Good For You
Chapter 06
CHAPTER 06
{Harry}
Her eyes grow wide at my request. My heart is barely beating, she won’t answer me. I try to focus on something else and give her time, but it’s hard to when her hand is locked between my own and her eyes are staring right into mine. “Jennifer.. please.” I whisper softly, not sure what else there is to say. I need to know her answer, I need her to say yes – I just want to hear her voice. She licks her lips lightly before speaking, “I.. I don’t know.. It’s.. a big.. offer.” She breathes out, at least she answered me – it might be what I wanted to hear, but her voice said it. I swallow harshly, I thought she would reply differently..
“I know. That’s the reason I want to give you some time to think about it.” I remind me of my previous statement. She sighs, her eyes falling to the table. “Want to hear something even crazier?” I blurt out – I didn’t want to tell her this at first, but now just seems like the perfect time. Maybe it will make her feel guilty about saying no, maybe now she’ll say yes to me.
“Gabriella and I went on online the other night and we bought you some clothes. She insisted on it.” I admit, Gabby didn’t really propose the idea, but she did help me pick out stuff. Jenny’s face gets pale, her eyes still staring down at the table. I grip her hand tight, “Please.. the kids love you and I.. I need you.” I bite my lip hard as I await her to say something, please just look at me..
“I can’t.. my apartment.. my mom wants to visit and I.. I-” I cut off her nervous ramble, “I’ll pay for your apartment every month. It’s won’t be a bother, please.” I insist, my heart starts to race – you’re going too fast, Harry, give her time. Give the girl some time to think. But I can’t stop.. I just need her in the house with me, I need her there. “I can’t let you do that.” She says, her eyes raising up to meet mine again.
“I’m going to do it, please just.. please. Jenny, Gabby and Charlie are ecstatic about it. They really want you to move in with us.” I take a bold move and slowly lace my fingers with hers, my other hand still pressing against the top of her hand. “Please. I’m begging you. Please.” I say in a soft voice, I’m doing whatever I can to show her I’m honestly serious about this. I squeeze her fingers, my eyes burning into hers. To my surprise she returns the squeeze to my fingers and smiles just a little at me.
“Do they really want me there?” She questions, raising her eyebrows at me. “Yes, yes. They.. they do.” I nod a few times, my heart is racing – this is amazing.
The car is silent, it’s nearing eleven o’clock now. Dinner was nice, we talked mostly about the kids and what they done on a daily basis with her. It went better than I first expected. She accepted my offer and even tried some champagne – it was a really a lovely night.
I turn my head to look at her, she’s so damn beautiful. Her head is bobbing lightly to the music playing through the speakers. Every now and then she’ll check her phone, which is sitting in her lap. A smirk grows on my face as I realize she’s zoned in on the song, not even acknowledging me. I take this as a chance – I slowly reach my hand over to the passenger side of the car. I place my hand on her thigh, her dress is riding up on her since she’s sitting, so that makes it even better for me.
Her pale skin feels exactly like I’ve imagined it would – soft, smooth, and rather cold. I bite my lip as I turn my eyes back to the road, we’re getting closer to my house by the minute. From the corner of my eye I can see Jennifer’s eyes staring at me hand, as if she’s never seen one before. I decide to make small talk with her, just for the sake of my sanity..
“Don’t forget about breakfast.” I say with a gentle laugh. I give her a glance, but she hasn’t removed her gaze from where my hand sits on her leg. The silence returns between us, the only noise is the radio. I gulp gently, perhaps I need to remove my hand from her body – no, I’m not going to do that. If she has a problem with it she can state her issue. She hasn’t said anything, so it’s obvious she doesn’t mind.
“Just stop your crying, it’s a sign of the-” I turn off the volume on the radio as she picks up her phone. I smirk gently, that ringtone is very interesting to me. Jennifer puts it to her ear and begins to speak, I can faintly hear a voice but I can’t make out what they’re saying.
“Mom.. why are you calling me so late?” She asks. I was about to furrow my eyebrows at her question, it’s not even midnight, but then I realize her mother is in Florida – time zones, Harry, keep up son. “What? No.” She groans lightly, pressing her hand to her forehead, she seems worried – I bet my hand’s grip on her thigh doesn’t help her, oh well. “No, no.. Mom, it’s not true. I’m.. Listen to me, please.” She says with an annoyed sigh. I bite my lip at her tone, she’s so hot when she’s aggravated.
