Love Again (Just A Minute 2)

Birthday, Fights and Tattoos

A/N: And there you go- Chapter no. 1. Book number 2 starts where book number 1 ends.

"I love it baby girl. Thank you so much." I kissed Ashley's cheek as I kneeled down and hugged her.

Ashley is the only girl I have kneeled down for. The difference is for one Ashley I kneeled down for proposing her and for the other to tie her shoe laces.

However, the similarity is both of them are the most precious and important women in my life.

"Happy birthday to you too." I said to her and she giggled. We share birthdays because obviously I have no idea about her original birthday. And I love her a lot so we decided to share birthdays.

"Thank you dad."

"Happy birthday Zayn." My mother walked in the room and handed me some money as a gift. "Thank you mum." I hugged her as I pulled away from Ashley's embrace and got up.

"Assalawalikum grandmum." Ashley greeted mum with a big smile. "Walikumassalam." Mum replied plainly as she does not like Ash much.

"It is my birthday too." Ashley smiled at her. "Of course." Mum muttered, "Good for you, sweetheart." Mum gave a fake smile and Ash had a sad expression on her face.

"Dad and I need to talk to you Zayn." She said and I nodded her to go on. Somehow I knew this 'talk' was something horrendous because of mum's tone.

This tone was used for me when I used to be in school and used to flunk in Maths. Not a very nice thing.

"Look Zayn, you are a young man and it has been five years since Ashley di-" I raised my hand to shut her up as I looked down at my five year old daughter looking at me with those big, curious and beautiful blue eyes.

"Ashley?" I kneeled down.
"Yes?" She replied. "Will you please go play with your friends sweetheart? Dad and grandmum are talking about something." I asked her.

"But you owe me a birthday treat. I want pizza." She pouted, "You go out to aunt Safaa and aunt Waliyha, play with them and then we'll get you pizza and ice cream!" I high fived her little palm as her face lit up.

"Okay." She said before turning around and I got up.

"Daddy?" She called me again, "Yes princess?" I asked as she giggled. She ran over to me, pulled me by my sweater making me sit down again, "Happy birthday. I love you." She said and I hugged her.

"I love you too baby girl. Happy birthday to you too." I ran a hand over her hair. As I pulled away she giggled and ran away.

"You both are adorable." Mum smiled at me and I nodded. "Okay, now listen." She grew serious again. Typical mum.

I have started living with my parents. That house I used to live in bring back memories...our memories. And I cannot sleep in the bed that originally belonged to Ashley too.

"Dad and I want either you or Doniya to have children. We want a Malik child." I don't like where this is going. "We have children. Remember Rachel and Ashley? They are our daughters. Rachel maybe a Brooks kid but Ashley is a Malik kid." I stated. "But they are adopted. Plus the Brooks are used to accepting adopted children. Like Ashley and James. But they have their own daughter Ellie." Mum said plainly.

"Makes no difference mum. For Doniya, James and me Rachel and Ashley are our own kids. If Ashley would have been alive today I would have had my family but she is not and I hate to accept that. I had lost every ounce of hope and love in me after her death. However, that little hardly one year old girl I adopted five years back restored that lost love and hope in me. And never in my dreams would I call her a non Malik kid." I vented out.

"Look at you Zayn! You don't have a family all because of that Ashley! Seriously Zayn? You cannot have a family because of a dead girl?" Now this was too much.

"SHE IS NOT A DEAD GIRL!" I yelled, "Ashley O'Neil Brooks will always be my first love. I am not marrying anyone because I still love Ash and my deen would never allow me to marry some innocent girl and ruin her life. And how can you say all this mum? She was going to be your daughter-in-law. She was the mother of your grand child-"

"And she did not think twice before killing my grandchild!" Mum cut me off. "She killed herself too! Perrie and Sophia are responsible for this. Ashley thought I was a cheater because of them! 1000 miles could not seperate us for six years. But a surprise visit did and none of us is to be blamed." I yelled.

Mum took deep breaths, "Look Zayn. You have a career, a hectic one. You have to go on world tours. Now that you are not in the band anymore you cannot leave a couple of shows like you could before. You are a solo artist, all by yourself. You also have a daughter and bringing up a daughter is a tough job, you cannot leave a five year old at home and go tour the world like that. Dad and I are not going to be here for long. Safaa and Waliyha have their school or college. Yes, now the Brooks know you were not responsible for her death but still. They will not bring your child up. How long will Doniya go against her in laws? Understand this, Ashley needs a mother." She explained me.

"I cannot give my daughter to a step mother." I shook my head. "She is not your daughter Zayn. She was a girl you found and adopted out of pity. She is not at all important. She is just a charity case and you found her at-" A sound of glass falling startled us.

I turned to the door to find Ashley staring at us with tear filled eyes. "Ash gra-" Before I could complete she turned around and ran away.

"Look what you did mum!" I said to her angrily and ran out of the room.

"I am not important! Dad will bring a step mum for me!" I heard her crying as I stood outside her room and my heart broke into a million peices.

"Ashley?" I said slowly but she did not reply.
"Ash?" No reply.
"Dad's princess?" No reply.
"Won't you let dad come in? Don't you love me Ashley?" I tried to emotionally blackmail her.

Okay, I know it is wrong to blackmail a little child but I don't want her to cry so it is fine.

The door slowly opened a bit and I gladly walked in only to see my little princess in tears. "Hey baby girl. Shh. Stop crying." I brought her to my embrace and rubbed her small back soothingly.

"You don't love me. I am not important. I am a charity case." She cried in my arms. "It is not the truth. You know daddy loves you the most child." I kept rubbing her back.

"No you do not. I am adopted. You will not care even when I will die." She hiccuped. God! How much negitivity mum has filled in Ashley's brain.

"Aye Ashley! Don't say that love." I made her sit in front of me, "I obviously care for you. I love you the most. I fought with the world to keep you. Grandmum also loves you." I told her.

"I do not care about anyone. Only you." She wiped her tears with the back of her hand. She was not happy yet, I know what I have to do.

"Look at this," I pulled up my sleeve to show her a tattoo. A tattoo I got several years back.

"You'll be mine forever?" Her eyes lit up as she stroked my 'Ashley's forever' which I had originally got for her mother. I nodded, "Sorry dad," She engulfed me in a hug with her petite arms, "I love you." She said to me and I wiped my tears away.

Oh much I miss you Ash!

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A/N: Yes, this sucks but its okay. Its gonna be interesting. I guess xD