The next morning, I got Holly dressed and we went downstairs. “Olly, I’m going to take Holly to the park for a bit and then we’re going to go shopping.” I said to Olly, who was making himself a sandwich. “Okay love, can you get me one of those t-shirts? You know my size” he said. “Doing your shopping for you am I, Murs?” he cheekily smiled and blew me a kiss. He gave me £50. “Treat yourself to something nice.” He said. “Olly no, I can’t!” he ran away so I wouldn’t be able to give it back. “Thank you baby!” I tutted and we left. “Bye Daddy!” Holly shouted. “Bye princess!” Olly shouted back. Holly laughed and held onto my hand. I wasn’t looking my best today, so hopefully there are no paparazzi around. I was wearing leggings and one of Olly’s oversized jumpers, with some vans. My hair was in a messy fishtail plait and I had hardly any make-up on. We arrived at the park which was about 10 minutes away from our house, and Holly zoomed off. “Be careful!” I shouted, but by the way she was running, I don’t think she heard me. I sat on a park bench and I watched as my daughter played on the swings. It was the scan of our second child in a couple of weeks. I’m just scared it’s, you know, Taylor’s. I shivered at the thought. I heard some girls behind whispering. “You go up to her.” one of them said. “No you, I’m embarrassed!” the other one said. I turned around. “You alright there girls?” I said. They looked happy and in shock. They nervously nodded. “You’re Olly Murs’ girlfriend, aren’t you?” the first one said. I nodded. “Can we get a picture with you?” I was surprised. “Are you sure? I mean, like Olly’s not behind me and you’re actually talking to him?” they laughed and shook their heads. “Can we get one with your daughter as well?” they said. I nodded and called Holly over. “Say cheese Hol!” I said, she did the cheesiest grin ever. “Thank you so much!” they said, I gave them a hug. “Can you follow us on twitter?” I was even more shocked. “Of course.” They gave me their twitter names and I followed them there and then. “WE LOVE YOU!” they shouted, as they walked away. Did that really just happen? I was getting noticed, finally? After another half an hour at the park, we made our way to the shops. I got out my phone and texted Olly.
“Oh my god Ols, some girls, who I think were fans of you, asked me for pictures and asked if I could follow them on twitter!! I feel famous! Haha, will be back in about 2 hours, love you xxxx”
Almost instantly Olly replied.
“Hey you beautiful. Get you! Get used to it, gorgeous. Take as long as you want. Love you loads xxxxx”
I smiled to myself and put my phone back in my pocket. Holly wanted me to lift her up. “But Hol, you’re getting heavy and Mummy’s pregnant!” she gave me the puppy eyes and I had to give in. She rested her head down on my shoulder and kept jerking her head up. We were at the department store. I went straight to the shop to pick up Olly’s shirts. He pre-ordered them so I’ve just got to pick them up. “Hi there, you’ve got two shirts under the name Murs.” As soon as I said that, I could feel every pair of eyes on me. I slowly turned around and saw an ambush of people coming towards me. i held Holly’s hand tighter than ever. “Can we have a picture?” “Can you please sign this?” “Can you please follow me on twitter?” “Can you get Olly to follow me on twitter please?” After about half an hour of taking pictures and signing stuff, Holly and I left. I grabbed my stomach, feeling a sharp stabbing pain. “Mummy, are you okay?” Holly said. I knelt down before her and gave her a kiss. “Mummy’s fine.” I got up and we went into more shops. I bought a red dress, a denim jacket and some heels with Olly’s money. He spoils me rotten. After 1 hour of shopping, Holly and I sat down at McDonalds and started eating. “Make sure you eat it all up.” Holly was too distracted by her food to take any notice of me. I took out my phone and texted Olly.
“We’re just eating, be about half an hour x”
Olly’s P.O.V.
“Move it down a bit.” I said. She moved it down. “No, see, that doesn’t look right. DO you see my problem Esmé?” she sighed and walked down from the ladder. “No it needs to go to the left, I think.” She said. I nodded in agreement. “Let me.” I said, walking up the ladder. “Perfect.” She said. My phone vibrated in my pocket, so I got down and got it out. It was a text from Issy.
