Delicate

EPILOGUE

"I'm gonna help Mum finish dinner so why don't you go ask Grandpa what the score is, yeah?"

"Okay, Dada," she kisses his cheek before he lets her slide down to the floor so she can go do what he asked.

He turns to me with narrowed eyes and raises his hands to cup my face. "Is this where we left off?"

I laugh as he tilts his head to kiss me slower this time, which takes me back to the way he was kissing me this morning before we heard Maggie crying down the hall. I was so looking forward to staying in bed a bit longer with him before the day got too crazy and everyone started coming over, but it's rare that we get to wake up and be lazy in bed together anymore. We only really get to do that when we take our annual trip to Greece during our wedding anniversary week.

"We could probably sneak upstairs for a second, can't we?" He mumbles my thoughts aloud as I smile and turn away from him.

"No, but nice try," I try to focus on the recipe for the green bean casserole on the counter in front of me, but all I'm seeing is gibberish on paper as I feel his hands on my hips and his lips on my neck.

"These fucking jeans, Hay," he squeezes my hipbones just to make me squirm against him. "Fucking ridiculous."

I gasp as he squeezes and smacks my ass like a horny teenager before grabbing the champagne bottles by the neck to put them in the fridge. I wish he'd grab me by the neck as I watch him remove his North Face jacket in preparation to help me with the last two recipes that need to go in the oven. My mom is supposed to be helping as well, but I think she's helping by letting me and Harry do something alone.

"God, that's a lot of sugar," I murmur as I pour in two out of the three cups we need for the sweet potato casserole.

"Hay, you're doing it all wrong," he rolls his eyes and comes to stand behind me, practically pinning my hips to the counter with his own.

"Harry!" I laugh as he holds my right hand in his to scoop the cup inside the container of sugar so we can do it together. "This is exactly what I just did."

"No, it's not," he holds my left hand and guides my pointer finger to level out the excess sugar before we dump it in the bowl. "That was much better."

I smile and turn my head up to see him. "You're kind of a flirt."

"Oh, you have no idea, baby," he squeezes my waist again and I love that it still makes my heart race out of control. He still makes that happen just by walking into the room, by making eye contact with me when we're both having separate conversations. It still doesn't take much for me.

After about two hours of subtle touches and taste testing in the kitchen, everything is finished and the house smells incredible. Even Katie and Ben's four-year-old, the pickiest eater in the universe, is eyeing the turkey with hearts for pupils like one of those Loony Toons episodes. The men have complied to turn the football game off so we can all sit around the grand dining room table as friends and family without any further distractions.

"This looks incredible, Hay," my dad says as he takes the seat next to my mom.

"Thanks. Mom and Harry helped," I make sure every dish has a serving utensil and finally retrieve the wine and champagne to place on the table while Harry and Katie work on getting beverages in plastic cups for all the kids.

"Aunt Hay?" Lizzie speaks in the softest, cutest voice.

"Yes, baby?" I laugh and bend over to focus on her.

"Can I has some chocolate milk?"

"Oh my goodness, of course, you can have some chocolate milk, sweetheart," I kiss her forehead and remind Katie that she can have whatever she wants in the fridge.