A/N: I'm the worst for not updating, please don't hate me... I've been really focused on Cherry because it grew so much in the past month or so and readers can be demanding sometimes haha... I know I've got a lot of new readers on here so Hello to you! Thank you all for reading, and waiting for my updates... This story will be coming to an end sometimes soon though, and I'm excited, yet sad for the ending... So prepare... You've got a good few chapters left though so not anytime soon, just preparing you!
Either way, enjoy!!!
EL'S POV:
FIVE MONTHS OLD:
"Lips so good I forget my name... I swear I could give you everything.." I bounce Grace on my hip, and keep looking over to Grey who is sat in his high chair eating a small snack.
"I don't need my love, you can take it, you can take it talk it. I don't need my heart, you can break it, break it..." I sing to Grace, and she laughs out as I cook dinner in front of me.
"Why are you filling her head with this music?" I turn to see Harry walking in, setting his keys down.
"Turn it off, see what happens." I challenge him with a smile, and he thins his eyes at me, moving to my phone on the kitchen counter. He presses the pause button, and Grace's face quickly scrunches up, that sassy personality of hers coming straight out as she starts to get upset. "Told you so..." I raise an eyebrow, and turn back to the pot in front of me.
"What about this, it's the same kind off.." He turns on Canyon Moon, and she continues to cry.
"Your child loves One Direction, just accept it bub." I laugh, and he goes back to the playlist, One Direction playing over the speaker.
"Little bug loves to hear me sing doesn't she?" He comes over to Grace, and I smile as he takes her tiny hand between his fingers. "That's my girl.." He kisses the top of her head, and then my cheek, moving to where Grey is sat in his high chair. He sits next to him, almost as if he's keeping him company and I laugh.
"Speaking of One Direction, how did it go today?" I ask, and he nods quickly.
"It went really, really well actually." He tells me, and I smile.
"All four of them showed up? No one bailed?" I ask, and he nods.
"All four of them showed up." He adds to it. "Ni wanted to visit at some point as well. He's the only one of us who doesn't have a kid now which is not how I thought that would play out." He laughs, and I shrug, having not known or met any of the boys. "They all want to meet you too." He tells me, and for some reason the thought makes me nervous.
"Oh.. Really?" I ask, turning the stove off, and then walking to him to pass Grace. He takes her in his hands, and I walk back to the stove, actually preparing the food now.
"Well of course. They said they'd been keeping up with us through friends, and they've seen your work too." He tells me, and I jump.
"Speaking of! I have everything done for the first launch of Sunnies." I tell him, and he makes a shocked face to Grace. Getting an adorable laughter from her lips... God I love it when she laughs. I named it Sunnies for that exact reason, Harry continually calls the kids his sunnies, and I thought it fit perfectly.
"Look at us, being adults... Are you proud little bug?" He speaks to Grace, but she doesn't give any type of response so he turns over his shoulder. "What about you little man?" He asks Grey, and he bounces, moving his arms, making a mess per usual. "That's right, mummy is being a badass, yes she is." He speaks to his son, and I throw a dish towel at him."Hey!" He yells back to me, and removes it, setting it on the counter.
"They're going to start speaking soon, and they can actually kind of understand us now, so you need to stop it with your potty mouth or so help me god I will throw a fit." I point at him, and he smiles, looking down to his girl.
"Your mummy is very bossy." He whispers to her, and I roll my eyes. Picking up the plates, and the milk bottles, bringing it all to the table. I lift Grey from his seat, and look at Harry, tossing him the bottle of formula. Damn we're a good team....
SEVEN MONTHS OLD
HARRY'S POV:
"Do you really think this is the best idea?" I ask her, as she leans over the bathroom counter, putting earrings on.
"Well you are their father, and as much as I don't want to leave them it's only going to be until tomorrow so yes I'm positive. I have to do this, you know I do." She tells me, and she's right, she does have to do this. These are the final steps for her so she can launch her own brand, start her own business. It's something she had never known she always wanted, but that dream is coming true. She sat by me, designing for me, supporting me, following me around the world while I made music, it's only fair I sit by now, and support her.
"What if something goes wrong?" I ask her, looking at the babies sitting on the bed, completely mesmerized by the TV in front of them.
"I doubt anything will go wrong, but if it does my phone is going to be on at all times, just call me... Or if it goes really really wrong call your mom... I don't know, but you're smart, you'll figure it out okay?" She asks me. I've been alone with them plenty of times, and she's right I am their father of course, but I've never been alone with them this long. Neither has she even though I know she could handle it a lot better than me. "Harry you look like you're about to cry... Or run out of the house screaming. You're going to be fine, all they'll do is poop, and eat food, and sleep, and maybe cry for a little bit, but you always make them stop, not me.. Remember?" She asks, and I smile.
