Harry
I've never loved Italy more.
The villa was my first vacation property. Growing up, I always held fond memories of our family vacations to Italy, so when I was able to buy another property, I immediately thought of Italy.
Since then I've invested in properties all around the globe. Los Angeles, Miami, Paris, Tokyo, Sydney. My real estate portfolio is huge and ever expanding. I love to travel and fall in love with cities so easily. But the villa will always be my ultimate favorite. Especially after this trip.
The last week has been perfect. Relaxing in the villa, celebrating Christmas. When we arrived we put up a makeshift Christmas tree, decorating it with homemade ornaments. I brought a bunch of presents from home, mostly for Ottie since I always spoil her on Christmas but there were a few in there for Isabella and even Rory. To my surprise, I ended up opening quite a few presents this year. I guess Isabella and Ottie found time to go shopping while we were here.
Isabella was so joyful that day. The smile on her face never faded, not even when she fell asleep in my lap on the couch. This must have been the first Christmas in a long time where she smiled.
Something about this trip has just been perfect. Maybe it's because Ottie's bigger now and more excited to be in this house. Maybe it's because I'm getting to see Italy through Isabella's eyes since she's never been to the country before. Whatever it is, I like it. I never want to leave.
The patio door opens. I turn my head toward the noise, smiling when I see Isabella join me outside. She looks heavenly as always. Her skin slightly tan, her nose and cheeks slightly burnt. Her dress hugs her body so perfectly, even under the sweater she's thrown on. She plops down on the lounge chair next to me with a happy sigh.
"She's back asleep." She informs me, resting her cheek against the chair as she looks over at me.
"Thank you. And I'm sorry she made you go back in-"
"Harry, come on. You know I don't mind. She just needed some extra cuddles." She cuts me off, her smile radiant in the glow of the soft lights decorating the patio. It's late, but we've found ourselves sitting and talking out here for hours the last few days.
"Still, thank you." I can't thank her enough for even being here.
She hums softly. "She has the cutest little pout when she sleeps. And it was so adorable how she only falls asleep playing with my hair."
I smile, "She's been like that since the day she was born. That pout melted my heart from the first second." I pull my phone out of my pocket, starting a small search for a picture of Ottie when she was little to prove that she hasn't changed. Once I find a good one, I turn my phone over to face her, smiling at her reaction.
"Oh, she is so precious!" She looks at me as I put my phone back down. "I love when babies have a cute little special thing."
My arms cross over my chest casually with a dimpled smile. "Do you think you'd ever do it?"
She has a shy smile at my question. "I don't know. I love kids, obviously, I mean I teach kids. But I don't know, I probably shouldn't..."
My brows furrow. "I mean, you don't have to have kids, it's your body."
"I think it's just complicated. With my addiction stuff and all my other shit, I think it's just best I don't partake in having children."
"I get it. But you know, I think you'd be a really amazing mum. You're the most amazing woman I know."
The conversation seems to end there, silence slowly setting in. I lean forward for a second, placing a soft peck on her nose with a smile. She scrunches it with a giggle, reaching forward to cup my cheek.
Tilting her head up slightly, her lips meet mine in a sweet kiss. My heart will never stop racing when we kiss. I'm not sure I'll ever get used to the feeling.
We pull away, looking at each other as we settle back into our lounge chairs. I wish we could stay here forever. Spend the rest of my days in this beautiful country with my two favorite girls in the world. Actually three, I'm still getting used to Rory.
"I wanna see more baby pictures. She's so cute."
Reaching over, I pull her lounge chair closer until the chairs are basically side by side. She giggles, cuddling into my side with a kiss to my cheek. I wrap my arm around her, kissing the top of her head as she rests her head on my shoulder.
The world feels still around us as I go through my pictures of Ottilie. Peaceful almost. The sound of the waves against the shore only makes the scenery even more perfect. With every picture comes a silly story about Ottie and all her milestones.
I've never gotten a chance to share those moments with someone that wasn't my mum or sister. I never even got to share them with Ottie's own mum. It's honestly surprising that Isabella cares this much.
It's almost as if we were placed in each other's paths for a reason. At first I would've said the reason was for sex or that she needed the money. But I think there's more to it now. There has to be.
