Chapter Text
Thick black eyeliner lines my eyes, making the blue pop, and silver glitter dusts my cheeks. A dab of highlighting concealer and contouring makes my nose look more slender. I’ve even smeared ivory foundation over my exposed skin, and sheer silver tights cover my legs. Leaning forward, I touch up the dark lipstick I’d purchased simply for tonight.
“How’s your mammy look, baby?” I ask, turning to my son.
Declan grins up at me as I straighten his Wonder Woman headband on his dark curls. He’d seen the costume in the shop when we went to buy our outfits for the night. The bright colours had caught his attention immediately despite the equally-bright Superman costume right next to it. And, since Niall and I don’t subscribe to the whole ‘gender stereotypes’, we’d let him cling to the costume during checkout and out to the car.
Now he’s a sixteen-month-old mini-Wonder Woman to my evil faerie. His hand clutches at the bottom of my black, sparkly dress, and he toddles behind me as I gather up the sleepover bag and my wings. With a groan, I realise Niall still hasn’t come downstairs.
“Babe, c’mon, we have to go.”
A loud groan echoes down the stairs, and I roll my eyes. Niall has been complaining since before he even put on his Halloween costume. Quite honestly, I’m sick of it. Besides, he is the one who made the ridiculous bet and lost.
“Get your ass down here this instant, mister, or no more s-e-x until Declan moves out.”
“That’s cruel!” he shouts back, but I can hear the smile in his voice. He appears at the top of the stairs, scowling when I immediately start giggling. “I can’t believe you made me wear this.”
I shrug and scoop our son into my arms. “Don’t lose bets. Now let’s go. You know Nat and Goose will have our asses if we’re late.”
“Nat’s late to everything,” he grumbles as he takes the bag from me. “Why does she care if we’re late? Give me those.”
He loops an arm through the straps of my wings, and I roll my eyes again. “Okay, fine. You can field her questions of how well I ride you. And if you answer anything other than ‘amazing’, I will hurt you.”
“Will ‘satisfactory’ be enough?”
“Niall James Horan, I will tell your mother you’re being mean to me.” I beam when I see Bryan waiting for us by the SUV before frowning. “Bry, make Niall be nice.”
“You’re forcing him to wear that, Erin. I don’t think even his mother could make him be nice.”
“Rude.”
Buckling Dec into his seat, I clamber into the front seat while Niall sits beside our son. Bryan puts the car into gear and pulls away from the house. Natalie and Goose—and Louis, by extension—had invited my husband and me to a ‘grown-up Halloween’, leaving Goose’s mother to watch the boys. As much as I trust Nat’s judgement, I don’t exactly know Norah. I wanted to decline when Nat first asked.
But Niall convinced me to go. “Can’t hide him away forever, petal,” he’d said. So now we’re inching along the highway toward Natalie’s house, and I’m struggling to have faith in coming back to my son in one piece. Norah raised Goose, after all, and he turned out okay. Smarter than Moo, for sure, locking Nat down like he has.
Bryan parks out front, and I slide out of the car and adjust my dress. It would be just my luck that I’d flash the entire world by being clumsy. Niall shakes his head when I open the back door.
“Not going in.”
“Babe.”
“It’s embarrassing enough Nat and Sutton are gonna see me like this.”
“Then it wouldn’t be helpful if I remind you it’ll be all of Silent Playground, too?”
“I hate you.”
Laughing, I extend my arms and demand he give me my son. Niall does, kissing Declan’s cheek, then settles back in the seat with his arms crossed over his chest. I can’t help but shake my head. Petulance isn’t a good look on my husband. However, looking at his costume, I can concede he has good reason to be mortified. I remind him of the bag, and he apologises before passing it over.
Natalie turns when I push the front door open, murmuring to Dec along the way. Her face splits into a wide grin. “Casper, look at you!”
“Look at… you,” I laugh.
She’s wearing a cowboy hat, red and black button-down, and dark jeans tucked into cowboy boots. Goose wears a very similar outfit. Nat tips her hat toward me with a grin under her fake mustache.
“Thank ya, ma’am.”
I giggle and set Declan down on his feet, asking, “How in the world did you come up with this idea?”
