Two Years Earlier

    Although it was four in the morning, Liam answered on the first ring.

    “Hello?”

    “Liam?” You sniffed, trying to hold back the tears. “I’m sorry to call you so late…I…I wish I didn’t have to ask you this, but I kind of need a place to stay. Just for tonight. Zayn and I…” Your voice cracks. “We’re done. We had a huge fight, and…” Your eyes fill with tears again and you wipe them away. “and he hit me. Me and Ja-“

    “Wait a minute, Y/N, he hit you? I swear to God, I’m going to kill him…where are you? Do you need me to come pick you up?”

    “No, no, I’m in the car. I just need somewhere to go for the night.”

    “You can absolutely come over, babe. I’ll have coffee ready for you.” Liam said, and you released a sigh of relief.

    “Thank you so much, Liam. I’ll be over in ten.”

    You hang up the phone, twisting in your seat to see Jacob. He was still asleep. You smiled and sped over to Liam’s flat. Once you got there you didn’t even have to ring the doorbell. He swung open the door and wrapped you in a giant bear hug as you cried. You buried your face in his shoulder like you were a little kid again and just cried for what seemed like a long time.

    “Let’s go inside, yeah?” He said softly. “It’s awfully cold out here.”

    You nod and follow him inside his toasty flat. You lay Jacob down on Liam’s couch, wrapping him in a thick plaid blanket you find sitting on the coffee table. Liam walks into the kitchen, pouring two cups of coffee in two Toy Story mugs. You smile. Of course Liam had Toy Story coffee mugs. Somehow, he remembered exactly how you drank your coffee. He passes you the mug with Jessie on it. You thank him and take a tiny sip of the hot liquid.

    “So…do you want to talk about it?” He asks, gently touching your arm through your flannel pajama top. You bite your lip and nod, sitting on the loveseat across from the couch where Jacob sleeps. Liam sits next to you, closer than he has to. You tell him everything, starting with Zayn’s recent behavior the past few years and ending with tonight. When you get to the part of the slapping incident you see Liam’s jaw tense and his brown eyes darken. He grips his mug tight and you see his knuckles are pure white.

    “He’s lucky I don’t go over there and kick his ass.” Liam said, taking a giant gulp of coffee. Then, out of the blue, his hand reaches over to your belly. He spreads his palm over your stomach and smiles at you. “How far along are you?”

    “Six months,” You say. Suddenly you start to cry, setting the mug down on the table and burying your face in your hands.

    “Whoa, Y/N, what’s wrong? What is it?” He lifts your chin with his index finger so you are looking at him in his eyes. His eyes. They are so concerned, so compassionate, so warm.

    “I just ruined this baby’s life. She’s not going to have her dad in her life. She will grow up reading tabloids about how her mom and dad split up, she will probably think it’s her fault. It’s not, at all. And Jacob! How am I supposed to explain that he isn’t going to see his dad anymore? Not that he ever saw him, but…”

    Liam wraps his arms around you and rests his chin on top of your head. “It’s all going to be alright, I promise. Why don’t we just go to bed. It’s late. Er, early. You can sleep in my room, I’ll take the couch.” He stands and puts his hand out to help you up. You take hold of his hand and stand, clutching your belly.

    “No way, you aren’t sleeping on the couch in your own house. I’ll sleep there, it’s okay.”

    “No, I’m not letting you sleep on the couch.”

    “Then we can both take the bed,” You say simply. Liam bites his lower lip and blushes slightly.

    “Okay,” He says, bringing the mugs to the kitchen. He motions for you to follow him into his room. It is ultra-tidy, with a giant bed in the center. You lay down, wrapping the covers around you. Liam slides in next to you and flicks the light off.

    “Y/N?” Liam asks suddenly. You open your eyes and turn to him. You can see his eyes gleaming in the darkness.

    “Yeah?” You ask, rubbing your eyes.

    “I…I’m glad you aren’t with Zayn anymore.”

    You remain silent, trying to understand what he is saying.

    “When we first met five years ago you were already with Zayn, and I couldn’t do anything about it. I fell for you, hanging around you so much, and it hurt so bad seeing you with Zayn. I knew he was a player, and he got drunk more often than he should have. The way he talked about you when you weren’t around tore me up…like you were an object, a prize…but I saw how happy he made you, so I didn’t say anything. I thought I was protecting you. Then when he proposed, I couldn’t stand it anymore. I started thinking about quitting One Direction and starting a solo career. But it all ended before I could quit. Basically what I’m saying is…”

    “Is what?” You croak.

    “I love you, Y/N. I’ve always loved you, since the day Zayn brought you to dinner. I love you, and that call you made me, telling me it was over? I’ve been waiting for it for five years.”

    You are silent. Tears roll down your cheeks.

    “Please say something, Y/N.”

    “I don’t know what to say right now.” But inside, your heart is bursting, because you feel the exact same way. You curl up to Liam, using his chest as a pillow. His arm anchors you to him, and you listen as his heart beats slowly. A few minutes pass before you say, “I love you.”

 

    Present Day

    You sit on a towel under the giant umbrella stuck in the sand, watching Liam and Jacob play in the surf. You are on a family vacation to the beach, and the kids are loving it. Jacob, in his brand new Buzz Lightyear swimshorts, was dragging Liam out further into the surf, pulling his kids-sized surfboard behind him. Two-year old Taylor sits next to you, playing with the sand. She sticks out a tiny hand full of sand, staring up at you with her huge hazel eyes.

    ”Thank you,” you smile, taking the sand. “I love it.”

    ”Mum!” Jacob calls from the water. “Watch this!”

    Liam helps him ride a wave on his stomach. The wave pushes him all the way up to shore. You clap for him. “Great job! You are a professional!”

    Liam makes his way back onto the sand and plops down next to you, kissing your cheek. Your husband pulls Taylor onto his lap and says, “Want to come swimming with me?”

    She shakes her head. “Scary.”

    ”I will keep you safe, I promise. Jacob will come, too. Pleeeeaaseee?” Liam asks, flipping up the brim of her floppy beach hat.

    Taylor smiles her vibrant little smile and nods. Liam stands, picking her up, and makes his way to the water. Jacob runs ahead, splashing through the waves. You smile, watching your family. Taylor is squealing with joy as Liam dips her down so her feet touch the water. He was such an amazing dad to both the kids, even though they weren’t his real kids. And he was also going to be an amazing dad to the baby in your stomach, just two months old. Life was perfect, with the years earlier far behind you. Zayn had given you full custody of Jacob and then-unborn Taylor. You didn’t keep contact with him for obvious reasons but every now and then you would see an article about him in a magazine you were reading. He had gotten help with the drugs and drinking and was now sober. He met a girl and they were serious now. You could see in the pictures that he was happy, and you were happy for him. You’d moved on, and you were glad he did too. And as for you, you finally got your happily ever after.