James + Josie - Chapter 4
Many, many thanks to @fromherlips, who this chapter wouldn’t have been possible without her many encouragements - simply saying thank you will never be enough.
Read Previous Chapters Here
DECEMBER 2018
He had surprised her with tickets to Ireland (a bucket list item of hers) with the sole purpose of going back to visit his family. He hung his head as he mentioned he hadn't been back in almost six months. His mother had been harping on him to come back to visit before the holidays. So early December was the best time between his schedule and hers.
But there was something he failed to mention in his plan to get her to Ireland. “I didn't let my family know I was bringing you along.”
Her eyes went wide at the nonchalant comment. She lowered her book, turning her attention to him. “You didn't tell anyone?”
“Not a soul.” He grinned. “You would think a heads up would be a great thing. However, with the Horans, they'd be blowing up me damn phone wanting to know every single thing about you and I'd rather they get to know you from the expert, rather than me.”
Emmy shook her head. “So, you didn't want to brag about me and let your family know I was coming so they'd be surprised when you show up with me?”
“I mean,” he grinned, hoping he could get out of it.
Tapping the golfer’s cap on his head, she dipped her head to place her lips on his. “You're lucky you're cute, James.”
She turned back to her book, getting swept up in the love life of the main characters.
She got a few pages in before noticing his hand on her thigh. A few minutes later, his hand was on her forearm. His feathery-light touch on her arm distracted her from Kate and her detective work.
Raising an eyebrow in his direction, “Can I help you?”
“Pay attention to me, Ems,” he whined, giving her a puppy dog look.
Placing her bookmarker in the book and closing with a quiet thump, she placed it in her bag before turning her full attention towards him. “You have my undivided attention.”
He had to laugh at her monotone, leaning over and capturing her lips in a kiss. “We only have twenty minutes until we land.”
“So what’s the plan when we land?”
Lacing his fingers with hers, he squeezed them, growing quiet. “We’ll hop on the train then it’s an hour ride to ma’s house. From there, god knows what that woman has planned. As she only knows I’m coming, she’s going to go crazy seein’ you.”
“Geez thanks.” The words rolled off her tongue before she could stop them. “At least this has to be better than how you met my parents.”
Squeezing her hand again, he knew she was still hurt by how her mother had treated her that day. “Have you heard from them at all?”
“No. And I honestly don’t expect to. I’ve been exiled from the family and I’m sure mom didn’t shy away from telling every single person she knew about what went down.” She sighed. “I’ve got my family in you, my siblings and friends. I’ll be fine.”
He hated that she thought she had to put on a brave face with him. “If ya wanna be pissed, be pissed love. Don’t hide it from me.”
“I’m just sad that she didn’t hear how I felt - she just saw the dollar signs that he could bring to the family. She didn’t care about my happiness or my quality of life.” Giving him a slight smile, she shrugged her shoulders. “I’m still dealing with it and it’ll be her loss.”
Kissing her forehead, he sighed. “I'll be your crying shoulder, I'll be the greatest fan of your life.”
He crooned one of her favorite songs, never getting enough of his voice. Since she learned of his singing abilities, he would sing random songs and tunes around her apartment and out and about.
Landing was a quiet affair. They gathered their belongings, heading towards the adjacent train station. He bought tickets, much to her dismay, and a hot cocoa, while waiting for the 9:05 train. He stood behind her, hand on her lip, kissing her the side of her head, watching the trains chug in and out of the station.
“Wanna know something?” She cranked her head, looking back at him. She didn't wait for a reply, “I wanted to be a conductor when I was little. I was fascinated by trains and have always loved traveling on them and watching them chug through the town. I was that girl who never was annoyed getting stopped by a passing train; I've always loved them.”
He hugged her closer to his body. “I thought I saw your eyes glow brighter when I mentioned we'd take the train. A conductor, huh? Well I know what to get you for Christmas.”
“What's that?” His excitement was contagious.
Kissing her cheek, he chuckled. “A conductor’s hat.”
A blush swept her cheeks, eyes falling towards the ground. “I've got one already. My brother and sister threw me a big train themed party last year. Train cake, conductor’s hat, and a full train and track for my apartment. In fact, last year, it ran around my Christmas tree.”
“Well I guess I’ll need to be more creative.” Their train has arrived. Watching the passengers disembark, he tilted his head in her direction. “Where’s the ultimate place to sit on a train?”
Emmy giggled, shrugging her shoulders. “I don’t know - as long as I’m on the train, I’ll be happy.”
Niall tugged her hand, leading her to the middle of the train. With their suitcases stored, he picked two seats before collapsing in one with a sigh. He quickly typed something out on his phone, storing it in his pocket with a grin. “Sit back, relax and enjoy the ride.”
