I never meant to hurt you.
Once Meaghan was released from the hospital, everyone fell back into their normal routines. As he had promised, Harry didn’t give up. He fought even harder for Meaghan’s heart, making him even harder to resist.
Danielle took on a tour with Olly Murs before her wedding. She and Liam planned everything together. The day before she was supposed to leave for the tour, she took Meaghan and Leah out to lunch.
“Alright, so as you both know, Liam and I’ve chosen a date: January twenty-ninth.” Danielle daintily patted her lips with her napkin. “We’d like for the two of you to be bridesmaids. I know we haven’t known each other that long, but you two are like sisters to Liam, so it would mean a lot if you were in the wedding.”
“January? That’s about nine months off, isn’t it?” Leah asked.
“I can’t.” Meaghan couldn’t look at Danielle. She played with her fork before setting it down. “I’m sorry.”
“Oh,” Danielle said, trying to mask the hurt in her voice. “Can you tell me why?”
“I’ll be going home soon. Possibly leaving the country for a year or two,” Meaghan explained. “So, obviously, being a bridesmaid can’t happen.”
Danielle frowned. “But you’ll come for the wedding?”
Meaghan sighed and rubbed the back of her neck. “I don’t think so, babe. I wish I could be there, you know that.”
At this point, Leah chimed in, “If you’d like, I’ll still be a bridesmaid.”
Danielle smiled and grabbed Leah’s hand. “Of course I’d still like you to!” She turned to Meaghan and joked, “And don’t think you can get out of buying a wedding present!”
A month passed without any problems from Meaghan's end. Harry insisted on taking care of her and wouldn’t take no for an answer.
“Gentlemen, we’ve been invited to a party tomorrow night!” Louis exclaimed. He set the post down on the counter and waved the invitation in the air.
Harry scooped another helping of eggs onto Meaghan's plate. “Whose party?”
“Cher.” Louis looked through the card. “Meg and Leah can come as well.”
Meaghan finished chewing before saying, “Count us out. Celebrity parties aren’t really our scene.”
“Speaking of Leah…where is she?” Zayn asked. He’d seen her come in a few hours ago with Meaghan, but she’d disappeared.
“Upstairs with Niall,” Liam replied.
“Good job, Niall,” Harry snorted, “for getting a girl in his bed before noon.”
“Oh, shut up,” Meaghan snapped, laughing. “They’re probably just talking and snogging.”
“If I were Niall, I wouldn’t be able to keep my hands off her,” Louis admitted. “She’s gorgeous.”
“It’s not like Niall's doing a fantastic job of keeping his hands off her.” Meaghan speared a piece of egg with her fork. “He’ll always have his arm around her waist and whatnot.”