“We’re just eating, be about half an hour x”
Fuck. I thought to myself. “She’s going to be here in half an hour, where is everybody?!” I panicked. “Olly, calm down, they will be here in 10 minutes.” I could feel myself sweating. “Olly, love, calm down.” Esmé repeated to me. i walked around the house, adjusting my tie. “She’s going to love it. What you’ve done for her. For Scott.” I could see she was welling up. I pulled her in for a hug. It has been 7 years since Scott passed. I was throwing a party to celebrate him. And then I was taking the family out to see Les Miserables at West End. Just as Esmé said, her family turned up 10 minutes later. I greeted them, recognising most of them. Her gran, her granddad, her cousins, her aunts and uncles. There were only 12 of us. Including Issy. I could hear Holly running up the driveway. “Shh, they’re coming, hide!” I whispered. We all got in out hiding places which I assigned before. She opened the door and walked straight into the front room. We all jumped out at the same time and yelled “SURPRISE!” she let out a scream and so did Holly. I walked over to her and gave her a hug. “You idiot!” she yelled at me. I pulled her in closer and gave her a kiss. Holly was sitting with the grandparents. “What’s this for?” she said, greeting her family. “Your Dad.” I said. She stopped what she was doing. I could tell she was thinking about something. She gasped and bought her hands to her mouth. “I-I forgot. How could I forget? Oh my god I’m a terrible daughter. Even you remembered Olly!” she said. I laughed and gave her a kiss. “Get a room.” Said one of Issy’s cousins, Jake, said. “There’s one more surprise.” I said. “Go and get changed into something nice.” She looked confused, but she did, and she was followed by a couple of her female cousins.
She came down 15 minutes later in a new red dress, with a denim jacket and heels. “Thanks for these by the way.” She said, giving me a peck on the lips. I smiled. “You’re welcome.” I whispered in her ear. She looked gorgeous. “Right, let’s go!” I said, hurrying everyone out of the house. “Where are we going?” Issy asked. “You’ll see soon.” A couple of Issy’s cousins who didn’t want to see the show stayed and looked after Holly. Issy, Esmé and I got into our car and the rest got into there’s. I was driving, so Issy and her mum were in the back, talking about something or other. I was more focused on the road. I heard Issy say something quietly to her mum. I wish I didn’t hear it. “What if the baby isn’t Olly’s? What is it’s..Taylor’s.” she said. This broke my heart. I swallowed the lump in my throat and pretended like I didn’t hear anything. What if it wasn’t mine though? I mean, I wasn’t going to love it any less, I just wish it was mine. Please let it be mine.
“Olly, thank you so much for today. He would of loved it. I loved it, my whole family loved it, my whole family love you!” Issy said, as we were getting into bed. “I love you.” I replied. She smiled and nuzzled into my chest. She fell asleep almost immediately. I just lay there, cuddling with the girl of my dreams.
Issy’s P.O.V.
I woke up to the buzzing sound of my phone. Olly was still sound asleep. I leant over him to get my phone. It was a call from Mum. I sat up and answered. “Hello?” I whispered. “Hello sweetie, can you come over in an hour? I’ve got something to show you.” She said. “Okay mum, see you later.” I said, hanging up. I put my phone down and got up. Holly had her own room now, so I walked into there to see she was still asleep. It was 9 o’clock. This is the latest she’s stayed asleep for. I took this opportunity to nip into the shower.
I got out of the bathroom 10 minutes later, and Olly and Holly were both still asleep. I walked into the wardrobe and picked some clothes. I chose some jeans and one of Olly’s jumpers that he gave to me a while back. I put my hair in a messy plait and threw a beany over the top. I went downstairs and got some cereal and ate. It was 9:45 and I needed to leave. “Olly?” I whispered, poking Olly in his sides. He shifted a bit but was still asleep. “Olly?” I repeated, tickling him in his ticklish spot. “Get offffff” he said, moving to the other side of the bed. I walked round and leant down. “I’m going to go to see Mum for a bit, Holly’s still sleeping. I’ll be about 2 hours, okay?” he groaned and got up. “You’re so annoying.” He said, rubbing his eyes and stretching. “You love me though.” I said. “Suppose so.” He said. I hit him and pecked him on the lips. “See you later loser” I said and shut the door. Mum’s house was about a 20 minute drive from us. I got in my car and started driving. I kept feeling this sharp pain in my stomach. I thought it was just something I ate, so I let it go and tried to ignore the pain.
