The Aftermath

A few hours later as Harry and Savannah cuddled in his bed watching TV, there was a knock at his door. She looked at him with wide-eyes and he quietly got out of the bed to see who it was. They were both relieved to see Gemma standing there instead of anyone else.

“I brought you two something,” Gemma said, holding out a DVD.

“What is it?” Harry asked curiously.

“A Christmas Carol. It’s a tradition, and you guys weren’t able to watch it with us last night, so I figured you’d want to watch it today,” Gemma said sweetly. Savannah’s heart nearly exploded and she almost jumped out of bed to wrap Gemma up in a massive hug.

“Thanks, Gem,” Harry said, smiling sweetly at his older sister.

“Yes, thank you,” Savannah told her, unable to hold back the wide smile on her face.

“I’m sorry that things are so tense for you two,” Gemma added in.

“Thanks,” Harry told her.

“Niall should be just as much to blame and it’s kind of bonkers that they’re fawning all over that Shanna woman. Like, who the fuck is she?” Gemma said, rolling her eyes. Savannah let out a snort and Harry turned to smile at her.

“I can tell you two are happy together,” Gemma added in.

“We really are,” Harry told her with a wide smile.

“I’m happy if you’re happy, little brother,” Gemma said sweetly, pulling Harry in for a hug.

“Thanks, Gem,” he cooed.

“I love you, you know that?” Gemma told him as they pulled back from their embrace.

“I love you too,” Harry told her, and Savannah couldn’t help but smile at the two of them. It was endearing as heck.

“Thanks again, Gemma,” Harry told her, holding up the DVD in his hand.

“Yes, thank you, Gemma,” Savannah chimed in.

“You’re welcome,” she said, waving at the two of them before she stepped out of the room, closing the door behind her.

“Do you want to watch it?” Harry asked Savannah with a quirk of his eyebrow.

“Yes,” Savannah said, sending him a smile.

Harry slipped the disc into his DVD player and crawled back in bed with Savannah. The two of them enjoyed the movie in peace before they had to get ready for Christmas dinner. Guests could already be heard downstairs talking and laughing by the time Savannah slipped into her red Christmas dress. She was getting incredibly nervous because she hadn’t seen Harry’s extended family since the year before when she first met them – when she was on Niall’s arm.

Harry and Savannah walked down together to greet the family. Most of them didn’t even know she and Harry were together. Some of them didn’t even know what happened between her, Harry, and Niall. And a select few didn’t have a clue that she and Niall weren’t even together anymore. It was awkward to say the least.

“Oh, darling. You’re looking absolutely wonderful after having the baby. Where is she by the way? And where’s Niall? You two are so dear together. I am still waiting to get my wedding invitation in the mail,” Niall’s great gran said, taking Savannah by the hands. Savannah was stunned speechless as she looked back at the dear woman.

“Gran, no…” Harry said, trying to protest, but she already wrapped Savannah into a tight hug.

“Oh, there he is! Your husband-to-be,” Gran said, releasing Savannah from her grip. The three of them turned to see Niall walking toward them. His cheek had a large gash on it and his eye was swollen red.

“Niall, love, I was just talking to your bride-to-be! Now, where is that baby of yours?” Gran asked, holding onto Savannah’s hand.

“Oh, Gran, no,” Niall said, shaking his head as his eyes darted to Savannah’s and then back to his great-grandmother’s.

“No, what?” She asked, her brow furrowed as she looked between Savannah and Niall.

“Savannah and I aren’t together anymore,” Niall told her as sweetly as possible as Harry and Savannah stood there looking as dumbfounded as their Gran was feeling.

“What do you mean?” She asked as concern washed over her.

“Savannah and I don’t see each other anymore,” he tried to explain again.

“But, what about the wedding? What about the baby?” She asked, looking terribly saddened.

“I have a new fiancée, Gran. And she is the mother of my baby,” Niall said, looking rather uncomfortable.

