Falling for the Rockstar

Chapter 36 - Louis

Moving day was exactly the chaos I expected – maybe even a little more. The house in London was a dream, no doubt about that, but making it a home seemed like a task for an entire army. Luckily, I had an army: the lads, Grace's parents, and a few movers I had hired. Still, it was a mess.

"Louis, that box goes in the bedroom! Not the living room!" Grace called from her spot on the couch. She was sitting there with her round baby bump, surrounded by pillows, looking like both a queen and a general commanding her army. I couldn't help but grin.

"Yes, Ma'am!" I called back and pushed the box with my foot toward the stairs. Liam had just come in with another box and gave me an annoyed look.

"If you'd talk less and work more, maybe we'd be done by now," he said as he dropped the box with a dull thud on the floor.

"I am working," I protested, "I'm just following the boss's orders."

Niall walked past us, holding a door that he'd somehow taken off. "No idea where this thing goes, but I'm sure it was important," he muttered, disappearing toward the kitchen.

Grace's mother was busy organizing the kitchen. I had no idea how she managed to get everything into the cupboards so quickly, but I was grateful. Her father, on the other hand, had teamed up with Harry and Zayn to build the nursery. The three of them in a room with tools – I didn't want to know how that would end.

"Louis, sweetheart, can you come here for a second?" Grace called. Her voice was calm, but I could sense the slight impatience in it. I put down the box I was carrying and walked over to her.

"What's up, babe?" I asked, bending down to her.

"I need some water. And can you please make sure the sofa doesn't get pushed against the wall? I want to put a side table there."

I nodded, kissed her on the forehead, and grabbed one of the empty water bottles to fill in the kitchen. "I think I need a break," I muttered to myself as I filled the cold water.

When I returned to the living room, Liam had flopped down next to Grace on the couch. "Honestly, I'd rather be pregnant right now," he said, giving her a mischievous glance. "Just sitting around giving orders – life's unfair."

Grace laughed. "I'd swap with you. Believe me, after months of sitting around, I'd give anything to carry something again."

"Forget it," I said, handing her the water. "You're not doing anything. You're sitting and chilling, that's your job. Our job is to sort everything else out."

"You mean, our job is to help you," Liam chimed in, and I rolled my eyes.

The day dragged on. We had to keep stopping to re-sort things, or someone would ask where something should go. But by the time the sun set, most of it was done. The sofa was in the right spot, most of the boxes were unpacked, and even the bedroom was ready.

At the end of the day, we were all exhausted, sitting on the floor of the living room. Niall had ordered pizza – what else – and each of us grabbed a slice.

"That was a lot of work," Grace's dad said as he took a big gulp from his water bottle. "But it was worth it. This is a beautiful home for you guys."

I put my arm around Grace's shoulders and pulled her close. "Yeah, it is. And thanks to all of you for helping. I couldn't have done it without you.

****

"Tomorrow we'll finally find out what it is. Are you excited?" Grace asks, lying next to me in bed. She has pulled the blanket up to her chin, with only her eyes sparkling in the soft light of the nightstand lamp.