Temptations [Niall Horan]

Chapter 28

The faint sound of a small childs laugh, as well as a mans voice could be heard at the other end of the hallway. I smiled when we reached the living room.

A child, no older than 1 or 2 years of age was happily playing with a stuffed bear on a woman's lap. A man who I assumed was Niall's brother, was on the ground, playing peek-a-boo with the chlid.

I couldn't help but giggle as I watched the two interact. But suddenly, the attention was turned on us.

"Oi! It's Nialler!" the man exclaimed, standing and engulfing Niall in a hug.

"Greg! Great to see ya!" Niall chimed.

I smiled, watching as the two brothers hugged eachother tightly. Niall was so different, so warm around his family. I'd never seen him act this way around anyone aside from me before, and quite frankly, I loved it.

"God, little Theo's gettin' big..." Niall trailed off, walking over and picking up the baby from his mothers lap. She smiled up at them, as Niall held the baby in the air.

"Hi Theo! Remember me? Uncle Niall!"

The baby laughed, kicking his legs as Niall set him back down.

"Niall, are ya just gonna stand there an' try to steal my kid or are ya gonna introduce me to the lovely lady standing over 'ere?" Greg asked, gesturing to me. Niall quickly came over, wrapping a protective arm around my shoulder.

"This is my girlfriend, Ronnie. Ron, this is my brother, Greg. An' over there is Denise, his wife."

I shook Greg's hand, a smile on my face.

"Nice to meet you Greg, Denise."

Denise nodded, sending me a smile. Greg looked me up and down, a large grin spreading across his face.

"Gee Niall, never knew ya had it in ya to get such a good lookin gal. Ya've out done yerself! This'ns fit!"

I blushed, clinging to Niall's side as the two men laughed together.

"Oi now, don' be tryin to steal my girl!" Niall mischievously grinned, slapping Greg on the back.

I laughed with them, not only at the fact that Niall's family was in no way like him, but because his Irish accent seemed to get thicker around them all.

"Nah, I wouldn' dare try to steal 'er when I got the love of me life right 'ere," he smiled, looking at Denise.

Denise smiled, getting up and walking over to plant a kiss on the corner of his mouth. They stared at eachother a moment, a look on their faces that I couldn't even describe. They just looked at eachother like they were eachothers worlds, like they couldn't be separated if someone even tried. It was like nothing I'd ever seen before.

I hoped someday, maybe Niall and I would be able to look at eachother just like that.

I was startled when I felt a small pinch on my butt, my eyes growing wide. I looked down, only to see Niall's hand resting there. Looking up at him, I raised my eyebrow, as if to give him a warning look. But he only chuckled, shooting a wink my way.

"Dinner's ready!" Maura called from the kitchen. I watched as Greg and Niall widened their eyes, leaving me and Denise behind as they hurried to the kitchen.

I laughed, looking at Denise as she watched them run to the kitchen.

"Do all the Horan's love food as much as Niall?" I asked, watching as she went back to grab Theo. She laughed, nodding her head.

"All of 'em, every single one."

I laughed, walking with her to the dining room where a large Christmas tree sat in the corner. I took a moment to stare at the glimmering ornaments, some of them appearing to be handmade.

"That's so pretty..." I commented, sitting next to Niall. His hand found mine beneath the table as we all sat down to eat.

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"That was one of the best meals I've ever had, Mrs. Horan. Thank you so much for letting me stay with you all this Christmas," I chimed, helping her clear the table.

"Well thank ya so much, dear! An' it's no problem, we're all happy to have ya! And please, like I said before, either call me Maura or Mum. I'm not Mrs. Horan anymore!" She smiled, scrubbing off a plate.

I blushed, having completely forgotten that Niall's parents were divorced.

Taking a towel off the counter, I began to help her dry the plates. But not two seconds later, two strong arms wrapped around me from behind.

"Ya know, ya don't have to help 'er. She's got it," Niall mumbled into my ear, kissing my cheek.

I turned around in his arms to face him, raising an eyebrow.

"You're right, Niall. I don't have to help at all... You should be helping."

I smirked, shoving the dish towel into his hands. He chuckled, and Maura did too.

I turned to walk out to converse with Denise, but stopped outside the doorway when I heard Maura mention my name.

"I like 'er, Niall. She's so wonderful to be around, a real delight. An' very beautiful as well," she quietly commented, handing Niall a plate to dry.

"She's really somethin' mum... I think maybe she could even be, y'know... the one."

I could feel the blush rise to my cheeks.

Maura giggled, resting a hand on Niall's bicep.

"Oh dear... have ya told 'er ya love 'er yet?"

"Of course, Mum! Many times. She's perfect, mum, 'm tellin' ya."

I couldn't wipe the smile off my face as I continued into the living room, where Theo was playing with Greg. Denise scooted over on the couch, patting the place next to her and welcoming me to sit down. We conversed a while until Niall returned, walking over and leaning down next to me.

The first thing I did when he walked over was reach up, and pull his head down for a deep kiss.

"What was that for?" He asked, smirking. I smiled, hugging him tightly.

"Oh, no reason..."