Louis sat on the sofa in the living room with his head in his hands.
He's not sure which word describes him best at the moment.
Stupid?
Idiot?
Moron?
Dumbass?
Asshole?
All of the above?
He's pretty damn sure it's that last one. It's been exactly forty-five minutes since Harry left. Forty-five long minutes since Harry fled the house in tears because Louis is an idiot.
The words he spoke, or rather yelled, at Harry had been so far from the truth. He's never considered leaving Harry since they got back together. He's never wished he didn't ask him to marry him. And he certainly never regretted getting Harry pregnant, either time. It truly was everything just piling up on him and becoming too much. He should have taken that time off like Harry suggested - should have let Zayn and some of the others handle things for a week while he just relaxed. But no, he kept working despite Harry's suggestion and concern. And this is where it's gotten him.
His fiancé has just fled their home, sobbing, and gone who knows where. Louis' never felt so broken and lost and foolish and angry all at once. He's angry at himself for those things he screamed even entering his mind. He's broken because he doesn't know if he's going to be able to fix this. He's lost because Harry is his other half and he doesn't know what to do without him. And he feels foolish because how could he ever say that to Harry and expect something not to happen. How could he stand there and yell at the love of his life and make him cry and not think of what would happen afterwards?
Louis picked up his phone and unlocked it, going directly to Harry's number and dialling it. He decided to give him a little time to hopefully get somewhere and stop that way he's not answering his phone while driving in the rain and upset.
He pressed the phone to his ear and it rings. And rings. And rings. And then cuts to voice mail. The sound of Harry's voice makes Louis' eyes burn. When it beeps he starts talking.
"Harry, Harry baby please pick up.... please tell me where you are. I'm so sorry baby, please call me."
He hung up the phone and a few tears landed on the screen as he pulled it away from his ear. It's not even two minutes later that he's trying again. And it's the same things - ringing and then cutting to voice mail. So he leaves another message.
"Harry, darling, please answer your phone. I love you so much, I would never... what I said... I swear honey I didn't mean any of it. Please call me."
And three minutes later.
"Baby, please pick up. Please I need to know you're safe."
He leaves seven voice mails before deciding to call Anne. It's practically a suicide mission, calling Anne and telling her what happened. He deserves it though, he wouldn't blame her.
"Hello?" Anne answered on the second ring, her voice groggy as though she just woke up.
"Anne, it's Louis." Louis responded, his throat tightening.
"Louis? What's wrong? Has something happened?" Anne questioned, sounding more awake now.
"Yes." Louis choked out, now knowing Harry isn't there.
"What? Louis, tell me what's happening." Anne demanded and he let out a choked sob.
"I fucked up." Louis cried, he doesn't deserve to cry. "I fucked up so bad."
"What do you mean? You have to explain." Anne responded sternly.
"I came home and I was tired and I had had a really long day at work. I just wanted some food, a shower, and sleep. He was so caught up in wedding plans again he didn't do dinner and we started arguing and I... I..." Louis stuttered over his word.
"You what?" Anne asked.
"I told him he made me wish I never got him pregnant, that I never met him or fell in love with him, that he made me want to pack my bags and never come back, and that I wished I never asked him to marry me." Louis answered, raking his fingers through his hair. "I swear I didn't mean it Anne, I swear I didn't. I was just so tired and everything was just piling up and I just couldn't take it. I promise I love him, I'd never leave him."
"Louis... where is Harry now?" Anne questioned, trying not to scream at him.
"I don't know. I've tried calling him so many times and he's not picking up." Louis replied and Anne sighed heavily.
"Louis, you need to go look for him. It's raining and cool and night time. You need to find him and fix this. I can't fix it for you and if Harry doesn't forgive you then you really can't blame him." Anne stated.
"I know, I'll fix it I promise. I just don't know where to look." Louis cried, feeling frustrated all over again.
"I don't know hon, London is a big place. You need to think like him. Where would he go if he were upset?" Anne inquired, wishing her son was safe in her home.
"Alright... I'm leaving to go look..." Louis said, grabbing his keys and pushing his feet into his shoes, running out to his SUV. "I'll text you when I find him."
They said their goodbyes and Louis pulled out onto the road. He's been driving for probably thirty minutes when it hits him like a ton of bricks. He and Harry normally did the same thing when upset - they went near water.
