Just two weeks ago, Harry and Mia had been invited to a birthday party.
To be specific, which is very necessary in this situation, they were invited to a kid's birthday party. Harry had promoted one of his employees to a high position, and as a thank you, the woman had invited Harry and a plus one to her child's 6th birthday party. Harry had looked down at the invitation wondering if there was a typo. He couldn't fathom the idea of going to a regular birthday party, much less a kid's one.
But his employee had insisted. And Harry had hinted that taking him out for lunch or something would be even better in his books, but the women refused to budge. So a few days later, Harry andMia stood in a venue with drinks in their hands, dodging children left and right.
His arm was slung around her waist. Mia was quiet for some time, a pensive look on her face as she watched the child who was "it" bellow, "CHAAAARGE" before sprinting to tag the other kids. Usually, something like this would make her twitchy, but something about her still figure and soft grey eyes made him ask, "What do you think? Should we get one?"
Mia had blinked at him. "A kid?"
"No, a bouncy house."
"Oh. Um. Well, I wouldn't be opposed, but..."
"Mia. Never mind. Yes, a kid." He sighed deeply and slanted his head towards her, his brows raised. "Thoughts?"
"I mean..." They'd talked about it before. And both of them wanted children. But it seemed like something that would happen after the wedding. But even that was really close – in three short months. "You know I want your kids."
Harry laughed softly and shook his head. "You always emphasize that they'd be mine as if I'd expect them to be somebody else."
"Well, you know," she smiled back, nudging his shoulder with hers. "I have to remind you that they'll all have your big head."
"You love my big head."
"I do." She took a sip of her drink. "And you? Think we should get on it?"
If it were up to Harry, he would have liked to wait just a year more. He wasn't in a rush. Though recently he had been enjoying the idea of having a baby to erase, and the feeling was always tainted by terror. "Maybe when my job is a little..."
Mia nodded. "Yeah."
Harry had been so busy recently. His father's company had just bought another, right before the end of the fiscal year. They had so much to work on for reports. It was driving him insane and causing him to work overtime. He just needed to get over his hurdle. And then he'd relax. He'd come home on time. He'd have more time to take Mia out rather than force her to attend a birthday with him. This felt like work anyways.
"But I do look forward to it," he'd insisted, kissing the top of her head. He watched as two kids ran into each other and began sobbing on the floor. "Well. Mostly."
A week later, Mia had come out of the bathroom at night with a pregnancy test in her hand. Her eyes were wide, hesitant. "I thought it would be funny," she said, "if it was negative because I missed a period and–"
She handed him the test. "You said you wanted kids a little later... what if we had one in nine months?" She looked at the wall, dazed. "Well. Seven months really, if I'm doing the math correctly. Which I'm probably not. You know what? It doesn't matter. I think you get the point."
Harry peered down at the test. It was a very solid positive. He's silent for a moment. Then – "Holy shit."
"I know," Mia whispered, joining him on the bed. "It's a lot. But we've talked about it, right? And we're getting married and you know it was gonna happen eventually. I mean–"
"Mia."
"-- I'm just saying that with the amount of sex you and I have, protected or not, it's totally a miracle that we haven't gotten pregnant already. And yeah I know we ditched the protection, and birth control doesn't always work but–"
"Mia."
"--what I'm trying to explain is that I'm totally okay with this. I might be freaking out a little bit and I might have had a mini panic attack in the bathroom but I really just–"
"Mia."
She buried her face in her hands. "What?"
"I fucking love you."
He'd taken her wrists and tugged. When she gave up and let him, he grabbed her face and kissed her so hard, she squeaked in surprise, steadying herself with a hand on his chest. "That," he murmured through the kisses, "was such a Mia way of telling me. You are unbelievable. I'm never going to get used to you."
Her eyes had immediately welled with tears. "Yeah? This is all right? We can work with this right? I mean, I'll likely have to get the dress tailored again but I don't think I'll be showing that much in two months." She leaned in and kissed him again and again until he felt her tears on his own face.