I arrived at mum’s within 20 minutes. Nothing has changed since I was last here; which was a couple of months ago. I walked up the driveway and noticed 2 cars. One was ones, which I recognised, but the other one, I had no idea whose it was. I knocked on the door and mum greeted me. “Hello sweetie.” “hey mum” I said, hugging her. “Who’s car is in the driveway?” I asked. She smiled. “This is what I want to talk to you about.” What? Confused. She led me into the living room and there was a man sitting on the couch. As soon as I entered he got up. “Hello!” he said, happily. He shook my hand and then took a seat again. I went on the opposite couch while Mum sat with him. I put my keys on the table and looked at them, confused. “Issy, this is Max. We’ve been dating for a few months.” My jaw dropped open. “A few months? And you didn’t even think about telling your only daughter?” I ran upstairs, but something stopped me. I looked up at the walls, where there used to be pictures of dad. Of our family at different occasions of the year; Christmas, birthday’s, easter.. But there was nothing. Not one single picture. “Mum? Where are the pictures? The pictures of Dad, and of us? There’s nothing? What?” I said. Mum slowly came out, followed by Max. He looked confused. She looked totally guilty. “You haven’t even told him about Dad? About how he’s d-e-a-d?” I said. She shook her head. I stormed upstairs and into her bedroom. Nothing. Not a single thing about Dad. No pictures, no nothing. I went into my old room, and saw boxes upon boxes. All of them saying ‘Scott.’ That’s it. ‘Scott.’ Nothing else. I walked out, and sat at the top of the stairs. “Why?” I simply said. She had nothing to say. I walked down the stairs and grabbed the door. Mum held on to my arm, but I pushed her away. “Nice to meet you.” I said to Max, he looked so awkward. I got into my car and drove off.
I got home and was greeted by Olly and Holly. He could tell I was crying. He put Holly down. “Go and play in the play room, sweetie.” He said, and she ran off to play. He grabbed me by the waist and hugged me. We led me into the living room and sat me down on the couch. He grabbed a box of tissues and sat next to me. I buried my head into his chest. After about 5 minutes of me crying and there being silence between us, Olly decided to see what was wrong. “What’s wrong?” he asked. “Mum’s got a new boyfriend.” I said. “That’s great, isn’t it?” he said. I shrugged my shoulders. “She’s acting like Dad..never existed. There’s no pictures of him anywhere, all his stuff is in boxes in my old room.” He didn’t say anything. He probably didn’t know what to say. “Do you want me to go and get the boxes and bring them round here?” I shot up. I was giving him the ‘are you serious’ face. He smiled and nodded. I gave him a massive kiss and he went out the door. Holly came in and sat on me. “Mummy, can you come and play with me?” I laughed. “Of course, sweetie.” I said, she grabbed my hand and led me into the play room.
Olly’s P.O.V.
I arrived at Esmé’s house but there were no cars there, so I parked in my usual spot up the driveway. I remember her saying there was a key under the doormat so hopefully it’s still there. I bent over to get it, and suddenly I heard loads of chatter and flashes. Paps. Brilliant. I turned around, forgetting about the key and sighed. I thought I had to key in my hand, and I walked straight into the door, brilliant. All I could hear was laughter and snaps. I bent over again to get the key and I felt a breeze through my bottom area. I turned around and found that I ripped my trousers. The paps were laughing their heads off. “Bet you’re loving this!!” I shouted to them, they stuck their thumbs up. I shook my head and went into the house. “Esmé? Are you here?” No answer. So I went straight up to Issy’s room, and she was right. Boxes upon boxes that had ‘Scott’ on them. I collected them and took a couple down at a time, leaving them by the door. I opened Issy’s wardrobe hoping there were some of my jeans left in there, luckily there was. I got changed into them and threw the other ones in the bin. I then collected more boxes. After a while there wasn’t enough room, and I had no idea how I was going to get all these in my tiny car. I opened the door, and luckily the paps left. I piled them into my car, and went to get some more. Right at the back of Issy’s room, sitting on her bed was a box, labelled ‘Isabella aged 0-4’. I was intrigued. I opened it and there were about a thousand pictures of Issy. I looked through them, but something caught my eye. There was a little bag with about a hundred hospital bands. You know the ones they put on your wrist with your date of birth and name and stuff. And then under that, and under all the other photos of her lying in hospital beds with tubes coming out of her, and drips. You name it, it was there. She looked different in every photo. As I flicked through them, she was getting older and older. I reached the last one and she looked like she was about 4. I looked around the room if there were anymore boxes with her name on, but there weren’t. I was