Daddy's Home

With Liam being gone the past few weeks for tour, it’s been harder to chase Stella around, especially now that I’m gaining second-baby weight. Today is her first day of kindergarten and while she’s still hyperactive and running around like a maniac, you can tell she’s bummed that Daddy’s not here. As she’s eating her cereal, I can’t help think back to five short years ago when we were getting ready to take her to meet her grandparents for the first time.

“You got her, Liam?” I said, smiling. “I’m sure fans are outside waiting for a glimpse of “Baby Girl Payne””

“I’ve got the tightest grip on her, Brit. No one is going to hurt my little princess, not today.” He said. I couldn’t help but smile as I laced my hand in his and we started the 300 foot journey from our front steps to his parent’s front steps, so we could be there when they got home from their anniversary trip(which, by the way, Stella had been their gift this year as she’d been born on their anniversary). Of course, fans were outside and as soon as they saw Liam, they started screaming, waking up Stella and making her start to scream too. Once we’d gotten inside Liam’s parents house he sat her carseat down on the couch and lifted her up before starting to do the walk and bounce thing while humming “Hush little baby” to her.

“Sh, Stella, it’s okay, as long as Daddy’s around, no one will ever hurt you.” He said, sitting down in the rocking recliner his mom had. He continued to hum until she fell back asleep before laying his head back and smiling at me.

“This is a bit harder than I expected” he sighed, finally looking down at his sleeping daughter.

“Mommy! Daddy’s on the phone!” Stella’s voice brought me out of my train of thought and I took the phone from her.

“Hello?” I said.

“How’s Mrs. Payne and Baby Boy Payne doing this beautiful morning.” He said.

“What makes you so sure it’s a boy? And why are you calling at 3am over there?” I said.

“Gut feeling, and it’s 8am where I am thank you very much.” He said.

“Liam! That means that you’re-“ I said.

“In England, yes. Now, since Stella doesn’t know and it’s her first day of school I’m not going to come over until she’s left for school, because if I came in now, then she’d refuse to go” he said. “I’m also picking her up from school.”

“Okay, whatever you say. Do you want to wish your daughter a first good day?” I said.

“Yes’m” he said. “Put me on speaker.”

“Stella!” I said, watching as my daughter came in dressed except for shoes.

“Yes Mommy?” she said, smiling like her father.

“Daddy wants to say something to you.” I said.

“Ok!” She said. “Daddy?”

“Hi Princess! I just wanted to tell you to have a wonderful first day of school. If you go to school today and make at least one new friend, I have a surprise for you after school, okay?” he said.

“Okay! Hey Daddy?” She said.

“Yes baby?” he said.
“When are you coming home?” she said. “I miss you.”

“Hopefully soon, sweetheart.” He said and I could hear him smiling. “Have a great day! I have to get back to bed before Uncle Niall beats me up, okay?”

“Okay! Bye Daddy, I love you!” she said. Soon Liam hung up and soon I was putting my daughters backpack on her and walking her into the school for her classroom assignment. I found “Payne, Stella Juliette” under “Mrs. Kennedy Atkinson – Room 32” and started walking towards her classroom. It was fairly easy getting Stella to her class and I was soon coming in the house to Liam drinking coffee sitting on the counter.

“Did she give you any issues?” He said. I shook my head.

“I think you’re forgetting your daughter is a lot like her father” I said. He smiled softly, pressing a kiss to my head.

“Now, I think we should probably go get her surprise I promised her.” He said. “I feel like a terrible father, because I missed her birthday and her first day of school”

“Liam, it’s fine. She knows you’re busy and she understands. Yes, she was a little bummed by you not being her this morning but she cheered right up after you talked to her.” I said. “Also, what the fuck are you getting our daughter?”

“A puppy!” he smiled. I furrowed my brow at him and he smiled sheepishly.

“Really? I didn’t agree to this” I said.

“Come on, Brittany! I was five when I got my first puppy!” he said, pouting slightly, making me laugh.

“Fine, but I get to help pick it out.” I said. He nodded in agreement and we left for the pet store. After two hours and a debate between Liam and the worker at the store, we left with a 12 week old male Bansenji puppy that Liam had nicknamed Jack. We still had four hours before before we had to get Stella and I had my gender reveal appointment that afternoon. We went back to the house, dropped off Jack and went to my appointment. Liam was soon rubbing it in that he was right when we discovered that Stella was in fact going to get a little brother. We were “bickering” back and forth on the way back to the house to drop me off.

“I’m just saying, Liam.” I said. “You named Stella, I get to name this one”

“Ok, deal. Give me what you’re thinking right now.” He said. I smiled at him before looking down at my feet, which at this point I could hardly see.

“Aidan.” I said. “Aiden Miles.”

“I like it. Aiden Miles Payne. I like it. I think it’ll fit him perfectly” he said. Soon, I was in the house with only Jack and Liam was on his way to the school to get his daughter.

[Liam]

I pulled up at the Elementary school and glanced at my car clock. It was about 2:23 and they got out at 2:25. Seeing a group of Mom’s by Room 32, I walked over.

“Is this where we pick up our children?” I said. One the moms looked up at me and smiled.

“Single dad?” she said.

“No, She doesn’t know I’m home and it’s my first child I’ve put through school, so it’s all new to me.” I said.

“No offence, Sir, you don’t look old enough to have a kindergartener.” One of the other moms said.

“I get that a lot. I had my daughter at 17” I said, “My job requires me to be gone a lot though, and that’s the hardest part about it.” Suddenly, the door opened and kids started filing out, going to their designated parent and I waited patiently for my daughter to come out of the room. When she did, she was with the teacher and looked to be on the verge of tears because Mommy wasn’t there. I tapped the teachers shoulder and she turned around, smiling at me.

“Is she yours?” she mouthed, and I nodded.

“Doesn’t know I’m home or picking her up.” I mouthed back. She smiled and I tapped my daughters shoulder, making her spin around.

“DADDY!” she squealed and I picked her up. “You’re home?”

“Yes, baby, I’m home!” I said, “I have a surprise for you at home, though. So let’s go home and see Mommy!” Soon, I had her in her carseat and was driving home and I couldn’t help but smile as she sang along with “Take Me Home”. Once I pulled into the driveway, she was almost jumping up and down in her seat. I finally got her in the house and couldn’t help but smile when she saw her puppy, who she immediately referred to as Captain Jack. One thing was for sure, I was glad to be home.

[Brittany]

One might ask what happened after Liam came home that day. Well, he had to go back and finish the tour, but that was okay because it was only like a week and a half. In March, I gave birth to Aidan Miles Payne, who came into the world weighing 8 pounds, 12 ounces and was 21 inches long. Now four, he also has his fathers personality. Two years after we had Aidan, the most recent additions to the Payne family arrived. Graham Kieran and Delaney Eleanor Payne were born on May 17 at 3:30am weighing 6 pounds, 2 ounces, and 5 pounds, 15 ounces. As for Stella, she’s now 9 and in the fourth grade and loves school. One Direction have slowed down a bit, with Louis and Vic having two year olds Kaedan Anchor and Josie Reagan and Harry and Taylor (as much as we hated it) have 3 year old Gracie and Niall engaged to Tori and them having newborn Alicen Kristine and Zayn and Perrie just married and have two year old Logan Matthew and four year old Nickolas Jude. The great part about it is that my kids have numerous “cousins” to play with, and Nick and Aidan will start school together and Graham, Delaney, Kaedan, Logan, and Josie will all start school together. In the end, I wouldn’t give any of it up for the world. Not one second of my crazy, married-to-Liam-Payne life.