"You touched my Xbox!" He retorts and I place my hand on my hip. Hunter James Horan is now fifteen and a half, born on December 17th, so you would think he would be the mature one of him and Mia, but he isn't. He's a typical boy who loves football, FIFA, and teasing his little sister. He has the same dark hair that I do, and his eyes are a lighter blue than his sisters, much like my own.
"Could you two shut up!" Caroline scoffs as she bounds down the stairs and sits at the dining room table for breakfast.
"Hunt, Mia, come sit." Niall instructs and they immediately obey as per usual.
"Why do they never listen to me? Is it to spite me?" I gape and Niall laughs at me.
"I'm the fun parent." He says as he places a stack of pancakes on the table and I shove his shoulder lightly.
"It's true, dad let me drive his car yesterday around the block. Twice." Hunter comments as he drenches his food in syrup.
"He what?" I ask with wide eyes and Niall holds up his finger to his lips.
"Shh, nothing babe. Eat up." He covers and I just shake my head. "Oh Mia, your disgusting vegan pancakes are right here."
Niall places some brown lumpy things in front of her and she smiles, "Thank you." She replies in a sing-song voice. Amelia is nothing if not a daddy's girl. She likes to believe being vegan is the right thing to do, but I know her real reason is just to be more hip than the rest of her family. With her laced up boots and her flower crowns, I'd say she's definitely the free spirit of the family.
And then there's Care with her crisp blazers and her chic slicked back buns. She is a trend setter at her school, and she has the right confident and independent mind needed for her impending move to New York. Oh, and of course Hunter basically lives in his baggy shorts and Derby jerseys. Niall raised him to be a Derby fan from the moment he was born despite the fact that we live in London.
I know Niall always dreamed of growing old in Mullingar, but as he got older I think he just grew out of that idea. He was too involved in the music industry to quit it, even after his band broke up. Don't get me wrong, I would have moved with him in a heartbeat, he just knew that his soul was tied to London. As for his current job, Niall created a music producing label with Liam and their friend Julian Bunetta. They basically write, record, and produce tracks for current artists. It's great because Niall makes his own hours and he gets to stay in one place.
Sadly, One Direction is no longer ruling the world. After their fifth album and global tour, the boys took a three year break to raise their own families and develop their lives rather than their music. They actually did end up regrouping to record one final goodbye track and do a 'Greatest Hits' tour for their fans, but that was the end of it. Niall misses the band dearly, but he still keeps in close contact with the other boys. They will forever be best friends and brothers. Niall sees Liam almost every day at work, and the other guys are actually coming over with their families later for Caroline's going away party.
During the time when the boys had a three year break, something amazing happened to my own career. OK! Magazine reached out to me because they wanted to do a feature on 'the woman behind the band'. They asked me about what life was like married to Niall, how I coped with him being gone for months on end, and what I'm talented at in my own right. When I mentioned I once wrote poetry for the London Herald, they asked me to publish a piece in their article, so I did.
It was titled Dance Without Me.
Dance Without Me
Drowning in the tempest tossed seas
The violent storms created by none other than myself
Each wave threatens to pull me under
And I find myself sinking deeper into oblivion
Into a blissfully unconscious terrain where I cannot remember anything
Not even him
Epilogue
Start from the beginning