“You already know this, Mom. I’m just his babysitter.” I snap my head in her direction, they’re discussing me I assume. “Everything alright, love?” I ask in a mumble, glancing between her and the road. She turns her head in my direction and shrugs, rolling her eyes as her mother continues to yell into the phone – I can’t make out her words, but she sounds angry. “Mom, I promise you he’s just my boss, that’s all.” My heart stings at the way she emphasized that word, I didn’t like it one bit. “Oh my god, I don’t have time for this. I love you, but goodbye.” Jennifer shocks me as she slams the phone down on her leg, not the one my hand is glued to, and huffs as she leans her head against the seat. I can tell she’s not in the best mood.
“What happened?” I ask curiously, I just need to know what’s going on with her, she’s too beautiful to be so frustrated. “Apparently.. some magazine put on their website.. an article about you.. with my picture in it.. from earlier.” Jenny tells me, I swallow the lump in my throat – there’s no telling what they’ve said about her. “What.. what did it say?” I proceed with my questions, I only want to know just in case it’s hurtful. I might have to give my lawyer a call in the morning, nothing I haven’t done before.
“I knew this would happen, I’m sorry.. Mr. Styles.” Jenny’s voice is cracking, please don’t start crying. “What do you mean, honey?” I ask, picking up my hand from her thigh – as much as it hurt me I did it anyway – and I grab her hand, holding it tight in mine. “Please.. stop.” She breathes out, pulling her hand from my grip. “No, tell me what happened.” I retort, grabbing her hand once again. This time I squeeze it tight, she can’t yank it away this time. She doesn’t give me a response, I’m about to lose all of my self-control.
“Tell me.” I repeat, my voice a tad sterner this time. “They said that.. I was your next.. little.. sl-slut.” She hesitates to say the word at first, but as I heard it come from her mouth, it broke me. “You and I both know that isn’t true. Those reporters just want attention.” I say, gently rubbing my thumb over her soft skin, trying to calm her some. “It doesn’t matter what we know.. I’m going to ruin your image.” Jenny claims, her free hand covering her face in shame.
“Please don’t let this bother you, I can handle it. I’ll shut down the rumors in the morning, alright?” I insist, hoping and praying that this works and she doesn’t start to sob. My heart begins to sting again, I get no reply from the beautiful girl sitting beside me – no reply at all.
As soon as I shut the door I hear the sound of footsteps. Just seconds later, Gabriella runs from the living room, her arms wide and her cheeks tear stained. I pick her up and hold her tight against me, my baby’s been crying for a long time, I can tell. “What’s wrong, princess?” I mumble in her ear, her arms lock tight around my neck. My eyes linger to Jennifer, but I only see her back as she starts her way up the staircase – I want to stop Gabriella’s sobbing and run after her, beg her to speak to me. I can’t do that, though. My children always come first, no matter what.
“I missed you.” She whispers back. I notice the sloppy pony tail Niall has put into her hair, the hair tie isn’t even tight enough. I let out a sigh as I sit her back on the ground, her arms relocate to my waist though, she’s not going to let me go just yet. “Baby, it’s two and half hours past your bedtime.” I inform her as I pet her hair gently, trying to soothe my angel. “She won’t go to bed.” Niall’s voice fills the foyer and I look up to see him standing just a few feet away from me. “I’ve tried everything. Singing, stories, movies.. nothing is working.” Niall adds in, shrugging gently at me.
“I expect you to be in your bed in ten minutes. I’m coming up there to tuck you in, now go.” I tell her, gesturing for her to go to the staircase. A groan leaves her mouth as she drags herself to the stairs. I smile gently, I love her so much, even if she’s mad at me. “Do you need me to leave?” Niall asks, pointing towards the door.
“No, you can stay the night. You still got clothes in the closet from the last time you stayed.” I say, laughing lightly – it’s been a month since he’s been here last. “Probably where my good jeans are.” He rolls his eyes and heads upstairs – Niall just claimed a guest room one day as his and from that day on he’s the only that’s stayed in there.
