Clarity « Niam

Chapter 20

Aybrum looked to Liam, pausing a few seconds and then broke into a wide grin. "You daddy?"

Liam finally tore his eyes off Niall, looking down at the grinning toddler in his arms and halfheartedly smiled at him. "Yeah, bud. I'm your daddy."

Aybrum hugged him tightly, wrapping his arms around his neck and squeezed him. While Niall finally found his words and processed what he'd done.

"I'm sorry, Liam. I don't - I shouldn't of done that. I wasn't thinking, well I was but I didn't mean to say it out loud." He stammered, stumbling over his words as he took a few steps towards them.

Liam shifted Aybrum to his side moving towards Niall and pinned him back against the wall, connecting their lips in an uncoordinated kiss. The toddler started panicking when he noticed his bubba was pushed against the wall and making funny sounds.

Aybrum started slapping and punching the side of Liam's face, trying to get him off his bubba and started to cry from the commotion.

"Aybrum, Aybrum, Aybrum!" Niall shouted over the toddlers crying and screaming, blocking his hands to get him to stop pounding on Liam's face. "Peanut, he's not hurting me. I'm okay, sweetie. It's okay."

Liam quickly handed the toddler over, not wanting to be hit in the face anymore. Niall put a hand on the back of Aybrum's head, holding him close and slightly bounced him in his arms to get him to calm down.

"Why did he hit me? I thought he was happy." Liam questioned, rubbing his jaw because Aybrum had managed to get a pretty good punch in.

Niall couldn't help but slightly laugh at the whole situation, "He was confused and thought you were hurting me, so he was trying to get you off. I've always told him to scream and hit if someone tries to hurt him or separate him from me."

"Well I think he's got that whole thing down now, especially the screaming part. My ears are practically ringing, but I think the throbbing ache in my jaw is blocking it out." He laughed some as well, realizing how comical the whole thing was.

Someone cleared their throat, catching both of their attention and turned towards the doorway where they saw Zayn standing with Brooklyn in his arms. "I thought you'd like to see your daughter before she leaves for Bradford, but apparently you're too busy sucking face to care about her."

Niall stepped back with a sniffling Aybrum, not wanting to get sucked into this because he refuses to argue with another grown man in front of children - it's just not a healthy environment for them.

"I've been with her all day, don't play that card with me because you know I'm always there for her. Even when that means sleeping with you just so I can see her without having you take her away from me." Liam raised his voice some, lowering it when both toddlers fussed over the sudden noise level change.

Zayn scoffed, looking at the little girl in his arms. "Look at papa, Brooklyn, because it'll probably be the last time you see him. He doesn't want us anymore, he's abandoning you for that mutt."

Liam was bubbling with anger at Zayn's words, "What is your problem, Zayn? You don't say that to a child and I'm not leaving her - Brooklyn, princess. I'm not leaving you, yeah. You don't have to cry, baby. I love you lots." He cooed, trying to touch her but only to have her yanked away by Zayn the moment he got within inches of touching her tear stained cheek.

"Don't touch her, you've upset her now." He snapped at him, shielding the crying toddler with his body.

"No, you've upset her with your lies. She's just as much my daughter as she is yours, give her to me or I'll get security in here." Liam threatened, putting his arms out towards the toddler.