Isabella
Harry told me that Ottilie was shocked to see a dog in the house when she woke up. I was already hard at work at the studio when she woke up, but I wish I had gotten to see her reaction. She's told me on numerous occasions that she wants her own puppy, so I know her face had to have been priceless. I almost feel bad that Harry had to tell her he was dog sitting Rory for me while I worked.
Thankfully, I picked the best dog sitters in the game. The second Ottie arrived at her ballet class, she gave me a full report on everything Rory did today, all from going on a walk through Central Park, to her peeing on Harry's very fancy living room rug. He apparently wasn't too thrilled that Rory did that, but as Ottie pointed out, she's just a puppy.
Taking a quick look through the window to where the parents are all waiting, I catch sight of Harry talking to Angela while holding her baby. He looks so happy with the small infant in his arms, taking time to look down at her with a smile. I've never seen someone look so comfortable with a baby.
Our dance class today ended with a little Christmas party since the studio is gonna be closed for the holidays. I'm really glad today was just all Christmas parties and not much dancing. It gave me an excuse to wear a turtleneck to hide the bruising around my neck. I even sent a text to my older girls to take the day off, which meant this baby ballet class was my last group for the day.
Sitting on the floor, I can't help but smile as I watch all the kids play freeze dance. Every so often I'll pause the music and they'll all stop, giggling as they wait for me to start it again. After some cupcakes and candy, these kids are wired and I'm definitely ready for their parents to take control again.
Since I had the budget this year, I decided to get the kids little goodie bags. I guess having thousands of dollars in your bank account helps when it comes to things like that. They're just little holiday themed stickers, playdoh, and chocolates. Three year olds love stickers. I'm just glad I dropped them off yesterday before all that shit went down last night or else I definitely would have forgotten them.
I like being able to do things for the kids. I like making cupcakes and cookies for them and planning out special games. Anything to make them smile and be happy. I want them to know that this studio is a safe place for them and that I will always be there to help.
Ottie and Zara requested to be my helpers today, which is a pretty coveted role in baby ballet. The two little girls have been like little ducklings all class with the way they've been following me. It's pretty adorable.
They dance next to me, holding hands as they spin in circles with the silliest little giggles. Every kid in the room is happy and radiating a kind of joy that I needed. The joy only children know. It's almost healing to be able to immerse myself into a child's mind for a little bit. To view the world from their innocent eyes after the night I had.
Freeze dance ends when all the kids are being too silly to even stop. It makes me smile and laugh when one of them purposely moves when the music is off. Thankfully they aren't too silly to sit in a little circle so we can say goodbye for the day.
I smile when Tyler comes and sits right in my lap, having snuck an extra cookie from the table with the help of Ariana, my assistant for the day. "Alright guys, how was class today?"
They all say some sort of version of "fun" and quiet down when I put my finger over my lips. I smile at them. "I'm so glad! Now, next week we don't have class, and the same goes for the week after that. The next time I see you guys will be in January, alright? Does anyone remember why?"
"Because Christmas!" Tyler exclaims, holding up his arms in excitement.
"That's right, Ty! We have time off for the holidays, which means you guys get to spend time with your mommies and daddies! Now, before you guys leave, make sure you get in your line because I have a surprise, okay?"
After circle time, the kids all run to get their bags and get in line. Ariana watches them as I slip through the door and to the desk out front to grab the box with the goodie bags. As each kid leaves, I hand them a goodie bag and of course they freak out in excitement.
Ottie runs to show her dad the goodie bag, Zara close behind so she could show her mom. Both Harry and Angela match the kids' excitement to the little bag. Harry looks over at me with a smile, which I shyly reciprocate before going back to managing dismissal.
As usual, Zara and Ottie are the last two left in the lobby, chatting away while their parents wait for them to finish. I say goodnight to Ariana as she heads out before joining them in the lobby.
"Hey," I smile, crossing my arms over my chest.
"Hey, thank you so much for this whole party thing. It was so sweet!" Angela says with a big smile.
"Oh, of course. I'm glad I could make these kiddos happy." I shrug, looking over at Ottie and Zara who are in their own little world.