"Yeah... Yeah I do do that." I nod, knowing she's right.
"Alright I've got to go.. I love you so much." She comes straight to me, and I hold her hips, craning my neck up as she leans for a kiss. She breaks from me, and moves to the bed. "Hey you two.. Don't be hard to handle, be nice to your dad... Please don't make him call me every five minutes because you do something that scares him alright?" She bends down, kissing the tops of both of their heads, walking straight towards the bedroom door. "Call me if anything bad happens.. I have to go now or I will start crying." She informs me, and I know she's hardly been able to leave the two of them. God she's changed so much.. But god do I love her with everything i've got...
I stay sitting on the bed, and look at the twins. Grace looks up with me, and I squint my eyes.
"Why are you looking at me like that... Is there something wrong... Is that the something is wrong face?" I ask her, and she continues to stare at me. Oh no... She's upset, there's something wrong, there is totally something wrong. She holds her hands out for me, and I sigh out in relief. "Oh thank god, that's all you want." I move to her, lifting her up in my arms. I move back on the bed, sitting with my back against the headboard as I hold Grace in my arms.Grey lets himself lay down, leaning on me, and I smile, my nerves calming down. Perfect.. They're tired, they can go to bed. Take a little nap. That's what they need, a nap... Jesus I need El, I need her for more reasons than this one, but she just makes this so much easier for me...
The twins took their little nap, and woke up with tears, and crying, and I panicked for a few minutes until I realized they would stop if I just talked to them, and held them. They're probably hungry too, and they drink formula now, just milk so I'm fine, I've got this. I fix the formula, and leave both of them sitting on their mat on the ground in the living room as usual as I stand in the kitchen. I heat the milk up, and once I'm done I take it out, and feel the bottle, unsure if it's too hot or not through the plastic container. She normally heats it up, not me, I just take the bottle and feed them when she hands it to me... So what does she do? I look at the bottle, and lift it to my lips tasting a bit, and I scrunch my face instantly. What the actual fuck? I shake it off, and take the other bottle in my hand. Perfect temperature.
"Who's hungry?" I walk around the island and go into the living room with the bottles. "I don't know how the two of you drink this stuff it's-" As I look up from the bottles I freeze completely, and stare at not two but one baby. "Grey... Where is your sister? Fuck you can't talk to me... You don't know dammit." I panic instantly. Someone must be in the house. Someone has to be in the fucking house, someone took my fucking child.
I start to sweat. I start to shake. I set the bottles down on the table, and lift grey into my hands, keeping him tight on my hip. Why did they take her and not him? Why the fuck? What do I do? What would El do? She'd tell me not to panic right? Think smarter not harder... Who would've taken her?
"Grey..." I sit him up on the couch. "I know you can't talk, I get that, but I'm gonna need you to help me out here. Just... Just point. Where did your sister go?" I lift my hands, and wait for him to do something but all he does is stick out his tongue, and make that silly face he always does. "Not helping little man.. I can't call your mum, she hasn't even been gone twenty four hours. I can't tell her that her daughter is missing, so I'm going to need some help here, anything, a sign of some sort..." I speak to him again, and then push my head into the couch. I'm talking to a seven month old baby as if he can do anything worthwhile to help me. I have officially tipped off of the deep end. I need to call El... I pick up my phone, and click her contact, picking Grey up again, and pacing the floor.
"Hello?" She answers right away, and I panic. Fuck, how do I tell her I lost our child?
"Hey baby.." I smile into my words, and there's a bit of silence.
"What did you do?" She asks instantly, and I scoff.
"I cannot believe you would instantly ask me what I did! What? Can a man not call his beautiful girlfriend, just to tell her he hopes she's doing alright, that he loves her, and wants to check on her?" I ask, cradling the phone between my shoulder, and my ear as I start lifting pillows looking for our child.
"So that's why you called?" She asks in a suspicious tone, and I melt.
"Noooo." I give in, and she sighs.
"What happened? Do I need to go to a hospital? Call your mom?" She asks, and I sigh.
"Mmmm no." I tell her.
"What did you do then?" She asks.
"I lost Grace." I speak quickly, which never happens, but how the fuck else do I tell her this?
"You lost G... YOU LOST GRACE? What the fuck do you mean you lost Grace? How the fuck do you lose an immobile baby who does nothing but shits and eats all day?" She yells and I move the phone away from my ear, cringing as I do.
"I was making formula in the kitchen, and they were on the floor in the living room, and when I came back with the bottles she wasn't there anymore." I tell her truthfully.
"Twelve hours. I haven't even been gone twelve hours, and you lost my daughter." She huffs into the phone.