“What?” Gran asked, not comprehending what her grandson was telling her, her eyes darting between the two of them.

“And Savannah is with Harry now,” Niall tacked on with spite in his voice.

“What?” She asked again, looking between Savannah and Harry. She looked so confused and Savannah felt so bad for her.

“I will never understand you kids,” she said, waving her hands in front of her before sauntering off toward the kitchen.

“Oh my god,” Savannah said under her breath.

“That was brutal,” Harry said, looking over at her. Niall gave them both a loathsome look before walking off himself.

Dinner was harrowing. Great Gran decided she felt the need to talk at excruciating decibels about how Niall and Savannah broke off their engagement and how Harry swooped right in to save the day. There was a lot of hushed chitter-chatter as eyes bore into the three of them. Savannah was wishing she could sink into her chair and never be seen again by anyone in the family. Maura seemed to be thinking the same thing and was downing glass after glass of Chardonnayto make the dinner tolerable.

Savannah was surprised with her, however. She was making an effort toward her. She even smiled at her a few time during dinner – genuine smiles. Savannah almost felt comfortable for a few seconds during the mostly agonizing Christmas dinner.

After dinner, per tradition, the family exchanged gifts with one another. Harry and Savannah sat in the corner away from everyone else – the same corner Harry pouted in last Christmas when she and Niall were being fawned all over because of their engagement. This year was all about the two grandbabies – the blessings. Looking at Niall’s face, Savannah knew his daughter was neither a blessing nor a curse. She could tell he loved her – he was a great father. But she knew he didn’t love Shanna and he was stuck, because he didn’t want to disappoint his family any further than he already did. She couldn’t help but feel for him.

Greg and Denise decided to stay the night at the house after much persistence from Maura, wanting both of her grandbabies there early Christmas morning. Savannah was excited because it meant she would have two more people in the house that actually enjoyed her company.

Everyone went to bed early, except Greg, Gemma, Harry, and Savannah who stayed up talking in the living room as the lights on the Christmas tree twinkled brightly. It was the most fun Savannah had since she arrived. And around midnight, Greg decided it would be a good idea to raid the fridge for leftovers. So the four of them sat around the kitchen table eating turkey sandwiches and joked and giggled with one another. Greg and Savannah still got along extremely well. And Savannah absolutely loved Gemma – Harry’s own flesh and blood who had just as big of a heart as her brother. It really made Savannah love Gemma even more when she went on another rant about Niall’s baby mama.

“You are just so much better than her!” Gemma giggled, having had a few too many glasses of wine that evening. Harry let out a laugh listening to his sister.

“Why, thank you! Now, I just wished your step-mother saw what you see in me,” Savannah told her with a laugh as she dropped a piece of turkey into her mouth as they sat around the kitchen table together.

“She’ll come around. She just needs time,” Gemma assured her with a sympathetic look.

“It didn’t help that she caught you two have sex this morning, or that Harry beat the shit outta Niall in the hallway,” Greg snickered, chiming in with his two-cents.

“That son-of-a-bitch deserved worse,” Harry grumbled under his breath as he took a sip of the beer that was in front of him.

“He’s your brother, mate. You guys have been through so much together between the band… and well, Savannah—” Greg said, laughing at his own joke.

“Yeah, he snuck into Van’s room last night and tried to fuck her!” Harry explained to Greg.

“Uh—” Savannah tried to interject, because she never said Niall tried to fuck her.

“Oh, wow. I didn’t know that,” Greg told him, looking between the two of them. Savannah bit her lip trying not to make eye contact with anyone.

“Why would—I mean, he… he’s with Shanna. Why would he—” Greg stammered, trying to make sense of it.

“I don’t know it’s bullshit. She’s my girlfriend,” Harry grumbled under his breath.

“Well, to be fair, you did steal her from him,” Greg chimed in and it made Savannah uncomfortable that they were talking about her like she wasn’t even there.

“I don’t give a shit. He was cheating on her the whole time!” Harry spat out, and Savannah could tell he was getting heated.

