Drive

Chapter 35

Songs for the chapter are:

Something Great- One Direction

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I sit on the kitchen floor. My eyes are tightly shut and my hands plug my ears. I bring my legs close to my chest and push my head between my knees.

I can still hear him screaming and I squeeze my eyes tighter, pushing my knees together to create little breathing space. Somebody, just kill me now.

"Alex!" His voice sounds closer and before I know it I'm being pulled up off the ground. When I open my eyes and see him I freeze. My eyes bleed into his, and in a perfect world he would pull me in and tell me we could work this out. But this isn't a perfect world. I'm in the middle of hell on Earth.

My hands begin swinging and just as my fist is about to hit his face he catches my wrist and brings them inbetween the two of us. I struggle to remove myself from his grasp but fail as he pushes me against the wall, a picture that once hung falling and crashing to the ground.

"Niall I swear to God if you don't leave I'm calling the cops!" Ashley screams and her head immediately snaps towards the door, along with Niall's. I try to look and see but his body blocks my view.

"Mommy?" I hear the soft voice of my three year old. Niall unhandles my wrist and I rush to her, bending down in front of her and pulling her into a hug.

"Go back to sleep," I tell her once we pull away. "Everything's alright." She nods and twist her head towards Niall, flashing him a huge smile.

"Daddy!" She wobbles towards him and he smiles big, lowering himself and catches her in a hug, setting her on his hip.

"Hey, Princess! Why are you not in bed?" He teases and I feel the hot tears pour down my cheeks. We're a family. A broken, torn apart, hell-bent family.

"I was. But I heard mommy yelling and I thought she was hurt." I let out a sob and my feet carry me across the room to where Niall stands. He reaches his arm out and pulls me into his side, pressing a kiss to my forehead.

"Why don't you go back to sleep and let me and mommy talk, okay Princess?" She nods and he sets her on her feet, waddling back to our bedroom.

After she shuts the door Niall pulls me into a tight hug, my tears soaking his plain grey t shirt.

"I'm happy to see you're wearing my shirt." He tells me and I laugh, this time not so broken.

"I love you, you have to know I would swim oceans for you and Kaylee." I squeeze him tighter and grow the courage to look him in the eye.

"Can we come h-home?" I ask, studdering. His eyes widen and my heart quickens, afraid he'll decline.

"You can always come home." His voice is soft and suddle and I let out a breath of relief. He leans in and I immediately collects my lips with his. For once in three weeks, I feel whole again. My walls built two more stories and my heart is taped back together. I need him. I need our family back.

When he pulls away I whimper at the loss, but he tangles his fingers with mine.

"I'm sorry." He whispers against my forhead. "I never meant for any of the to happen. All that shit I said out of anger, I promise. I love you." I don't reply, but squeeze his hand in response.

"Let's go home." He tells me and I untangle our fingers, turning to face Ashley.

"I'm going home." She smiles and holds her arms out to me, pulling me into a hug.

"Promise we won't lose touch! I'll break the news to Kaila in the morning." We giggle and hug once more before I drag Niall to the bedroom me and Kaylee share. She's sitting on her bed, legs crossed and a juice box in her hand.