One Soft Touch

Chapter 2: A Phone Call

Annabelle’s P.O.V

Liam Payne from One Direction wants to meet my baby. He called her beautiful! And he’s going to show Olivia’s tweet to Niall Horan. What if Niall finds it creepy? I never want to be seen as an obsessed fan. He just means a lot to mean. It’s hard to explain. Liam seems to like the name I chose. I mean, he didn’t say anything about it to make me think he doesn’t. He didn’t say he liked it either.

I close my mouth, which was still hanging open in shock, and take a deep breath through my nose. Olivia is still waiting for my reaction.

“That’s awesome,” I say as calmly as I can. “I’ll tweet him back after I spend some time with Niallynn.”

Olivia frowns. Clearly that’s not the reaction she had hoped for. Her hazel eyes are focused on me, waiting for something else. She is no longer in the dull gown she had to wear earlier to be with me in the operating room. Tall, thin body supporting a lime green tank top and pale, blue jean shorts, she really looks beautiful. Something I’ve always been jealous of. She has natural beauty. Pale skin dotted with freckles with long, curly red hair. She has confidence, one thing I will never have.

“Oh, you’re good! You’re trying not to jump up and down with excitement. I can see it in your eyes, Belle. You’re not fooling me.” She grins. I guess I wasn’t hiding as well as I thought I was. “But, I understand. Niallynn should come first.”

“Even if I did want to jump up and down because I’m excited, I couldn’t.” I point to my stomach. I’m sure the pain would put an end to my excitement.  

I glance down at Niallynn in my arms. She’s going to be extremely spoiled. Not only by me. Niallynn is my mother’s first grandchild. She is also the first grandchild of Hunter’s mom, Helen Williams. Then there are my brothers, my dad, and the rest of my family. She’ll have the best life I can give her. That reminds me, why is Hunter here?

“What did Hunter say?” I ask Olivia.

She rolls her eyes and looks up at me from her phone. “Well, he said he wants to see the baby. And you. I still don’t trust him, though.”

“Did he seem mad?”

“Well, if by mad you mean drunk, then no."

Good. She was referring to how he lost his temper with me one night when he drank too much. I was just a few months pregnant then. He says he doesn’t remember anything from that night but I had the bruises as proof. He didn’t hit me, he’s just too rough.

I glance over at my mom who hasn’t said anything for a while. She’s staring at Niallynn. I know she’s dying to hold her.

“Mom, what should I do?” She always helped me in situations like this.

“I think Olivia and I should leave for a few minutes. We’ll tell Hunter to come see you.”

I just nod. I can’t lie, I’m still afraid of him. The confrontation was bound to happen sooner or later.

“Just call when you want us to come back,” Olivia says pulling my phone out of my purse on the table across the room. She hands it to me and I can see the already hit the power button to turn it on. I lay it on the bed next to my leg.

And then they’re gone. I’m left in the same silence I was earlier.

I position Niallynn to where she’s facing me. She’s been asleep this whole time. I haven’t been able to see her eyes yet. I run my thumb over her cheek. This seems to provoke a little bit of a reaction from her. I do it again. This time it causes her eyes start to slowly open. My precious baby. Green eyes. Right now Niallynn has green eyes. She has her dad’s eyes. My eyes are a dark brown.