The lights are off, expect for the foyer. I bet Niall was about to head to bed right when we got here. We. An irritated sigh slips past my lips, I hope she’s not mad at me. I start my walk up the staircase, running my hand along the rail as I ascend up. I hear a door shut, but it’s most likely Niall. I groan at the thought of her being pissed with me, I honestly hope she’s alright. I reach the wide, upstairs hallway and go to the first door, Gabriella’s room.
My princess was laying her bed, the television is on, I’m not sure what’s playing though. I go over to her, her eyes looking up at me as I get closer to her. “Goodnight, baby girl. Daddy loves you.” I whisper softly as I lean down, pressing my hand to her cheek as I place a kiss on her forehead. She grabs my wrist, keeping my hand still. “Did you have a good time, Daddy?” She asks, presenting me with a soft grin.
“Yeah, we had a nice dinner. How was your night with Ni?” I answer her question and carry on our conversation. “It was fun.. we watched some movies and Ni fixed us ice cream sundaes!” She says with a squeal. I raise an eyebrow at her, “How much ice cream?” I wonder, she starts to giggle a little at my question. “I’m not a liar, Daddy. We ate a lot of ice cream.” She admits to me, her beautiful eyes fighting to stay open. “I’ll let it slide, this time.” I tell her, pecking her cheek as I go to stand up. She digs her fingernails into my wrist and I wince lightly, I need to cut them before she ends up killing me.
“What is it, honey?” I ask with furrowed brows, sitting back down on her small bed. “Daddy.. do you like Jenny?” Gabriella asks, her voice in a soft whisper as her eyes widen, awaiting my answer. I let out a shaky breath, what do I tell her? I can’t lie to my child. “If Daddy tells you.. will you keep it a secret?” I ask just as soft. She nods a few times, smiling up at me – it’s eating her up, she’s dying to know. “Yeah.. Daddy really likes Jenny. But don’t tell anyone, understand?” I admit, I can feel my heart skip a few beats – I honestly am shocked that I told my daughter this. At least someone knows beside me.
“I won’t tell. Goodnight, Daddy.” She says with a wink – she’s adorable. “Goodnight, princess. Love you baby.” I mumble against her skin before giving her forehead one last kiss goodnight. “Love you too.” She whispers back, letting my wrist go. I stand up from her bed and adjust the covers on her small body. It’s freezing cold in her room, but I know she likes it like this. Gabby says that when the room is cold, she can cuddle up to her stuffed animals – her babies as she sometimes refers to them as.
I tuck the cover around her, making sure her little feet are covered up as I get to the foot of the bed. My hand grabs the knob as I look over my shoulder. I feel a smile come to my face as I witness her close her eyes and press her hands together. She utters a few words before smiling to herself and dropping her hands. I wonder what she prays about.. I bet it’s so sweet. I gently close her bedroom door and head for the door directly across the hall.
I enter the room quietly, he’s probably been passed out for hours now. Charlie is a lot of things – wild, crazy, loud – but he’s not the one to stay up late. He usually hits the hay pretty earlier. I flick the light on so I could see. I can’t help but grin as I see him sleeping on his stomach, his mouth opened and his hair is a wreck, no surprise with that one though. He refuses to get it cut – he wants to be like, he says.
Just as quiet as I came, I exit the room after turning off the light. I continue down the hallway, passing a few doors – including the one leading to my bedroom and to the room where Jennifer is staying. I reach the door I had been seeking and hold my breath as I turn the knob, trying to be prevent any noise at all. My steps into the room are as light as feathers. I cross the nursery and approach the crib. I peer down at my little baby, she’s sound asleep – thank God.
Eventually I reach the bedroom door, she’s behind this wood – I hope. I take a deep breath, releasing it slowly as I turn the knob, thanking my lucky stars that it’s not locked. The door creaks as I slowly push it open. There is she – I can tell she’s a little upset over her phone call with her mother. Honestly I’m kind of pissed about it to, I can’t believe people just assume bull shit like that. I gulp gently, trying to calm my nerves.
