The Aftermath

Walking into the kitchen, all eyes were on Harry and Savannah. She felt like a pariah already, because most of the looks weren’t pleasant – especially from Niall, who glared at the two of them with a raging look of disgust on his face. He was holding his now three-month-old daughter in his arms, but quickly passed her off to the tramp on his left. The sting of bitterness Savannah felt to see him with his daughter resonated within her, because only a short year ago, she imagined him being the father of her own children someday.

She and Harry quietly made their way to the table to sit down in two of the empty seats at the end. She couldn’t even look up at the people around them because she just felt so out of place.

“Savannah, hi!” She heard Greg’s wife Denise greet her, which caught her completely off guard.

“Hi!” Savannah said, finally looking up to see the beautiful blonde smiling excitedly at her. Savannah was so grateful to her for breaking the tension and couldn’t help when her own smile broke free on her face.

Tentatively, Savannah looked up at Niall, who seemed to be shooting daggers with his eyes into his sister-in-law’s back.

“It’s so good to see you again. You look amazing!” Denise praised her, making Savannah feel good and uncomfortable at the same time.

“Me? What about you, hot mama?” Savannah laughed, still unable to break the smile off her face.

“Oh, shut it!” Denise said, waving her compliment off with a sly grin on her face. Savannah couldn’t help but chuckle at her bashfulness.

“You have to meet Theo!” Denise said, throwing her hands up in celebration.

“I can’t wait,” she told Denise as she went to grab her son from her husband.

“Wait a second. Uncle Harry gets to meet him first!” Harry protested as Denise made her way back to them with Theo in her arms. Harry stood up quickly to grab for his nephew.

“Well, here you go, Uncle Harry,” Denise smiled, handing off the precious baby to his awaiting uncle.

“Oh, wowey. You are just a big boy, now aren’t you? Oh my goodness,” Harry cooed at Theo as he grabbed his tiny little hand and bounced it around.

“I always tell him about his Uncle Harry. He was starting to believe you didn’t exist,” Greg joked to his step-brother.

“Oh, I exist. And you know what, Theo? Outta all your uncles, I’m the best. You’re gonna learn that fast,” Harry cooed, smiling at the baby. Niall immediately let out a scoff the seemed to echo through the dining room. Harry only looked up to send Niall a glare before his focus went back to his nephew.

“Alright. Dinner is served,” Maura said as she came from the kitchen carrying a tray with a very large cooked bird of some sort on it.

“It looks wonderful, darling,” Des said, smiling at his wife.

“Sit, sit. We’ve got a lot of food to eat,” Maura told Harry and Denise.

“I’m meeting my nephew for the first time,” Harry said, ignoring his step-mother’s request.

“And what about your niece?” Maura chimed in, which earned a glare from Harry and an uncomfortable cough from Niall.

Everything got awkward in a matter of seconds. The tension between the two brothers was all Savannah could feel because she was right dead center in the middle of it.

“Theo is sitting with me,” Harry told Denise and Greg as he finally took his seat.

“Okay,” Greg laughed.

“Does Savannah even get to meet her?” Denise giggled at Harry.

“Well, where are my manners, huh? Mister Theo, this is your auntie Savannah—” Harry cooed.

Niall gave another uncomfortable cough and Harry looked up to glare at him again.

“Do you have something to say?” Harry snapped at Niall.

“Nope,” Niall said shortly, which caused Harry to scoff and shake his head.

“Anyway, this is your auntie Savannah. She’s pretty great. Just like you,” Harry continued to talk to his nephew.

“Hi, little one,” Savannah said, smiling at Theo, tickling his tummy, which earned a giggle out of him.

“Isn’t he just the most beautiful little baby ever?” Harry asked Savannah. Niall scoffed, but Harry ignored him this time.

Savannah couldn’t help but think it was a dig at Niall and his child. She was certain Harry was determined to make the tension even thicker between them. And he was doing a really fucking good job at it.