His mind instantly went to the park he had gone to after Scarlet had said she hated him, so that's where he goes. Fifteen minutes later he pulled up to the park and relief floods his body as he sees one lone Range Rover parked in the car park.
Louis parked his SUV next to it and scrambled out of the vehicle, grabbing the extra coat he brought with him. He headed towards the area he had gone to when he came here. It doesn't take to long for him to spot a figure balled up near the water in the rain still coming down. He broke into a trot as he got closer and soon was falling to his knees and pulling Harry into his arms.
The younger lad immediately began to struggle, not knowing who was touching him.
"Hush baby, hush, it's me honey." Louis spoke and Harry went still. "Baby..."
"Don't call me that." Harry choked out, his voice wrecked from sobbing for so long and he can feel a fresh batch of tears coming. "I gave you what you wanted. Why are you here? To yell at me some more?"
"No. No Harry I'm not." Louis said sitting down on the wet concrete and moving his legs so Harry was between them before pulling the younger to his chest.
Harry struggled again but Louis held on, refusing to let him go. Eventually, sobs racked Harry's body and he slumped against Louis' chest trembling from the coolness in the air mixed with the cold rain. Louis grabbed the extra jacket from where it was lying beside him and put it over Harry, wrapping his arms over the top and trying to get him warm.
"Harry... I swear." Louis paused, his throat constricting. "I promise you I didn't mean any of what I said to you." He stated kissing Harry's forehead repeatedly.
"You wouldn't have said it otherwise." Harry choked out. "What were you doing? Waiting until there was a reason you thought was legit to leave? Was that your plan all along to treat me the way you did back when we were in high school and then break me again?"
"No!" Louis exclaimed, hugging Harry tighter. "Harry... Baby, I am never leaving you. Ever. You are my forever. You make my life so much better and I can't imagine being without you. You're my sunshine, there aren't any grey skies for me whenever you're around. I love you so much."
"Then why did you say it?" Harry questioned, keeping his head down and leaning against Louis' chest.
Neither of them are paying much attention to the rain anymore even though it's gotten harder again.
"I was tired. The past month has been really stressful at work and everything was just piling up on me. I should have listened to you and taken a week off, let someone else deal with it, but I didn't. Everything just came crashing down and I took it out on you." Louis answered, resting his cheek against the top of Harry's head, ignoring the wet curls that stuck to his face.
"You just started yelling..." Harry whimpered.
"I know baby, I'm so sorry. Please believe me, I am so, so sorry." Louis pleaded, his arms tightening again around Harry.
"It's not that I don't believe you." Harry responded, pushing out of Louis' arms suddenly and moving to stand up - Louis following quickly.
Louis opened his mouth to speak but Harry continued.
"It's not that I don't believe that you're sorry... but what... what happens if you get stressed out again and the girls are there?" Harry asked, running his fingers through his wet curls. "What if you yell at one of them? I know Sky can't talk yet or do much to piss you off but Scarlet can, so what happens then? Lou... you've had your moments when work gets too much and you snap at her and it hurts her... if you yell at her like you did me... you had no control... if you do that to her she'll go back to hating you in a snap. I'm scared."
Louis' never really thought about that. Now that Harry has mentioned it though, he knows it's true. Scarlet had absolutely hated him in the beginning - not that he blames her for that, eight years of not being there then he's popping up like oh hey I'm your other dad - he gets it. Their relationship had been a work in progress. It had been numerous days of trying to talk to her and get to know her and show her that he cared about her and loved her before she finally just accepted him being a constant presence in her life. It had taken even longer before she finally decided she liked him.
"Then any time I start showing signs of getting stressed out you tell me and I'll take off work." Louis responded, trying to find a solution that Harry would be happy with and would put him at ease.
"I don't know Lou..." Harry whispered, wrapping his arms around himself and looking down.
"Harry --" Louis pleaded, stepping closer to his hopefully still fiancé. "Harry, I will do anything to make this right. I promise, I'll take days off or a week off to relax if you think that I'm getting even a tad bit stressed out. I'll do whatever you want me to. I can't... I can't lose you and I can't lose the girls. Please Haz."
Harry stared at Louis for quite a while in silence. Their hair was plastered to their foreheads and their clothes were wet from the rain.
