♥ I Never Thought I'd Love You ♥

~Chapter 46: We'll Find Him

~Chapter 46: We’ll Find Him

            “So how did it go, babe?” Niall asked during dinner.

            I raised and lowered one shoulder. “Fine. Just fine.”

            “Did she…,” Niall put down his fork, “you know… open up to you?”

            I nodded. “Yeah. I guess so. She seems very protective of you.”

            Niall nodded. “Well, you know how mothers are…” He stopped, catching himself. “I’m sorry,” he apologised, blushing.

            I reached over the table and put my hand over his. “It’s okay, baby.” We smiled at each other, even though we both knew what I was thinking.

~~~~

            “So, Cordelia. What does it feel like to be back in Ireland?” Niall asked.

            “It feels like I finally belong somewhere.” I looked up into the night sky. “It feels like I finally have a home.” I smiled, leaning my head on Niall’s shoulder.

            “A home is not complete without a family.”

            I blinked and looked at him in wonder. “What do you mean?” I asked. “I have you…”

            Niall slipped his arm around my waist. “That’s not what I meant… I meant… do you ever think about your father?”

            I almost literally felt my heart skip a beat. I had never talked about my father with ANYONE in my life. “My… my… father?” I took a deep breath. “I have never met my father. I don’t know who he is.” I hadn’t the faintest memory of what he was like.

            “Don’t you ever want to find out? Like… for the future?” he asked, grabbing my hand.

            I looked into Niall’s eyes. “Of course I do. But I know what my future is. My future is you. But my past… is a mystery.”

            “Then why not try looking back?”

            “Where would I start?” I laughed, as if his idea was silly. Niall smiled but did not reply. “Hey, answer me, Niall!” I poked him.

            He looked down at me and replied, “You’ll have to find out for yourself.”

~~~~

            I was awake. Niall wasn’t, as usual. I thought about our conversation last night. “You’ll have to find out for yourself.”What did he mean? Did he know something about my father? “Cordelia?” I jumped and looked down at Niall. He was awake and staring at me.

            “What’s up?”

            “What are you thinking about?”

            “My father.” We were silent for a moment. Niall sat up and hugged me to his chest.

            “I’ll help you.”

            “What?”

            “We’ll find him.”

            I took Niall’s hand in mine and replied, “You can’t. You have work and the boys and your career to take care of. And besides, I don’t even know if he still exists.”

            “Let’s ask around.”

            I laughed. “Ask around for some guy whose existence hasn’t been known for 13 years? Sure.”

            “Maybe YOU don’t know his existence. But someone else might. You never know if you don’t try.”

            I sighed. “Alright, Niall. Work your magic.”

~~~~

            “This is your magic?” I asked, walking with Niall through Mullingar.

            “I never said it was,” Niall answered, laughing. He turned to a store vendor next to him. “Do you know anyone around that looks like this girl?”

            The man eyed Niall weirdly. “There are a lot of people with blonde hair and blue eyes around, Niall.”

            Niall laughed embarrassingly and nodded. “He never liked me,” Niall whispered to me as we walked away. “I took too much of his free food.”

            I laughed. “You would, Niall. You would.”