Happily Ever After?? (Third in the Through The Dark And Free series)

Chapter 40

Harry chuckled.  "Yeah, well, I've been patiently waiting to be able to even think about being able to put my hands back on you the way I always want to.  Now I can feel free to anticipate.  And try."

Julie shook her head.  "Sure.  Try being the key word.  Not exactly the first thing that's on my mind."  There were a lot of insecurities she felt still, and her after baby body was one of them.  Harry, being Harry, didn't exactly bestow confidence in her to show her squishy belly and stretch marks and all the other things that happened while pregnant and giving birth so willingly.  He worked hard to stay in shape, and he would always be surrounded by supermodels and actresses and everyone else with bodies who she never could compete with, and now, it was even worse.

"I do love a challenge."  Harry smiled at her and kissed her lips.  "I will figure it out.  We might need to ask Aunt Amanda and Uncle Niall to babysit soon.  They need the practice anyway.  That way, I can take you out and show you just how much I've missed you."

"We've spent every moment together since she's been born.  Well, just about.  You can't possibly have missed me."  Julie picked Grace up to burp her.

"You know exactly what I mean."  Harry got up.  "I'm gonna fix a late lunch.  Want some?"  He kissed both their heads when Julie nodded and went to the kitchen.  They did have to talk about his meeting, but he wasn't quite ready yet.  Once things started down that road of work, they wouldn't stop.  He needed to make sure they were both ready for it.

Later that evening, Harry set the bottle aside once Grace finished it.  He would put her up onto his shoulder to burp her, and then he would wrap her up and get her ready for sleep.  She did pretty well at night time.  She'd sleep four to five hours before waking to eat.  They had gotten pretty lucky in the baby department.  He looked up when Julie came into the bedroom hanging up the phone.  "How's Amanda?"

Julie walked over and put her phone on the charger.  "Starting with some morning sickness, but still not nearly bad enough for me to feel sorry for her."

Harry chuckled.  "That's mean."  He watched Julie grab her things to change.  "Baby, you don't have to go into the bathroom just to change."  He understood why she did after Grace was born.  Lots of stuff was happening to her body while it was healing.  But now, things were better.

Julie stopped and had to think fast about what to say.  She didn't want to come out and say she didn't want him to see her new imperfections, new insecurities.  "You're feeding Grace, getting her ready for bed."  She just left it at that and went into the bathroom.

Harry watched her hesitate and take a minute to answer.  He sighed when she threw an excuse at him and then went into the bathroom anyway.  Since Grace was born, or since she stopped breast feeding, he probably hadn't seen an inch of skin other than what everyone else saw.  Work through one problem, onto the next.  He, however, did not know how to approach the subject with her, without making it seem like he was a selfish bastard only looking for sex.  The brief little exchange they'd had earlier after her appointment was as far as he was willing to push it.  As soon as she said trying was all he was going to be doing, he stopped immediately in his thoughts to try and bicker about it with her.  He knew then she would be sensitive to any of it.  She was still the most beautiful woman in the world to him.  She gave him a baby.  A baby she grew in her body.  A body he loved more and more every day.  Didn't matter the changes that occurred.  But, he had learned he couldn't discredit how she felt.

Harry watched Julie come out of the bathroom in her loose pajama pants and an oversized shirt.  He watched her dump her clothes into the hamper and go to the vanity.  He laid Grace down to wrap her into her swaddle.  "Our little one here, is ready for bed.  Do you want to put her down, or should I?"