"Okay." Harry whispered, nodding his head - his green eyes still locked with blue ones.
Louis let out a shaky breath and stepped closer, trying not to cry, and threw his arms around Harry. The younger lad wrapped his arms around Louis returning the hug and they stood there clinging to each other.
"Don't let me down." Harry begged with his face hidden in Louis' neck. "Three strikes you're out, I can't go through heartbreak again and I don't want to put our girls through it."
"I won't sweet cheeks. I won't. I love you." Louis responded, getting a hand in Harry's hair while his other remained tight around Harry's waist. "Love you so, so much baby."
"I love you too." Harry said then pressed his cool nose against Louis' cheek. "Put don't think you're getting in my pants for a while. Whether you meant what you said or not... it still really hurt."
"I know, I'm sorry. I'll make it up to you." Louis promised, pulling back enough to wipe the rest of Harry's tears away. "Come on baby, let's go home before you get sick."
Harry nodded and put the jacket Louis had brought on properly. They walked back to the vehicles, Louis with his arm around Harry's waist guiding him through the rain.
He followed Harry home, pulling into the garage right behind him before closing the door down, blocking out the storm outside. They headed straight up to the master bedroom and Louis went immediately to the bathroom and plugged the large soaking tub before turning on the faucet to begin filling it with nearly hot water and Harry's favourite bath soap.
"Get your kit off darling." Louis stated coming back into the bedroom where Harry was typing a text to his mum, assuring her that he was safe at home with Louis.
"Louis I told you..." Harry started put Louis laughed.
"Not for that babe, I set up the tub for you. You need to get out of those wet clothes and get warmed up. Now get your kit off and get in that tub." Louis ordered pointing to the bathroom and acting like a strict parent.
Harry smiled and did as Louis said while Louis headed to the dresser to pull out a pair of sweatpants and a shirt for himself. He stripped off his work clothes and pulled on the dry ones before grabbing another set of clothes for Harry and going into the bathroom. Harry was easing himself down into the hot water piling with bubbles from the soap. Louis placed the clean clothes on the counter then headed down to the kitchen.
He put on a kettle and waited for it to whistle. While he waited he checked his phone and found a text message from Anne.
Don't do it again. You're lucky Harry forgives easily. Do not disappoint me Louis.
He sent her a responding text promising he wouldn't disappoint her and assuring her that he loved Harry with everything inside of him. When the kettle whistle, he grabbing to cups and placed their favourite Yorkshire blend into each one before pouring the steaming water over the bags. After they sat for a while he removed the bags then set to work making Harry's just like he liked it. With the cups in his hand, he made his way back up to the bathroom where Harry was relaxing in the dimly lit room.
Harry looked over as Louis entered and smiled when his eyes fell on the tea cup. He immediately reached a hand out and Louis handed his over with a smile.
"Thanks Lou." Harry stated after taking a sip.
"Your welcome. Need anything else?" Louis questioned.
"A kiss never hurt anyone." Harry responded, looking up at his blue eyed lover.
"No, it never did." Louis chuckled then leaned down.
He pressed a few short kisses to Harry's pink lips then one longer one before pulling away and standing back up straight.
"I'll be downstairs, don't come out until you're nice and warm." Louis smiled then walked out with his own cup of tea.
He opened up the fridge and looked around inside in search of something to eat. There's not much in the way of leftovers to he turned to look in the freezer. He mentally thanked Harry for buying a few frozen pizzas and pulled one out to check to the oven temperature. Once he had the oven set he headed into the living room while the oven heated up and sat down on the sofa. He pulled Harry's laptop into his lap and typed in the password to gain access. The website Harry had been looking at was still up.
Harry had a tab for the Wotton House as well as the Shangri-La Hotel. One allowed them an outdoor wedding and the other allowed them an indoor wedding. Louis clicked through the pictures of both venues. If he's honest, the Wotton House is the one he leans towards because he loves the idea of an outdoor wedding and he knows Harry would love that too, but considering the time of year they'll probably end up having their wedding, it'd probably be too cold.
