Back for More // louis t.

Thirty Two - Long Way Down

It was still pitch black outside when my phone went off at 5 o'clock in the morning. I rubbed my eyes and sat up to answer without checking the caller ID. "Hello?"

"I got full custody!" A thick, happy Yorkshire accent sounded through my phone speaker.

"Louis?" I rubbed my eyes again, still trying to wake up.

"Cassidy, I got full custody of Freddie!" He yelled louder, still just as excited.

Suddenly I was fully awake, my eyes wide as I jumped up from my bed. "Louis that's incredible!"

"I wish you were here, baby." He sighed happily. "I miss you."

"It's only been a week, Louis."

"It's still the longest I've been without you since we started seeing each other." He pressed.

"You'll see me in a week, babe." I chuckled at his clinginess. "We're all going to Disney, remember? My birthday, your birthday, and Christmas all in one."

"About that..."

"Louis William Tomlinson, I swear if you back out on this-" Anger started to boil in my veins. This was supposed to be our first trip together, my birthday present!

"No, no! It's not that. It's just that I've got to bring Freddie along too, so it's not going to be as romantic as I had originally hoped..." He shushed me.

"Oh, okay..." I sighed, trying to understand as best I could. Freddie was Louis' number one priority, I knew that. But it still stung to share his attention.

"I'm sure Harry or Liam wouldn't mind watching him one evening so we can have a nice dinner just the two of us, though."

"Yeah... Maybe..." I couldn't hide the sadness in my voice. "I'm really happy for you Louis, but I'm gonna go back to sleep. It's 5am."

"Oh, right, sorry baby." I didn't wait for him to say goodbye before hanging up. I was too tired, too upset. I knew I wouldn't be able to go back to sleep, so I decided to go out on the boat.

I quickly got dressed in a navy blue retro-style high waisted bikini that had small white anchors all over it, slipping on my sandals and grabbing my bag with a beach towel and the boat keys. I pulled my hair into a ponytail and placed my sunglasses on top of my head before throwing my phone in my bag and heading out to the dock outback.

Before I started my dream job, my family was already well off. My dad had a 60 ft yacht tied up in our canal as well as a smaller speedboat that I was allowed to take out by myself in Biscayne Bay and the Inter-coastal Waterway ever since I was 16.

I took the boat out on the bay to watch the sunrise, playing music through the speakers as I drove. I looked down to see that Katie was calling me and I picked up quickly. "You're up early."

"The baby likes to be up for the sunrise apparently." She laughed nervously. "My parents and I are going to pick Niall up from the airport in an hour anyway."

"I'm sure they'll love him, Katie. He's great."

"If my dad doesn't kill him first."

"True." I laughed, pulling the boat into the Inter-coastal Waterway and slowing down and putting my sunglasses on. "Though I'd be more worried about Jacob and Matthew if I were him."

"Don't get me started." I could hear her rolling her eyes. "Are you on the boat?"

"Yeah, I needed to clear my head. Louis called me this morning at 5am... He got full custody of Freddie."

"That's great, Cass! Maybe Niall and I can meet you for lunch and go on the boat for a bit once we get back?"

"Yeah, I'll meet you at that restaurant on the Inter-coastal and pick you guys up." With that, we said our goodbyes and hung up. I cranked up my music and One Direction's Still the One came on. I started singing along as I cruised down the waterway, speeding up just a bit and looking at all the beautiful homes on the canals.

I drove up and down the canals for three hours before I got another call from Katie saying she and Niall were at the restaurant with the dock. I pulled the boat up to the dock and one of the bartenders helped me tie it up.

Niall and Katie walked up to the boat hand-in-hand with smiles plastered on their faces. They had only spent a week apart but to them, it had seemed like years.

Niall wore a navy blue cut-out tank top with navy shorts and flip flops while Katie had opted for a modest white cover-up over her black bikini. Her pregnancy glow growing with every passing week. They were both wearing sunglasses, Niall with a baseball cap and Katie with a sun hat to hide their faces from any paparazzi on Miami Beach.

The fans still didn't know about the baby, Niall wanted to wait until they knew the gender for the announcement. Katie was as anxious as ever about telling the world, wondering if she should keep the baby hidden like Bear or out in the open like Freddie. She was leaning toward hidden like Bear, but Niall didn't want to hide his beloved girlfriend and child from the world. He intended to show them off every chance he got.

While we drove the boat around and listened to music, Katie explained her enormous family to Niall, including her grandparents that were coming for dinner that night to hear the news about the baby. I drove us around the bay for an hour before docking back at my house. Niall and Katie had taken an Uber to the restaurant since she lived just a few blocks away from me. Niall helped me secure the boat before helping Katie and me onto the dock.

As Katie walked toward the house to say hello to my parents, Niall pulled me aside in the backyard. "Louis' been calling and texting me all morning. He's worried that you're upset with him and wanted me to check on you."

"I'm fine, Niall, really." I brushed off his concerns. "Just a lot on my mind right now is all."

"If you're worried about him putting Freddie before you, he wants to take care of you too. I've never seen the man so in love before."