Isn't She Lovely (h.s)

Chapter 12

Samantha

I smiled, walking around my side of the car to join Louis and my little girl as we walked up the cobblestone steps. Each step I took, I could feel my heart start to pound a little bit faster in my chest. Why was I so nervous? The hard part of this day was supposed to already have been over, wasn't it?

I think Louis noticed me tense up because he grabbed my hand, intertwining our fingers and giving me a little squeeze. I gave him a weak smile in return, picking up Catherine and stepping foot on the white wrap around porch.

"Don't be so nervous, love. You're part of the 1D family now." I smiled and he gave me a peck on the cheek before ringing the doorbell.

"Louis if this is your house then why-"

"Shh!" Louis put a finger to his lips, silencing me. Oh that cheeky boy.

The door swung open and a woman with dark brown hair and a white apron tied around her waist stood in the doorway looking rather frazzled.

"Lottie I told you to be home by eight for supper! And now it's," She gasped as she noticed us standing there instead of her daughter.

"Boo!" She squealed wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing all over his face. He just giggled and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Hi, Mum!" She started crying and I just stood there awkwardly holding Catherine in my arms. I cleared my throat and Catherine turned to me tugging on my jacket.

"Mummy why she sad?" I saw her worried look and ran my hands through her curls.

"That's 'Uncle Louis's' Mum! She isn't sad baby, she's very very happy because she hasn't seen him in a very long time. That's like if I didn't see you in months!" Her eyes widened and I laughed, tickling her tummy.

"Don't worry little lady I'm not leaving you anytime soon!" I smiled and gave her an Eskimo kiss, rubbing my nose against hers. She giggled and I heard Louis's mum clear her throat

"Boo, you forgot your manners! Were you going to introduce me?" Louis's mom glanced over at us with a hint of a smile and a questioning glint in her eye. Catherine and I laughed at his Mum's nickname for him.

"Yes Boo, were you planning on introducing us or...?" He rolled his eyes and stuck his tongue out at me.

"Yes, Mum, this is Harry's friend, and my new friend Sam, and her daughter Catherine, they very graciously offered to drive me home. " he said, tickling Catherine's chin, grinning widely. Louis' mum shot him a concerned look, and he shot back with a look as if to say "it's a long story."

"Well, it's very nice to meet both of you," Giving me a small smile that filled me with warmth. "What are we doing still standing out here? Come in, come in!"

She pulled us inside and Louis gave me a reassuring smile. I walked in to the well-lit living room, greeted by the enticing smell of pumpkin pie in the oven.

Just as my brain began to take in my surroundings, I heard the sound of small feet running down the stairs, followed by high pitched screaming.

"LOUIS!" two girls screamed in unison as they burst into the room, tackling Louis to the ground.

"DAISY, PHOEBE!" Louis screamed back at them as he pulled them in for a bear hug. Seconds later another body burst into the room.

"Louis?!" I saw her gaze around the room until her eyes fell on her older brother.

"LOUIS!" I saw her eyes fill with tears as she jumped into her brother's arms.

"I missed you so much Lou!" The young girl cried. It was uncanny how much she looked like her brother. They had the same big, bright ocean eyes and the same dark hair.

"I missed you too, Fiz." I saw a few tears fall down as he held his sister in his arms, stroking her long chestnut hair.

"Mummy! Why dat giwl make uncle Lou cwy?" I saw her bottom lip start to quiver and I just held her closer, trying hard not to laugh.

"Sweetie, those aren't sad tears, those are happy tears!"

"Oh." She smiled and wiggled her way out of my arms and started pulling on Lou's pant leg.

"Uncle Lou-ie! Who dat?" I heard her whisper to him and he laughed, picking her up and turning to face the three girls.

"Girls, this is Catherine, Caty Cat, or Love bug as I prefer!" he tickled her foot and she started giggling as she waved at the three girls.

"And this is her Mum Sam." I smiled and waved to the girls as they waved back.

"Sam is erm, well very close to Harry... and any friend of Haz is a friend of mine! Sam and Catherine drove me home and I offered to let them stay here tonight since it would be such a long trip back,"

"Wait, if you were with Harry, then where is he now? Is he coming too?" The girl Louis called Fizzy asked in excitement. I shifted on my feet awkwardly and Louis just cleared his throat.

"Um, no I'm afraid Harry is rather... preoccupied for the time being and couldn't make it." I threw Louis a grateful look as he patted me on the shoulder and made to change the subject as quickly as possible.

"Sam, Catherine, these are my sisters." He pointed to each of them as he called them by name.

"This is Daisy, and Phoebe, and this firecracker right here is Felicity, Fizzy for short." I saw her grimace as her brother called her by her full name and he ruffled her hair. The girls smiled and the twins whispered to each other before turning to Louis and making him bend over so that Daisy could whisper in his ear.

"Yes, she is very pretty isn't she? Now why don't you go play before dinner's ready, hm?" Daisy and Phoebe ran off back up the stairs the way they'd came and left me, Catherine, Fizzy, and Louis standing awkwardly in the middle of the living room.

"So, how do you know harry?" Fizzy asks after a moment of silence.

"Oh, um... I've known him pretty much forever, we were inseparable for as long as I can remember." I gave her a small smile as I thought back on the years of laughter I shared with my best friend.

"Well that's nice, then why didn't he come with you guys?" I saw Louis shoot her daggers and I just shook my head.

"It's complicated right now..." I again stood there awkwardly as I hoisted Catherine higher on my hip. I saw Fizzy catch on to the strained atmosphere that now engulfed the room after talking about Harry and she cleared her throat.

"You know, I love to babysit, why don't you let me watch Catherine until dinner?" Fizzy outstretched her arms to take the little girl from my arms, and Catherine enthusiastically settled herself in to Fizzy's embrace.

"Thanks Fizzy, that would be great." I said and she smiled before walking off with Catherine, talking about dolls and kitty cats. I laughed as Louis led me to the couch.

"Beautiful family you have here." I looked around at all the framed photographs of Johanna and all of her children.

"Thanks." He smiled and sat down next to me on the couch.

"So, you never did tell me, did you love Harry?" His question caught me off guard and I swear my eyes almost popped out of my skull.

"I uh, umm... I mean we were drunk Lou, I just uhhh.." I thought back on the night in question, briefly seeing a flash of Harry's face screwed up as he came undone above me. To say what we did was out of love and not out of complete and utter intoxication mixed with pure lust would be a lie. What happened happened because we were bored and drunk. Not because Harry had proclaimed that he was head over heels in love with me. That's not what happened.

Louis snorted and leaned back against the coach.

"I didn't mean when you conceived the little princess. Did you love Harry, you know, before all of this." I was at a loss for words. Of course I loved him.

 I had always loved him.