So he writes down the Shangri-La hotel. It's stunning and he thinks Harry will be happy with it especially once it's done up. There's just times in life when he's super thankful that he has a lot of money. He can afford to have a big beautiful house for his family and he can treat them the way they deserve to be treated (holidays, little gifts, and such). Really, he just loves the fact that he's going to be able to let Harry have his dream wedding and that he's the one that gets to marry him.
There's a few other things Harry has written down in his wedding notebook with question marks so Louis goes ahead and looks them over. The dinner for the reception is still undecided so he writes a suggestion down. Filet mignon or herb roasted chicken both being served with mashed potatoes and fresh cut green beans. For dessert he writes down two options, one being a raspberry cheesecake and the other his favourite of course - a warm brownie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream drizzled with chocolate syrup. He jotted down a brand of champagne that he and Harry love as well as some wines to offer during dinner.
By the time Harry came down from upstairs, dressed warmly in a pair of black sweatpants and a sweater, Louis' got a lot of the questions on the paper answered and the pizza is out of the oven and not burnt much to Louis' relief.
"What are you doing?" Harry questioned as he walked into the living room and found Louis sitting on the sofa with the notebook and computer.
"Answering the questions in here." Louis looked up with a smile.
"You're looking at wedding stuff?" Harry asked, voice quiet and eyebrows raised some.
"You wanted me to." Louis nodded, writing down that Caden would be their ring bearer.
"But earlier... you..." Harry started but Louis shook his head and held out his hand, inviting Harry to come sit.
Harry took his hand and allowed himself to be pulled down onto the couch so he was snuggle into Louis' side.
"I was being an ass earlier. Whatever you want me to do, I'll do." Louis stated. "I put a pizza in the oven and then came in here."
"You didn't burn down the kitchen at least." Harry joked, leaning against Louis' shoulder.
"Babe, I can cook - I was forced to remember - I just can't cook like you. I don't have any kitchen skills but I can make very basic dishes without killing anyone." Louis chuckled and Harry sighed.
"You decided on Caden to be the ring bearer?" He questioned looking at the paper.
"Yeah, I figured my brothers are a bit too old for that and Caden is still young enough." Louis answered.
"What about flower girl? Are we going to have Scarlet do that?" Harry asked, looking at the still empty space.
"Definitely. I'd like Zayn to be my groomsman and I assume Niall will be yours?" Louis looked down at Harry and the younger man nodded his head.
"Was the pizza done?" Harry questioned as his stomach grumbled.
"Mhmm, I had just taken it out a few minutes ago." Louis responded, clicking the pen shut and setting the notebook aside.
"Good then let's eat." Harry said starting to get up but Louis stopped him.
"How about I get the food and drinks and you keep planning." Louis suggested, handing Harry the notebook and pen while moving the computer off his lap.
"Okay." Harry nodded, taking the items and sitting back against the sofa.
Louis leaned over as he got up and pressed a quick kiss to Harry's temple before walking off to the kitchen - he doesn't miss the small smile that spreads on Harry's lips. Grabbing two plates from the cabinet he placed some pizza on both then took down two wine glasses. He carried the pizza into the living room then went back for the wine glasses as well as a bottle of their favourite wine before returning to the sofa. Harry was already taking a biting into one of the slices when he sat down and uncorked the wine to pour them each some. With Harry tucked back under his arm, he used his free hand to eat and drink and occasionally point out something on the computer screen for their wedding.
"We need to decide on a date." Louis said, setting his empty plate aside and reaching for his wine glass again.
"Well, when's good for you?" Harry questioned leaning his head back against Louis' shoulder and looking up at him.
"I don't know, shall we check the calendar?" Louis questioned, reaching over to click on the computer calendar.
"Not during the summer." Harry said as they clicked through the months. "I think it would be easier to go on our honeymoon while Scarlet is in school, I'm sure your mum would watch the girls, yeah?"
"I'm sure she'd absolutely love to." Louis confirmed, nodding his head. "So what are we thinking?"
"November?" Harry suggested, clicking all the way to November.
"Hmm, I'll be done with tour planning and Zayn can easily run the company with Stan's help. I think November would be perfect and we don't have to worry about the cold if we have the wedding at the hotel." Louis answered, hooking his chin over Harry's shoulder and wrapping his other arm around him.
"I'd love to have an outdoor wedding, the Wotton House was perfect, but I think it'll be just as great at the hotel." Harry agreed. "So a date...?"
