My Drunken Mistake

Surprises

Surprises

***LIAM'S POV***

      I wheeled back around and took a couple of deep breaths. My legs could not press the ground hard enough. I had made a mistake by leaving and I needed to make it right before it was too late. I hurried back into the hospital and navigated back towards the ER bed. I pushed the door open and revealed a huge shock.

      The bed was empty, stripped of linens. The lights were turned low. Nobody was here. I remembered Lexie's prescriptions. Gazing down at my empty hands, I realized I must have dropped them during my flight from the room. I felt panic rising, constricting my throat.

      They were gone. She was gone. And I wasn't sure where things stood.

***END OF LIAM'S POV***

*Three Months Later*

      I paced back and forth; the nerves making my hands shake. This was the big moment. After a few days of planning, I had finally managed to put together everything needed for the twins' gender reveal party.

      Louis and I had decided that we wanted to find out with everyone else. When we attended my appointment a few days ago, Doctor Buckley printed off the ultrasound photos and placed them into a sealed envelope. We delivered the envelope to a local bakery and gave the bakers instructions to create a cake filled with either blue or pink on the inside. We would cut the cake to reveal the gender(s) for everyone. Including us.

      I took a seat to wait for guests and thought about the last three months. After the night at the hospital, I had avoiding seeing Liam. He had tried to make contact multiple times, but I just couldn't see him. The way he had run off really scared me. For whatever reason, I had been depending on him to help me and support me. Suddenly he just left when things got more complicated than they already were.

      Louis, however, had really stepped up and taken on everything he could to help me stay stress-free. Though Eleanor had rejected Louis' plan to move me in with them, he still came to my place daily and waited on me hand and foot. When he wasn't with me, he was constantly calling and texting to check on me and the twins. It was sweet, really, but it made my heart hurt knowing we would never fully be the family I had always dreamed of.

      I had learned over the last five months that life was hardly ever what you always dreamed of. Sometimes, that was okay. Being without Liam was certainly not okay but I didn't know how to let him back in my life. There was just so much left to sort out with regards to him. I could have sworn for a while that I was falling for him, but now I was just confused.

      "Hey, Lex, you ready?" Louis called. He walked towards me, a huge grin on his face. Each day, he got even more excited about our babies. He had a countdown going for our due date and was constantly posting about it online. It was quite adorable.

      I nodded, too lost in thought to respond verbally.

      Louis placed a hand on my shoulder and asked, "Are you okay, love?"

      I nodded again. I didn't know how to say that I missed Liam. I could tell that Louis was jealous of him for some reason. I couldn't pinpoint the reason, but it was definitely there, hidden in the way his eyes narrowed just slightly at the mention of Liam's name and how his smile faltered just a little when Liam tried to contact me.

     Thankfully, I was saved from having to commit to any conversation. Guests started arriving for the party and that offered a pretty worthy distraction. We spent a lot of time socializing. At last it was time to cut our special cake. Louis and I decided to each cut a piece from opposite sides of the cake instead of cutting one piece together. Louis wanted to be involved, but Eleanor didn't want him to be "too involved" with me, so this was our compromise. The previous three months had given us lots of practice with compromises.

      I took a deep breath to try to steady myself. Louis handed me a knife and took one for himself. On the count of three we slid our knives through the cake in nearly perfect unison. I removed my slice, excited to see the baby blue cake there. I had always wanted a little boy just like Louis. I looked up to share the wonderful surprise with Louis to see his surprised expression.

      I looked at Louis' plate to see a light pink piece of cake. We stared at each other for a moment as the room filled with chatter. Louis whooped and dropped his cake. "One of each, lads! A beautiful girl and a handsome little boy! Look out world, the Tomlinson twins are on the way!"

      I laughed, trying to embrace the shock. I was pleased by Louis' reaction. I was surprised to discover that I had somehow also been hoping for a girl, too. I began slicing cake for our guests when Louis asked me to sit down. I was feeling kind of tired, so I sank into a nearby chair.

      I heard the door open and looked up. I thought that all of our guests had arrived by now. As the door closed, shutting out the sunlight, I waited for y eyes to adjust. At last I saw who the last guest was...Liam. A very, very drunk Liam at that...

***ELEANOR'S POV***

      I sat in the corner of the room, watching Alexa bustle about straightening things up. She was adjusting napkins, stacking cups, and otherwise making sure everything was perfect for her lovely little party. It made me sick. This was so unfair. This should be me. Those should be my babies. Not hers. Not with MY Louis.

      I watched as Louis flew in and took over, insisting that Alexa sit down and rest. She shook her head and murmured something. They argued quietly for a moment before she smiled and conceded, just like she always did. That, I couldn't blame her for. It was easy to let Louis win. That's how we ended up here in the first place. My vote was for an abortion or for Louis to sign his rights away and cut her out of his life. He couldn't do either and it made me uncomfortable. Still, he spent every day with her and I was getting sick of it.

     Moments ticked by and I felt even more agonized as the guests started to show. I sat in the same corner by myself, shrugging off any attempts to communicate. I was here to keep an eye on MY husband. My husband who was coddling this tricky woman with her already-large stomach. My husband who was seeing to her every need. My husband who was often gone when I woke up and gone when I went to bed, tending to things for the family I could never give him. Someday, I would make them pay for doing this to me.

      I picked at the plate of food that someone had placed in front of me. Of course everything looked oh so perfect. Of course it did. Ugh. Someone brought out the cake I had heard discussed for days. Really, how many conversations can revolve around one cake?

      Louis and Alexa both cut a slice. I peered at them both, angry at myself for even being curious. The colors did not match. I, alone, knew that Louis had always wanted at least one boy and one girl. In one fell swoop Alexa had fulfilled that dream. Fuck.

      Just as I was resigning to spend another night alone with Dom Perignon, the door nearby burst open. In stumbled a drunken Liam. I couldn't quite fight the small smile. This, at least, would make things far more interesting. Liam came in babbling incoherently. He mentioned something about babies and making up.

      Louis rushed towards him, his hands balled into fists. His temper was already getting the best of him. Liam's glazed eyes tried to focus on Louis.

      "You..." Liam growled. "You did this...you scum...you...you..."

       Louis looked scathingly at Liam. "Get yourself out of here, mate. This is our party. You weren't invited."

      Liam laughed, "That is where you are wrong, 'mate.' This is Lexie's party. She wants me here, I know it."

      At this point, everyone turned toward Alexa, who was crying. Again. As always. "Pregnancy hormones" apparently. She shook her head, which seems to answer the unasked question hanging in the air.

      Liam's face turned red. Louis relaxed for a moment. Next thing I knew, Liam grabbed my arm quite roughly. He pulled me to him and pressed his full lips onto mine. He tasted of patron and revenge. I wrapped my arms around his neck, and put all of my anger and jealousy into the kiss. Finally, he pulled back, regret already filling his eyes. Or shame. Or just sadness, I don't know. Louis punched him right before Alexa, who had magically materialized at my side, landed her own blow...directly onto my cheek...