Acting Royal #Wattys2017

Chapter 56

Zayn

Zayn watched as Jenny lowered Abi into the stroller and buckled her in. Her hair was a mess of curls that were pilled up on top of her head and held together with an old looking elastic. She had no make-up on and seemed to have many more freckles than before. She was wearing baggy, tracksuit pants and a shirt that looked like it had drool and vomit on the shoulder, it probably did. She also had a sprinkling of powdered milk on her forehead, where it looked like she'd wiped her face. She looked a bit bigger too. Like a woman that had just created, and grown a life inside her. And yet, she'd never looked better. She looked like a mother now, the mother of his child, and that was far more attractive than any designer gown she could wear. He didn't think it was possible, but right now, he loved her more than before. Watching her with his daughter made his heart burst with joy and the kind of love that couldn't be described in words. They walked out onto the dusty street and Jenny looked around. "How did you get here?"

"I walked." Zayn said, "Literally. Not joking. I walked."

Jenny looked at him sideways with the cutest smile and he thought he might actually forget his own name.

"I forgot how cute you were," Zayn said, wondering if he was allowed to reach over and touch her. He wanted to touch her so badly right now, in a million different ways. But he didn't. Not until he had her permission.

They continued to walk and Zayn looked around. This place was dead. Desolate even. It looked like one of those tiny one street towns in a western movie, he was half expecting to see a tumbleweed roll past.

"I know, " Jenny said, "Not exactly the palace gardens."

"It's nice to see where you grew up though. And even better to see where Abi has been spending her days." Zayn smiled and was overjoyed when she returned it.

They continued to walk up the street together, every now and then Zayn would catch himself and wonder if he was dreaming. Was he actually taking a family stroll up a road with the woman he loved and their child? This was not something he ever thought he would find so enjoyable, but it was amazing. And he never wanted it to end, ever again. And he needed to make his intentions very clear to her, once and for all.

"So will you marry me then?" the words just came flying out of his mouth.

Jenny stopped pushing the stroller and looked at him. "Sorry, what?"

"Marry me!"

"Just like that," Jenny asked. "I must just forget everything that happened and marry you?"

"Yes." Zayn said moving towards her slowly. He saw her look at him and respond in the way she always used to when he was about to reach out and touch her.

"And then what?" She asked.

"And then we live happily ever after. You me and Abi and all the other brothers and sisters we want to give her."

"Where?" Jenny asked. "I've made a life for myself here with Abi and my family and friends."

Zayn felt like someone had kicked him in the stomach and he didn't have an answer to that question. At all. "Uh... maybe I could commute. We could build a house here, a beautiful home for you and me and Abi and I could fly here on weekends."

Jenny's face scrunched up in a perplexed look. "You would fly sixteen hours a week just to see us for a few days?"

"Yes! If that's what it takes to have you both in my life. And you could come to the palace for as many month, or days, or weeks as you wanted. All year round. Whenever."

"Your family still hates me though." She started walking again.

"You are the mother of my child. The woman that gave my parents their first grandchild and Rana a niece, they will love you. Trust me."

"And where would Abi go to shool?" Jenny challenged.

"Isn't that still years away."

"Yes Zayn. Yes it is," she turned around now and snapped at him. "But when one has a child you have to plan ahead and think about all these things. And most of all, you want to create a stable, happy environment for your child, and non of that sounds stable."

The kicking sensation in his stomach was back. "So... so what are you saying? That this, we, could never work?"

Jenny shook her head and bit her lip, as if she was trying to hold back the tears. "I don't know."

"It's not like you wouldn't see anyone. If you lived in the palace I could fly your family and friends out as often as you wanted. Don't you want Abi to have a full time father in her life."

"And are you sure you want to be that?" Jenny squared off in front of him now and folded her arms. "Parenting is forever, it's not just for the moment and when things are good. It's when you haven't slept in days and you would give anything for a moment to yourself and some peace and quite. It's when they're naughty and throwing tantrums and when they're teenagers and hate you because you embarrass them just by breathing. It's not just this..." she pointed down at the stroller. "A cute sleeping baby."

"God, I want that. I want that more than ever, and I want to share it all with you." Zayn moved closer to her and this time he didn't wait for her permission. He reached up and held her face between her hands. "You are so fucking beautiful, you know that?" He wanted to kiss her so badly and his eyes trailed down to her lips.

"I don't feel very beautiful." She conceded in a small, sad voice.

He couldn't hold back any longer and he panted a small kiss on her lips, "Then..." he whispered against her mouth, she tasted and smelt exactly like he'd remembered, "Then you need to let me show you how beautiful you are, over and over again."

"I... I..." Jenny was doing that cute little nervous stutter thing she did. It was so utterly adorable, but he also wanted to shut her up.

"I'm going to kiss you now." He said.

"I thought you just did."

"No. I haven't even gotten started yet." His lips sought hers out once more and he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into the kiss. He was going to convey all his feeling and emotions in this one kiss, and make her understand how loved and beautiful she was to him. His body prickled with need and desire for her and he was sure she could hear and feel his heart thumping in his chest. And then, for the first time in ages, his body finally responded like a man's body should. He didn't care to hide it from her either and he grabbed her hand and guided it to his hardness.

"See what you do to me." His lips left her mouth and traveled over her neck and up to her earlobe. "See how hard you make me and how much my body needs you."

"Yes." Jenny threw her head back and let out a tiny moan.

"How long does Abi sleep for?" he asked breathily in between kisses.

"She'll wake up soon."

"So tonight then..." he carried on kissing her, it was getting faster and more desperate by the second and so not appropriate for a road side. But he didn't care. He wanted to make love to the mother of his child, and he would have done it on the spot if that kind of thing didn't land you in jail.

"I live with my parents you know."

Zayn pulled away. "Crap!"

Jenny smiled at him, "My dad would chase you with a shotgun."

"I wouldn't blame him," Zayn said grabbing her face and kissing her again.

"Then a hotel? A babysitter?"

Jenny smiled at him. "I think I can arrange that."