Graceful Departure// Harry Styles Fan Fiction

Chapter Twenty

We didn't speak much for a while, still angry at each other but we soon began to plan Grace's 1st birthday party and the end of another year. Admittedly I couldn't be more happier to see the end of this year but we decided we needed to throw a party where everyone could come and spend some time together so we invited Louis and Samantha's parents, the boys and their parents, Jennifer's parents, my parents and Mr and Mrs Childs.

"OK, so Zayn's getting the cake?" Jennifer asked me nervously flicking her hands over every counter making sure there was no dust.

"Yup. It was on the list." Jennifer moved around the house swiftly making sure everything looked perfect. "Jennifer, no one is going to judge us. Everyone knows we're trying out best." She sighed and leaned into me, hugging me a little as the door lock turned. Zayn appeared holding numerous bags but no cake.

"Where's the cake?" I asked Zayn anxiously, but he simply shook his head and looked at Jennifer who looked like she was ready to kill us all. 

"I'll bloody go and do it." She huffed and stormed out of the house, slamming the door behind her. Zayn widened his eyes at me and took the bags through to the other kitchen.

"How do you live with that?" He asked me, laughing a little.

"She's just getting stressed about everything. She never heard back from that interview either so she's still down about that. She applied to the company like 12 times and this was the first time she'd got an interview." Zayn shrugged and began unloading the birthday streamers. 

Jennifer returned with cake and more food than we needed and frantically went around the house again cleaning and making sure everything was perfect. By 1 the house was filling up with people who sat chatting about everything and anything. Whenever someone saw Grace they lit up and began playing with her.

"Hey, look. Everyone is enjoying themselves. No one has taken Grace to social services. We must be doing something right." I said quietly to Jennifer who smiled gently.

"I'm sorry for snapping." She said looking me in the eye. I smiled at her and watched Grace play with Zayn. "Right, cake time!" I said loudly, clapping my hands together making Jennifer jump a little. We lit the candles and began singing as I took the cake through to the living room. Jennifer followed behind me with a camera and videoed Grace and I blowing the candles out. 

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" Everyone shouted making Grace giggled, melting the hearts of everyone present.  

The rest of the night flew by. I spent it with the boys catching up on what I had missed and Jennifer spent it worrying about tiny things that only she cared about, like the small amount of cake in Grace's dress. It annoyed me that Jennifer was worrying about small details at Grace's first birthday instead of enjoying it.

By the end of the evening everyone had left Grace was exhausted so I gave her a quick bath and put her to bed. When I went downstairs Jennifer was frantically cleaning.

"Jen, we can do this all tomorrow morning. Just come to bed. We're both shattered." I sighed, leaning on the door frame. Jennifer continued cleaning and kept her back to me. "What is wrong with you lately?" I asked her taking a few steps towards her. She turned around quickly and shot me a disapproving look.

"I'm doing everything that you won't do any more. This little point you're trying to prove, it's not funny!" She shouted. Admittedly I had eased off all the cleaning after the fight we had last time. I picked up a bin bag and began picking up rubbish following Jennifer trying to start a conversation but Jennifer wouldn't bite so we cleaned in silence for a while.

"Hey, Grace had a good night." I sighed finally giving up on conversation.

"Just because she had a good night doesn't mean we're the right people to raise her." She snapped. I put the bag down and walked over to Jennifer who was now attacking plates with a cleaning cloth.

"Where did that come from?" I asked her, leaning on the counter near her. She put the cloth down and looked at me.

"Do you know what I hear when I go out?" I shook my head and let her continue. "'That poor girl, been dumped with a baby and she's not got a clue. Look at her, does she look like a mother to you?' Old women gossiping about you behind your back saying that you're an unfit mother." I sighed and hugged her. "And what if they're right?"

"Then we'll prove them all wrong." I said quietly but Jennifer flew out of my arms and began shouting again as Grace began to stir on the baby monitor.

"HOW HARRY? We are not her parents. We're her parents friends who were clueless and dumped with her." I looked at her in shock. 

"Dumped? We're the best people for Grace. I love Grace like she was my daughter." I replied quietly

"Yeah, that's not what you said when you stormed off last time!" She shouted. I sighed and walked off to finish picking up the rubbish when I heard a thump upstairs and Grace began crying. I threw the bag on the floor and ran up the stairs Jennifer hot on my heels. As I flung the door open I saw Grace on the floor crying with a small cut on her head. She had managed to climb out of the cot, after being woken up from our shouting.

"Still think we're the best for her?" Jennifer asked me, pushing past me and picking her up. I stood by the door in shock for a while as Jennifer took her to the hospital. Sitting down on the sofa and tried to figure out why Jennifer had gone AWOL recently. The only thing I could think of was the job interview at the events firm. I shook my head and rested it in my hands knowing that our petty fighting had injured Grace. I was ashamed that I'd let it happen when I swore to protect her.