Nichole’s POV
I cooed at my little girl, giggling at her when she scrunched her face up. She was absolutely beautiful. Harry is going to have a hard time keeping the boys away from this one when she gets older. I stopped myself at that thought as I watching Darcy’s face, pushing her little curls around. Was Harry even going to be in Darcy’s life then? My gut told me he wasn’t going anywhere for a long time. I was happy for that, gently rocking back and forth.
I heard a gargle come from the corner of the room, my eyes drifting to find Dylan squirming in Liam’s arms. He started to wine, the sweet sound of the starting of his cry. Liam quickly got up and was at my side, his face worried. I laughed at his face, shaking my head. It was priceless.
Harry came in just in time, setting the carriers down to take Dylan from Liam, gentle bouncing him as he talked in low tones to him, shushing his cries. The baby stopped almost instantly, letting out a few whines before quieting down. Harry grinned at me, gently patting Dylan’s back.
Darcy was placed in her little pink seat and buckled in with a blanket over her. Harry claimed it was cold outside and didn’t want the babies to get sick. Dylan was treated the same way, gently tucked into the seat. Looking over the room to make sure I didn’t miss anything, I grabbed the bags while each boy picked up a carrier. Signing myself out, I followed the boys into the elevator, down the hallway, past the main desk and out to the parking lot.
Harry had been right, the air chilly in March. I huddled my jacket closer to me, snuggling deeper into it’s warmth as I followed them to Harry’s car. The doors were unlocked and the seats were clicked into place before I knew it, Harry taking the bags from me and placing them in the middle of the back seat. I sighed, breathing in the fresh air. It was stuffy and smelled like death and old people in the hospital. Eh. Harry disappeared to the other side of the car, making sure Liam had set Dylan’s seat in right. Liam walked over to me, smiling at me. I smiled back, leaning into his hug. His chin rested on top of my head as I buried my face into his shirt.
“You did a wonderful job. Darcy looks just like you. She’s beautiful.” Liam complimented, making me smile.
“Both of my children are beautiful.” I say, my smile growing. It was the truth. Louis was right, my babies are the most attractive infants I’ve ever laid eyes on. Then again, that could be because they are my kids and I’m supposed to think that. Either way, they are beautiful.
I heard footsteps and felt Liam quickly pull back, his hand cupping my cheek, lifting my chin up. His lips pressed into mine for a lingering kiss, leaving me dazed and a little confused from his actions. I heard the foot steps jerk to a halt and instantly knew Harry was watching. I pulled away, looking up at Liam with a confused expression. He just grinned at me and kissed my cheek, telling me he will see me soon. I didn’t respond, watching him walk away toward his vehicle. I got into the passenger seat and buckled in, waiting for Harry to get in.
My eyes wondered to the rearview mirror, spying on Harry. He was just standing there, pain clear on his face. I wonder what happened. My mind told me it was because of the kiss but I shook my head at the thought. It couldn’t be because of that. I watched him walk beside the car peering in through the back window to make sure he put everything inside the car.
He didn’t look at me when he got in, focusing more than usual to backing up safely and then driving off at a careful speed. He was more gentle with the breaks, hinting that he didn’t want to wake the babies. The ride towards his house was quiet for a while, his face telling me he was deep in thought. I didn’t bother him, letting my own mind wonder for a few minutes. Harry cleared his throat, catching my attention.
“So you and Liam, huh?” He asked, trying to sound nonchalant, like he was just trying to hold a conversation.
“Um, I don’t know. We haven’t talked about it. I didn’t really know he was interested anymore until he kissed me. I didn’t think anything of it.” I found myself saying, as if I was assuring him that there was nothing going on between me and Liam.
Don’t get me wrong. I love Liam and Liam knows that. It’s just not enough though. If I didn’t have the twins, then maybe me and him would work out. Maybe we would have had a shot at being together.
At the beginning of the pregnancy and the past two months, my mind tried to talk myself into loving Liam the way I was supposed to in a relationship. It was the best thing to do and I knew that. I tried hard but my heart just couldn’t do it. I could picture myself being with Liam but the further along I got in the pregnancy, the more I saw someone else in my life.
I tried to tell myself that it would never work out between us but my mind kept conjuring up these pictures with four people in a happy family. My kids were there, of course and then there was a tall curly headed man by my side, every step of the way. For some reason, I felt like I couldn’t tell Harry these things. That he would just laugh at me and say I’m just feeling that way because they are his kids. My insides said that I was just being insecure about it but another part of me said these words were true. That I was just imagining these things because me and him were connected through the babies.
“Oh. It’s none of my business anyway. Sorry for bringing it up.” He said, taking a right onto a different road.
“There’s really nothing going on between me and Liam, Harry.” I said confidently, looking over at the boy. His jaw was set and he avoided my eyes, telling me everything I needed to know. He was jealous.
“It’s fine if you do. It’s none of my business.” he said, sounding like he was trying to convince me that I was into Liam like that.
“I really don’t feel like arguing with you about this. I’m not dating Liam or in any love type relationship.” I said, looking back out my window. It started to sprinkle, making me sigh. Yay, cold wind and cold rain. My favorite. (note the sarcasm).
“Okay. I’ll take your word for it.” Harry said suddenly, sounding like he was in a better mood.
I twiddled my thumbs as we passed different houses, my fingers twisting the ring Liam had got me for my birthday. We pulled into a familiar driveway and I smiled to myself, looking up at the house. The lights were on inside, a familiar blonde head pocking out from between the curtains. I smiled, shaking my head at Niall and he came out to greet us.
“Good, you’re here. Make yourself useful and grab a baby.
The seats come out, just click this button and pull up.” Harry told Niall, showing him how to get the seats out of their holders. Niall nodded and picked Darcy, pushing in a red button and tugging up on the seat. I grabbed the bags and shut the doors, walking inside in front of the boys. Multiple people smiled at me as I entered the living room, greeting us happily. I smiled at my family, seeing everyone that I cared about in the very large room. My day just got even better.
“I’m going to go take a quick shower, if ya’ll don’t mind.” I say, heading towards Harry’s room.
“That’s a great idea! I got something for you to wear anyway. It will even go with your shoes!” Gemma said as she grabbed a package and rushed after me.