Count On Me | Niam

Chapter Forty-Nine

Niall

"Little brother! Welcome back to Ireland!"

Niall winced as Greg pulled him into a hug, dropping one of his and Chloe's bags to the floor as he hugged Greg back. "Hey. What's with the shouting. You realise we're literally still in the airport, right?"

"I know. But it's been a year since we last spoke to over the phone, so sue me." Picking the bag up off the floor, Greg shrugged, turning and giving Chloe a grin and shrugging as the seven-year-old simply stared at him. "What's up, Chlo? Not happy to see your favourite Uncle?"

"It's early. Even Loki doesn't wake me up this early." Yawning, Chloe didn't notice the questioning look Greg shot her, looking up at Niall with a plaintive look on her face and leaning into him as he picked her up, struggling with his daughter and the rest of their bags until Greg took them from him. Chloe grumbled as Niall had to set her down to get them through passport control, clamouring to be picked up again the minute they were through and hiding her face in Niall's shoulder until they got to Greg's car.

Niall couldn't help but smile as Chloe fell asleep the second Greg began to drive, reaching over and draping his coat over her legs before he turned back to his brother, flicking on the radio and grinning even wider as RTÉ came on. His grin didn't go unnoticed by Greg, who simply shook his head at him. "Missed this place, didn't you?"

"'Course I have." It was an obvious answer, really. That didn't stop Greg from taking the piss, waiting until they were stopped at a traffic light to elbow Niall, looking at his younger brother in the rear view mirror and smirking as he asked, "Missed anything else?"

"The food." Niall waited until Greg had let out an indignant protest before he grinned at him, rolling his eyes a little as he said, "My favourite brother, of course."

"Damn right." Laughing, Greg reached out to turn the radio volume up, forgetting about Chloe sleeping in the backseat until Niall reached over and slapped his hand away from the controls, turning the volume back down before he glanced back at Chloe who was thankfully still asleep, her curls covering her face and Niall's coat still blanketing her, undisturbed by the sudden blare of the radio.

They spent the rest of the journey listening to the radio, catching up and arguing over football until the subject of their parents was brought up. Greg went quiet, concentrating on the road for a moment before he dared to glance over at Niall, deliberately keeping his tone level as he said, "Christmas might be a little smaller this year...Mum and Dad, they're aren't coming. Mum and Bobby are going on a Christmas cruise, apparently, and Dad's...busy."

"Right..." Niall simply nodded, glancing back at Chloe before nodding again, resisting the urge to swear and ask how the fuck his dad, Chloe's grandad, could be busy, and why the fuck his mother had decided to go on holiday, taking a deep breath and looking up to meet his brother's eye as he said, "That's great...just us then."

"Yep, just us. Denise is happier, fewer people to cook for, fewer things to worry about." Greg gave Niall a smile, aiming for a jaunty grin but just falling short, biting his lip as Niall turned to look out of the window, losing some of his enthusiasm. Not that Niall let that show around his daughter, the grin on his face as big as it had been at the airport as he woke Chloe up and helped her out of the car. "C'mon, poppet. We're here."

"We're here?" Chloe's face lit up as she realised what Niall meant, jumping up and out of the car and running through the front door of Greg and Denise's cottage only to be tackled into a hug by Theo, both of them grinning and shouting until Greg made his way through the front door lugging Niall and Chloe's baggage behind him. "Wow, guys. You'd think someone was being murdered in here."