She’s laying down on her side, the lamp is on – the dim lightly barely shining in the room. Her face is lit up by the light coming from her phone screen. “Jennifer.. can we.. talk for a moment?” I ask as I reach the side of the bed. She looks up at me and shrugs lightly as she locks her phone and sits it on the nightstand. I take that as her approval of my question and I kneel down beside the bed, resting my arms on the mattress in front of her.
“You’re not a slut, you know that right?” I say with a gentle voice, I don’t want to make day any worse for her. Her eyes close, probably not wanting to look at me right now, as a heavy sigh leaves the small space her lips create when they part. “My mom wants me to move back to Florida. She doesn’t want me around.. She doesn’t want me in California.” Jenny tells me. As I study her face I can see the glistening of previous tear lines on her cheeks – poor thing, I just want to hold her and kiss her and tell her everything’s okay. But I can’t do that, I’ll never be able to do that.
“She doesn’t want you around me.. does she?” I ask with a nervous breath, I already know that’s what she said. “No.. she doesn’t.” She mumbles back. I rest my chin on my forearm, my eyes roaming over her face – her expression shows me she’s sad, I don’t want her to be that way though. “Has she not seen the previous claims? All of which I’ve confirmed are fake. I swear I won’t let this go on, I’ll clarify that you’re my babysitter. I won’t let these people say horrible things about you, love.” I pause as I take a breath, I don’t want her to listen to what her mother said. “Just please don’t leave us.” My voice is slow and soft, I’d hate to scare her right now.
Her eyes open seconds after I state my plea to her – they’re so gorgeous. Baby blue irises that get slightly darker as they reach the white portion of her eye, and the cyan shooting out a tad from around her pupil – purely beautiful. “I’m not leaving you guys.. I’d.. never do that.” Jennifer affirms, her elbow digging in the mattress as she sits up a bit. “You won’t? I.. I figured you’d listen to your mum.” I sigh out with a slight laugh, I’m so glad she’s staying here.
“I told her no.” She says. My eyes widen at her sentence, I honestly can’t believe this is real. “I love my mother.. but I love being here.. in California.. and I love being with Gabby, Charlie, and Natalie. I honestly love doing this job.” A smile comes to her lips and I can’t help but return one to her.
“And we love having you here. Thank you for staying, it honestly means the world to me. We’d be lost without you.” I admit, telling her this really lifts a heavy burden off my shoulders. “I don’t see how. You’re an amazing father, Mr. Styles.” She rolls her eyes lightly, a feathery laugh leaving from her mouth.
“Pff. Are you kidding? I can’t do a lot of things around here, at least not on my own. You do the things I should be doing.. the laundry, the dishes, lunch and most of the time dinner too.. and.. you’ve stepped in to our lives when we really needed someone here. So thank you for being here, I can’t do this alone. I’m glad I have you.” My mouth can’t resist to shape into a smile, this girl right in front of me drives me crazy – she means everything to me.
I lift my head off my arms and bring my hand to her face. I gently touch my palm against her cheek, it’s so soft and warm. She begins to fluster under my touch. I smirk just a little at her as I lean in close, my lips close to her forehead. She smells like Heaven. “Don’t forget about breakfast. Goodnight, darling.” I press my lips against her skin, taking in the sweet smell and the smoothness.
She’s perfect in every way, yet I know she doesn’t see that. “Goodnight.. Mr. Styles.” She mutters back as I disconnect my lips from her forehead, my hand slowly removing itself from her beautiful face. “Sleep tight.” I wink softly as I stand up.
She just blushes at my words and slight affection towards her. I grab the covers and pull them up to her shoulders as she lies on her back, her eyes staring up at mine in the low lighted room. I take my hand and tuck the cover in around her just enough so she can move but still be cozy at the same time.
“Mr. Styles.” She breathes out as I shut off the lamp, I love the way she says that. I look down at her, I can still see her thanks to the bright moonlight coming from the open curtains. “What is it, love?” I ask in a soft whisper. “Thank you for.. everything.” She mumbles to me. “My pleasure, darling.” I lean down and give her one last peck against her forehead.
Jenny drives me wild – all parts of me. How in the hell am I going to handle this girl? I guess I’ll find out..