Throughout dinner Harry cooed and baby-talked with Theo, who immediately started giggling at his silly uncle. It was so sweet to see Harry with him. It made Savannah want to bear his children someday. And something about that feeling scared the shit out of her. Sure she loved Harry, but they were still so young. Seeing Greg and Denise with Theo and even Niall with his own daughter was even too hard to believe.

Dinner was… interesting. Savannah got completely ignored by most of the people at the table. She only had four allies there – Harry, Gemma, Denise, and Greg. But after Theo began to get fussy, Denise went to feed him, leaving one less person to keep her mind off the fact that the other half of the table were all against her and Harry’s relationship – including the patriarch and matriarch of the integrated family. Harry knew she was having a hard time, and he showed his support by keeping a firm grip on her knee under the table, trying to help steady her nerves, which she thoroughly appreciated. He was letting her know he was there for her just by giving her that one loving gesture.

As they sat around the table, Savannah let herself take one good long glance at who Niall replaced her with – or cheated on her, then replaced her with. Her stringy blonde hair. Her overly tanned skin. Too much make-up on her sunken in face. She looked almost anorexic. Didn’t this chick just give birth three months ago? She looked like god damn Skeletor. But the thing that really caught Savannah’s eye was the ring on her finger. It was her ring! That asshole gave Shanna her ring! Savannah was silently fuming in her seat. How could he even do that? And he thought he would just get away with it? And what!? They were getting married now!? How fucking sickening.

“Oh, give her to me. I just love her!” Maura cooed over-dramatically to Skeletor about her granddaughter.

“You hear that, Ruby? Your Grammy wants to hold you,” Savannah heard Shanna say.

It was the first time she heard her speak and it was annoying and overbearing. But it was the same way she felt about her presence.

“Oh, she is so precious!” Maura cooed, cradling her granddaughter in her arms.

It was extremely annoying to hear Maura’s ridiculously excessive exclamations over Niall’s bastard child. For a lady claiming to be Irish Catholic, it seemed a bit hypocritical to be okay with her son having a baby out of wedlock with his mistress who he cheated with behind his fiancées back. Gag.

By the time dinner was over, Savannah’s mood went from appeasing to detestable. She had just about all she could take from this family for the night and it was only eight-thirty.

“Harry, I just want to go to bed,” Savannah whispered to him as he sat talking with Greg at the table once dinner was finished. He turned to her, giving her a sad look before squeezing her knee again.

“Are you sure?” He asked lowly.

“Yeah,” she answered just as quietly.

“Okay,” he said, patting her knee.

“I think we’re going to go up to bed,” Harry announced to his older brother.

“Oh. Already?” Greg asked, looking between the two of them.

“Yeah. It’s been a long day,” Harry told him as he stood up from his chair. Savannah quickly followed suit.

“Alright. We’ll see you in the morning then,” Greg said as he held his sleeping son in his arms.

“Goodnight, guys!” Denise said, giving them a cheerful smile. As for everyone else there was no response. Including from Gemma who seemed to have disappeared when she got a phone call from her boyfriend.

“Goodnight,” Harry huffed to the rest of his family as he grabbed Savannah’s hand in his.

“Goodnight, son,” Des told him, breaking away from a conversation he was having with his brother Rich and his wife Bessy, who were in from England for the Holiday.

“You’re not going to bed already, are you?” Maura called to the two of them from the kitchen.

“It’s been a long day,” Harry told her.

“Remember the rules, Harry,” she chimed in, giving him the eye, implying that the two of them were not allowed to share a bed together under her roof.

“How could I forget?” Harry scoffed and rolled his eyes as he tugged her with him toward the foyer.

“That was not necessary,” Harry grumbled under his breath as he led Savannah up the staircase.

Savannah stayed quiet, trailing behind him. Honestly, she just wanted to go to bed so she could cry. These people made her feel worthless – less than that actually. She was the lowest of the low to them. And Shanna, fuck, she was God’s gift because she birthed a grandchild? BLAH!