"How about... the... sixth?" Louis questioned.
"I guess I could work that into my busy schedule." Harry responded, earning a poke in his side making him jolt.
"Cheeky." Louis murmured, pressing his thinner lips against Harry's ear and blowing lightly making Harry squirm.
"Lou... stop it." Harry whined, trying to get away.
Louis just chuckled and pulled him back in, closer than before if possible. Instead of going for his ear again, he pressed his lips just under it and made his way across Harry's jaw. The kisses are feather light and full of love. Harry closed his eyes and let himself sink into the feeling of Louis kissing him. The older man kissed all the way down to his chin and then began to work back up, this time kissing Harry's cheeks and temple and forehead. He worked down again, pressing against the side of his nose and then over his eyes. Harry's so lost in the feeling that he doesn't even realize he has crystal clear tears slipping from his closed eyes until Louis stops kissing him and suddenly his thumb his swiping under Harry's eyes.
Harry blinked open his eyes and found Louis just inches away, staring at him with concern.
"What's wrong?" Louis questioned, his voice soft.
"Just didn't feel like you loved me earlier and now you're... I don't know... all lovey." Harry answered, shifting his eyes away from Louis'.
"Hey..." Louis murmured, cupping Harry's jaw to get the younger man to look at him. "I did not stop loving you for one second. I was stressed out and tired but that didn't give me the right to yell and take it out on you. I didn't mean a single thing I said. I am so sorry I made you think that."
Harry sniffled but maintained eye contact with Louis.
Louis shifted so he was even closer to Harry, looking at him with a fire in his blue eyes.
"I love you. I love you so much. You are my baby, my darling, my sweetcheeks, my forever." Louis spoke softly but powerfully - sincerity lacing his voice.
"I love you too." Harry replied, steady tears making tracks down his cheeks.
Louis leaned in and kissed his tear stained cheeks and lips. He set the notebook and laptop aside once he pulled away and then shifted on the sofa until Harry was lying on his back and he was hovering over him.
"Love you." Louis repeated, kissing Harry's nose this time.
"We're still not having sex." Harry stated and Louis chuckled.
"Wasn't aiming for it, I was aiming for cuddles." Louis responded, getting his arm under Harry's neck.
"Oh." Harry whispered then yawned.
"Here or in our bed?" Louis questioned, finding Harry looked like an adorable kitten still when he yawned.
"Mmm, bed." Harry answered.
Louis stood up and heaved Harry up into his arms. He carried him carefully upstairs and into their bedroom where Oliver was already snoozing in the sitting area of the room. Louis placed Harry on the bed and proceeded to remove his clothes except for his boxers. He did the same to himself then crawled in.
Harry immediately reached for the TV remote and turned on the flat screen. While he flipped through the channels, Louis curled around him, wrapping his arms around Harry's slender waist. He settles on the 2009 film Fame then gets comfortable in Louis' arms. Even after the heart-breaking evening they've had, there's still no place he'd rather be.
Most people would say he's completely crazy for forgiving Louis so quickly, but he's in love with the blue eyed man and he's one hundred percent positive that Louis is his soulmate. Does that mean he's just going to let it go unpunished? Oh no, definitely not - hence the sex ban. And of course he'll be watching Louis closely now. At the first signs of him getting stressed he's going to tell him to take time off and he better do it. Refusing to simply isn't an option now and if it becomes one then Harry's option is to leave so he can protect their girls - he won't put them through that.
The movie is two hours long and thirty minutes in Harry is already tucking his face into Louis' neck.
"Want me to turn it off so we can sleep?" Louis questioned already reaching for the remote.
Harry nodded against his neck and Louis switched off the TV. He stretched to put the remote on the nightstand then positioned himself once again so Harry was comfortable. Harry's head was now rest on his chest and he had one around him so his hand was resting on his side while the other stroked over the soft skin of the arm Harry had slung over his stomach.
"I love you Harry." Louis stated when the youngers breathing began to even out.
"I love you more." Harry murmured, smiling as Louis kissed his head.
And with that they drifted off to sleep.
-*-
By the time July rolled around they had booked the venue for the wedding and had gone to look at some wedding cakes but still weren't decided. Holiday, however, has been a popular topic of discussion in the house since Scarlet got out of school for the summer.