{Harry}
Her eyes grow wide at my request. My heart is barely beating, she won’t answer me. I try to focus on something else and give her time, but it’s hard to when her hand is locked between my own and her eyes are staring right into mine. “Jennifer.. please.” I whisper softly, not sure what else there is to say. I need to know her answer, I need her to say yes – I just want to hear her voice. She licks her lips lightly before speaking, “I.. I don’t know.. It’s.. a big.. offer.” She breathes out, at least she answered me – it might be what I wanted to hear, but her voice said it. I swallow harshly, I thought she would reply differently..
“I know. That’s the reason I want to give you some time to think about it.” I remind me of my previous statement. She sighs, her eyes falling to the table. “Want to hear something even crazier?” I blurt out – I didn’t want to tell her this at first, but now just seems like the perfect time. Maybe it will make her feel guilty about saying no, maybe now she’ll say yes to me.
“Gabriella and I went on online the other night and we bought you some clothes. She insisted on it.” I admit, Gabby didn’t really propose the idea, but she did help me pick out stuff. Jenny’s face gets pale, her eyes still staring down at the table. I grip her hand tight, “Please.. the kids love you and I.. I need you.” I bite my lip hard as I await her to say something, please just look at me..
“I can’t.. my apartment.. my mom wants to visit and I.. I-” I cut off her nervous ramble, “I’ll pay for your apartment every month. It’s won’t be a bother, please.” I insist, my heart starts to race – you’re going too fast, Harry, give her time. Give the girl some time to think. But I can’t stop.. I just need her in the house with me, I need her there. “I can’t let you do that.” She says, her eyes raising up to meet mine again.
“I’m going to do it, please just.. please. Jenny, Gabby and Charlie are ecstatic about it. They really want you to move in with us.” I take a bold move and slowly lace my fingers with hers, my other hand still pressing against the top of her hand. “Please. I’m begging you. Please.” I say in a soft voice, I’m doing whatever I can to show her I’m honestly serious about this. I squeeze her fingers, my eyes burning into hers. To my surprise she returns the squeeze to my fingers and smiles just a little at me.
“Do they really want me there?” She questions, raising her eyebrows at me. “Yes, yes. They.. they do.” I nod a few times, my heart is racing – this is amazing.
The car is silent, it’s nearing eleven o’clock now. Dinner was nice, we talked mostly about the kids and what they done on a daily basis with her. It went better than I first expected. She accepted my offer and even tried some champagne – it was a really a lovely night.
I turn my head to look at her, she’s so damn beautiful. Her head is bobbing lightly to the music playing through the speakers. Every now and then she’ll check her phone, which is sitting in her lap. A smirk grows on my face as I realize she’s zoned in on the song, not even acknowledging me. I take this as a chance – I slowly reach my hand over to the passenger side of the car. I place my hand on her thigh, her dress is riding up on her since she’s sitting, so that makes it even better for me.
Her pale skin feels exactly like I’ve imagined it would – soft, smooth, and rather cold. I bite my lip as I turn my eyes back to the road, we’re getting closer to my house by the minute. From the corner of my eye I can see Jennifer’s eyes staring at me hand, as if she’s never seen one before. I decide to make small talk with her, just for the sake of my sanity..
“Don’t forget about breakfast.” I say with a gentle laugh. I give her a glance, but she hasn’t removed her gaze from where my hand sits on her leg. The silence returns between us, the only noise is the radio. I gulp gently, perhaps I need to remove my hand from her body – no, I’m not going to do that. If she has a problem with it she can state her issue. She hasn’t said anything, so it’s obvious she doesn’t mind.
“Just stop your crying, it’s a sign of the-” I turn off the volume on the radio as she picks up her phone. I smirk gently, that ringtone is very interesting to me. Jennifer puts it to her ear and begins to speak, I can faintly hear a voice but I can’t make out what they’re saying.
“Mom.. why are you calling me so late?” She asks. I was about to furrow my eyebrows at her question, it’s not even midnight, but then I realize her mother is in Florida – time zones, Harry, keep up son. “What? No.” She groans lightly, pressing her hand to her forehead, she seems worried – I bet my hand’s grip on her thigh doesn’t help her, oh well. “No, no.. Mom, it’s not true. I’m.. Listen to me, please.” She says with an annoyed sigh. I bite my lip at her tone, she’s so hot when she’s aggravated.
