Eucatastrophe ~ h.s.

✗ forty-one ✗

SHAY

"Well Lux, looks as if it's just the three of us!" Harry exclaims, tickling her sides and causing the girl to let out an ear-piercing scream of laughter. Harry and I laugh along with her as he carries her further into the house and plops her down on the couch. "Have you gotten taller since I last saw you?" He asks her as she stands on his sofa and stares up at him.

"No!" She giggles and turns to me. I stand to the side, just watching the two interact with my arms folded over my chest. "Harry, who is your pretty friend?" She asks, blushing as she leans against Harry's chest.

He wraps his arms around her and rests his chin on her head as he stares to me with a lopsided grin adorned on his pink lips.

"That, Lux, is my girlfriend Shay. And she is very pretty, isn't she?" Lux nods her head and wiggles out of Harry's grasp.

My eyes look past the little girl to the telly a small gasp leaving my lips at the sight. A nude Sandra Bullock sits on screen, looking about as flustered as I in this moment.

"What's wrong?" Harry rushes, forgetting about the light-hearted conversation we were just having.

"Nothing," I blurt, making sure Lux is looking in my direction and not Harry's. Five minutes in and we've almost screwed this whole thing up by letting a child watch an adult movie. "Just thinking about a sort of proposal that I've to stop. Right now."

The look on Harry's face would be priceless if it weren't for the nude actors on the screen behind him. I widen my eyes and look to the screen, motioning with my head. Harry spins around and yelps lightly before turning the movie off and switching off the telly. We both release a heavy sigh as Lux simply laughs at us.

"I'm hungry." Lux says, looking to me for some kind of assistance. I smile down at her and look to the clock upon the wall.

It's almost half-eight, I'm not sure if she should be eating at this time of night. Maybe she's allowed to eat whenever, much like Harry. It could be midnight and he'd be eating snacks on the couch if it weren't for me.

"You're hungry, bug?" Harry questions, scooping the girl up in his arms and setting her on the floor.

Lux nods and takes Harry's hand leading him towards the kitchen. He looks to me and smiles as I take a nervous gulp.

I'm not quite sure what to do in these situations, but I'm sure Harry does. If I were her parent I wouldn't be feeding her at this time of night, unless it's a small snack. Perhaps, Lou allows her to eat this late, maybe it just depends on the parent.

I'm going to be an awful parent, I think to myself as I rest against the back of the sofa. How am I this clueless when it comes to children? She's like five and I have no idea how to care for her.

How am I supposed to care for a newborn?

"You alright?" His husky voice appears from behind me as his hands snake around my waist. I nod my head and reach across the sofa, picking up the mostly full popcorn bowl. "You look a little out of it."

"Just thinking." I state, handing the bowl over to Harry.

I peer over his shoulder to see Lux sitting at the island with her backpack at her side and a glass of milk on the counter. She's scribbling across a sheet of paper with a pencil, paying no attention to Harry and I.

"About?"

"Parenting."

"Stop freaking yourself out, love." He says, placing a chaste kiss behind my ear. I smile lightly at the sensation and sigh heavily. "Think of tonight like a practice run. Trust me, it's not going to be horrid. Lux keeps herself busy for the most part, most times she comes over here I'm working so she just sets up shoppe in my office." I run my hands through my hair and nod. "Relax." He mutters before pulling from me and taking my hand.