Chapter 99
My mom and Rob got settled in a different hotel room just down the hall from us and I let them get themselves organized.
Niall made dinner reservations for all of us tonight at one of his favorite local restaurants. Just because I was unfamiliar with the area didn't mean that he wasn't.
When Niall was showering, the hotel phone rang.
I was always apprehensive about answering phone calls that weren't directly made to me because I was always paranoid they would be from a crazed stalker fan or an important message from management meant for Niall.
It was just the hotel room phone though, so I put Owen down on the blanket and picked up the phone.
"Hello?" I answered.
"Hello, is this Alyssa Horan in room 908?" A woman's voice on the other end asked.
I felt myself blush with excitement as they said 'Alyssa Horan'. It happened more often with hotel reservations and similar things just so nobody asked questions, but it still made me feel so happy.
"This is she," I responded.
"I am calling to confirm your private dinner reservation tonight at seven for eleven people," they said.
"What?" I said. "I thought there were only going to be five of us tonight."
There was a pause on the other end and I could hear a pencil scribbling something down on the other end.
"My apologies, Miss Horan, I have eleven guests written down here," she added gently. "I can change it to five if you'd like."
"No, it's fine," I interrupted. "Might as well keep it that way if that's the way it was made." There was still something fishy about the situation, but I didn't need Niall getting frustrated if I changed it.
"Thank you, and we will see you tonight," she said. I said my goodbye and hung up.
The more I thought about it, Niall had been acting kind of weird lately. It was probably just last-show jitters. It had to be difficult to know tomorrow's show would likely be his last as a band.
After Niall got out of the shower, we switched, and it was my turn to get ready.
I washed up, did my make up, and searched through my messy luggage for something to wear.
Traveling multiple times a week really took its toll on my wardrobe. In fact, I was surprised that I hadn't lost more things than I did. I had bigger problems.
At least the rooms always had an iron for all the wrinkled clothes.
Wrapped in a towel, I fished through the suitcases to find a dress to wear.
I came across something that I forgot I packed. It was the dress I wore the first time I met Niall at the party. The same dress mentioned in 'Night Changes'.
I couldn't help but start smiling when I came across it. I lifted it out of the suitcase and held it up to my chest. There was no way it would fit post-baby, and I knew how much my mom hated it.
But it was still funny to see that I packed it. There are some things that I'll just never be able to let go of.
I called Niall inside the room and showed him. He thought it was just as funny as me.
"I'll never forget the first time I met you," he said, sitting down next to me. "You were wearing that little dress and you had this spark about you. There was just something about you that I couldn't get enough of."
"We were so much younger than we are now," I said. "To think of us, at a party..."
We both started laughing.
"Neither of us have been to one since. And I don't need to when I have you," he said, kissing my forehead.
"Well we all know what happened last time," I said with wide eyes putting a hand on my stomach.
"But it all worked out, didn't it?" He asked me.
I nodded.
"It did indeed," I responded.
There was a brief moment of silence of just the two of us, lost in each other's eyes full of memories.
"Now get out!" I said, pushing him out of the room playfully. "I have to get changed. We can't be late!"
He giggled and left the room.
I picked out a tasteful black dress that fell just above my knees that I knew my mom would approve of. I curled my hair and finished my make up.
I left the room to see that Niall managed to dress Owen in a cute button-down shirt and baby khakis. He even had his little saddle shoes on.
"Don't you look adorable!" I said to Owen, squeezing his cute tiny feet.
I looked over at Niall, looking quite dapper himself.
"And how could I forget about you?" I asked Niall, pulling him in for a quick kiss.
"You look stunning," he responded.
"Thank you sir," I said with a beaming smile.
We met my mom and Rob at the front of the building and took a car to the restaurant.
There were paparazzi at the front of the restaurant, but when you're a global superstar (or his girlfriend) you get special accommodations.
We all entered the restaurant through a back door and were led to our own private room.
When we got to the table, half of the seats were already filled with familiar faces.
"What are you guys doing here?" I asked.
Sitting at the table were members of Niall's family. His mom and stepdad, dad, Greg, Denise , and even Theo in a highchair.
"I wanted to surprise you by getting our families together for the last show," Niall said. "I thought it would be special."
He put an arm around me and held Owen's carrier in the other.
"It is special," I said. "I'm so happy to see everybody!"
I did my rounds of hello's and I was so genuinely happy to have both of our families together. It made us feel connected.
We caught each other up on our lives and ate some good food. Niall wasn't kidding when he said that this was one of his favorite places.
Owen was starting to nod off after we finished our dinners but we let him sleep in the carrier.
"You're going to the show tomorrow, right?" Denise asked me, putting her fork down. She sat to the left of me.
"Of course," I said. "I wouldn't miss it for the world. Besides, I'll probably help out the stylists for old times sake."
"That's what I would have guessed," she responded in an Irish accent. "We'll all be sitting in the box seats. Niall wanted us all to sit together."
I smiled. "He's thoughtful like that," I said.
We ordered our dinners and finished with dessert.
Niall proposed a chocolate cake for the table, and how could I argue against that.
"The one thing I won't miss about this lifestyle is how much I eat," I said to Denise as we dug into our slices of cake.
"You've got nothing to worry about," she said, trying to be polite.
We chatted about our babies and she gave me a lot of good advice about raising a little boy Horan-style.
"I hope that Owen and Theo can spend more time together as they get older," I said. "I don't have many friends with babies or even kids."
"It is important for him to spend time with other babies like him," Denise added. "I just wish we weren't a plane ride away from you."
I nodded in agreement.
"New York is so big but sometimes it just feels so empty when you can't leave your apartment. It's hard to make friends. I did make a few but it's hard to keep up with them when you're traveling all the time."
"That's what family is for," Denise responded, smiling.
"Of course," I said.
I was so thankful for her wisdom and it was a reminder that I was never alone. Everything that I experience, somebody else has a million times before. She was always just a phone call away when I needed her.
There was always the reputation that Irish people got wasted at family events, but at least today, they were all classy and family oriented.
I loved watching Niall catch up with his brother. They were the OG homies. Sometimes it made me wish I had a sibling that I was close to. The more I thought about it, Denise was like a sister to me.
Maybe one day she would even be family.
Even my mom and Rob were getting along so well.
Everything just felt so perfect, like it was meant to be. I was in such a good place right now surrounded by people who I love and want the best for me.
Soon enough, Theo was falling asleep too, and we had to call it quits. I guess that's what happens when you have kids.
We wouldn't trade it for anything, though.
A/N
This chapter is a little short but I really wanted to get it out to you!!!
Hope all is well. Thanks for the reads, comments, and votes. Let me know what you think of this chapter! There's still more to come!
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