Louis and Harry had discussed holiday plans and finally two weeks after Scarlet went on holiday they announced they would be going to Barcelona, Spain.
"We can go to the zoo and aquarium and the beach." Harry explained the day before they were set to leave. "We'll have fun."
Scarlet nodded her head and proceeded to pack her things. She hadn't been overly thrilled of their destination choice mainly because she wanted to go back to Florida like they had done for her last two birthdays. She thrived in the sun and could probably swim all day if sunburn and getting wrinkly wasn't a factor.
Soon enough they were landing in Barcelona and placing their things into the back of the SUV Louis had rented. They were staying at the Hotel Arts which was right on the beach and their suite had a view of the ocean. Thankfully Harry's gotten use to the amount of money Louis spends on them when they go on holiday because otherwise the twelve thousand dollar per night price tag would have surely caused him to pass out. The suite though is stunning with a large sofa near the windows, a perfect spot to look out at the ocean, and the two bathrooms were large as were the bedrooms.
They headed down to the beach for the day, Scarlet and Harry both hissing as their feet hit the cool water while Louis stayed back with Skylar, squatting down with her and letting her kick her feet in shallow water. She's ten month now and Harry just wants her to stop growing because she's nearly a year old already and he can't believe it - it's already going by too fast. It's interesting now that she's crawling and pulling herself up into a standing position. More often than not he finds her grabbing at something shiny that he has set on an end table and even though she can't reach it, he's made sure of that, he moves it further away from her just to be safe. It leads to her giving him a face equivalent to a wounded puppy but he's learning to not cave to those faces. If he's learned anything from Scarlet, it only leads to trouble. He hadn't been too strict with her and it lead to her wanting to get into literally everything once she was walking good and could easily get into things.
Once Harry and Scarlet had returned to their towels, Harry watched Louis hold Skylar's hands and help her walk through the sand. He could hear Skylar making little noises, not really a fan of the sand between her toes but slowly growing used to the feeling. Eventually Louis brought her over to Harry and he took her, blowing raspberries into her pudgy tummy; making her giggle and slap at his head. After handing her back to Louis who was currently waiting under the umbrella the hotel had given them, Harry laid back on his towel and let the sun dry him off and warm his skin.
-*-
During their week in Barcelona they went to the Gothic Quarter to shop, dine, and look around. The architecture is incredible and everything is so old that even Scarlet is drawn in. There's a constant click of Louis snapping pictures of everything from buildings to people. They also went to the Barcelona Zoo and the Barcelona Aquarium, which were probably Scarlet's favourite things that they did. Except for maybe La Casa Vella where she was able to dress up as a Flamenco dancer. One their last night there, they headed to the Magic Fountain just before sunset to snag good seats for when the fountain performance containing water, music, and lights. It's absolutely stunning, all of the colours and the water and Harry thinks it might be his favourite part just because it's so pretty.
-*-
Holidays are always nice, but nothing beats home. Straight off the plane in London, they put all of their stuff into Louis' Audi and headed to the little deli near the bakery for dinner. From the deli they went over to the bakery where Anne was just pulling the few cupcakes and cookies that were left over from the day.
"You're back!" She smiled happily, hurrying over to hug them. "How was it?"
"Beautiful." Harry answered. "Think even Scarlet warmed up to it even though it wasn't Florida like she wanted." he smiled, reaching out to tug gently on one of his daughters curls.
"I still want to go to Florida. It's sunny and warm there, they have water parks and big theme parks too." Scarlet responded, moving to lean against Harry.
Harry chuckled and slipped an arm around her. It's another thing he can't believe, it feels like just yesterday she was eight and now she's suddenly eleven.
"Maybe next year love." Louis commented, peering down at Skylar who was snoozing in her stroller.
"Christmas." Scarlet stated.
"No, we're spending Christmas with family." Louis replied looking over at her.
Scarlet sighed and Harry laughed quietly again.
Anne packed up some sweets for them to take home and then hugged them goodbye. At home, Harry placed the sweets in the kitchen while Louis got Skylar ready for bed. Scarlet had wondered off to the shower so Harry decided a few minutes later to do the same.
He was just at the top of the stairs and Louis was just coming out of Skylar's bedroom when a terrified shrieked filled the house. Both of them jumped into action, running towards Scarlet's room where she had her own bathroom.