"This is perfect," he'd whispered, holding her tight until she was gasping for breath. "I fucking– Mia. Mia. You make it so hard when you give me all these gifts." And then he was grabbing her again, making her straddle him. He kissed her again and again, unwilling to take breaks in between even when his lungs were aching for air.
"You," he said softly, "are everything. Listen to me. Everything. And we're going to celebrate tomorrow, okay? Anything you want. All day. Nobody can bother us. How's that sound, hm?" He kissed her. "I love you. I love you so much I can't think straight."
When Mia fell asleep on his chest that night, his mind was racing with ideas on what they could do tomorrow. What could he do that could compare with the things she's done for him? He held her tight. He was going to be the best damned father anyone had ever met. He couldn't be anything less than that.
***
The next morning, Harry's phone begins to ring. And it continues to ring until Mia groans and reaches over him to grab it. She looks down at the caller ID with squinted eyes. It's as if a bucket filled with ice water has been thrown over her.
"Hey," she whispers to Harry, pushing his shoulder to wake him. "It's your father."
He tucks his head against her neck. "Ignore it." His voice is raspy.
She lets it ring until it stops. "You already have two missed calls from him. What if something happened? Like the company suddenly went bankrupt overnight? Like something with the stocks. Like the Great Depression? Do you know how bad the Great Depression was?"
"Then I guess I'm unemployed. I'm so sad." He doesn't sound sad at all. His arm that's thrown over her waist tightens and he pulls her back down until she's against the pillows again. "Go back to sleep."
"Fine, but don't blame me when you wake up destitute." She closes her eyes when Harry's warm body begins soothing her back into a peaceful state. Her eyes are heavy again. Nothing is more comfortable than Harry's hold lulling her to sleep.
And then Harry's phone rings again. It rings and rings until Harry finally raises his head and swears under his breath. He grabs his phone and puts it to his ear. "Hello," he answers in a very not so kind voice.
"Harry," Mia hears his father's voice through the phone. She opens her eyes and glances up at Harry. "Why haven't you been taking my calls?"
"It's 5 in the morning on a Sunday," Harry replies tensely.
"You will be having dinner with your step mother and I tonight."
He doesn't even bother asking. He just demands it. Mia watches Harry rub his eyes and sit up, turning away from her onto his side. "I've got plans tonight. Maybe another night."
"No, tonight. I'll be out of the country next week."
"I can't tonight."
"You may bring Amelia as well."
Harry pauses. He doesn't correct him about her name as he always does. "I'd have to ask her."
"I need to speak to you urgently about a matter regarding the company."
"We can do this over a video call."
"Harry, I'm not asking you. I will send you an address and you will show up. With your girlfriend or not, it matters little to me. This is an important conversation we must have."
"Fiancée, actually. Which I've told you," he says. He takes a breath and pinches the bridge of his nose. Mia knows Harry's getting angry at his father from the long pauses he keeps taking. She knows he's trying to calm himself down before he says something completely out of turn. She sits up and rests her head on his back, holding onto his arm.
"It's okay," she murmurs, rubbing her hair against him. "We can go."
He turns his head to look at her, his eyes wide. He pulls the phone away. "I wanted to celebrate with you."
"We can do it another time."
"No. This needs to be celebrated immediately."
She smiles sleepily, raising her head to look at him. "We have, like, seven months to celebrate."
His jaw tenses as he brings his phone back to his ear. She nods encouragingly and then lays back on her side, tucking herself under the warm sheets. She feels him staring at her a few seconds before she hears his soft voice say to his father, "We will be there."
"Good," his father says. "I will send over the details."
"All right. Bye."
She hears him turn his ringer off and then set his phone to the side. He gathers her into his arms and holds her close. His lips press to the top of her head. "I'm really sorry, Mia."
"Don't be," she laughs softly. "Nothing we haven't done before."
"I know. But still." His voice is quiet and sad. "I wanted to celebrate." His hand slides over her stomach. "Take you somewhere nice."
