Chapter Eighty Nine – Zayn
Zayn groans as Bella spins around on her carpet, completely avoiding him and the pyjamas he's holding for her, "Arabella, it's time to get ready for bed, c'mon" he calls. Bella just giggles as she shakes her head and spins away from him, "I'm going to count to three, and then no story tonight if you're not over here" Zayn warns. Bella just giggles again but makes no move to come towards him. Sighing Zayn starts to count, "one...two...Bella please" Zayn starts, "...three" Zayn sighs after a long pause. "Alright, there's no story tonight Bella, pyjamas now" Zayn says sternly, arching an eyebrow, "but Baba" Bella whines and Zayn shakes his head, "I'm sorry Boo, you had a chance" he answers holding out the pyjamas. Bella pouts but comes towards him, allowing Zayn to pull her dress off over her head, and replace it with the pyjamas he was holding. "Alright let's go brush your teeth and say goodnight to Daddy" Zayn murmurs holding out his hand for her, Bella just huffs and shakes her head at him, "no Baba mean, want Daddy" she mutters and Zayn sighs. "You want Daddy to brush your teeth?" he asks and Bella nods, Zayn shakes his head alright, "but he's not going to read you a story either" he warns. Bella pouts again but doesn't say anything so Zayn leaves her in her room while he finds Liam.
The problem with the house is it's so much bigger than their apartment was and having only been there a few days Zayn's still trying to figure out the layout. It takes him five minutes before he finds Liam downstairs in his office, Zayn taps on the door making Liam look up from his paperwork. "what's up?" Liam asks and Zayn sighs. "Bella wants you to come help her brush her teeth and tuck her in" Zayn mumbles and Liam arches an eyebrow at him, "she's upset with me because she wasn't listening so I told her no story. So now she wants you to help her, because I think, she thinks she can get you to read her one" he explains. Liam chuckles "you know that's not gonna happen right? I mean you said no story and we are a team, so I'm going to stick with you on that" he murmurs, pressing a kiss to Zayn's head that for some inexplicable reason makes him blush. Zayn follows Liam up from the basement and to Bella's room Zayn frowns when Bella lights up and throws herself at Liam, "Daddy, Baba's mean" she mutters and Zayn rolls his eyes, because he's always 'mean' apparently. Liam chuckles "why is Baba mean?" he asks and Zayn hears Bella huff "tell Bella no story" she whines and Liam hums "yeah, and why did Baba say no story, Princess" Liam asks. The room is quiet and Zayn peeks around the door to see Bella avoiding Liam's eyes as she tries to come up with an answer for him, "Bella not listenin' to Baba" she admits quietly. Zayn smiles because at least she's honest, before he moves into his and Liam's room to allow them some privacy.
Zayn's only alone for a few minutes before the door pushes open and Liam carries a slightly pouting Bella into the room, "hey" Zayn murmurs, "someone wanted to tell Baba something before she goes to bed" Liam hums. Bella pouts and reaches out for Zayn, who cuddles her close to his chest, "I sorry Baba, you not mean. Bella should listen" she murmurs, Zayn smiles and presses a kiss to her head, "thank you Love" he murmurs back. "Good night Baba, love you" Bella chimes, pressing a sloppy kiss to his cheek, Zayn grins, "night Boo, sweet dreams. I love you" he says, kissing her cheek. Bella then reaches out for Liam who scoops her into his arms, "I'll be right back" he hums, before he carries Bella out of the room and back to her own room. Zayn smiles after them and reaches for his book off the nightstand, sighing at all the boxes still scattered around the room, he really should be unpacking but after working all day and being a dad all evening he's tired and just doesn't want to. Liam comes back into the room a minute later and Zayn grins at him "she in bed?" he asks and Liam nods, coming to lay beside Zayn on the bed, "yes, but she's still not happy she didn't get a story" he hums. Zayn sighs "thank you" he murmurs and Liam grins "we need to stick together, soon she's gonna have two accomplices, they'll outnumber us" he jokes and Zayn laughs before leaning over to kiss him lightly.
