*sequel to More Than Best Friends*
It's been eighteen years since Jessica and Niall have heard from Demi Lovato. Their life had been perfect, they married each other, raised a couple of kids, and had a marriage anyone could practically dream of.
T...
Nathan looks up from his piece of paper, holding the purple marker in his hand. When he turns his head into my direction, a gasp escapes my mouth and my eyes widen in surprise.
Oh my God. His face is covered in purple ink.
A laugh escapes my mouth as I walk towards him, standing across the coffee table where he was drawing. Nathan cautiously keeps his eyes on me, giving me an I'm so sorry look.
Pulling my phone from my pocket, I quickly snap a picture and then place it down on the table. "Alright, I think you have done enough coloring for the day, huh?" I say, walking towards him with a chuckle.
"Mummy," he says softly as I take the marker from him. I look at him and see his bottom lip quiver.
"Whats wrong, baby?" I ask as I take his hand and sit down on the couch. Nathan climbs on top of my lap, cuddling into me. His little hands are tightly gripping mine.
"I miss daddy."
I feel my heart ache at his sentence. The last time Niall left, he was barely two years old. Now, he's six and has been a real daddy's boy. Niall leaving probably has had such a huge effect on him.
"I know, I miss daddy too," I whisper as I place a kiss onto his head. "Daddy said he will call us when he wakes up. I promise I'll give you the phone so you can tell him you miss him, okay?"
"Mummy, you're not leaving us?" Nathan asks timidly.
"No, Mummy is staying right here," I say sighing.
My phone rings just as the sentence leaves my mouth and when I bring my eyes into the direction of the phone, I see Niall's picture pop up. I keep Nathan on my lap and yell for the girls before answering the FaceTime call.
Niall's sleepy face fills my screen and Nathan's eyes immediately light up. I hear the girls rushing down the stairs before they sit on both sides of me. They both have their arms wrapped around me, and I can't help but feel a smile crawl up my lips. If Niall could only be here.
"Hey, guys," Niall says grinning, looking at us.
"Dad!"
"Daddy!"
The girls and Nathan simultaneously shriek in excitement. All of them take their turns in sharing what Niall has missed the last twenty four hours. Sydney tells him about the crush she has on a boy in her class, Emma talks about her recent test grade and Nathan mutters a couple of things that don't make sense.
After about an hour, the girls hurry up the stairs and Nathan is getting off my lap too. I tell Nathan to head towards the bathroom so I can clean off his face and he does.
"Jessica," I look at the phone screen and see Niall staring at me.
"Yeah?" I respond.
"I'm sorry."
I shrug, biting down on my bottom lip. I don't know what to tell him, the damage has been done. I don't want him to think it's okay for him to make decisions like he did alone, he has a family. He should've talked to us, to me, about it.
"I know you're still upset, I could see it in the way you were talking," Niall says softly, running his hands through his brown hair.
"Niall, it's not fine, but it is what it is. I have to go clean Nathan off and start dinner," I say softly as I get up from the couch.
"Call me before you go to bed?" Niall asks.
I smile, "Of course I will."
Niall nods, muttering an I love you before hanging up. I put my phone back into my pocket, walking towards the bathroom to go help Nathan clean up.
It takes me about forty minutes to clean Nathan up, and another hour to make dinner. The kids talk about their day at school, about how awesome it was to talk to Niall, and how they are looking forward to watching all the concert videos on YouTube. Even with being upset, they still manage to be happy for their dad. That thought makes me smile.
It's not long before I make the kids go to bed and head to my room myself. I grab my phone, and quickly dial Niall's number, only for it to go straight to voicemail.
I let a sigh escape my mouth, closing my eyes to try and stop my eyes from filling up with tears.
My phone vibrates, causing me to open my eyes. My eyes focus on the text message that I received from Niall, and it only makes me want to cry even more.
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I can't cry any more, I have to be strong for the kids and I have to show them that it's possible for someone to take care of everything without a man. I have to show my daughters that they can't depend on a man.
I sit down on my bed, and let a shaky breath escape my mouth. Just as the breath leaves my mouth, a loud scream echoes through the house.
I immediately get up, running towards Sydney's room, bursting through the door to see her standing on her bed with a goofy smile on her face. I breathe in relief, placing my hand on my heart before telling her, "Don't ever scream like that again."
"Oh! Crap! I'm sorry Mum. Guess what?" She shrieks, jumping off her bed and waking towards me. She is holding her phone in her hand, and dances as she walks up to me.
"What?" I ask.
"Damien asked me out! The boy from my class!"
My eyes widen in shock as a laugh escapes my mouth, "That's amazing, sweetheart. I'm so happy for you!"
I wrap my arms around her, hugging her tightly. She squeals once again after wrapping her arms around me. I can't help but chuckle.
I remember those days, the days of dating and getting to know my crushes. I can't believe my oldest daughter is already at that age. The age where boyfriends start to matter, where shaving is a necessity.
I can't believe it.
"Mum," Sydney says softly as we pull away from each other. Her brown wavy hair falls in front of her face and I immediately tuck it behind her ear, giving her a smile to tell her to keep going. "I know you and dad have had a rough couple of months, but you know he loves us right?"
"Of course, I know," I say softly, feeling my eyes fill with tears. "Just because there's a rough patch, it doesn't mean it's over. Your father and I will figure it out, like we always do."
Sydney nods, before pulling away from me and heading to her bed. I say goodnight before leaving her bedroom and then head back to mine. Switching into my pyjama's, I immediately crawl into bed, keeping my phone near my head in case of Niall's call.
As I fall asleep, I can't help but think about the awful times that Josie brought us, and what else she could possibly do to destroy Niall and our family.
___________
Quick update once again. Once in a writing mood... always in a writing mood 🤣