“Stop it,” Savannah said quietly, feeling like her mind was reeling out of control. Harry’s eyes snapped to hers, and she looked back at him.

“Please, stop talking about me like I’m not even here. I am with you, Harry. I am not with, or will ever be with Niall again,” she told him, hoping with her words the conversation would be dropped.

“Alright,” Harry sighed, giving her a small head nod.

After a few tension-filled moments of silence, the kitchen door flew open, revealing a very sleepy Niall Horan, his eyes squinting to adjust to the light. Savannah’s eyes went wide as she looked up at the person they were just talking candidly about.

“What are you lot doing up?” Niall croaked out, furrowing his eyebrows at them.

“We never went to bed, brother. Merry Christmas!” Greg said loudly, obviously trying to cover the fact that he was just the name on their tongues.

Niall waved unenthusiastically before sauntering to the refrigerator to retrieve a bottle of water. He took a seat at the head of the table, directly across from where Savannah was sitting and it made her incredibly uncomfortable. Greg started gabbing about how amazing this Christmas was going to be because it was the first year with grandbabies, and Savannah was sure he was rambling to make the situation less awkward, but in reality he made it even more awkward. Savannah looked over at Harry, seeing his jaw set, refusing to even look in Niall’s direction.

But somehow, Greg got Harry into a conversation about how Greg wanted to go to the Bahamas next year for his and Maura’s wedding anniversary. Harry even offered to watch Theo for them if they wanted to go just the two of them, which made Savannah laugh to herself.

Niall just sat at the other end of the table quietly as he sipped on his water. Savannah couldn’t help but watch him out of the corner of her eye. She first studied the gash on his cheek and the darkness that really became prominent under his eye where Harry punched him. He looked almost depressed as he sat there listening to Greg talk so fondly about his wife and son, and it made Savannah sad for him. He looked so lonely, and just stuck in a life he never wanted for himself.

“What about a paternity test?” Savannah blurted out, talking directly to Niall. She didn’t even realize she said it until everyone’s eyes snapped to her.

“What?” Greg asked, looking at her oddly. Savannah’s eyes were only on Niall and everyone caught on fast. Including Niall, who looked up at her with questioning eyes.

“Did you ever make her get a paternity test?” Savannah asked him and his confusion only amplified.

“Is the baby even really yours? I mean, you wouldn’t have to marry her if the baby wasn’t yours,” Savannah told Niall bluntly. He looked taken aback, but she knew he was contemplating her words.

“Savannah,” Harry spat out, looking over at her like she was crazy. Savannah quickly eyed him, but her vision connected with Niall’s again a moment later.

“It’s worth a try,” Savannah told Niall with a shrug of her shoulders.

“Savannah, what is going on?” Harry asked in a hushed voice. Savannah’s eyes met with Harry’s again, giving him an almost guilty look.

“Nothing,” she told him quietly.

“It doesn’t sound like nothing,” Harry said with anger in his tone. Greg and Gemma sat silently as the situation grew increasingly awkward.

“I promise you, it is nothing,” Savannah told him, trying to reassure him. He bit his tongue at the circumstance, but she knew he would have an opinion later when it was just the two of them alone.

“Uh, I think I’m going up to bed,” Greg said, standing up, clearing his and Gemma’s plates from the table.

“Yeah, it’s getting late,” Gemma said awkwardly, standing up from her seat.

“Yeah, me too,” Niall chimed in as his chair scraped across the floor.

“Yeah, I’m feeling kind of tired now,” Harry said, looking straight at Savannah with his jaw clenched, obviously displeased with her.

Harry was definitely unhappy with Savannah for even being the slightest bit concerned with the paternity of her ex-lover’s baby. She sat silently at the table as the four of them cleared their things from it and made their way toward the door. Niall headed off first, and Greg and Gemma were not far behind. Harry stood at the kitchen door looking at Savannah as she sat staring at the table.

She felt like she was about to be taken off to the guillotine to be beheaded or something. The night was definitely not over for the two of them.