They lay in silence for a minute after that before Zayn clears his throat, "um Li" he murmurs, making the older arch an eyebrow at him, "I've been thinking, about the whole preschool thing, and I was wrong. I think you're right Bella needs to be around kids her age more and maybe finding her a preschool for two days a week wouldn't be a bad thing" Zayn mumbles. Liam smiles at him "really?" Liam asks, Zayn nods, "yeah, and I hope you know I am really sorry about what I said last time we talked about this, you know Bella's your daughter too right?" Zayn admits, watching Liam's face. Liam smiles nodding his head, before he leans in to kiss Zayn lightly, he's pulling away as quickly as he leaned in and Zayn pouts, "I know you didn't mean it Zee, I thought we'd moved past this" Liam murmurs, entangling their fingers together. Zayn sighs "I know we talked about it, but I still feel terrible about it, I should have never said that" he murmurs. Liam smiles lightly, "I know, but don't beat yourself up over it, I forgive you. Oh and Carson came to see me today, we have an appointment with a judge next week to make everything official with me adopting Bella" he explains. Zayn smiles widely, practically tackling Liam as he kisses him deeply, before pulling away "that's great babe, really" he mumbles before kissing Liam again.
It doesn't take long before Zayn hears Liam's breathing even out, indicating his fiancé has fallen asleep, biting his lip Zayn pushes himself up and pads down the stairs. He keeps going until he's in his office in the basement, there isn't really much in there yet, just a desk and his laptop. Turning on his laptop Zayn falls into his chair and opens a new browser window, he's just started searching for preschools in the area when he hears footsteps on the stairs. Liam comes around the doorway a moment later, "hey, what are you doing down here?" Liam yawns, coming into the room. Zayn just shrugs reaching out for Liam, "I couldn't sleep and I thought you were asleep, so I came down here to do stuff, and let you sleep" he explains. Liam chuckles "I wasn't totally asleep so I felt you get up, and woke up again. What are you looking up?" he asks, Zayn bites his lip before gesturing to the screen, where a list of the local preschools is being shown. Liam hums, before he plants himself in Zayn's lap, Zayn wraps his arms around him and leans his head against Liam's back, "you know there's no rush for this right?" Liam asks. Zayn sighs, nodding his head, "I know. I just wanted to know what the options were" he mumbles, Liam nods "okay, and what have you learned?" he asks. Zayn sighs, "not much, just that there's a lot of preschools in this area...and they're expensive" he mumbles. Liam chuckles at that standing up from Zayn's lap, which makes Zayn pout at him, Liam just pulls Zayn to his feet, before he sits down pulling Zayn down on top of him. Zayn just goes willingly, allowing Liam to adjust his position on his lap, he loves to be with Liam and between work and house stuff, they haven't had a lot of alone time lately.
"You know cost isn't an issue, right?" Liam murmurs, pressing a kiss just below Zayn's ear as he does. Zayn shivers before shaking his head, "I know that, but the whole reason Bella's always been with my mum was because I couldn't afford preschool, or daycare" he mumbles. Zayn hears Liam sigh because he's refusing to look at him, "Zayn, look at me please?" Liam hums and Zayn turns his head to make eye contact, "you know that now you can afford it right, we're a team, everything I have, you have" Liam murmurs. Zayn bites his lip as he nods his head, "I know but-" he starts, "no buts, that ring means everything that's mine is yours and vice versa" Liam cuts him off, before Zayn leans down and presses his lips to Liam's hungrily. They aren't long deepening the kiss, and Liam's hands are holding Zayn's hips as Zayn's wind into Liam's hair, gripping at the little hairs on the back of his head. Zayn grinds his hips down against Liam without really thinking about it, making the older moan, and Zayn smirks into the kiss. Zayn repeats his action again, all while deepening the kiss more, Liam's grip on his hips tightens and Zayn can't help but grin as they pull apart, both breathless. "You know, if you keep doing that you're going to have to follow through" Liam murmurs, pressing kisses to Zayn's throat, "who says that wasn't my plan?" Zayn smirks, and Liam groans. "Really? Here?" Liam asks, gesturing around the office. Zayn shrugs, biting his lip, "yeah why not. We're alone and it is our house" he mumbles, Liam chuckles before nodding his head and diving back down to kiss Zayn.