"I'm sure the restaurant your father picks will be nice."
"I wanted to take you somewhere nice and alone."
"We can do that any other day."
He's quiet again. "Yeah." Before she falls asleep, she hears Harry apologizing again, barely audible.
***
Mia walks in on Harry pulling his freshly tied tie off his neck. He mutters a swear and tosses it on the bed and unbuttons the top two buttons of his shirt, pulling his collar open. With a deep breath, he makes eye contact with Mia through the mirror. She's in a long summer dress and white sneakers, pulling her jacket on. She's done her hair in loose curls and pinned the front pieces out of her face. She smiles at him, but he doesn't smile back, clearly lost in his thoughts.
"Hey," she says, frowning. She takes his hand and walks around to stand in front of him. "It's okay."
His eyes are distant. "I want a day off with just you and me. I've been working so much, I feel like I've barely seen you. And we live together."
Mia presses his hand to her cheek. She feels his knuckles gently caress her skin upon contact. "I know. But things come up. We can have a day to ourselves next week." She frowns deeper. "Oh wait. We promised Amara and Zack we'd do a double date."
At the reminder of the plan, Harry looks pained. "We can just not show up."
"That would piss him off."
"Who cares? I'm pissed off right now."
Mia stands on her tiptoes, wrapping her arms around his neck. A smile takes her face again, and she's suddenly leaning in to gently kiss the corner of his mouth. "Well, I hope you know that you're so cute when you're pissed off."
"I'm serious." His voice loses a bit of its agitated tone. He holds her waist.
"As am I. Now come on. Stop brooding and look a little more happy. I'm having your child, after all. You owe me smiles for the next seven months."
At that reminder, his eyes light up and one dimple appears. Then another. He holds her face and tugs her closer. "You're absolutely right."
She grins and then melts into the embrace when Harry kisses her. "I am always right."
Mia doesn't know how some people are able to keep the news as a secret until their partner is ready to take it. When she looked down at the positive pregnancy test last night, her first thought was to tell Harry. There was no way she'd be able to keep it to herself.
She lost count of how many times he whispered "thank you" and "I love you".
Harry was such a mess, they weren't actually able to make love like she thought they would. Every time Harry would hold her face to kiss her, he'd tear up again and drop his head, whispering the words again, mixed with a healthy and colorful amount of soft, incredulous swears.
"I was thinking, actually," he murmurs once he pulls away. He twists a strand of her hair around his finger. "We should go for a vacation. To celebrate, I mean."
Mia says, "You know I am always ready for a getaway."
"Mhm." He kisses her again. "And when we come back, we can start telling people? Is that a thing that you do so early?"
"Well, I don't have any other children so it's hard for me to know."
"Then maybe we wait until the second trimester."
"Should we do a gender reveal party?"
Harry thinks about it as he kisses her once more. "Dunno. I mean, I would totally be okay with finding out the day off."
Mia's eyes light up. "I was thinking that too." She slides her hands down his shoulders, fixing his collar along the way. "I would be happy with a boy or a girl."
"Me too."
"And should we do something like a big reveal for our friends and parents? No wait. I'd actually rather tell my parents in person."
"Is that where our vacation will be? Staten Island?"
She fakes a shudder. "Don't even joke about that."
He kisses her for a final time, a very long kiss that has her pressing herself against him, his hands on her waist, feeling the warmth of her skin. And when he pulls away, Mia laughs softly and wipes his mouth. "Lipstick," she whispers. Harry cleans up the corner of her mouth with his own thumb. "We should head out soon."
Harry sighs deeply and nods. "Let's get this over with, hm?"
"Let's."
***
Despite having been with Harry for four years, it still shocks her whenever they go out to a place as fancy as this. Because although Harry and her do go to expensive places, they're never as high end as the ones his father picks. Harry complains that the super expensive places don't have edible food, which she has to agree with. Looking at the menu in her hands, she scans it for anything that she even recognizes.
Most of the time, she has to elbow Harry gently and ask him what these dishes are. Unfortunately, Harry is having a discussion with his father about the company, something she usually just tunes out.