“Are you coming?” Harry asked with animosity in his tone, and she knew she was in deep.

“Yeah,” she breathed lowly as she stood from her seat, being sure to push the chair back in before she followed Harry out the kitchen door.

The two of them were silent as they walked to his room, but once the door was shut behind them and they were quietly snuggled up into his bed, he brought it back up.

“What was that, Van?” He asked with a slight wrath in his tone. Savannah sighed deeply into the pillow, feeling sick to her stomach.

“Savannah, what’s going on?” Harry scoffed, getting even more agitated with her.

“When Niall came in my room…” Savannah quietly started to explain as she looked over at him. Her words trailed off as Harry’s eyes widened, preparing himself for what he was about to hear.

“It’s nothing bad, baby. I promise,” she assured him as she sat up next to him.

“It better not be,” Harry scowled as he clenched his jaw tightly.

“It’s not. He just… he told me the only reason he is marrying Shanna is because of the baby. That your parents are forcing him to,” she said, feeling the weight of what that meant.

Even though she and Niall weren’t on the best of terms, it didn’t mean at one point in her life he didn’t mean the world to her. Those feelings never really had a fair chance of dispelling out of her system. It was just Niall, and then all of a sudden it was Harry. There was no transitional period, and so because of that, there were still pleasant feelings for Niall that still somehow lingered inside of her.

Harry just stared blankly at her, waiting for some sort of clarification.

“Why should he have to marry her? He doesn’t love her. It’s just such a ridiculous concept. I mean, I know you guys are famous and all, but it’s not like you’re royalty and have to follow some ancient tradition. You’re young and you make mistakes,” Savannah explained, feeling like her head was spiraling as the anger started to consume her over Niall’s stupid situation.

“Why is it any of your concern what Niall does or doesn’t do?” Harry snapped at her, looking quite angry himself, but for a completely different reason.

“Because Harry, Niall used to be my friend. And I should care. Because he’s your brother and he was your friend. You should care,” she told him, trying to get her point across.

“I don’t care. He did this to himself,” Harry spat out, and Savannah rolled her eyes at his stubbornness.

“It’s really making me quite angry that you still care about him,” Harry growled at her in a tone that backed his words.

“What do you expect? You want me to be some heartless bitch? Niall’s not a bad guy, Harry. And you know that. He’s your brother, and before I came along he was one of your best friends,” she told him, trying to help him see reason. Harry growled under his breath, and she knew she was just digging herself deeper.

“You’re just getting angrier with me with every word I say, so I’m just going to go to sleep,” she told him with a huff as she laid back down, pulling the covers up.

“Yeah. Good idea,” Harry said as he ripped his shirt off of his body.

Savannah turned her back to him and felt a heavy weight settle on top of her which automatically made her want to cry. It was not how she imagined their Christmas playing out.

Savannah heard Harry as he undressed the rest of way, all in a huff before colliding with the mattress. Could he be any more dramatic?

Savannah tossed and turned all night in Harry’s bed next to him. There was a gap between them on the mattress all night and it really didn’t sit right with her. It felt to her like the space between them was symbolic somehow. She really hated fighting with him.

The next morning Harry didn’t even wake Savannah up to partake in the Christmas festivities – which made her feel even more worthless and left out. She didn’t even bother getting out of bed after she woke up. She just cried silently into the pillow. What happened to ‘it’s just you and me’? She was feeling sick to her stomach because of the way Harry was making her feel, on top of what his family was treating her. She truly didn’t want to be there anymore.

At about noon, Savannah decided to brave it and venture out into the house by herself. As she was inching down the hallway, she could hear voices coming from the office, which was a few doors down from Harry’s room. She could hear Maura’s hushed voice almost immediately and it stopped her in her tracks.

“I don’t want Harry wasting his life with her. I don’t want any one of my sons wasting any time on her. And they’re fighting over her, Des. Physically fighting over her!” She heard Maura’s voice coming from the office and Savannah knew instantly that she was referring to her.