It doesn't take long for Liam to stand up, with Zayn in his grip, before laying Zayn down on the floor, and crawling over top of him, Liam leans down to kiss him and Zayn can't help but think about how much Liam has changed his life. "You're sure about this?" Liam asks, pulling back slightly and Zayn just groans, he loves how much Liam cares, truly he does, but right now he just wants his fiancé "yes I'm sure, just please" Zayn whines and Liam chuckles reaching down to pull his own shirt off. Zayn eyes his chest and abs hungrily, before Liam leans down and kisses him "like what you see?" he teases and Zayn nods slowly, Liam chuckles again before reaching down and pulling Zayn's shirt off his body. "Much better" Liam hums leaning down and planting a kiss to Zayn's lips, before trailing them down his jaw to his chest, then carrying on kissing down his stomach until he reaches the waistband of Zayn's sweatpants. Liam looks up at him from beneath his eyelashes and Zayn moans at the sight, "just relax Babe, I got you" Liam murmurs before he starts gently pulling down his sweatpants. Zayn moans and throws his head back against the floor, as Liam palms him through his boxers, "Li please" Zayn whines and Liam chuckles shushing Zayn gently, "shh, babe. I got you" he murmurs, pressing a kiss over top of the fabric. Zayn swallows thickly before his eyes shoot open and and he looks towards the door where he swears he heard a noise, Liam's about to pull his boxers down when they both freeze, "Daddy? Baba? Where go?" Bella calls out, and she's not far away. "In Baba's office" Zayn calls out gesturing for Liam to find their shirts, Liam crawls off of Zayn and tosses him a t-shirt, just as Bella stumbles into the room.
"What happened Princess?" Liam hums and Zayn snickers lightly as Liam is wearing his shirt and it's too small for him and therefore tight. Bella whimpers and throws herself at Zayn, "bad dream" she mumbles against his shirt, and Zayn coos instantly feeling bad that neither himself or Liam was upstairs for her. "I'm sorry, Boo. What happened?" Zayn hums and Bella sniffles burying herself deeper into his shirt. "Mean lady, take Bella again. Hurt Daddy, Baba gone" she whimpers, Zayn and Liam both pout, as Liam reaches out to rub her back, "was it the same mean lady from the park that night?" Liam coos and Bella whimpers, nodding her head against Zayn's chest. Zayn frowns he hates that his daughter has been through that, and he hates Sadie for hurting her the way she did, not physically, the bruises on her have faded away to almost nothing, but the emotional damage apparently runs deeper than anyone thought. "You know you're safe now, right Bella?" Zayn asks, pulling Bella out of his chest to look at her teary eyes. Bella pouts at him shaking her head, her wild curls flipping around everywhere, "you are. You remember Officer Hardwick, right?" Zayn asks and Bella nods, tears slipping from her eyes. Zayn hugs her tightly as Liam wraps his arms around both of them, "well he has made sure she can't hurt you, or anyone else ever again" Liam hums and Bella looks at him eyes wide. "Promise?" she asks and Liam nods, "I swear" he murmurs, and Zayn nods his agreement, Arabella sniffles and snuggles further into Zayn, "sleep with you?" she asks quietly. Zayn and Liam lock eyes over her head before they both nod, whatever was going to happen between them can wait for another night, Bella is more important "of course you can" Zayn murmurs, "c'mon let's go up to bed" Liam adds standing up, and helping Zayn who's still holding Bella, to his feet, before all three make it up the two staircases to Zayn and Liam's room, and even though Zayn's alone time with Liam was ruined, Zayn couldn't be happier about his life right now.