Promises

Being scared is a fact of life. Even the bravest people in the world are scared. What separates the brave ones from the wimps is that they don't let their fears turn into excuses.

The fact that this was happening right now scared me. I wanted to have this baby and I loved her, but I wasn't ready for this. I didn't know the first thing about taking care of a newborn. This was all foreign to me. I was only twenty one and I was already going to be a father. Scarlett was only twenty and she was going to be a mother. Were we ready for this? Was I ready for this?

"Can you get me some crushed ice?" Scarlett asked. I nodded, letting go of her hand. "I'll be back in a second." With that said, I hurried out of the room.

I wasn't ready for this. This tiny child was going to rely on me to keep her alive. To feed her. Bathe her. Change her. Raise her. All I ever had to worry about was myself. Before long, I'd have to not only take care of myself, but a newborn.

"Are you alright, dear?" A passing nurse questioned. Leaning against the pristine white wall, I nodded. "Um...yeah. Can you maybe get my girlfriend some crushed ice? I need some air."

Her soft smile almost calmed me down. Almost. "Of course," she replied. I thanked her and turned to walk out to the waiting room. "Dear?" Turning around, I looked at her. "You'll be a great father. Don't overthink it."

"Thanks." I sighed. I didn't think so.

When I reached the waiting room, everyone was out there. We had got our own private waiting room in case paparazzi decided to overrun the hospital. Rosalie spotted me first and when she did, she got this look on her face. It was a look that screamed she knew what was going on. She knew I was second guessing this.

"I, uh, need some air," I mumbled. "You guys can go back and see Letty if you want."

The cold night air hit me like a brick wall. It made me lose my breath. It was literally knocked out of me. My back met the cold brick wall of the massive hospital. Shit. This wasn't how I pictured my life going. I stood out there for a few seconds before the doors big doors slid open and out walked Rose. She stood beside me and held out a cigarette and lighter.

"What's this for?" I asked, brows furrowed. She chuckled. "You're nerves," she answered. "You're flipping shit, Lou. You can't go back in there and let Scarlett know you're freaking out."

I shakily put the cancer stick between my lips and lit it, inhaling deeply. "I'm not ready to be a dad."

"It's a little late for that, Louis," she said. I sighed, blowing out a big cloud of smoke. "But what if I'm shit at this, Rose? I'm going to be gone a lot and I'll miss all her big moments like saying mummy or daddy and sitting up and smiling and crawling—"

"Louis!" She cut me off. "Take a chill pill, yeah? Take a few deep breaths and just calm down. You can't let Scarry know you're freaking out."

I took another hit hit of the cigarette with a cringe, then put it out against the side of the building. That didn't help any. Bloody hell was this the time to be freaking out about this or what?

"Love, you're amazing with Charlotte and Félicité, Daisy and Phoebe, Grayer and Emmy, and Indy," she stated. "If you think you aren't going to be a good father then you've gone mental.

"When it's your own, it's different!" I exclaimed exasperated. "If she grows up fucked up, it's my fault! I didn't have anything to do with my sisters or Letty's siblings! This is different, Rose!"

She grabbed my face, forcing me to look her I'm the eyes. "Addi isn't going to be fucked up, she's going to be perfect. Everyone is going to suffocate her with love and never let anything happen to her. She honestly won't know what to do with all of us up in her face twenty four seven." I went to open my mouth, but she cut me off once again. "Touring is going to suck, yeah. But Scarry said that they'd come out and visit for a week or so at a time. And there's always Skype! And FaceTime! You won't miss out on anything with today's technology."

"But I—"

"Shut up," she snapped, playfully. "You'll be great at this parenting thing. You both will. Now get your arse back in there and be with your girlfriend who's secretly freaking out as much as you are!"

I hugged her. It was all I could think to do at the moment. "Thank you," I mumbled. She chuckled. "No problem 'Almost Dad'."

I walked away, nervously running my hands through my hair when she stopped me. "Chew this gum so she won't smell the cigarette on your breath." I popped two pieces of the minty gum in my mouth. "And here's some perfume." She spritzed my shirt a few times.

"I smell like a girl now," I whined. She just rolled her eyes and smirked. "You not only look the part, but you smell it too."

"OI!"



My baby was here. She was finally here. And she was perfect. Adelaide Rose Tomlinson was finally here and she was my daughter. She had 10 fingers and 10 toes. I helped create her. I helped create her with the woman I love.

"She's here!" I exclaimed, bursting though the doors. Everyone jumped up. "My daughter is here and she's perfect!"

Harry was the first to congratulate me. He hugged me the tightest he's ever hugged me. "Congratulations mate," he murmured. "You're a father now."

He clapped me on the back and stepped back. "And I'm a godfather again." The smile on his face was literally taking up more then half of his face.

"Yeah." I nodded with a chuckle. Now it was the others turn to come and congratulate me. Once that was finished Niall said something that made us all stop what we were doing. "Holy fuck, one of us is a god damn parent,"he said in awe.

"One of you is doing an actual adult thing now," Violet chuckled. I had a feeling we were about to get all sappy and I didn't need anymore sappy today. "I've gotta get back there, but someone will come get you when you can come back and see her," I said. "And thanks, Rose."

Her green eyes met my blue ones. "No problem, Louis."


Scarlett

My baby was here. She was here and she was mine. She was ours. I was a mum and Louis was a dad. She was perfect. She had a tuft of dark hair on her tiny head and the tiniest fingers and toes. I had made her and she was a perfect mix between me and Louis.

Her nose resembled Louis's and her ears were a carbon copy of mine. She slept with her right arm rested up on her head and her left hand fisted underneath her chin. Her mouth was shaped like mine. She was our daughter. We made her.

"Can you believe we made her?" I whispered, staring down at her. She was knocked out in my arms and I don't think Louis had left my side since she was born. If she was in the room with us, he was staring at her. We both were staring at her. I had a feeling we were going to do this a lot when we got home; just sit and watch her. I would do it all day if I could.

Louis ghosted his fingers over her tiny cheek. "No," he whispered back. "I can't. But I'm glad we did."

"Me too." I wouldn't change this for anything in the world. Everything that happened; me running into Rossy at the bakery again, seeing Louis again, cheating on Seeley with Louis, sleeping with Louis, getting pregnant, breaking up with Seeley. It all happened for a reason. So I could be back with Louis. The love of my life.

"Marry me." Woah.

"What?" I looked up at Louis with wide eyes. "Marry me," he stated again. He wanted to marry me. We could be a happy little family. A real family.

"Yes," I answered. Tears gathered in my eyes. "Yes."