Grabbing her book out of her bag, she relaxed against the window, getting lost in the book. She read the majority of the trip, only lifting her head to look out the window when she felt the train brake. Barely registering that Niall was beside her, she was happy feeling the motion of the train and getting caught up in the story she read.
Three chapters passed before Niall nudged her. “We're getting close, love. Get ready to be hugged and kissed many time.”
Before that, the nerves were pretty tame. She was excited to meet his family, yet there were some butterflies that fluttered. “I'm a little nervous.”
He met her eyes at the confession. “Awe babe, you've got nothing to be nervous about. Ma and Chris will love you as will da. Those are the only ones that absolutely have to love you and they will I have no doubt.”
“You sure?”
Niall chuckled. “Josie, one day I'll get you to see how incredible you are. The only ones you've got to worry about is Greg and Denise but I'm not sure if we'll even see ‘em.”
The conversation was dropped when the train pulled into the station. She took a few seconds to ensure she had gathered everything in preparation of disembarking. “Ma said she'd met us in the car park.”
Linking hands with him, Emmy followed Niall off the train. The clicks of her boots on the pavement was the only thing she focused on until she saw Niall’s face lit up setting his eyes on his mum. She dropped his hand, allowing him to drop his bag, giving her a hug.
“Oh my boy, it's so good to see ya.” She squeezed him tight before stepping back and taking him in. “It's been too long Niall James.”
Emmy snickered, hearing his mum full name him, drawing Niall and his mum’s attention to her. “Quit your laughing, Bennett.” Niall teased, pulling her closer to him. “Mum, this is Emmaline, or Emmy. Em, this is my mum Maura.”
Maura stepped forward, opening her arms for a hug. Emmy stepped in, feeling the warmth of a mother’s hug. “It’s so nice to meet you. This bugger won't shut up about you when I do get him on the phone.”
“It's nice to meet you too; however, I feel as if I don't know much about you or your family.” Motioning to Niall, she smiled. “This one doesn't open up much.”
Maura locked her arms with Emmy’s, winked at her son, before leading her towards the car. “We'll just have to change that these next few days.”
Three Days Later
The previous three days had been filled with family activities. Emmy had met the rest of Niall’s family, getting along wonderfully with his cousin, Aoife, who spilled many stories of the younger days of Niall and his other cousins. They had also gone searching through a Christmas tree farm searching for the “perfect” tree, according to Maura Horan. She was pulled into a snowball fight by no other than her boyfriend. She could still hear his boisterous laughter when he nailed her square in the chest. She had retaliated, running full steam into him, pushing them both into the snow. They had both ended up in stitches, causing Maura and Chris to shake their heads and join in the laughter.
Emmy had spent some time baking in the kitchen with Maura. As she poured the chocolate chips into the batter, Maura confessed how happy Niall had found her. During that time, she called Emmy the daughter she never had and Emmy had never felt more love from a mother.
And last night, Emmy had finally met the man Niall had called Da, Bobby Horan. He pulled Emmy into a tight hug, and with a Guinness in hand, welcomed her into the family. She had gotten some more stories out of Bobby, all while he hugged her close to his side and didn’t let her out of his sight the entire night.
Hugging a mug of coffee (much to Niall’s disbelief, she wasn’t a tea drinker), she stared out of the window at the snow covered garden and sighed in contentment. Her book was disregarded on the desk while she was curled up in the overstuff chair thinking about the last few days.
Seeing Niall with his family was bittersweet. She loved seeing him interact with his cousins, especially the younger ones, all while not knowing when she would see her mom, dad, aunts, and uncles again. She had gossiped with his cousins and wished her own siblings were there to join in the activities.
“Hey.” Emmy was knocked out of her thoughts by Niall standing in the doorway, looking at her with a curious look. “You ok?”
“Just enjoying the quiet and watching the snow fall.” She smiled. “You startled me. Where have you been?”
Taking a seat in the chair next to her, he grinned. “Spending some time with ma and Chris. They were filling me on things I had missed around the town. Why are you down here all by yourself? Something bothering you?”
Emmy turned back to the window, efficiently ignoring his question. “Emmy, talk to me. I know something has been off since we landed but I haven’t been able to put my finger on it.”
She heard him sigh, scooting closer to the edge of the chair. “Darling, it’s just me. Talk to me.”
Taking another sip of her coffee, she shifted in the chair to look at him. She took his hand in hers, looking towards the ground. “I’ve been watching you with your family and it’s hit a little close to home.”
It was hard for him to hear her whisper, though the words had barely gotten to his ears. “Awww babe, I’m sorry. I didn’t even think about that.”
He was quiet, not really knowing what comfort her could bring to her. Grabbing her hand, he gave it a squeeze, and a gentle smile. “What can I do? I’m sorry you’ve been feeling left out.”
