woke up, in a much happier mood. Soon enough the six boys began a stupid game, which ended up getting them in trouble by one of the flight attendants. And there was an old lady who was giving all of us the stink eye. She kind of reminded me of my grandma with all those disapproving looks. It was eerie to say the least.
When we landed, we all made our way to our hotel, where we all met, Danielle, Louis' girlfriend. I for some reason felt protective over, Louis, so I was keeping my eye on her. She seemed nice enough, but you never know. Once we were all checked in, we all went out to visit Rio before we settled on a nice restaurant for dinner. It was warmer than London, so I was going to have a hard time concealing the baby bump here. Though, Harry suggested, yet, again, that I didn't. He really wanted to show off, but I wasn't ready.
We spent Friday, Saturday and Sunday in Rio, taking in all the sights we could, even going to see Christ the Redeemer, which was quite the sight. It was now Monday, which meant it was time for the second part of our trip. I planned for us to stay on a private island so we could enjoy our vacation without anyone having to worry about someone taking unwanted pictures. I didn't tell them anything, but it was technically mine. My dad had bought it for my mom as an anniversary present years ago, but it stayed with him after their divorce, which was left to me in his will. The only thing I liked about that was not having to ask Max for permission to use it. Otherwise, that would mean I would have to actually answer his calls, which meant, having to answer his questions, which I didn't want to do. I knew I was going to have to face the world eventually, but the longer I could stay in my little bubble, the happier I would be.
"This place is huge, Sloan, how did you find it?" Louis said with a whistle as he looked around the only house on the island. Well, it was more like a one story, mini mansion. "You're going to have to send us the bill so we can split it."
"It's fine," I assured him, waving him off before he said anything else.
We all went around picking out rooms, except for my parents room. I made sure no one stayed in there. Samara, Chris and Olivia knew where we were, but they, thankfully kept their mouths shut. Probably because they knew how talking about my parents made me and how heightened my emotions were now that I was pregnant. I most likely would have gone into a full blown cry if anyone mentioned them, which would have ruined our vacation.
"Is that boat for us to use?" Liam asked, pointing outside at the boat that was waiting out on the dock.
I nodded. "Yup," I answered, patting his back. "You said you could drive one," I shrugged, not sure if I was using the proper term.
He bounced, excitedly, going outside to inspect it. I went to, Harry as he stepped out of our temporary bedroom, leaning against him for some comfort. He instantly wrapped his arms around me, rubbing my arm as he did, kissing the top of my head. I snuggled closer to him, clinging to him by his shirt, inhaling his scent.
"Are you okay?" He whispered, making sure only I could hear him.
I nodded. "I guess I'm just tired." It wasn't a complete lie, I was sort of sleepy.
"We're taking a nap," he announced, pulling me to our bedroom.
They all waved us off after they made sure we would come back in time to go out on the boat with everyone. As soon as we walked through the door, my eyes fixated on the bed. I practically ran to it, wanting nothing more than to dive onto the mattress, but opted out for obvious reasons. Once I was in safely in bed, Harry joined me, laying directly in front of me, pushing my hair behind my ear.
"How's my little orange?" he smiled, rubbing my stomach.
"Tired," I complained for myself. His little orange was swimming about, probably excited. Something she got from her father, according to Anne.
He stood up from the bed, walking around it until he laid behind me, his arms coming around my body while one hand rested on my belly, rubbing small circles. He usually did that so I could take a nap, it helped.
"Are you going to tell me what's really wrong?" He mumbled against my hair. I stayed silent for a bit before I turned my head to silently ask how he knew something was wrong. "I just know," he answered my silent question, rubbing the backs of his fingers over my cheeks. "Is about this place?"
"Do you know about it?"
He shrugged. "Maybe. Odette told me about an island near here that your dad bought for your mom when I was planning our trip and asking for suggestions."
I rolled my eyes. "Is there anything that she doesn't tell you?"
He chuckled, pressing a kiss in my hair again. "We're pretty close," he mused, making me elbow him. "She just wants me to take care of you, Katarina. You're her big sister and she must see something that you don't for her to ask me to do that."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"That no matter how strong you are, keeping things inside of you, won't help you or make things okay, you need someone to talk to or you will drive yourself insane with all that you carry inside of you. Odette doesn't want that for you, and that's why I am here." He caressed my arm softly, leaving a trail of kisses behind. "I'm here for you baby."
I took a deep breath, contemplating what he said for a few moments before I sat up on the mattress. It took me another moment to gather myself, but once I did, I spilled my guts out. I told him everything about this stupid place and how much I hated it and loved it at the same time. That ended up reminding me of how much I miss my dad and then Robbie made his way into the conversation. Within minutes I was a sobbing mess, crying in his arms.
He let me vent and cry while he held me in his lap, soothing me. I carried on until I had no more tears left, which pissed me off. A part of me was embarrassed and upset with myself for my little episode, but a bigger part was relieved. I felt like it was another thing that I just let go, and it felt freeing. Not to mention, Harry helped me through it. For some reason that made it all worth it. The simple fact that I had done that with him, just made the whole process, okay.