"Any plans for the holidays?" She asks. Harry doesn't seem to mind that she takes over the conversation, taking the opportunity to soak in the last few moments of baby time.
I shake my head. "No. I'll probably be around here. How about you guys? It's a big one right?"
Angela has the proudest smile. "Yes it is. Have you met Sasha yet? I can't remember if I brought her by!"
"I don't think you have. Sasha is such a beautiful name." I can't help but smile when Harry presents the baby to me. "She's precious, really."
"Wanna hold her?" He asks me, but my eyes go wide.
"Oh, it's fine. I can't remember the last time I held a baby that small." I honestly don't think I have ever held a baby before.
Angela just loves the idea. "Oh, Isabella. She's so chill, you should hold her! Go on, sit down and Harry will pass you the baby."
Harry gives me a sly look, pretty much telling me to go and sit down and hold the baby. I can't say no to the baby's mother. So I sit down on one of the benches. The girls notice what's going on and crowd around me, excited to see the baby up close again.
"You just have to support her head." Harry instructs me before carefully passing me the baby. He keeps his hand cradling her head until she's in the right position in my arms, a beaming smile taking over as he takes a step back.
She moves around in my arms a little bit, but I try not to panic. I let her get comfortable and pretty soon she's back in dreamland. Once the initial fear that I'll drop her subsides, I can't help but smile at how cute she is.
Zara gets up close to her sister, "Sasha likes when I tell her stories, right sissy?" She places a gentle kiss on the baby's head with a big smile.
"She's really lucky to have you as a big sister, you know. She's gonna look up to you."
"Well because she's small." Zara points out, making Harry, Angela and I laugh at how literal she is.
I smile down at the baby one more time before looking at Angela. "You really have beautiful kids. And as a dance instructor, I must remind you that there is a sibling discount for when she's ready to start. She'll always have a spot in my class."
"Thank you, Isabella. You will definitely see little miss Sasha in your class one day, that's for sure."
Glancing over at Harry, I can't help but notice his wistful smile. How soft his eyes look as he watches me with the baby. I know I must look awkward since I have no experience with holding little babies, but it's like he doesn't even notice that part. A sort of calmness takes over, and I let my focus go back to the little one in my arms.
After a while, Angela takes Sasha back in her arms to get her situated in the car seat. The girls try to rope me into a conversation, but at the same time I watch as Angela gets her smallest daughter into the seat without her making as much as a peep. That must be a skill that comes with having your third kid.
We all say goodbye one more time before Angela leaves with her kids. Harry plops down beside me on the bench, nudging me with his elbow. "You looked so scared holding that baby."
I roll my eyes as he laughs, glancing over at him. "Well I did say no to holding her."
"But it was nice right? Holding one of the most peaceful humans on the planet? She'll never be that little again." He smiles when Ottie climbs into his lap. "Those little angels grow into beautiful ballerinas like this one!"
Ottie giggles, wrapping her arms around her dad's neck. "Is Bellie coming to get Rory now from our house?"
I nod, "Yep. I just have to finish cleaning up the studio and then I'll go to your house okay?"
Harry smiles, "If we help Bellie clean then she'll come over faster." Ottie likes that idea, nodding quickly before looking at me.
"Come on Bellie! Let's go clean!"
Harry and I both laugh at that sentence coming from a little three year old, but we all get up and head back into the studio.
Ottilie and Harry get to work putting all the toys and tutus and other props back into the bins where they belong while I get to work putting away what's left of the cookies and cupcakes into containers. I'm sure Ottie will be more than willing to take these off my hands.
To his credit, we do end up cleaning the studio pretty quick. Harry is an efficient cleaner and I'm almost tempted to keep him for cleaning duty after every class. Sure, it won't make him a billionaire but it'll make my life a hell of a lot easier.
As I clean the mirrors of the little hand streaks that the babies always leave, I catch the end of a conversation from Harry and Ottie before she runs into the den to use the bathroom.
I can't help but smile when he approaches, wrapping his arms around my waist as I clean. "A moment away from the three year old." He mutters before kissing my cheek.
