The remaining weeks seemed to fly by. Before you knew it, Danny and the guys were home again. He insisted over and over that you didn't need to come to the airport to pick them up. Their flight didn't land until well after ten, and he knew you had a strict bedtime of 7:30 for Y/D/N. But you couldn't help yourself. You patiently bounced your daughter as you waited for the guys to round the corner. You knew their plane had landed because you received a text from Danny saying so and that he would see you in the morning.
After a few more minutes of waiting, you saw Josh's curls come into view, followed by the rest of the band. You put your daughter down and knelt beside her, whispering in her ear. "Y/D/N, who's that?"
The little girl looked confused at first. You pointed your finger in the direction of Danny and asked again. "Y/D/N, I know you know who that is." This time her face lit up with a wide smile, and she took off towards Danny.
"Daddy!" She yelled as she took wobbly steps to the curly-haired drummer.
You watched as Danny dropped his bags and knelt to pick up the toddler. You stayed back for a moment, just taking in the sight in front of you. A couple of seconds later, you took off towards the pair, Wrapping your arms around both Danny and your daughter.
"I missed you so much." You cried into his hair.
"I missed you too." He rubbed his hand up and down your back as he spoke.
You pulled yourself away from the hug and wiped the tears away. "Mama cry." Your daughter shouted.
"Yeah. Mama's crying because she's happy." Danny explained to the little girl as he bounced her in his arms.
"Why don't we get that kind of a welcome?" Sam yelled.
"We're not that important to her, Sam. She only cares about Danny." Josh added in an attempt to make you feel bad.
"I could never forget you guys. Come here." You walked over and wrapped your arms around the brothers in a giant group hug.
Once you all disbanded, you walked back over towards Danny. "I assume you all have people to pick you up and take you home." You remarked.
"Yeah, our dad is waiting out in the parking lot," Josh answered.
You looked over at Danny and raised your eyebrows. "What about you, Danny?"
"I was going to stay at the Kiszka's tonight and go home in the morning since it's already so late. But I could go over to your place if you want." Danny repositioned your daughter in his arms, and you saw her growing tired.
"That works for me." You grabbed Danny's bag off the floor, and the six of you began making your way out to the parking lot.
Mr. Kiszka was parked right out front in the pick-up location. You and Danny waved goodbye to the guys as the three of you made your way to your car. You threw the bag in the trunk as Danny situated Y/D/N in her car seat. Once you were both seated, you turned to face Danny.
"I'm so glad you're home. I want to hear all about your trip, even if it takes all night."
"That works out perfectly because I'm not even tired." Danny smiled at you.
The drive home was peaceful. It was nice to just be in each other's presence, the only sound being the low humming of the radio. Eventually, you parked in front of your apartment building. You got out and grabbed Danny's bag from the trunk while Danny unhooked your sleeping daughter from her car seat.
"I'm going to go put her down in her crib. Then I'll be back." You watched as Danny made his way down the hallway and disappeared into Y/D/N's room.
He returned a few minutes later. He went over to his bag and began rummaging through it before pulling something out and making his way over to the couch.
"What do you have there?" You tried to lean over and see what he was holding.
"This is a final copy of the album. It's officially done." He smiled, handing it over for you to look at.
You inspected the case, admiring the album art before flipping it over to look at the tracklist. A smile broke out on your face when you saw the song Danny had mentioned as your surprise.
"Is track seven the one you were talking about?" You looked over at him to see if you were right.
"Yes. Why don't you start with that one, and then you can listen to the rest of the album?"
Before Danny could even say anything else, you raced over to the stereo and put the cd in. You hit play, skipping ahead to track seven. Once you heard the guitars start-up, you bolted back to the couch and next to Danny. You were in awe of the song, and small tears escape your eyes. They turned into full-on cries once you got to the post-chorus verse. Most of it was words that Danny had spoken to you before he left in March.
Pain isn't vain if it means your heart's been broken
Pain is the same as a means to heal
You thought back to the night before Danny left for tour. He was in Y/D/N's room, putting her to bed for the night. Meanwhile, you were sitting on your bed, trying to hold yourself together. Everything was catching up with you and Danny leaving for three months was enough to push you over the edge. You didn't even realize you were crying until Danny walked back into the room.
"Y/N, what's wrong?" Danny asked as he jogged over to the bed and climbed up next to you.
"I can't do this. I'm a terrible mother." You cried, trying to hide your face from the drummer.
"And why do you say that?" Danny grabbed your hand and began rubbing circles on it.
"I work at a record store where I make next to nothing. I can barely afford the rent for this place, let alone gas in my car or anything else." You picked up one of the many bills that were littering the bed. "I'm late on most of my bills."
You hiccupped, trying to catch your breath. "Maybe if I hadn't had been so stupid, I wouldn't be in this position. I Love Y/D/N so much, but she deserves someone who can provide for her without any worry. Why did I have to be so naïve? All I wanted was someone to love me, and it backfired." You buried your face in your hands as you cried.
It was quiet for a moment. Danny just sat there, still rubbing circles on your hand.
You lifted your head and looked at him, not caring how you looked in the moment. "I'm sorry. This probably sounds so stupid."
"It's not stupid, Y/N. Love isn't greed; it's a need that goes unspoken. Everyone wants someone to love them, and Liam wasn't meant to love you or Y/D/N. But that's okay because now you have someone that loves you more than anything else." Danny let go of your hand and began gently rubbing your back.
"Okay, but you're leaving for three months tomorrow, and you'll probably find someone better while you're gone. Someone without a child." You mumbled the last part, hoping he didn't hear it.
"Love doesn't leave when you fade away Y/N. Just because I won't be home doesn't mean I won't still love you. Besides, I'll be stuck in a cabin with the Kiszka brothers for most of the time I'm gone. Once we get to California, we'll be so busy with the music video. I wouldn't have time to find someone else even if I wanted to. And you having a child doesn't change how I feel about you at all. I've known you for years. I loved you then, and I still love you now."
You wiped your eyes with the sleeve of your shirt. "I feel so stupid. I'm sorry you had to see my breakdown." You sniffled.
"You don't need to feel that way. You've been through a lot these last two years, and you went through most of it alone. Pain isn't vain if it means your hearts been broken. And yours was. But all this crying is good. It means you're dealing with how you feel. Pain is the same as a means to heal. Tomorrow's a new day with new adventures. You're a great mother, and just because you have a child doesn't mean your dreams are forgotten. You can still go to med school and become a doctor."
You couldn't find the words to respond. All you could do was stare at Danny in awe. You truly didn't deserve him.
"So, what did you think Y/N," Danny asked, drawing you from your thoughts.
"I can't believe you remember that night I cried to you in my bed and put the words into a song." You wiped your eyes, trying to stop the tears from falling.
"I wanted a way for you to always be able to hear those words again whenever you needed them. Even if it's not me singing them." Danny wrapped his arm around you and pulled you closer to him.
"What did Josh say when you proposed the song?" You knew Josh well enough to know he probably had an opinion on it.
"He loved the song itself. He was just mad about the last-minute addition because we were almost done with the album." Danny explained.
"Typical Josh." You laughed.
"I'd say so. Why don't I restart the album and you can listen to the whole thing?" Danny suggested.
"I'd love that. I've been waiting for months to hear it." You watched as Danny got up and made his way over to the stereo across from the couch. He restarted the cd and made his way back to you, wrapping his arm around you again as you leaned your head on his chest. At this moment, you never wanted Danny to leave again.