'Bark! Bark! Bark!' was all Danielle heard that next morning when she woke up lying next to Niall. 'What in the world? Is that a dog?' she thought to herself; she tried to ignore it, and after a few minutes, she eventually fell back to sleep. She woke up two hours later, and found herself in an empty bed and the barking gone.
Still half asleep, she stumbled down the stairs and made her way to the kitchen. With her hair in a messy bun and nothing but her sports bra and pajama shorts on, she collapsed onto the couch.
"Niall?" Danielle called out. She heard no reply. "Ni?"
As soon as she opened her mouth to call out again, she heard the back door open. Along with the opened door, came a cold breeze that left Danielle shivering.
"Good morning, sweetpea. Sorry, I had to take Roxy out." Niall responded while kissing her cheek. He noticed her shivering, and wrapped his arms around her body. He rubbed his hands up and down her arms to try to warm her, and after finishing, continued to hold her in his embrace for a few minutes longer.
"You look nice." Niall said with a laugh, while eyeing her messy bun and sports bra.
"Shut it." Danielle laughed while punching him in the arm. She looked down to the floor, only to see a small puppy looking up and sitting at Niall's feet. 'Oh! Roxy! I totally forgot about you!' she thought while reaching down and petting her.
"How's my baby girl?" Danielle asked Niall while rubbing her belly.
"She's good. She went pee pee! YAY ROXY!" Niall said while fist pumping the air. Danielle couldn't help but laugh at how excited he got.
"Look at you, you little father you." Danielle said and plopped back down on the couch. She picked Roxy up in her arms and began to kiss her. Niall laughed and walked into the kitchen. After three minutes, he returned holding two cups of coffee.
"Thanks Ni." Danielle said with a smile. 'This boy. He is just too great.' she thought while taking a sip. 'Perfect: no sugar, just creamer. Just the way I like it.'
"So, I was thinking," Danielle began. Niall looked up at her. "We should take the kids from Harry and Amanda for the day. She's super stressed with her new job and never gets to see Harry. And, I wasn't exactly the nicest person the other day, so I should make it up to her..."
"Well, I do have a meeting today at 2, Dani." Niall said.
"But, we really should, love. You realize how much they do for us? AND they can meet the newest addition to our family." Danielle said, kissing Roxy's face.
"That's true. I can call and see if I can postpone it. I do miss those kids too. I'd love to see them!" Niall said, jumping off his seat. A few minutes later, Niall returned and sat next to Danielle on the couch. Cuddling into him and lifting her legs to rest on his lap, Niall wrapped his arm around her.
"The meeting is postponed to next Thursday. I'll call Harry and let him know." Niall said with a kiss to her forehead.
"Thanks, Niall!" Danielle said while hugging him. He kissed her, and smiled.
"Anything for you, princess." he said getting up. Danielle was still on the couch cuddling with Roxy.
"Hey Ni?" she called out.
"Yeah babe?" Niall responded while walking up the stairs. She could tell he had stopped.
"I love you." she said. Although she couldn't see his face, she knew he smiled and blushed at that very moment. After a few seconds, she heard him call out,
"I love you too, Danielle." Danielle smiled to herself and continued to rub Roxy's belly. 'Life may not be as bad as I thought...'
'What time is it?' Harry thought to himself as he began to crack his sleepy eyes open. He reached over to hug his wife, but she was gone. He threw off the sheets, and stretched.