"I'm telling Ottie you called her the three year old." I tease, laughing when he tickles my sides.
He hums, smiling against my cheek. Once I turn in his arms, he tucks my hair behind my ear. "Let's go somewhere. You have time off, I have time off. Let's just go somewhere."
"What about Ottilie? And Aurora? And where would we even go?"
"They can come too. We could go anywhere, Bellie. How about Italy? I have a house, we could fly out there tomorrow."
Wrapping my arms around his neck, I shake my head. "You are insane. You want to go to Italy for the holidays?"
He nods, "I do. I want to show you one of my favorite countries in the world. Let's go."
As he places sweet kisses to my jaw, I sigh dramatically. "Is this what billionaires do? Travel around the world on a whim?" He chuckles against my skin, humming in response. "Well we can't leave tomorrow."
"Why not?" He asks, looking down at me with a calm smile.
"Because we have to see the ballet tomorrow." I remind him, letting my fingers twirl around his curls.
His eyes light up with a smile as he remembers, tilting his head to the side. "You're right. We do have the ballet tomorrow. Alright, then we'll leave the next day."
I try to fight the smile from creeping up on my face, but I fail when he peppers my face with kisses. My giggles are only stopped by his lips, finally ending his attack. My lips mold into his, smiling when he pulls my waist in closer. His big grin disrupts the kiss ever so slightly, but we don't pull away. I never want it to end.
A tiny gasp is the only reason we finally end the kiss. Harry and I look over in the direction of the sound, only to see Ottie standing in the archway of the den with her hands covering her mouth. It takes us a second to let go of each other as we realize that Ottie just saw something she probably shouldn't have. Harry's the first to let me go, rushing over to his daughter to assess the situation.
"Ottie..." His voice is careful, not sure how to approach her.
I try to look away, not sure if this is really crossing a line. Sure, we broke a lot of the contract rules, but Ottilie not being involved is a big deal. So I just focus on finishing up cleaning.
However, Ottilie doesn't react negatively. No, she moves her hands from her face only to reveal a big smile. Through the mirror, I see her look at her father excitedly, holding her hands under her chin as if she could burst into a pile of glitter at any second.
"I like Bellie." She tries to whisper, but I can definitely hear it from my spot across the studio. My heart settles at those three simple words, a feeling of relief washing over me.
And instead of trying to convince his daughter that he was just giving me mouth to mouth because I was choking, Harry smiles and leans closer to his daughter. "I like Bellie, too."
Ottilie runs across the studio, her little pigtails bouncing along with her tutu. She stops herself by hugging my leg, giggling as she looks up at me. "Bellie, are you coming to my house now?"
I glance over at Harry first, wanting to know if he's okay with me being around his daughter as more than her dance teacher or a friend of his. With a small nod and a wistful smile, he gives me the okay. "I am, Ottie. I have to go get Rory, I'm sure she's missing us all."
Harry joins us, picking up Ottie with a playful groan. "Let's get going, Otter. Bellie and Rory are staying for dinner!"
Together we get our coats on. I shut everything down at the studio, holding the containers of leftover cupcakes and cookies under my left arm. Once everything is locked up, Ottie stands between us and takes my free hand while her other holds Harry's. She has an extra skip in her step as we walk to the car where Cole waits for us. He had to park around the corner since there was no parking in front.
Harry is a little quiet for the rest of the night, but not in a bad way. He watches as Ottie and I play with Rory with a smile on his face, even as he's cooking us dinner. To my surprise, he even asks me to help him with Ottie's nighttime routine. I know he doesn't need my help, he's gotten her to sleep plenty of times in the past while I waited in the living room. But he wants my help.
He wants to kiss me in front of his daughter. He wants to have dinner together, just the three of us. He wants me to help cuddle Ottie in her little bed while he reads her a bedtime story. He wants to take us on vacation together without having to hide me away.
I never expected this arrangement to turn into this. To turn into a family. But I'll thank whoever I have to every single day for putting them in my path. For giving me this beautiful family who want me just as much as I want them.
I finally know where I belong, safe in the embrace of their loving arms.
✧✧✧
my favorite little family i love them
gab