Harry followed Savannah into the guest bedroom as she immediately went for her suitcase, digging her pajamas out. Harry shut the door behind him so she could change.

“Do you want me to sleep in here with you anyway?” Harry asked as Savannah pulled her shirt over her head and replaced it with a tank top.

“Yeah right! That is not going to happen. What if Maura sees that? She’ll actually have a reason to hate me – disobeying her one rule. Psssh!” Savannah said, flopping down on the mattress after she kicked out of her jeans and put on a pair of shorts to sleep in.

“Are you really going to bed right now… this soon?” Harry asked, quirking his eyebrow at her.

“I just… my brain hurts. This has been a lot to take in, you know,” she told him, letting out a deep breath. Harry sighed, crossing the room to sit with her on the bed.

“I’m sorry, baby,” he said, wrapping his arms around her, placing a kiss on her head.

“I do it for you, because I love you,” she told him as she cuddled into him.

“And I love you. And seriously, Van, thank you,” he said, pulling back only enough to look into her eyes before he left a sweet kiss on her lips.

“I’m here and you’re here. That’s all that matters, right?” Savannah said as she squeezed him in her arms, resting her head against his chest.

“It’s all that matters, baby girl,” he cooed, kissing the top of her head again.

“Thank you for always being here for me,” she said quietly, pulling back to look up at him.

“Always,” he said, gripping his hands on the side of her face before kissing her again.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to stay?” He questioned, giving her a suggestive smirk.

“What I want and reality are two very different things,” Savannah said, giving him a frown. Harry gave her a little smile, which she couldn’t help but return to him.

“Okay, love. I’ll be just down the hallway if you need some smooches or snuggles,” Harry said, rubbing his nose against hers. Savannah giggled at his playful words.

“I love you, baby,” she told him before she kissed his lips.

“I love you so much. And you’re so strong. Thank you for coming here with me. And I am really sorry about my family. I knew they would be harsh, but Jesus, Maura is really taking it to another level,” he said, rolling his eyes.

“Yeah,” Savannah said, averting her gaze, feeling extremely uneasy about it.

“Hey, look at me,” Harry said, grabbing her chin to align their vision.

“It’s you and me,” he told her for about the hundredth time that day.

“Forever,” Savannah breathed before his lips crashed into hers.

“I’ll see you in the morning, beautiful,” Harry said, reluctantly getting up off of the bed.

“Goodnight,” Savannah said, hating to see him leave.

The second the door was closed behind him, tears were stinging her eyes. Being there without Harry made her feel so alone. And to top it all off, the treatment she got from his parents was absolutely the worst feeling ever. She had never felt so low in her life.

.

.

“Savannah…” She heard, confusing her completely.

“Hmm, what?” She mumbled, waking up out of her cathartic sleep.

“Savannah…” She heard again and felt something caressing the skin on her stomach.

“What do you want?” She asked. It was dark in the room and she was so confused on what was going on.

“Wake up,” she heard a voice that was definitely not Harry’s. Instead it was his step-brother and her ex-fiancée Niall.

“Niall! What the hell are you doing in here?” Savannah yelped, shooting straight up in bed. She quickly gripped the blankets in her fists, pulling them up the front of her body.

“Shhhh! You’re going to wake everyone up,” Niall shushed her, sitting next to her, wearing nothing but his boxer briefs.

“What are you doing in here?” She asked him through clenched teeth, annoyance apparent in her tone.

“Savannah, I don’t think you understand—” Niall said, his eyes staring straight into hers.

“Understand what?” She scoffed, cutting him off.

“How much I miss you,” he said, reaching out to rub her arm. What the hell was going on?

“Niall!” She yelped, pulling her arm away.

Was she in the fucking Twilight Zone – an alternative reality? This shit was mirroring things that happened last year, but with the opposite brother. Seriously, what the hell was going on?

Notes