"Did Ronan wake up?" I asked, as I realized we would be to Denny's soon. I still had that question.
"What?" Niall asked, turning to look in the back seat.
"No, I mean at the hospital. Did he wake up while I was asleep?" I asked. Niall shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "I'm not…mad. I just…I was wondering because he seemed comfortable with you. Like he'd met you before and he…well he usually is very shy."
Except I was a little bit angry. Ronan was my son. Mine. My responsibility. If he had woken up why hadn't Niall gotten me up? I could've helped. Ronan should have seen that his mother was there for him. There to protect him. To make him feel better when he was sick. That was my job.
"I'm sorry." Niall said, biting his lip. And then I felt just a little bit bad for being angry and lying about it. He could tell. I don't know how he could tell, but he could.
"No…it's fine."
"It's not. He's your son. I should've gotten you up but…he wasn't crying or anything. He was just kind of tossing around, all sweaty. So I just sang to him for a bit. He calmed down. Fell back asleep." He shrugged. "And you looked so tired…I just really didn't want to bother you."
"Ronan's my son. It's never a bother." I said quickly. Then I looked out the window, blinking slowly. I needed to calm down. Not be so snappish. Even I couldn't deny that the thought had been…well, sweet. "But thank you." I quietly continued, not daring to look over at him. "He…he can't sleep without a song. I don't know how you knew that or if it was just lucky but…thank you."
"He kept saying 'la'. I figured there were only so many things it could mean." He responded, and I could hear the very tentative smile in his voice.
"I'm sure he appreciated hearing you sing more than me. I'm afraid I won't be winning any singing competitions any time soon." I joked, my eyes scanning the parking lot for a space. Of course. This would be the one day that Denny's was packed.
"You really are amazing." He said suddenly, and I swallowed thickly. Driving. Drive carefully. Driving and not dying is important.
"You really should stop saying things like that." I lightly chastened him.
"Why?"
Was he really so oblivious? So…carefree? I had to once again remind myself that we were only 18. Of course he was reckless. He was a teenager. I was a teenager. It was just, after only a few months of being a mother, I had already fallen into the role of the responsible, sensible parent. To have someone urge me to act less uptight, more open to the feelings and whims of others was disconcerting.
"Because…this is…crazy!" I shouted, trying to keep my voice light despite the fact that my toes were numb. "I don't even know you. You don't really know me either. You don't…I could beat my children for all you know!" I shouted, motioning to Riddle and Ronan wildly. They carried on their conversation, blissfully unaware of my current predicament.
"I don't think you do." He shrugged. I jerked the keys out of the ignition and threw myself back in the seat, huffing. He was not going with the script. We were supposed to be agreeing that this wasn't going to work. This whole knowing each other thing. He was fucking insane.
"I think you should just…give me your number. I'm just as determined as Danielle when it comes to some things. I'm not gonna let you get out of my several hundred questions that easily." He continued, smiling before unbuckling and jumping out of the car.
He cheated. Damn him. Damn it. AH!
"Coming?" He asked, the back door open as he began to unbuckle Riddle, who looked confused and only a little bit afraid.
"Yes. It's okay Riddle. Mommy's right here." I said, as Niall picked up Riddle and he immediately began wriggling in his arms.
I quickly extracted myself for the car and hurried around the grab Ronan, noticing that rest of the group walking towards us.
"Welcome to American fine dining!" I shouted to them, readjusting Ronan on my hip before doing a very elaborate flourish to the restaurant at our right.
"Hey, we've already been to the Cracker Barrel!" Harry shouted back, quieter as they got closer. I smiled, watching in amusement as he shook his hair and brushed it all into a giant swoosh with his hands.
"Sorry I neither know nor can afford something classier." I shrugged, hating that I lied. Because only one part of that statement was true.
But that only made me think of my parents and I just didn't want to do that today.
"Shall we?" I asked, nodding to the front door and beginning to walk when I saw them all nod. Niall quickly fell into step behind me. "Question." I asked quietly, turning to look at the rest of the group. Danielle was closest, and she was deeply interested in her conversation with Liam.
"Anything." He whispered back.
"Who is that standing over by the entrance to the parking lot?" I asked, holding Ronan tighter to my body.
Niall quickly glanced in that direction, and I watched his face cloud over for a second before it solidified into a mask.
"Paparazzi." He said back to me, and I nodded as we approached the door and he automatically reached forward to usher me inside.
As soon as we were inside Paul was by our side.
"Did you see?" He asked Niall, looking around the rest of the place, like men with cameras were going to jump out from booths and start attacking us.
"Yeah. Just one right?" He asked, hanging back with Paul as I walked forward to the woman who was currently standing there, wide eyed and slack-jawed at the group. Okay. So a fan. I could do this.
"Excuse me?" I asked, leaning down slightly to get into her view and catch her attention. She shook herself and looked at me, glancing at me and then back to the group with wide eyes.
"U-um. Yes?" She stuttered, her eyes repeatedly flying over to Zayn.
"Table for nine. We'll need two highchairs." I said. She looked at Ronan in my arms and over to Riddle in Niall's arms and suddenly seemed to realize what was going on. She scrambled for a pen and scribbled down what I said quickly.
"Yes. Okay. Yes. Be right back." She said, and turned tail and ran back into the kitchen. Probably to alert every else to this interesting development.
I felt someone slide up behind me and knew it was Niall without having to look. Which was really pathetic.
"You've got a fan here." I said, hiding my smirk when I saw the girl peak back around the corner, catch us looking and then spin back around to hide.
"We usually do." He sighed, running a hand over his face. But he was smiling.
"You're not upset are you?" I asked, turning towards him and quirking an eyebrow.
"No. I'll always be grateful for the fans. Always. It's just," He sighed again, tilting his head back and forth a couple times like he was tossing words around in there, trying to get them to fall into order. "Sometimes I would like to just go out to a second-rate restaurant and eat in peace, you know. I mean, I still love it I just…"
"Want to be normal sometimes." I finished for him.
"Exactly."
"Sometimes I wish I could just call a babysitter for Riddle and Ronan and go out and shop with my friends. I love my sons so so much but they make it kind of impossible to connect with normal people. The whole mother thing usually scares people away." I shrugged. I figured, a confession for a confession. Only fair.
"It doesn't scare me away." He said, his hand automatically running a hand up and down Riddle's back when he started to fidget.
"I know." I said simply, and then tried not to think about it for the rest of the day.