At least she's decided what drink to have. And the post dinner dessert.
Harry jokes with her that she should listen to how the company is run or at least know its primary functions. He says that if he ever got sick, she'd have to step in to run the company for him. Mia's not all that sure how much of that is the truth. They wouldn't just give the company to anybody, right? Harry reminds her that his father handed a large part of the company over to him despite Harry not having the experience. Mia argues that that is a classic story of nepotism. Harry argues back that him giving her his job is also nepotism.
You really can't win with rich people, Mia says, ending the conversation there.
After they've ordered (Mia playing it safe by ordering exactly what Harry does), they sit in relative silence until Harry's father clears his throat and says, "Well, I have news to give you, Harry. In fact, tomorrow morning, we can start on the paperwork."
Harry says, "Paperwork?"
"Yes. I'm sure you know of all the board meetings we've been having over the course of the past two months, and there have been rumors here and there, but I'd like to actually come straight to you to say it. I am stepping down as chief executive officer."
Harry takes a sip of his water. "Great. Who's the unlucky fellow that gets to take your place? Is this about voting? I told you having an even number of board executives was a bad idea for this very reason."
Something flashes over Harry's father's face. Surprise, perhaps. "Well, I wouldn't just hand the position over to just anybody."
"Right. Do you want me to look over performance reviews and applications?"
"Harry," Mia says softly.
He glances down at her and then his father. Then his step mother. Realization dawns. "Oh."
"Yes. I will be passing duties over to you."
Mia watches the expressions pass over his face. Confusion, surprise, then... something else.
"It was always set in stone that I would pass the company to you, son. I did think I would continue to be CEO for at least another 2 years, but I think it's an excellent time for me to retire. The company is stable. The revenues have increased every year, our profit margins are better than ever. There are few fires to put out in distinct subsidiaries, but this previous quarter has been exceptional."
"Right."
"It is not only because you're my son. It's also because of your commitment to the company. You have been strict in hiring and following the companies values. Your negotiating skills have never been more excellent. We gained a new subsidiary that brings in massive amount of profits because of you. The contracts you've renewed this year alone are commenable. You've put in the work and you deserve this position."
"Right."
"We will start the paperwork tomorrow."
Mia realizes what's on Harry's face. Dread.
Because Harry's never wanted that position. She knows it. Sometimes, he'd reveal to her that it was the only position left for him if he were to excel past his current one, and that he wasn't sure how he'd react to the news. They all thought it would be a couple more years until this discussion was brought up.
But now it's here. Harry is reaching for his water again, taking slow slips in thought.
The silence is unnerving. Mia puts on a bright smile and exclaims, "This is wonderful news! Congratulations, Harry!"
His step mother raises her glass in a toast and everyone except Harry clink theirs together. "Congratulations!"
"I understand it's a shock," his father says after drinking his wine. "But it is for the best of the company. I leave it in good hands." He glances up at the waiter. "Thank you."
As the plates are getting set in front of them, Mia puts her hand on top of Harry's under the table. She notices that his fingers are cold, so she rubs them softly.
"You know what?" Harry suddenly says when the waiter leaves. He pulls his hand out from under hers abruptly. "I've got to get some air. I'll be right back." He pushes his chair out. "Excuse me."
Mia watches him quickly walk out of the restaurant while undoing one more button of his shirt. Normally, she'd be annoyed that she's been left with the shark of a father he has, but now, concern runs through her. She's already on the edge of her seat when Harry mutters an apology to the host and exists.
She glances back at his father and step mother. They don't actually look perturbed.
"I would have thought he'd gotten used to all this," his step mother says, cutting into her steak carefully. "Does it always take him time to get used to something?"
"Yes," his father says, chewing already. "He'll be fine." He looks at Mia. "How have you been, Amelia? The wedding planning is complete, yes? How's the job going? You know, my offer at the company still stands. Well, now it'll have to go through Harry, but I'm sure that the position he can get you would pay far better than the one you currently h–"
"Actually," Mia says, standing up. She winces at the way her chair screeches against the floor. "I am so sorry. I'm, um, I'm going to check on Harry."