holding a couple of pictures in my hand, running my fingers over her face. “She was a beautiful girl.” A voice said from behind. I quickly dropped the pictures and turn around. Esmé was standing there, leaning against the doorframe. “What..Why..How?” I stuttered. She bent down beside me, picking up the pictures I dropped. “Issy was in the hospital a lot when she was younger. She, urm, Issy lived with her aunt and uncle for about a month when Scott and I went on a business trip to America for a couple of months. We used to phone her every day, until they said that she was sleeping every time we called at 5 o’clock. We started worrying, so we left America half way through, not leaving a note or anything. We got to the house and they weren’t there. But I found a key, and we shouted her name and we found her.. in a cupboard, with a loaf of bread, covered in bruises and everything. She wasn’t breathing, she was lying on the freezing cold floor. We rushed her to hospital and during the age of 2 and 4, she was in and out of hospital due to organ failure.” I could see tears rolling down her eyes, I embraced her and she cried into my shoulder. “I swore I was never going to leave her ever again. And I didn’t. Well, not until she was older.” She rummaged through the box and found a photograph. It was her aunt and uncle, in the court room. “I found this. I was switching the channel on TV and I saw their faces. It was all over the papers, paparazzi were everywhere. Outside the hospital, outside the house, everywhere. Her face was all over the newspapers, all over the TV. It was horrible.” She threw the picture away and got up. “They got 25 years in prison. Meant to be getting out in 6 years. Let’s hope not, ey.” She left the room and left me alone. I didn’t know what to say. Why didn’t she tell me? We’re getting married, and having our second child. I mean, obviously I don’t blame her. I got up and gathered the remainders of the boxes and put them in my car. I said goodbye to Esmé, giving her a kiss on the cheek and left.
I knocked on the door and Issy came to the door. She helped me get the boxes and put them down in the living room. I left Issy’s box and her mum’s house. “I love you.” I said. She looked confused. “I love you too?” she said, wondering why I said it. I kissed her then went to Holly.
I went into the living room a couple hours later, after putting Holly to bed. She was sitting cross-legged on the floor, holding pictures of Scott, holding his belongings. She was holding one of Scott’s old shirts, smelling it, embracing it, crying into it. I came up behind her, hugging her from behind. “Baby, I love you so much.” I said. She was still crying, but smiling. I sat down beside her, looking through the boxes. “Why did he have to go?” she said to me. I hugged her and she cried into my shoulder. “He’s incredibly proud of you.” She smiled at me. “I’m going to go to bed.” She said. I nodded. “I’ll be up in a minute.” She went upstairs and slammed the door shut. I could tell she wasn’t in a mood to talk. I shrugged it off and went upstairs. Issy was already asleep when I walked in, she must have been knackered.
I woke up to a message from Sarah
“Hey Ol, meeting at ten! See you in an hour x”
Great. I got up, trying not to wake up Issy. I grabbed a shower and put on my clothes. I grabbed a piece of paper, wrote a note for Issy and left.
Issy’s P.O.V.
I woke up to an empty bed. I walked into Holly’s room. She was playing on the floor with her toys. “Hello gorgeous!” I said. She looked up, smiled and looked back down. She looked content so I left her. I went downstairs and found a note from Olly on the kitchen table.
“Is, popped out for a meeting. Holly is still sleeping; see you in about 2 hours. Love you millions beautiful xxxx”
I smiled to myself and sat on the sofa. I scrolled through twitter, noticing some tweets that were weird. “Olly wouldn’t cheat!” “Olly and Issy are meant to be!” that’s weird. I went onto Olly’s page, he hadn’t tweeted in days. His last tweet was about Holly. Cute. I follow ‘heat’ magazine and one tweet caught my eye. “@heatmagazine: soon-to-be-married Olly Murs cheats on fiancé with older women?”
What? No. No. No. I clicked on the photo, and it was a picture of Olly and..IS THAT MY MUM? This one I found funny. It was yesterday, when Olly went to collect the boxes from Mum’s house. I called Mum, telling her what happened. She started laughing. “Oh my goodness, I can’t believe that, that’s hilarious!” I agreed with her. “There’s something I need to tell you, Issy.” She sounded worried and nervous. “I told Olly..about..your aunt and uncle.” I swallowed the lump in my throat. “I’m so sorry, he found the..box.” “I guess he was going to find out sometime.” I replied. I hung up and Olly walked through the door. “Hey you..” he said, I cut him off and kissed him. I showed him the picture of him and mum and he burst out laughing as well. “Why didn’t you say anything? Yesterday?” I asked him. He shrugged his shoulders. “I love you, gorgeous.” I said. He smiled. “Come on, we’ve got a scan to get to.” He said, calling Holly and taking me to the car.