Heyy you guys, sorry it's been a while since I last updated. I've been pretty ill, and I'm still not one hundred percent. Hope you're all still around.
Here's the next chapter
x

Chapter Thirteen

Moments passed before I turned my attention back to baby Riley. Her stirring in my arms tore my gaze away from Dougie's eyes. I felt a dip in the sofa as he sat beside me, leaning over so it looked as if his attention was focused on Riley.

"I can't get you out of my head." He mumbled, his voice so quiet and his smile making Riley giggle. Our position simply looked as if we were cooing over the newborn.

"Okay." I replied simply in the same tone of voice that he had used previously.

"I mean, not getting out of my head. It's rather irritating actually." He remarked.

"Yes, you really do know how to charm a girl don't you?" I sighed.

"Harry's going to kill me if he finds out." Dougie said sounding rather disheartened.

"Why? What are you going to do?" I asked, glancing at him momentarily.

"To ask, if me and you could be a we. Just to see what happens.." He shrugged.

"Dad can't get mad at what he doesn't know about." I said.

Something tells me I just made a huge mistake.

Yet, something else tells me I'm going to enjoy this.

A lot.

"Thank you Brenna. You're a life saver!" Tink smiled as she walked back into the room, taking Riley out of my arms once more.

Thank God.

Any longer and I may not have let go.

"She's so small." Mum cooed later that night, a small bundle of Riley in her arms as Dad's arms snaked around her waist from behind. "Tink, she's beautiful."

Tink smiled as Tom held her closer.

"Kind of makes you want one of your own." Dad said, his head lolling against mums shoulder, both beaming at the baby mum was holding.

What?

He just said…

I moved myself from the room, thinking I hadn't been noticed. I walked out onto the patio in the back garden and snuck behind a wall, keeping me from sight. I took a sharp intake of breathe as hot tears rolled ferociously down my cheeks.

"Brenna?" I heard. I looked up seeing Dougie step into view underneath the light of the garden lamp. "What's wrong?"

I felt two arms being laced around me, resting on my hips quite comfortably. I sniffed and wiped at my teary eyes.

"I'm being forgotten." I whispered rather frustrated as more tears filled the previous places.

"Forgotten? How?" Dougie asked, removing his hands from me and shoving them into his pockets.

"What dad said. About a baby. I know all I'll ever be to him and mum is their seventeen year old mistake." I sobbed. I, nor Dougie noticed the person watching on from the now open patio doorway.

"Brenna, I'm sure they don't think that!" Dougie tried to reassure me, now becoming aware of the presence of another person only feet away from us.

"Not once have I ever been told I'm loved. Not even from my own mother. I don't need pity." I mumbled and pushed past him, straight into the chest of my father, whom immediately welcomed me into his embrace.

"Don't ever think I don't love you, Brenna." He kissed the top of my head. "When your mum moved away there's not a day that went by that I didn't think about what that baby would have been like. My eyes or Beth's. Boy or girl. Your mum found out she was pregnant and we were so happy. I never stopped loving that baby, Brenna. I never stopped loving you. I don't want to forget you and I never will."

I felt warm droplets on my shoulder, soaking into my t-shirt. I looked up, seeing dad trying to hide his own tears.

"I love you too, dad." I smiled.