His father waves his fork in the air. "Go on ahead. Talk some sense into him."
She offers a nod of some kind and then walks out, trailing after Harry. She also apologies to the host and promises her return.
He hasn't gone too far. In fact, he's right out the restaurant, pacing with his hands tucked into his pockets.
"Harry." She jogs over to him, grabbing his blazer sleeve, stopping him in his step. "Hey. Hi."
He looks at her with frantic eyes. "I'm not taking that job. I can't take it. I can't."
"Okay. That's okay."
He stares at her for a moment before wrapping his arms around her, hugging her tight against his front. His heart is beating fast. "Mia. I don't– Mia."
"It's okay." She feels him drop his head to her shoulder. He takes a deep, shaky breath.
"I don't want to be the CEO."
She rubs his back. "I know."
"I always thought it would be fine, yeah? Take on a few more responsibilities. But..."
"It's just not what you want."
"Is it wrong? I've always known, so is it cheating by refusing now? I mean. I know people who would kill for this job. My father probably thinks I'm being ungrateful."
Mia shakes her head. "Well, you're not. You're trying your best, and this just doesn't interest you. You don't want it."
"Maybe 5 years ago it's what I would have wanted. I wanted to prove that I could be something big. Prove it to my dad. But things are different now. I don't want to prove anything to anyone. I feel as if I'm different. You and I are different." He squeezes her.
"I understand," she whispers. "I know."
"What difference will it make anyways? We're more than comfortable right now. I'm miserable at my job and I will be miserable as CEO."
This is news to her. "I thought you were enjoying it a bit more."
"No." His voice is muffled against her dress. "You think I like a job that doesn't allow me to see you?" He suddenly lifts his head and holds her waist tight. "Mia, this past week alone, I've come home so late that you're already asleep. I don't want that." She sees something like fear in his eyes. "I didn't pay attention to you the first time. And look what that did to our relationship. It was entirely my fault. I can't do that again. I can't handle that. I won't ever show up. But that's what we agreed on all those years ago, right? That I'd be there?"
"Harry..."
"I've been so good at showing up and that'll all change if I take the job. There's a reason why my parents never worked out. Why I never had a good relationship with my dad." His eyes are wide, frantic. "I can't be my father. I don't want to be. I would never want to be. I can't do that to you. I can't do that to..." He puts a hesitant hand on her stomach. "God, I'd hate myself if I did that."
"Harry..." Mia surges forward and throws herself at him, hugging him so tight, she feels her own ribs hurting. He holds her just as tight, head against her shoulder once more. "Oh, I love you, you beautiful person. I love you so much."
"Yeah?" he whispers, turning his head to kiss her cheek. "Is that all right, then? If I say no?"
"I think you should say no, then quit your current job and let me be the income earner for the rest of the year. Won't be able to pay for the wedding though. You'll have to chip in. A lot."
Harry chokes out a laugh. "We'll honeymoon for the rest of the year."
"As long as it's not in Staten Island," she giggles, planting kisses after kisses on his jaw. "I love you. Got that? I love you always."
He pulls away slightly to look at her, apprehension in his eyes. "Always? Are you sure? It's...it's not easy loving me."
Harry's never been the type to ask Mia to remind him she loves him. She knows he knows that she adores him more than anything. But now, he's asking, and he's looking so hopeful with his pretty green eyes under the golden lights outside the restaurant. He's looking all over her face, his gaze often lingering on her mouth.
"Are you kidding me?," she suddenly laughs. "Harry. You know loving you has never been difficult for me. And not to mention, you're kinda stuck with me. We're reproducing after all."
Harry groans. "Is that how you're going to break the news to everyone? Hey guys, just wanted to say that my fiancé and I did have unprotected sex—"
"Wait! That's basically what people say when they're like oh yeah we're trying. Like hmm okay, but we know exactly what's going on no matter how cute you make it sound!"