“How much more damage do you think she can do? She’s only a twenty-yearold girl, Maura. And she seems to genuinely love Harry,” Savannah heard Des reply, and it made her ill-feelings for him slightly lessen.

“Well, she seemed to genuinely love Niall too, but you see how that turned out. Lies and deceit. I just don’t trust her. I don’t want one of my boys with her,” Maura went on to say with an attitude so strong, it made Savannah’s blood start to boil inside of her.

“And what about Shanna? She and Niall – they were doing the same thing a year ago. Savannah got her heartbroken by Niall too,” Des pointed out, and Savannah absolutely loved him in that moment for sticking up for her.

“Oh, I could care less about that gold-digging snot. I just want to be able to know my granddaughter. Oh, Des. How did our boys stray so far from where they’re supposed to be? Where did we go wrong?” Maura’s voice erupted with emotion as Savannah scowled from her words.

“They’re going to be just fine, darling,” Des soothed his wife.

Savannah couldn’t listen to anymore. It was making her sick. Was Maura going to do something to get Harry to leave her? Would she try to convince him she wasn’t good enough for him? She was getting sick to her stomach with worry.

Savannah went into Harry’s room and wrapped herself up in the blankets like a cocoon. She didn’t want to think anymore. She didn’t want to feel anymore. She thought things were getting better, but she was sadly mistaken. Maura still hated her guts. The only comfort was she indeed also hated Shanna’s guts. It made Savannah feel minutely better.

Savannah was lying in Harry’s bed wallowing in her misery when she heard the door open.

“Are you still sleeping?” Harry asked her quietly.

“I’ve been awake for hours,” she grumbled, keeping her back to him. He stayed silent, and it aggravated her so much.

She felt the bed move as his weight shifted onto it.

“Savannah…” Harry breathed, his voice heavy with emotion as she felt his hand rest on her arm.

“I don’t want to fight with you anymore. Things are getting better with you and my family. And I just…” Harry said quietly, trying to make amends.

“Things are not getting better with me and your family,” Savannah spat out, still not facing him. Tears welled helplessly in her eyes before slipping quietly onto the pillow.

“What are you on about? You said yourself you were feeling better about it,” Harry reminded her and it made her scoff because he didn’t even bother to check on her all day.

He alienated her from his family that morning during their Christmas celebration. How was she ever going to redeem herself if she couldn’t even count on her boyfriend to have her back?

“Savannah, will you at least look at me?” Harry asked, pulling her toward him so she would face him. She tried to hide her tears, but he saw them and let a loud sigh out.

“Savannah, why are you crying?” Harry asked, concern in his voice as he pulled her up into his arms.

“She hates me. She still hates me,” Savannah cried into his shirt.

“Savannah, you need to stop this,” Harry said, pulling her away from his body to look her in the eye. There was annoyance written all over his face, which made her cry harder.

“What happened to the strong girl I know? Where did she go?” Harry asked in a softer tone.

“There’s only so much I can take,” Savannah breathed, feeling helpless.

“Is this how you’re going to spend your Christmas? In bed, crying?” Harry asked, letting her go completely and it made her heart break further.

“Harry…” Savannah breathed, unable to fathom why he was all of a sudden against her instead of with her.

“I’m going downstairs to spend time with my family while I’m here. If you decide you want to join us, you know where you can find me,” Harry said, getting up out of the bed. Savannah looked up at him, her mouth hung slack-jawed as she watched him move away from her.

Harry stood at the end of the bed and waited for a few moments for Savannah to say something, but she couldn’t. She was completely stunned. A moment later, he scoffed loudly to himself and left the room, letting the door shut a little too forcefully. Savannah was left there, completely in awe, fighting the bile that was rising in her throat.

So much for her ever believing he meant what he said as they stood on the front steps a few days earlier. We’re in this together. His words didn’t mean shit to her when he wasn’t backing them up with his actions.

Notes