"She's technically my daughter too." I mumble.
"Harry fucking Styles she will be your daughter again once you are actually in possession of her. When she grows up I will be sure to never let her forget that you lost her." She threatens and I gasp as I walk around looking for her.
"You wouldn't." I mumble.
"Oh but I would, I'm coming home." She speaks up, and I hear something to the side of me.
"Wait. Wait no. I just... Hold on." I speak out, and walk towards the sound.
"Hold on? Hold on! Harry you just told me you lost our child and-" I pull the phone away from my ear, and walk around the corner. The side hall closet is open, and I peek in hearing the noises. I open the door, and furrow my brows. I put the phone back to my ear. "You are unbelievable. I love you, but right now I think I hate you, I really just don't understand how the fuck you can-"
"El I think our baby can teleport." I tell her, looking at the baby sitting in front of me on the ground of the closet.
"Genuinely are you stupid?" She asks, and I roll my eyes.
"No Eileen, I'm looking at my daughter sitting in the side hall closet, and I have no idea how she got here." I tell her, and she sighs out.
"Oh thank god you found her..." She breathes out. "Where is she?" She asks.
"In the side hall closet." I speak out again, staring straight at her. "What are you doing in here little bug?" I ask softly crouching down. "How did you get here?" I ask her again.
"Harry, she's seven months old.. She crawled.." El speaks, and I gasp.
"No. She's not old enough to crawl, she's not allowed, I forbid it, she was just born." I speak out.
"Yeah, seven months ago. Babies crawl around their age, they're growing up bub." She speaks softer now, and I find myself pouting.
"You're growing up so fast, I don't like that..." I look at her and she starts moving, crawling towards me, and I panic as I see it happen. "She's doing it again!" I tell El.
"Good! I have to go, I miss all three of you.. Please take videos if she does it again." She speaks out. I push my phone to the side and open my arms up as Grace comes to me.
"Little bug you're growing up too fast... Next thing I know you'll be asking about boys, and moving out.." I mumble, lifting her off of the ground. "You already gave me one heart attack, I don't need another.." I mumble, putting both of them in their high chairs while I go fix their formula once more.
EL'S POV:
I'm relieved. I'm relieved the business trip is over, I'm happy to be pulling back into the house and to see it's not burned to the ground, but I have a call to make before I go in despite how bad I'm itching to get inside.
"Hello?" I ask, waiting for a reply.
"Hey bitch." Anthony speaks into the phone and I smile.
"How's the weather in LA?" I ask, and he sighs.
"Cloudy and grey because my ray of sunshine is all the way in London." He over dramatically sighs again.
"Awe, how sweet." I laugh.
"Not you, your hot hubby." He laughs, and I roll my eyes.
"He's not my hubby, and you're an ass... Well I've got a proposition for you..."
"I'm all ears." He sounds like he's situating himself, and I wait till he's ready.
"So Sunnies is ready for launch. I'm opening up my showroom within the week, and I was wondering... How would you feel working for Sunnies? Not just working but designing.. Business deals, decision making... Co chair of the company?" I ask, feeling nervous for his answers.
"So you want me to move to London?" He asks, and I cringe, waiting for his rejection.
"Well... Well yeah..." I tell him, and hear silence for a bit.
"FUCK YOU LA!!!! LONDON HERE I COME!" He yells out, and I laugh, feeling relieved, and happy all at once. Thank god.
"I'll send you details, we can facetime soon, and look for flats for you... I can't wait to tell Harry.." I smile, and he sighs.
"How is he? And the twins? Are they growing old, can they talk yet?" He asks, and I laugh.
"Considering they're not even one yet... No they're not talking... I'm not ready for that yet... Not even close to ready.. And Harry is good too, he panicked yesterday because I left him alone all day and night with the kids, but... Well I hope he's still okay. I haven't heard from him since last night." I tell him, sitting in the car, looking at the house in front of me.
"He didn't burn the house down? Shocking." Anthony laughs.
"Nope, the house is intact, I should probably go inside though, make sure he's okay.." I tell him.
"He's probably fine... Go in, text me later. I love you El." He speaks out.
"I love you Anthony. I'll see you soon." I smile, and hangup. I leave my bags in the car, and go straight to the house with my keys in hand. I unlock the door, and listen out for crying, music, Harry, anything but I hear nothing. It's around midday so I figured they'd be awake by now... I'd say maybe he went to his moms house, but I saw the car in the driveway so I'm not sure why it's so silent. I walk through the living room, and see nothing, no one in the kitchen either.