"And yet it's still better than we banged and here we are."
Mia smiles. "But we did bang and here we are indeed."
"Listen." He takes her clip out of her hair and fixes her short strands back again. "Tell your friends however you'd like. But my family will be told a very specific, expensive way."
"Like a party? You don't like them."
Harry shrugs. "I don't seem to oppose the idea of celebrating such a big thing, though. As long as I get to kick people out on time."
"But with Amara and Zack—"
"I give you full control."
"Good. I want to make them cry." She looks very determined. "I want them to be fighting for their life. Choking, even."
Harry says, "Er, yeah. Whatever you want."
"Maybe we can tell your father and step mother right now."
Harry drags the back of his hand against her cheek. "Yeah?"
"I mean, you're going to have to give a reason why you're declining. And you can't just say it's because you love me so so so so so much."
"Oh yeah? And why not?" He squishes her face, pulling her close, his voice tender. "Why can't I refuse on the basis of loving my fiancée so so so so much?"
Her eyes light up. "Because that's super out of character for you. He might think you're sick. Although I'd love to see the look on his face."
"Me too. He might have a heart attack at the idea of his son being happy."
Mia suddenly frowns. "Don't say that. That makes me really angry."
"I know. Hey. We should go and make him angry instead, hm?"
"I like the way you think, Styles."
He smiles and kisses her quickly. "Come on." He takes her hand. "Let's ruin their day."
They share one more look before they head back inside. When they reach the table, they're not surprised to see their plates untouched and the others nearly finished. They sit back down.
"Have you finished with your dramatics?" Harry's father says calmly.
"I will be refusing the promotion."
Well, shit, Mia thinks. Just getting straight to it then.
His father's eyes narrow as he slowly puts his fork down. He then takes a sip of his wine. Finally, he clasps his hands on the table. "And why, might I ask?"
"I have other priorities I need to focus on."
"Something that is more important than your career?"
"Yes."
"There is nothing more important to a man than his career." His father shakes his head. "I'm disappointed. I wish you'd have learned this by now. You should take time to think this over. It won't even be such a big difference."
Harry says, "I have a different future in mind for myself. Something I know is more worthwhile. Somewhere I'm needed more."
His father's eyes narrow some more before they turn on Mia. "And I assume this decision is due to your influence as well."
"I don't think I influence Harry to do anything. I like to think I just encourage him." Mia hates how she doesn't sound confident in herself. "This is something we both happen to believe in."
"He would not make this decision if it weren't for you."
Mia catches the bitter, criticizing tone, and so does Harry. She can tell by the way he tenses.
"Do not," he says tightly, "speak to her like that. I am refusing the position and that is my final answer. This is what's best for my family and I."
"Your family?"
"Are you—?" his step mother asks Mia, but Harry's already stood up to leave. Mia scrambles to do the same, taking his outstretched hand.
"Um. Goodnight," she says even though Harry's already dragging her away. The look on his father and step mother's face is priceless. Mia wishes she could photograph it, blow it up, and put it on a blanket. It would make for an excellent anniversary gift.
Harry's walking so fast, she needs to jog a little to keep up with him. When they get to the car, he stops and looks up at the sky. He laughs a little, but Mia's sure he's not finding anything particularly amusing. "Well, shit."
"Uh, is he going to come after us?"
"Of course not."
"Right." She needs to say something to make him feel better. Anything. Anything ridiculous. "I wished we packed up the food. It looked really good."
It works. He snorts and unlocks the car, releasing her hand. "Relax. I'll feed you. Let that be the least of your worries."
They sit in the car, but Harry doesn't start it right away. Instead, he holds the steering wheel and takes several more deep breaths. After a moment of silence, Harry puts his head on the wheel.
Mia rubs his back. "It's okay. It's going to be okay."
Harry doesn't reply for some time. His eyes are shut, his eyebrows furrowed. She continues to rub his back and lean over to kiss his curls.