“Nat just really wanted to wear a mustache,” Goose replies as he bumps his hip against Natalie’s.
“Duh, and this kick-ass shirt and matching boots.”
Goose looks around, frowning, and meets my eyes. “Where’s Niall?”
“Pouting in the car. He lost a bet and is less than pleased with the costume I chose for him. But he looks darling.”
I take the bag off my back and greet Norah, holding out the bag. She listens intently as I thank her for watching Declan, telling her a copy of his usual schedule is in the bag. I’d made sure - five times - that it was tucked safely away before I even closed up the bag. I didn’t want Norah to be uninformed of how we handle Declan’s routine. She grins and waves off my gratitude.
“Alright, we’ve gotta get going,” Goose announces as he hugs his mom. “Thanks again, and please call if you need anything.”
Six kisses to Declan’s cheek, two to his hair, and another ‘thanks’ to Norah, I follow my friends out to the SUV. It doesn’t escape my notice that both Nat and Goose are holding garments bags. When I ask about them, Natalie raises her eyebrows.
“Oh, babe, you didn’t expect us to not have a costume change, did you?”
“Of course you do,” I chuckle. “You’ll have to help me make sure my wings are on and secure once we arrive. Ni is being a butthead and refuses to help.”
As Natalie goes to climb into the back row, she pauses. I know she’s caught sight - actually registered - my husband’s costume. “Niall, what did she do? Blink if you’re in danger.”
“He lost a bet!” I protest, trying to defend myself, and I push on her butt to get her moving. “He looks amazing. I don’t know why he’s upset.”
And honestly? He really does. Fully outfitted in a Princess Peach costume, the blonde wig on his head frames his face rather nicely. Rosy cheeks and pink lips, long white gloves, a crown. Even the red heels. He’d even reluctantly allowed me to apply mascara to his lashes. I haven’t lied - he looks fantastic. Hell, he makes a better Princess Peach then I ever could have.
“What are you guys?” he asks as he stares over the seat at Sutton and Natalie while I tell Bryan we’re ready to go.
“Erin, have you not shown your husband Brooks & Dunn?”
I scoff and lace my fingers with Niall’s. His annoyance at his costume fades from his face, replaced with a gentle smile. “He has definitely listened to them, but I don’t think he knows what they look like.”
“Don’t worry, babe,” says Nat, taking off her hat and resting her head on Goose’s shoulder. “Garrett won’t question our costume.”
And Garrett doesn’t. It isn’t like he’d have room: He’s dressed as the Man in the Yellow Hat, and his exuberance for the holiday nearly drowns out my own. He greets our group as if it’s been years since he’s seen or spoken to us last, despite the fact I sent him a text just today to remind him of our coffee date next week. He turns toward Niall and me after embracing Natalie.
“Erin, lovely as ever, and I’m hoping this is Niall, because… wow.”
Ellis interrupts then, costumed as Curious George - a perfect match to Gare’s outfit - and Niall and I wander away to say hello to the various people milling about the room. I can hear karaoke going on in the den; I want to check it out, but I also don’t want to leave Niall alone. He might not forgive me for that on top of the Peach costume.
Someone has set up an apple-bobbing tank, but most people just reach in and grab an apple. Amber waves from where she’s wrapped in her ‘vampire’ boyfriend’s cloak.
Eventually, I can’t stay away from the den. I drag Niall along behind me when Nat and Goose are announced to do a song, as Natalie demands space in front of them.
“Alrighty then, let’s Boot Scoot!”
As my friends sing the song Boot Scootin’ Boogie, Garrett leads the guests in a perfect line-dance routine. I even manage to somehow convince Niall to join; weirdly enough, he doesn’t stumble in his heels, despite the poofy dress making it hard for him to move. I don’t think I’ve ever had this much fun away from Declan.
I feel like the Erin I used to be - not just a mother, not just a wife, but Erin. Niall must notice the genuine happiness I feel, because he tugs me into his chest and kisses me. Someone catcalls, but I pull him closer before stealing his crown.
“I love you,” I whisper against his lips, plopping the crown onto my head. I know it’ll mess up the intricate hairstyle Amber spent two hours throwing together before she went home to change. “I’m gonna go get a drink, okay?”