“You already know this, Mom. I’m just his babysitter.” I snap my head in her direction, they’re discussing me I assume. “Everything alright, love?” I ask in a mumble, glancing between her and the road. She turns her head in my direction and shrugs, rolling her eyes as her mother continues to yell into the phone – I can’t make out her words, but she sounds angry. “Mom, I promise you he’s just my boss, that’s all.” My heart stings at the way she emphasized that word, I didn’t like it one bit. “Oh my god, I don’t have time for this. I love you, but goodbye.” Jennifer shocks me as she slams the phone down on her leg, not the one my hand is glued to, and huffs as she leans her head against the seat. I can tell she’s not in the best mood.
“What happened?” I ask curiously, I just need to know what’s going on with her, she’s too beautiful to be so frustrated. “Apparently.. some magazine put on their website.. an article about you.. with my picture in it.. from earlier.” Jenny tells me, I swallow the lump in my throat – there’s no telling what they’ve said about her. “What.. what did it say?” I proceed with my questions, I only want to know just in case it’s hurtful. I might have to give my lawyer a call in the morning, nothing I haven’t done before.
“I knew this would happen, I’m sorry.. Mr. Styles.” Jenny’s voice is cracking, please don’t start crying. “What do you mean, honey?” I ask, picking up my hand from her thigh – as much as it hurt me I did it anyway – and I grab her hand, holding it tight in mine. “Please.. stop.” She breathes out, pulling her hand from my grip. “No, tell me what happened.” I retort, grabbing her hand once again. This time I squeeze it tight, she can’t yank it away this time. She doesn’t give me a response, I’m about to lose all of my self-control.
“Tell me.” I repeat, my voice a tad sterner this time. “They said that.. I was your next.. little.. sl-slut.” She hesitates to say the word at first, but as I heard it come from her mouth, it broke me. “You and I both know that isn’t true. Those reporters just want attention.” I say, gently rubbing my thumb over her soft skin, trying to calm her some. “It doesn’t matter what we know.. I’m going to ruin your image.” Jenny claims, her free hand covering her face in shame.
“Please don’t let this bother you, I can handle it. I’ll shut down the rumors in the morning, alright?” I insist, hoping and praying that this works and she doesn’t start to sob. My heart begins to sting again, I get no reply from the beautiful girl sitting beside me – no reply at all.
As soon as I shut the door I hear the sound of footsteps. Just seconds later, Gabriella runs from the living room, her arms wide and her cheeks tear stained. I pick her up and hold her tight against me, my baby’s been crying for a long time, I can tell. “What’s wrong, princess?” I mumble in her ear, her arms lock tight around my neck. My eyes linger to Jennifer, but I only see her back as she starts her way up the staircase – I want to stop Gabriella’s sobbing and run after her, beg her to speak to me. I can’t do that, though. My children always come first, no matter what.
“I missed you.” She whispers back. I notice the sloppy pony tail Niall has put into her hair, the hair tie isn’t even tight enough. I let out a sigh as I sit her back on the ground, her arms relocate to my waist though, she’s not going to let me go just yet. “Baby, it’s two and half hours past your bedtime.” I inform her as I pet her hair gently, trying to soothe my angel. “She won’t go to bed.” Niall’s voice fills the foyer and I look up to see him standing just a few feet away from me. “I’ve tried everything. Singing, stories, movies.. nothing is working.” Niall adds in, shrugging gently at me.
“I expect you to be in your bed in ten minutes. I’m coming up there to tuck you in, now go.” I tell her, gesturing for her to go to the staircase. A groan leaves her mouth as she drags herself to the stairs. I smile gently, I love her so much, even if she’s mad at me. “Do you need me to leave?” Niall asks, pointing towards the door.
“No, you can stay the night. You still got clothes in the closet from the last time you stayed.” I say, laughing lightly – it’s been a month since he’s been here last. “Probably where my good jeans are.” He rolls his eyes and heads upstairs – Niall just claimed a guest room one day as his and from that day on he’s the only that’s stayed in there.
