You watched the two year old boy as he slept. Your son was so peaceful as he laid easily, his mop of brown hair around him. His eyes were shut tight but if they were open, you would have seen the most beautiful hazel shade of his irises – just like his father's. His biological father.

You stopped thinking about the man who had left when you had only just found out you were pregnant. It was hard to not think about James Diamond though, the infamous popstar who was now on his second world tour and whose face was plastered all around Los Angeles. You were only nineteen at the time, as was he, you were just kids really. But it didn't stop you hating the boy who'd left you to deal with everything on your own.

But now, you were twenty three and were living happily with your boyfriend. You and Kendall had been friends for years, your parents being family friends and you had fallen in love, crashed into it more like when you started dating him. As far as you were concerned, Kendall was Maddox's father. He had been the one who'd helped raise him.

You watched Maddox as he turned onto his front, still in deep sleep and smiled. He was so gorgeous. Being with James had been a mistake but you loved the boy in front of you more than anything in the world. He was definitely not a mistake.

"Baby, come to bed." You turned to see Kendall standing at the door, in just his pyjama bottoms, bare footed. "Madd's well asleep by now".

Kendall was right so you left the little boy in his dreaming and followed your boyfriend out of the room and down the hall to your own bedroom. Kendall was so stunning to look at that sometimes you just couldn't take your eyes off him. In the dim lighting of the hallway coming into your room, you could only see his silhouette as he pulled you onto the bed and knelt up to look down at you. He laid down next to you, kissed your nose and then your lips before settling down with you.

"We should enjoy this quietness before he grows up and starts to hate us." Kendall laughed, wrapping an arm underneath your head and letting you rest on him.

"Don't say that!" You laughed too, but he was right actually.

"One day he's going to come home and say "Mum, Kendall, I'm joining a rock band. Can we practice in the basement?"" Kendall smiled.

"He's not going to say that."

"What, you think he'll be into something else?"

"He's going to say "Mum, Dad, I'm joining a rock band."" You said softly. You snuggled closer into his body and you hoped he was smiling. You hoped he knew how in love with him, your best friend, you were.

"I love you." Kendall whispered but you were too tired to open your lips, just kissed his neck before falling asleep.

LINE

"Maddox, come here sweetheart." You smiled as the little brunette boy came running across the living room and you picked him up, pacing down the hallway to the kitchen and the smell of food cooking. "Are you hungry, baby?"

"Mama, I want chocolate!" Maddox smiled widely. He had definitely picked up Kendall's cheekiness and you just laughed. "No chocolate for breakfast. Let's eat some fruit." You sat the boy down and kissed Kendall good morning before grabbing a knife and an apple and started cutting it into pieces that he could manage.

"Eat up Maddy." You smiled at him. The boy did as you said but watched as Kendall served you up breakfast.

You loved Saturdays. Kendall was always so busy during the week working for a record company that weekends were the only time you and Maddox got to spend an extended amount of time with him, and you were working full time during the week too as a portraiture artist for an art company in the city. Maddox either stayed with your sister or Kendall's mum when you both were at work.

"Hey, why don't we take Maddox to the beach?" Kendall started and you looked across the table at your love. His blonde hair was swept back and his gorgeous green eyes were gazing gently at you. He ate a mouthful of toast and smiled. "We don't have to…"

"No, no. I'd love to. Sure." He grinned as soon as you spoke. You both finished breakfast and sorted out your son, dressing him in clean clothes – a little blue t-shirt and jeans and his cute little converse boots. You packed a bag with swimming stuff in, just in case you wanted to go in and soon got changed into a flowing skirt and a black crop top.

"Let's go!" Kendall grinned as he picked up Maddox and carried him outside. You lived only a street away from the beach in Venice so you easily strolled along the busy road and down onto the water front. There weren't too many people but as soon as Maddox saw the water he wanted to get down and run and you needed to keep an eye on him. He was a Pisces so anytime you were near water the little boy always wanted to run and jump in. He loved adventure as much as you and Kendall.

"Maddox, let's go and get a drink and then we can go paddling, ok." You smiled at the boy in Kendall's arms and took him off your boyfriend, holding him at one side, letting Kendall hold the bag. You did this often. You and Kendall had grown up on this beach and had spent a lot of your childhood running around and surfing here.

You stood in line at one of the drink stalls along the beach behind two teenage girls. You couldn't help over hear their excited chattering and threw a look of annoyance towards Kendall and he just rolled his eyes. But, as soon as one of them said "James Diamond is right over there! Oh my god, we have to go get a picture with him." You literally froze. Sure, you'd heard people talk about the singer plenty of times, but he'd never been near. You looked around the area and there he was.

The tall brunette was with a group of people on the beach, in his surfing gear, laughing and joking with friends and your heart dropped. You'd not seen him in the flesh since before Maddox was born, only ever on the television or in magazines.

"You ok, babe?" Kendall asked tapping you on the shoulder until you turned back to him. "You look a little pale."

"James is over there." You pointed to the brunette's direction.

Kendall frowned as he saw and grimaced. "Do you want to go home?"

You could feel your eyes watering and simply nodded, holding Maddox a little tighter. You were so angry. Kendall was all you wanted, all you ever wanted, but that didn't stop you from being livid with your ex. He'd never gotten in touch. He hadn't even called to see whether the child was okay and healthy. He didn't care. He never did.

Kendall wrapped an arm around you both and you started walking, back along the beach and up to the house, thankful that Maddox didn't play up even as you left his favourite place.

"Let me take Maddox and put a film on for him." Kendall smiled kindly as he took the small boy from your arms and paced through to the living room. You shut the door behind you and headed to the kitchen. You couldn't keep living like this. How had you done it for so long already? Kendall. It was because of Kendall that you were still going.

"That boy loves Frozen almost as much as you." Kendall laughed as he kissed your forehead and sat down at the table opposite you. "Are you ok?"

"I…yeah. It just surprised me…to see him." You tell him, almost lost in your own thoughts. It just wasn't fair on Maddox.

"Come here." Kendall stood up and pulled you into a hug, wrapping his lean arms around you. "Listen, you've given Maddox the best start a kid can have ok. He has a family that absolutely adores him."

You leaned back and looked at him. He just smiled reassuringly. God, this was always how it was supposed to be. You thought back to when Kendall was just your best friend and you'd called him straight after James had left that night, after you told him you were pregnant. Kendall had come to your house within five minutes, ready to punch him, but as soon as he'd seen your tear stained cheeks, he pulled you into an embrace. It was like he'd never let go since.

LINE

You and Kendall had spoken for a long while before realising it was near enough Maddox's bedtime and found the little boy asleep on the sofa, stretched out, the film long finished. Easily, you picked him up and carried him up the stairs to his bed and gently settling him down. You looked at him again. He really was the most precious thing.

You kissed the child's forehead and quietly shut the door behind you as you left but stopped still at the top of the staircase when you heard the doorbell ring, and then, his voice.

You'd recognise James' voice anywhere.

"Kendall…Is (y/n) home?" he said.

Before Kendall could answer, you came down the stairs, eyes focused on the man on the threshold. James stood wearing a simple button down grey shirt and jeans, his hair pushed to one side.

"What do you think you're doing?" Your voice came out stronger than you felt. "Why are you here?"

Kendall looked ready to kick the guy out but you stood next to him, holding his hand for comfort and strength, just like always.

James wore an expression of confidence. You saw it everywhere, on every interview, in every article he did. He looked intently, as if he had a purpose to be here.

"I want to see my son."