Niall moves away to chat with Chase and Ellis, and I watch him go. The crowd parts with giggles as his dress swooshes around his feet. Shaking my head, I grab a drink from the table and make my way back to the stage. Sutton had confided in me early this morning about wanting to surprise Natalie at the party. He asked if singing When You Look Me in the Eyes by the Jonas Brothers was a good idea.
I told him it was only a good idea if he wanted her to melt into a puddle of goop. And jump his bones as soon as they were alone.
Someone smacks their hip into mine, and I turn my head to see Natalie next to me. She’d changed out of her first costume and into her second, one I recognise as Haley James Scott’s from ‘One Tree Hill’. I stick my tongue out at her.
“How is my favourite half of my favourite couple?”
“Really happy,” she says, “but mildly suspicious.”
“Ooh, of what?”
She nods toward the side of the stage where Ellis, Garrett, and Sutton huddle like a sports team. “That.”
Oh. Oh, crap. my heart pounds beneath my ribs - I’m a horrible liar, especially to those I’m closest to. And Nat? She’s about as close to me as close can get. I swallow a mouthful of my spiked punch before grinning awkwardly. I know I look like a loon.
“Hmm. Looks like trouble. Or the beginnings of something very cute. Who knows? Not me. I know nothing.”
“Erin.”
“My lips are sealed,” I admit.
“But what if I tell you a juicy little tidbit of a secret regarding your favourite couple?”
I want to cave. I want the gossip. But I’d promised Goose I wouldn’t say a word. So I shake my head and repeat that I can’t tell her. She groans but lets it go. Instead, she asks where Niall went, so I tell her he went to FaceTime Dec before bed.
“As Princess Peach?” she giggles.
“The man is a dedicated father,” I sigh, smiling dreamily. He really, truly is. He’s the best father I have ever known, and that includes Louis. The DJ readies his mic, and I slap Nat’s arm several times. “Here it goes!”
We sway together as Goose sings, and when I look up at her, I can see her eyes shining with more than tears. I’ve never seen Natalie this content. This peaceful. She’s had a lot of crap thrown her way, and she’s been the one hurt so many times.
When Louis had divorced papers delivered, she’d never stood a chance. It had come from left field, and she found herself divorced without warning - or much in the way of an explanation.
But now here she is with Goose, happy as she deserves to be. He treats her right. He loves her fiercely. I know it’s only a matter of time before he tries to change her mind about marriage.
“We’re gonna start trying for a baby.”
I freeze. Did I hear what I think I have? Spinning Natalie toward me, I stare with my jaw dropped. “No way.”
“Yes way!”
I can’t believe it. It’s an enormous step in a relationship, and she and Goose are ready to take it. Natalie is a wonderful mother. Goose is a fantastic should-be stepfather. These two deserve to add to their family. I pause - an old conversation floats to the forefront of my mind. It had been a joke. That’s all.
A simple bit of banter.
We were talking about potentially having more children, and she’d raised her drink in my direction, saying she’d be the first to get pregnant. “My uterus is better than your uterus,” she said before draining her glass. It was a facetious bet.
“Remember when we joked about being pregnant together?” I ask, finishing off my punch. “Let’s do it.”
Natalie huffs out a laugh. “First one with an occupied uterus wins?” She holds her hand out to me, and I shake it.
“Let’s do it.”
“Can’t wait to get a bun in my oven.”
Her statement has the side effect of making poor Louis uncomfortable. All he did was walk up to us only to hear Natalie practically shouting her desire to have another child.
It was a joke, but now it isn’t. Now, the ‘bet’ is real. I make a mental note to get a jumpstart on the trying process as soon as possible.
And definitely not tell Niall. He probably wouldn’t agree with the whole situation.
The sex? Sure. The fact our next child will come about because of a competition between my best friend and me? Not so much.
The holiday goes out with a bang: Enough liquor to stock an entire store, fun and games and dancing, singing and laughter. A stolen moment in the bathroom with my husband, which is almost too much work with his dress.
And if no one on Twitter or Instagram recognises Niall in his Princess Peach costume when I post a group photo, well, that’s only the icing on the cake that is Halloween 2017.