"Scarlet! Scarlet what's wrong!?" Harry questioned as both of them hurried into the bathroom.
Scarlet was standing in the tub with her towel around herself shielding her body from her parents.
"I don't... I felt something on my leg and I looked and it was red but I didn't cut myself!" Scarlet cried, clutching the towel. "And it was coming from... and it's in my undies too!"
"Oh boy..." Harry murmured and Louis rolled his eyes, gently pushing Harry out of his way.
"Hazza, can you get that box under the counter for me, the one my mum gave me." Louis requested, walking over to Scarlet. "Stop crying baby girl."
"W-What's wrong with me?" Scarlet whimpered and Louis reached out to wipe away her tears.
"Nothing bug, absolutely nothing." Louis assured her as Harry opened the box Jay had given Louis. "It's called a period lovely, every girl gets them eventually. I um... I don't really think I'd be very good at explaining it so I'll ask Nana Jay to come over tomorrow and talk about it with you okay?"
Scarlet nodded her head and sniffled then eyed the box Harry had set down on the closed toilet.
"Nana Jay dropped these off a couple months ago. You'll need these whenever this happens." Louis explained, showing her one of the pads in the box. "For right now though, how about you get in the shower and get nice and clean and I'll get you a clean pair of undies and set this up for you, okay?"
"Okay." Scarlet mumbled, nodding her head.
Louis gave her a soft smile, and leaned down to kiss her forehead before grabbing the box and ushering Harry out of the bathroom. A moment later the shower turned on and Louis let out a heavy sigh.
"Should have known that was gonna happen soon." He stated dropping the box on the bed and scrubbing his hands over his face.
"I have no clue how to deal with this." Harry laughed weakly. "I mean... I knew Gemma... but I didn't... I don't know anything about this. I was like fourteen before I even really paid attention to how moody she got sometimes every month."
"It's okay Haz, I've been through it four times. Do I know much about it? No because I never asked and I didn't want to know either. I figured it was a girl thing it didn't matter if I knew. Now I guess it would've been a good thing to know... but my mum will talk to her." Louis said, moving to grab a pair of clean underwear from Scarlet's dresser.
"Right, okay. I'm gonna go take a shower now..." Harry responded, walking towards the door and muttering something about his little girl growing up to fast.
Louis got Scarlet's underwear ready for her and placed them in the bathroom, letting her know they were there. When he got to their bedroom, Harry was in the shower humming to himself so Louis began putting away some of the things they hadn't used on vacation before carrying the rest down to the laundry room. Eventually both showers cut off and as Louis came back upstairs Scarlet emerged from her bedroom dressed in a pair of black knee length shorts and a plain white t-shirt. She was still sniffling and her face was etched with confusion so Louis just held open his arms to her. He had already text his mum and she said she'd be over first thing in the morning to talk with Scarlet and he couldn't but feel relieved.
"Nana Jay will be here in the morning hun. She'll answer all your questions and tell you everything you need to know." Louis promised, holding her to his chest and pressing random kisses to her head.
"Okay." Scarlet spoke quietly and he rubbed her back.
"Wanna watch a movie?" Louis questioned pulling away so he could look at her.
"Hunchback of Notre Dame?" She asked hopefully.
"Sure. You go set up the movie and I'll go let your daddy know where we are." Louis responded and Scarlet scampered off downstairs.
Louis let Harry know they were watching a movie and to join them when he was done then headed down to the theatre room to get the popcorn machine going. Scarlet was just putting the movie in when he walked in.
"Grab some waters love." Louis spoke as he poured some kernels into the machine and switched it on.
Scarlet was settled on the sofa by the time Louis had a big bowl of buttered popcorn. She started the movie and the lights in the room automatically dimmed. A short while later Harry came strolling in, walking up behind the sofa Louis and Scarlet were cuddled in. He gentled tugged Louis' hair so the older man would look back at him then leaned down to peck his lips. It's a small thank you for handling the situation earlier. Harry made himself comfortable in one of the recliners, draping a blanket over his legs after he had gotten some popcorn and water for himself.
By the time the movie was over, all three of them were asleep in their spots. Louis and Scarlet still on the sofa and Harry still in the rocker with the baby monitor in his lap.