Finally, his eyes open and he sits back up. He secures his seatbelt and then starts the car. "Okay. Let's go home. No wait. We have to feed you first. Then we go home."
"We can place an order for pickup."
"An excellent idea. Let's do that." He gives her a pointed look. "Pick a place and order from it. Without any fuss."
Mia smiles. "Yes, sir."
His eyes narrow and he leans in for a kiss. "Good."
He puts the car in drive.
***
"Should we buy a baby name book? I saw one the other day that had a thousand in them." Mia bites down aggressively on her crouton.
"I'm pretty sure we can agree on a name collectively," Harry answers.
"We don't ever agree on anything collectively."
"Touch."
"This is really good. Are you sure you don't want to try it?"
He looks at the monstrosity in front of her. A caesar salad but she's coated it with pickle relish instead, and her pasta is covered with so much cheese and oregano, he can barely see the pasta underneath. She twirls her pasta on her fork and then stabs her relish covered romaine lettuce, shoveling it all into her mouth.
"No, thank you," he says. "I'm sure it's...very delicious."
"Not even my drink?"
She's having orange Fanta to top it all off. "I'm okay, baby. You know, if we weren't sure that you were pregnant before, we're definitely sure now."
"You've gotta remind me that I need to get a doctor's appointment. I can get it for Friday afternoon if that works for you."
She says it so casually, it makes him pause, his drink half way to his lips. He puts his glass down. "No. I'll get leave for it."
She glances at him. "You don't have to. I mean I'm sure you've got a lot to talk about with your dad and taking off in the middle of the week won't be so good."
"It doesn't matter." He frowns. "It's time your schedule stopped depending on mine. You know what? I should start taking three days off a week."
"You already come home early on Fridays."
"They can survive another day without me."
Mia shoves another crouton in her mouth. "You know I love having you in the house. Maybe if you can't get another day off, you can work from home."
"Yes." His mind is spinning with possibilities. "That's a good idea too."
"I am full of them."
Harry takes his napkin and leans over the table, gently wiping the corner of her mouth. "You sure are."
Mia quickly finishes up her food. Harry passes her water to have insead of the Fanta and she drinks it down quickly before getting up and walking over to his side. He spreads his legs when he sees her coming, patting his thigh. She falls into his lap easily.
"Hey," she whispers, tucking her head against his shoulder. "I'm a little scared."
His arms are tight around her immediately. "Of my father? Don't worry about that. I'll handle it."
She holds his shirt tightly. "No it's not that. I know you can deals with him."
"Then what is it, baby?" He kisses her forehead and runs his fingers through her hair. "Tell me."
She's quiet for a moment until she says, "What if I'm not a good parent?"
"Oh, Mia."
"I mean, I wasn't even around kids at any point in my life. And I don't have young siblings. I'm going to have to buy a ton of parenting books. I don't even know anything. Did you know that you're not supposed to warm milk up in the microwave for babies?"
Harry gently tugs her chin up so she can look at him. "Mia, between us, I think I should be the most worried about being a bad parent."
"Harry, I know you're going to be the best dad, and I've never been more confident of anything in my life. But me? I don't know. I just learned how to start caring for myself, and sometimes it feels like I'm still learning. You're going to be perfect though."
He shakes his head. "There's no such thing as a perfect parent. There's a big difference between a good parent and a bad one though." He takes a breath. "We are going to try our best. Right? Isn't that all we can do?"
"Right," she whispers, turning her face against his neck, her nose against the column of his throat. "Together."
"Always. You said it yourself."
She sniffles. "Are you scared too?"
"Absolutely fucking terrified. But I'm also excited. And also very relieved that it's you I get to share this with."
She raises her head. "Me too." She sits up, blinking her grey, teary eyes at him. " But I'm also sad. You're going to be such a hot dad." Her lip begins to wobble. "And I'm going to have to pry all the women off of you when you drop our baby off at daycare."
Harry tries very hard not to laugh. It doesn't seem like the appropriate time. "I will not even give them the time of day."