“But that’s the thing, I haven’t been left out,” she sighed, looking at him. “If anything it makes me feel bad that my family are the one that will be missing out. Mom’s the one that has done this to herself and that she won’t see me or my siblings until she apologizes. She’s the one I’ve been sorry for.”
Emmy laughed with bitterness. “Your mother has been more like a mother to me in these last few days than my mother ever was. She has hugged me more times than my mom did in the last two years.”
Before she knew it, there were tears flowing down her face. Emmy didn’t know why she was crying, just that there were tears. Niall pulled her from the chair, brought her into a hug, before rubbing his hand slowly up and down her back. “Please don’t cry. She’s not worth your tears.”
“You don’t understand.” She sniffled against his shoulder with a short laugh. “You’ve got the perfect family yet you don’t understand why I’m crying.”
He chuckled. “Do you know why you’re crying?”
“No!” She pulled back, wiping the tears away. “But I’m sure it has to do with the fact that I’m sure I’ve got to rebuild my family and being in yours makes me belong to something.”
Niall leaned in, kissed her cheek before grinning. “Well then, I guess we’ll have to create our own family. Willie and Deo will soon become the brothers you wish you had but never wanted. Aoife and Katie will become the gossiping cousins you wish would go away. My ma, Chris, and da will become your surrogate parents. You have your brother and sister who will round out the merry ‘ole gang. You’ve got a family, you just have to rediscover them for yourself.”
“What do I do about these feelings I have? How do I get past them, old wise one?” Emmy sniffled, then grinned in Niall’s direction.
“Hakuna Matata, Ain't no passing craze It means no worries, For the rest of your days, It's our problem-free philosophy.” A giggled passed her lips hearing one of her favorite songs sung by one of her favorite guys.
Shaking her head, she threw her head back laughing. “Your advice is to have no worries. Real convincing there, Horan.”
“Sorry that was the first song to pop into my head.” He cleared his throat. “Let me see if I can do something better.”
Niall gave her a silly look before singing the next song. “If I could, Baby I'd give you my world, Open up, Everything's waiting for you, You can go your own way.”
“Should’ve known you’d throw in Fleetwood Mac.” She leaned over and kissed him. “Thank you for giving me some sage advice.”
Niall shrugged his shoulders. “You want more? There’s a few songs I know that might help.”
“Sure. What do you have in your arsenal of song lyrics?”
The next one he sang surprised her. “And now I'm glad I didn't know, The way it all would end, the way it all would go, Our lives are better left to chance, I could have missed the pain, But I'd have had to miss the dance.”
“I’m impressed Horan. Didn’t know you had Garth Brooks’ country in you.” She wiped the stray tears away as he retorted by sticking his tongue out at her. “And I’m dating a two year old.”
Niall laughed. “Hey I’m at least three years old on a good day. Get your facts straight woman.”
“My apologies mister.” She kissed his cheek while he huffed in annoyance. “Any more songs?”
He held up a finger to which she leaned forward to kiss. “One more.”
“Just know you’re not alone, 'Cause I’m going to make this place your home.”
His singing did the opposite as it had been doing; the tears were back, though this time, happier tears than before. “Niall James . . .”
“Uh oh . . . is this one of those times I’m in trouble because you just double named me?” Fear crossed his face followed by the pouty face he wore when he was sorry something had happened.
She giggled, wiping the tears away, letting her eyes rest on him. “This is one of those moments where you’re the sweetest boyfriend in the world.”
He visibly relaxed, a goofy smile stretching across his lips. “Love you, Em.”
“Love you too.” Their lips met in a kiss, that was too soon interrupted by the buzz of the doorbell.
They heard Maura answer the door, speaking to whomever was on the other side. Emmy took a glance at Niall, who’s face had turned sour by the voice at the door. “Niall?”
“Stay here Emmy. Promise me, you’ll stay here.” She quickly nodded, watching him walk down the hall towards the door.
Emmy heard the voices grow louder, while she gripped the mug tighter in her hands. She heard Niall, who rarely raised his voice, growing louder with every passing word. Several minutes passed, the voices continued to grow, Emmy finally growing tired of the argument, placed the mug on the desk before walking down the hallway, her soft footfalls barely heard over the screaming.
Her eyes went wide taking in the sight in the entryway. Niall and Maura were facing a man and a woman, Niall’s stance was anything but friendly. Looking between Niall and the man, she guess that was his brother. Emmy knew there was some tension between the two but she hadn’t prodded him to find out more.
Leaning against the wall, she took everything in, not comprehending the words that were being thrown between the two men. Anger spewed from Niall’s mouth, his hands moving a mile a minute, and his stance protecting his dear mother from anything that his brother would do.
“Oh look, you brought a girl home.” The words flew from his brother’s mouth, causing the four occupants to turn their attention towards her.