The house is spotless though, no mess, no problems visibly. I walk up the stairs quietly, and continue to look around me. I check in the nursery first, but the twins aren't there so I go to the last place I can think. I go inside the bedroom, and feel a smile creep on my lips as I see what I do. I walk forward softly, and stand at the end of the bed, pulling out my phone to snap a picture. He lays between them, holding each of them on each side of him as all three of them sleep. It was nap time I guess, and I assume they were crying without him so he just laid down with them.
I take another look, and then walk out, going back to the car, getting my bags and leaving them downstairs, not wanting to wake the three sleeping beauties upstairs. I move into the kitchen, bringing my laptop out, continuing the work I didn't finish up over the last day. I answer emails, I add new design templates, and I even sketch a bit.
I have samples with me of everything too, finally having them in my hands has been a dream as well. I've made my own products by hand of course, but these are the real deal, the ones that will be in my showroom, that will actually be worn and they're adorable.... I just hope the public thinks so as well. An hour passes by as I work, and I find myself getting tired as well... I know I'll sleep well tonight.
"Let's get a snack, who wants a snack? Babies want a snack." Harry sings a little song as he walks down the stairs, bouncing the babies in his arms. He looks up from the twins, and gasps. "Mummy is home!" He speaks out, his tone happier than before.
"Hi bub." I smile, and wipe my eyes, standing up. He meets me halfway as I start walking forward, hands out. He passes me Grace, and I smile at her holding her in my hands. "Hi angel, mommy missed you... I heard you're up and moving now... Who told you that was okay? Huh? Who said you could grow up?" I ask, and she smiles, reaching for my hair. "And what about you huh? Are you crawling too?" I ask Grey, and look to Harry as Grey wraps his hands around my finger.
"He did, right after her actually. I got videos, and pictures just for you..." He tells me, and I smile.
"And I was gone just one day, and miss one of the biggest milestones of their lives." I sigh softly.
"And that's why I won't be going on tour again." He tells me, and I whip my head to him and furrow my brows. I set Grace in her high chair, and take Grey from him, doing the same, knowing they're going to be eating in a few minutes anyways.
"What the hell do you mean you're not going on tour again?" I ask with a pointed tone.
"Darling, I won't miss anything for the two of them... If I'm touring then I'll miss too much... As much as I love it, as much as it's a huge part of my life, they are my life, and so are you..." He tells me softly, and I shake my head.
"No... Not happening.. I want to give them everything, and I know you do too... What better way to do that than showing them the world? We'll come with you..." I tell him, and he shrugs.
"That's not really possible El..." He tells me.
"No... It is possible. I can work on the road.. I've done it a thousand times before... I'll learn, figure things out, and I can homeschool them on the road, teach them like a teacher would... I'm not letting you leave us behind, or miss anything, and I'm not letting you give up on your dreams... That's what we do, we chase each others dreams... That's how all of this started.." I tell him, and he steps forward, cradling my face between his hands, moving my hair behind my ears as he cups my cheeks.
"I'm not sure if you know this yet, but I love you with everything I've got... I didn't think you'd want that... To go on the road with them." He speaks out, and I nod, smiling up at him.
"Of course I do... I want them to experience the world, and grow to love it just like we both have... We'll wait... Till they're old enough to understand it all, and then we'll do it.. Us four, and the crew, and the whole world..." I look up, as he swipes his thumbs over my cheeks.
"I love you Darling.." He smiles.
"I love you." I mumble back, and he closes in, kissing me. He lingers only a second before pulling back.
"I missed you... Missed you so much." He tells me, and kisses my forehead, walking back into the kitchen.
"I missed you... Missed all three of you. I don't like being away from any of you.." I tell him truthfully.
"Well you're here now... Did everything go alright? I see you're still working a bit." He nods his head to my laptop as I sit in front of the twins, playing with their soft hands.
"It went well... Everything is working itself out, and I'm kind of tying loose ends right now, but... I should be up and running within the next month." I smile over my shoulder, and I notice his soft glance.
"I'm proud of you..." He tells me, and looks back down after his words.
"Anthony is moving..." I tell him.
"Back to New York?" He asks, and I smile.
"More like... to London... to be Co Chair of Sunnies.." I tell him.
"Oh thank god, now we have a free babysitter.. I feel bad asking my mum so often." He laughs, and I roll my eyes. "I'm joking.. But really, that's good... It'll take some of that stress off of your shoulders..." He tells me, coming forward with a snack for the twins. It's an odd feeling... When everything is going right, everything working itself out perfectly... But right now, right now is the first time I'm comfortable in it... I'm comfortable being happy because I don't see this happiness fading now or anytime soon...
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Song: Never Enough by One Direction
I'm sorry again for the long wait, but thank you all for your patience...
How do we feel about the soft mention of a one direction reunion??
And how do we feel about Harry's mini panic attack hehe..
I love their relationship so much🥺