"I should get a shirt that says That DILF is Mine!"
"As long as I get a matching one."
He wipes her tears away, ruining her mascara in the process.
She sniffles some more. "I really wanted to have sex tonight but now I can't stop crying." She buries her face in her hands and cries harder. "This is r-really,really bad."
Harry can't help laughing then. He clutches her close to his chest and rests his head on hers. "Exactly how I felt yesterday." He rubs her back as she'd done to him in the car. "It's been a long day. It's going to be okay. I know it's very overwhelming."
For some time, he lets her cry, thinking of ways to make her feel better. "Hey, I was thinking," he finally decides, "if it's a boy, maybe we can name him Axel."
That gets her to stop crying. She immediately says in an icy voice, "I will divorce you."
"Well, how about something classic like Bobby."
She pulls away from him quickly. Her eyes are dark and annoyed, eyelashes still wet. Her nose is red, her cheeks pink. She looks like a vision. "What the hell is wrong with you?"
"No?" he says innocently, wracking his brain for another terrible idea. "How about Clover for a girl?"
"You're messing with me."
"Delilah?"
She growls, "What is this – the early 2000s? I'm buying that baby name book tomorrow. You're terrible at this!"
"I will admit I'm not the best at naming things. I named my cousin's dog Pikachu."
"You're lying."
He wipes her face gently. "Nope."
"I will be naming this child."
"I absolutely refuse to give you that right. Are you angry? Now you won't have sex with me because you're mad, right?"
Her eyes narrow. "On the contrary. I want to have sex with you even more now."
Harry laughs and gathers her close, standing up. Her legs immediately wrap around his waist. "So romantic. Well, since you insist."
She's still going on about how terrible his name picking skills are when they arrive in their bedroom and Harry gently puts her in the middle of the bed.
He sighs dramatically, unbuttoning his shirt with one hand as he looms over her. "Well, it seems like I'm really, truly wrong. I guess the only thing I must do now is apologize."
Mia bites down on her lower lip as Harry drops his shirt on the floor and slides his hands up her legs under her dress. She parts her thighs instinctively and tilts her head back against the ceiling. "Yes. You must."
He hums, pushing her dress up until she grabs it from him, letting it bunch at her waist. He kisses her hip bone, then her thighs. Slowly, taking his time. He gently bites down on the flesh, growing harder at the sound of her gasp. He presses a feather light kiss to the waistband of her underwear before slowly tugging it down.
"Mia," he says softly, slotting himself between her legs. "My sweet girl. When did you get so wet?"
She glances down at him. "Um, when you were being super hot and angry at your father in the restaurant."
"Which was well over an hour ago?"
"Well, I wasn't going to jump you in the car!"
"I wouldn't have minded pulling over. Or doing this first when we got home." He emphasizes the word when a careful lick against her. Her hands immediately fly out to grab his curls. "You know I never mind. Now." He holds her thighs open. "Let me apologize properly."
His fingers dig into her skin as he slids his tongue over her again. He relaxes into the mattress, encouraged by her strained groans and tight hold on his hair. He knows Mia well. He could do this in his sleep. He knows exactly what types of touches she likes, when she likes it rough, or when she prefers to be teased. He could stay here between her legs for hours, days even, submitting to her in whichever way she pleases. His heart thunders in his chest at the promise of forever. He'll have her like this, exposed, and he'll be at her mercy. All that she's done for him, all that she's tolerated. How much she's fixed him. If only he could repay her.
"So good," she whimpers under him, raising his hips against his mouth to create more friction. He focuses his attention on her clit and then slowly presses two fingers into her, listening to her gasp at the penetration. "I love you. Oh I love you. I love you. I love you-"
All the discomfort he's felt today is suddenly gone. All he's aware of is Mia. He's wrapped up in her. He's all hers. Hasn't he always been? He closes his eyes and loses himself in the sounds she's making, her heavy breathing, and the taste of her on his tongue. He's never had any issue in losing himself in Mia.
It's just him and her.
He couldn't be more happy.