Softer Side

Chapter fifty-two

I grab my car keys as I walk towards the living room, hearing the familiar Irish accent which was followed by the sound of a child. The bond the two of them had made my heart melt everyday, despite her not being his own flesh and blood. I lean against the door frame, seeing Niall sat on the floor in front of the four year old, pulling her base-ball hat onto her head. "There, that was your head won't get burnt by that big ol' sun and you'll be able to see" he grins as she groans, folding her arms with a pout. "Hey squirt, don't pout, you look like your mum and i'm already a pushover with her" he smirks, pulling his own hat onto his head.

"You look like twins" I say softly as they both look over, a quiet thank you sent to Niall for getting her hat on as she walks past. That was usually a mission to get her to do, so how Niall did it I would never know. "Ari baby, go grab your sandals" I say softly, watching her huff past me and towards the shoe rack.

I feel Niall's hands rub my hips lightly, looking at me with that crooked smile. "You look good" he says softly, pressing a delicate kiss to my forehead as I feel the heat rise into my cheeks. I wore a pair of black denim shorts, his black t-shirt and a pair of checkered slip on vans. I look down when I hear the huff of Ariella again causing me to bite my lip to stop myself laughing. "Just like her mum" Niall whispers to me, causing me to slap his arm as he chuckles, running over to help her with her shoes.

I stand my bag on the worktop, slipping the bottle of sun cream into the bag with my purse and phone, seeing them standing at the front door now waiting. A whine left Ariella's lips as Niall pushes her hat down over her face, for her to put it back up to its position. A chuckle left his lips as he did it again, for her to try her hardest to reach up to his hat. When she couldn't reach, she resulted to poking her tongue out to him and folding her arms. I simply shake my head, walking out of the door with them both trailing behind me, pushing each other now and then.

Honestly, I felt like I had two children.

~~~~~~~

I pull my sunglasses over my eyes, holding Teddy's lead tightly in my hand so he didn't run away. The grass was bright green, being made to look like it had some sort of filter thanks to the sunshine in the sky. I smile to myself, seeing Niall walking ahead of me with Ariella on his shoulders. Her hands kept tugging on his ears as he laughs and pretends to drop her from her spot by his head. She screamed with a laugh as he pretends to tip her forwards, her hands gripping tightly into his as he laughs to himself.

I quickly shake my head when I hear a bark from my feet, Teddy looking up at me as I bend down to stroke his head, letting his lead go. I lift my head again, seeing Niall not there as confusion set on my face. My daydream state disappearing as as I see Ariella and Teddy running across the grass in front of us, bouncing around with Teddy barking happily.

A soft gasp leaves my lips, feeling a set of arms around my shoulders and a pair of lips against my temple. "I can't wait for this barbecue tonight" Niall mumbles into my ear, slipping away from me to take my hand into his. Tonight was a night for family. We had Niall's family, we had our friends and we had everybody close to us coming for a special night. We had decided a barbecue would be a good idea, since everything felt like it was becoming more serious and consistent within mine and Niall's relationship.

I nod with a smile, biting on my lip lightly as I think about what we had at home. "I've got everything I think" I hum softly as our hands swing, feeling the breeze across our skin. "We have burgers, sausages... I'll make a salad, we have rolls" I ramble as I turn my head to see the smile on Niall's face. A smile full of love and adoration, causing my heart to beat at a hundred miles an hour.

"Squirty cream?" I hear him whisper as I furrow my eyebrows, confusion across my face as I look up at him.

"No... I'm not cleaning that out of the carpets, you know how messy children are" I groan as he smirks, turning his head to Ariella who was calling him to play. His face turned back to me as he shook his head, smirking with how lower lip in his teeth.