The lights are off, expect for the foyer. I bet Niall was about to head to bed right when we got here. We. An irritated sigh slips past my lips, I hope she’s not mad at me. I start my walk up the staircase, running my hand along the rail as I ascend up. I hear a door shut, but it’s most likely Niall. I groan at the thought of her being pissed with me, I honestly hope she’s alright. I reach the wide, upstairs hallway and go to the first door, Gabriella’s room.
My princess was laying her bed, the television is on, I’m not sure what’s playing though. I go over to her, her eyes looking up at me as I get closer to her. “Goodnight, baby girl. Daddy loves you.” I whisper softly as I lean down, pressing my hand to her cheek as I place a kiss on her forehead. She grabs my wrist, keeping my hand still. “Did you have a good time, Daddy?” She asks, presenting me with a soft grin.
“Yeah, we had a nice dinner. How was your night with Ni?” I answer her question and carry on our conversation. “It was fun.. we watched some movies and Ni fixed us ice cream sundaes!” She says with a squeal. I raise an eyebrow at her, “How much ice cream?” I wonder, she starts to giggle a little at my question. “I’m not a liar, Daddy. We ate a lot of ice cream.” She admits to me, her beautiful eyes fighting to stay open. “I’ll let it slide, this time.” I tell her, pecking her cheek as I go to stand up. She digs her fingernails into my wrist and I wince lightly, I need to cut them before she ends up killing me.
“What is it, honey?” I ask with furrowed brows, sitting back down on her small bed. “Daddy.. do you like Jenny?” Gabriella asks, her voice in a soft whisper as her eyes widen, awaiting my answer. I let out a shaky breath, what do I tell her? I can’t lie to my child. “If Daddy tells you.. will you keep it a secret?” I ask just as soft. She nods a few times, smiling up at me – it’s eating her up, she’s dying to know. “Yeah.. Daddy really likes Jenny. But don’t tell anyone, understand?” I admit, I can feel my heart skip a few beats – I honestly am shocked that I told my daughter this. At least someone knows beside me.
“I won’t tell. Goodnight, Daddy.” She says with a wink – she’s adorable. “Goodnight, princess. Love you baby.” I mumble against her skin before giving her forehead one last kiss goodnight. “Love you too.” She whispers back, letting my wrist go. I stand up from her bed and adjust the covers on her small body. It’s freezing cold in her room, but I know she likes it like this. Gabby says that when the room is cold, she can cuddle up to her stuffed animals – her babies as she sometimes refers to them as.
I tuck the cover around her, making sure her little feet are covered up as I get to the foot of the bed. My hand grabs the knob as I look over my shoulder. I feel a smile come to my face as I witness her close her eyes and press her hands together. She utters a few words before smiling to herself and dropping her hands. I wonder what she prays about.. I bet it’s so sweet. I gently close her bedroom door and head for the door directly across the hall.
I enter the room quietly, he’s probably been passed out for hours now. Charlie is a lot of things – wild, crazy, loud – but he’s not the one to stay up late. He usually hits the hay pretty earlier. I flick the light on so I could see. I can’t help but grin as I see him sleeping on his stomach, his mouth opened and his hair is a wreck, no surprise with that one though. He refuses to get it cut – he wants to be like, he says.
Just as quiet as I came, I exit the room after turning off the light. I continue down the hallway, passing a few doors – including the one leading to my bedroom and to the room where Jennifer is staying. I reach the door I had been seeking and hold my breath as I turn the knob, trying to be prevent any noise at all. My steps into the room are as light as feathers. I cross the nursery and approach the crib. I peer down at my little baby, she’s sound asleep – thank God.
Eventually I reach the bedroom door, she’s behind this wood – I hope. I take a deep breath, releasing it slowly as I turn the knob, thanking my lucky stars that it’s not locked. The door creaks as I slowly push it open. There is she – I can tell she’s a little upset over her phone call with her mother. Honestly I’m kind of pissed about it to, I can’t believe people just assume bull shit like that. I gulp gently, trying to calm my nerves.
She’s laying down on her side, the lamp is on – the dim lightly barely shining in the room. Her face is lit up by the light coming from her phone screen. “Jennifer.. can we.. talk for a moment?” I ask as I reach the side of the bed. She looks up at me and shrugs lightly as she locks her phone and sits it on the nightstand. I take that as her approval of my question and I kneel down beside the bed, resting my arms on the mattress in front of her.