Niall’s eyes went wide, seeing her standing there and in that moment, she should’ve actually listened to him and stayed in the living room. “She has nothing to do with this Greg. Leave her out of it.”
“You mean you don’t want her to know that you actually have a brother who has a family? What are you protecting her from?” His brother spat, taking his eyes off Emmy for a moment and redirecting them towards Niall. “You’re not usually the one to keep secrets, Niall.”
Emmy pushed herself off the wall, making her way to Niall’s side. “Actually I know more about you than you think I do. Niall has been very forthcoming regarding you and has told me the history. And frankly, I had no desire to meet you.”
Her hand found Niall’s, squeezing it, glaring at the man. “At the moment, I know you came in here hootin’ and hollerin’ and disturbing our afternoon. Now I believe Maura and Niall asked you to leave several minutes ago, so I’m not exactly sure why you’re still standing here thinking you’re welcomed. To be honest, no one wants you here.”
Niall smirked, listening to Emmy speak, with little respect, towards his brother, who had always been jealous and green with envy at the success Niall had obtained. Greg always blamed Niall for every little thing that had happened to him, his wife, and child. “You heard her Greg, no one wants you here. Now please leave so we can get along with our afternoon. I wish to see you at better circumstances but we’re through here.”
“Come along, dear, I can see we’re no longer welcome here.” Taking his wife’s hand in his, he gave Niall a look. “I wish I could say it’s nice to meet you but I don’t want to waste my breathe.”
Emmy squeezed Niall’s hand watching Greg stomp through the front door. Niall slammed the door behind him, looking between Emmy and his mum. “I’m sorry ma.”
“You have nothing to be sorry for.” She paused. “I’m sorry, Emmy, that you had to witness that.”
She gave Maura a shaky smile. “Please don’t apologize. He’s gone and we can get on with our afternoon.”
“I’m going to go finish getting ready and we can leave soon.” Maura hugged Niall first followed by Emmy before escaping upstairs.
Emmy’s eyes watched her leave, before turning her attention to Niall. “You ok?”
He didn’t speak for several seconds, simply squeezed her hand. “I hate him sometimes.”
“We all hate our siblings at times.” She smiled sadly. “There are several moments I can think of that I hate mine.”
Niall shook his head. “This is bigger than that. He’s been jealous of me since I joined the band and instead of just dealing with it, he lashes out and causes a big ruckus.”
“Is that why you didn’t tell anyone I was coming with you?” Emmy connected the dots pretty quickly, giving Niall a look. “Because if so, then it all makes sense.”
Pulling her into his arms, he kissed the side of her head, sighing loudly. “I guess we all have to have the black sheep in the family and Greg is ours. He’s exhausting and always want everything without the work. He’s green with envy that his little brother has it all without doing seemingly none of the work.”
“You work your arse off and deserve everything that you have currently. You don’t sit back and everything comes to you. Everything that you have, is rightly deserved due to the hard work and dedication you put into work.” Emmy stood on her tiptoes to place a kiss on his lips. “I’m so incredibly proud of you.”
He kissed her, not knowing what to say. He pulled her into his arms and just held her. Sighing, he pulled away. “Thank you for just knowing what to say.”
“I love you.”
“Love you too Em.”
She started humming, pulling him into her arms, swaying slowly, their bodies moving to the tune. “What are you humming?”
“It’s stuck in my head.” Emmy murmured, surprised at him spinning her. “I don’t know what song it is.”
She continued to hum, watching his face to see if he recognized the song. His eyes lit up in recognition.
“Pay attention, I hope that you listen cause I let my guard down, Right now I'm completely defenseless, For your eyes only, I show you my heart, For when you're lonely and forget who you are” His crooner voice sang only to her, causing goosebumps to form up her arm.
He continues to hum, twirling her around the foyer. Niall dipped her, causing her to squeal in surprised, making him pause in his humming, to crack up laughing. “I hate you Niall Horan.”
He sidestepped her swat in his direction. He was still laughing, seeing his mum come down the stairs. “What’s all this racket?”
“Your son is an arse.” Emmy shook her head, her hand finally making connection with his arm.
Niall frowned, both from her statement and the slap. “Hey now, as someone who just sang to you, I’m an arse? I see how it is. Maybe I’ll stop singing to you?”
Emmy’s eyes went wide. “Ok I take it back. Please don’t stop singing to me. You’re not an arse.”
The day continued, the family putting the disturbance from that morning out of their minds. They visited a pub followed by a tour of the town by the most famous resident. Emmy laughed at the ridiculous stories Niall told her about the residents.
And as he told her the stories, Emmy could start to imagine a future with him, him telling those stories to their children as he put them to bed. The thought was comforting and made her happy.
So family drama, huh? Have to love when families aren’t always perfect.
What did you think? I’d love to hear your thoughts!
