Life Goes On (A Hunter Hayes Fanfiction, Book 2 of the Hardships Saga)

Chapter Seven

❝try (pronounced trʌɪ or trahy), verb
make an attempt or effort to do something.
eg. he tried to be a good father❞

It was a long two months after Hunter had gotten drunk, and he was playing with Elle. There was a blanket over the floor, and Hunter handed her a rattle, which she kept shaking around, listening intently to the noise it made. Cole was interested in the small infant, and though Hunter was a little hesitant to let him play with her, Cole was extraordinarily gentle with the young child. As they played, he thought about the road ahead.

The company were beginning to get restless with him not working. No songs, no album, and he hadn't been on Twitter or Instagram for months on end. He wasn't in touch with anyone except Lucky, Rose and his parents- not even the band knew what had happened to him. He hadn't performed since the end of the UK tour, and he hadn't written a song since he had lost Lilly.

Oh, Lilly, he thought to himself. What will I do without you?

Elle laughed as Cole nudged her gently with his nose, and Hunter had a small chuckle to himself. He missed talking to people. Rose was hardly ever around anymore, since she had moved in with Jon. If she wasn't with him, she was at university. "What's that, Ellie?" Hunter asked her, trying to get to know her. He knew that now, she was starting to get a little stronger, and she was able to lift up her head without too much of an issue. She was also smiling a lot more, and now she seemed to recognise Hunter and Rose.

After he had scared her in his drunk state, she didn't trust him again for a day or two. He promised himself he'd never get drunk like that again. Elle babbled again, and he snapped out of his train of thought. She smiled a toothless grin, and Hunter couldn't help but smile with her. She was so beautiful. Her hair was thicker and darker now, and it wasn't blonde, as Hunter had originally thought. It was a hazelnut brown, beautifully soft, and her brown eyes were warm and welcoming. Though the gap Lilly left behind couldn't ever be replaced, Elle was perfect. Elle yawned, and Hunter picked her up, kissing the top of her head. "How about a bath then bedtime, sweetie?"

She gurgled softly, and Hunter gave her another kiss, before making his way to the bathroom.

By now, he had the routine down. Strip her of her dirty clothes, dump them in the sink to use fabric softener on it later, then fill the tub with soap. He tested the water, then lowered her in, making her giggle and splash around in the water. He washed her head and body while talking to her, and after changing her diaper, tucked her up into her crib with the blanket Lilly made for her, and the blue teddy. He pulled out the Disney version of Aladdin to read to her. By the time he was done, Elle was fast asleep.

He smiled. Even though Lilly was gone, he was gonna be okay. He knew that he could do it alone now.

Walking into the living room, he noticed that the whole house was an absolute mess. He began to clean up, picking everything up off the floor and making the whole place neat again. He vaccummed, used air freshener, and lit one of Lilly's fig and papaya candles- her favourite. Then, once he had made himself a coffee, he sat down and called Lucky.

"Hello?"

"Divvy? You busy at all?"

"Nah, not at all. Wanna hang?"

"Sure."

Lucky was over in about fifteen minutes, and Hunter gave her a hug. "Hey!"

"You seem to be in a better mood than you were," she noted, smiling. "I'm happy for you."

"Elle's sleeping. Come on in, I'll make you something to drink."

She sighed, coming inside, and Hunter looked at her. "You still haven't told him, have you?"