“You’re not a slut, you know that right?” I say with a gentle voice, I don’t want to make day any worse for her. Her eyes close, probably not wanting to look at me right now, as a heavy sigh leaves the small space her lips create when they part. “My mom wants me to move back to Florida. She doesn’t want me around.. She doesn’t want me in California.” Jenny tells me. As I study her face I can see the glistening of previous tear lines on her cheeks – poor thing, I just want to hold her and kiss her and tell her everything’s okay. But I can’t do that, I’ll never be able to do that.
“She doesn’t want you around me.. does she?” I ask with a nervous breath, I already know that’s what she said. “No.. she doesn’t.” She mumbles back. I rest my chin on my forearm, my eyes roaming over her face – her expression shows me she’s sad, I don’t want her to be that way though. “Has she not seen the previous claims? All of which I’ve confirmed are fake. I swear I won’t let this go on, I’ll clarify that you’re my babysitter. I won’t let these people say horrible things about you, love.” I pause as I take a breath, I don’t want her to listen to what her mother said. “Just please don’t leave us.” My voice is slow and soft, I’d hate to scare her right now.
Her eyes open seconds after I state my plea to her – they’re so gorgeous. Baby blue irises that get slightly darker as they reach the white portion of her eye, and the cyan shooting out a tad from around her pupil – purely beautiful. “I’m not leaving you guys.. I’d.. never do that.” Jennifer affirms, her elbow digging in the mattress as she sits up a bit. “You won’t? I.. I figured you’d listen to your mum.” I sigh out with a slight laugh, I’m so glad she’s staying here.
“I told her no.” She says. My eyes widen at her sentence, I honestly can’t believe this is real. “I love my mother.. but I love being here.. in California.. and I love being with Gabby, Charlie, and Natalie. I honestly love doing this job.” A smile comes to her lips and I can’t help but return one to her.
“And we love having you here. Thank you for staying, it honestly means the world to me. We’d be lost without you.” I admit, telling her this really lifts a heavy burden off my shoulders. “I don’t see how. You’re an amazing father, Mr. Styles.” She rolls her eyes lightly, a feathery laugh leaving from her mouth.
“Pff. Are you kidding? I can’t do a lot of things around here, at least not on my own. You do the things I should be doing.. the laundry, the dishes, lunch and most of the time dinner too.. and.. you’ve stepped in to our lives when we really needed someone here. So thank you for being here, I can’t do this alone. I’m glad I have you.” My mouth can’t resist to shape into a smile, this girl right in front of me drives me crazy – she means everything to me.
I lift my head off my arms and bring my hand to her face. I gently touch my palm against her cheek, it’s so soft and warm. She begins to fluster under my touch. I smirk just a little at her as I lean in close, my lips close to her forehead. She smells like Heaven. “Don’t forget about breakfast. Goodnight, darling.” I press my lips against her skin, taking in the sweet smell and the smoothness.
She’s perfect in every way, yet I know she doesn’t see that. “Goodnight.. Mr. Styles.” She mutters back as I disconnect my lips from her forehead, my hand slowly removing itself from her beautiful face. “Sleep tight.” I wink softly as I stand up.
She just blushes at my words and slight affection towards her. I grab the covers and pull them up to her shoulders as she lies on her back, her eyes staring up at mine in the low lighted room. I take my hand and tuck the cover in around her just enough so she can move but still be cozy at the same time.
“Mr. Styles.” She breathes out as I shut off the lamp, I love the way she says that. I look down at her, I can still see her thanks to the bright moonlight coming from the open curtains. “What is it, love?” I ask in a soft whisper. “Thank you for.. everything.” She mumbles to me. “My pleasure, darling.” I lean down and give her one last peck against her forehead.
Jenny drives me wild – all parts of me. How in the hell am I going to handle this girl? I guess I’ll find out..
Notes
//sorry for the short wait, long weekend! Back to regular updates!! ♥♥ feedback please, so glad you guys are enjoying everything! Hope you like the update ♥3
Awesome update LOVE!!!
can't wait for more of this, i love this story
3/18/19