Ottilie had never taken to a woman outside of the family so quickly. It shocked me when she took an instant liking to Isabella, since Ottie is usually super shy and quiet. She looks up to Isabella. She admires her. That can't be a coincidence.
I meant it when I told Isabella that we were her family. There's nothing I want more. It's been harder than ever lately to push these feelings for her away, and honestly I'm failing terribly at holding it in.
This trip has changed everything for me. For our relationship in general. The last few days I've been trying to work up the courage to ask if we can just let all this contract stuff go. I want us to do this for real. I want to have a relationship with her without the pressure of a contract or an expiration date.
I trust her, just as much as she trusts me. Maybe even more. It's so different from how things were with Adriana. To her, it was all about the money and the life of luxury I could provide. Isabella doesn't care about my finances, and if she does she's fooling me. Please, if I gave Adriana the original offer I had given Isabella, she would negotiate for more money, not less.
For the first time, I can see myself building a life with someone. Isabella is my future, I just know it.
We take a break from Ottie's baby photos when she gets a text from Gina. When she puts her phone back down, she smiles back at me. "She's just wishing me a happy holiday."
I nod, "That's nice. She's really sweet."
"She is." She sighs softly, looking up at the stars. "I don't want to upset her."
"Upset her?"
"She asked me last week to put in my preferences for the next dance season. And she asked if I wanted to be a part of summer boot camps. I just haven't had the heart to tell her I'm not going back."
I frown now, hating the idea of her leaving the studio. "So you're leaving? What changed?"
She shrugs, "This one company that you had referred me to wants to start the interview process. They've been accommodating since they know I'm working until June, but I can't push it more. At least I get to finish the season."
She can't leave the studio. She loves it there, she needs it to survive. It's almost impossible to drag her out of there half the time. And the kids, they love her. They need her.
Before I can stop myself, I shake my head. "No."
Isabella looks confused. "No? What do you mean no?"
My heart pounds. "No, you can't leave."
"I don't really have a choice, H. I need to get a big girl job and support myself, I won't have your help forever."
"Isabella, I... I know I agreed to help you get a job but if I'm being completely honest, that was before I knew you. I'm so thrilled for you that you're in the process of interviewing but I just can't see you working anywhere else. And I'm not saying this because I want you to stay Ottie's teacher, I'm saying this because I know you. I know it's going to hurt you to have to leave. You love your job. Why leave it to do something you don't want?"
"H, I just have to. Life isn't always fair and I need the money. Yes, you've helped me out tremendously and I am so thankful, but it's not going to sustain me forever."
My head shakes ever so slightly as I tuck her hair behind her ear. "Isabella, you don't have to worry about money. Ever. I'd rather see you doing something you absolutely love than let you make a decision because of finances. I'm serious."
Her brows furrow and she tilts her head to the side slightly. "Harry... but the contract..."
"I think we're way past following whatever the contract says." My voice is quiet, but I mean every word.
"So what? What now?"
"I'm not entirely sure. But what I do know is that you should probably tell Gina what your preferences are for the new dance season before they're taken. And that you'll be traveling this summer and won't be able to help with boot camp."
Slowly a smile begins to creep up on her lips as she processes what I'm saying. Placing her hands on my cheeks, she kisses me. A smile takes over as I reciprocate, losing myself in the kiss. I can't help but smile more when she shifts into my lap, wrapping her arms around my neck.
She pulls away and settles into my lap. "Are you sure that's okay? I know you worked so hard to even get me those interviews..."
"It's okay, Bellie. I want you to be happy. I promise that I'll do anything to make you happy." My hands hold her hips, my thumbs rubbing against her dress.
I never expected this to happen. I never planned on falling for her. Even when I was flirting, I was really only looking for something physical and short term. But there's something about her that drew me in. I can't imagine my life without her.
Our slow kisses become more passionate, as if kissing each other is the only thing keeping us alive. She reaches down, slowly undoing my pants before slipping her hand beneath them. My hands slide up her thighs, moving her dress up as they go.
As I kiss her neck, her hand strokes me, earning some deep groans against her skin. Once she frees me from my pants, she lifts her body up. I look up at her, cupping her jaw as she moves her panties to the side and slides down onto me. We both let out a pleasurable sigh at the feeling and I pull her waist closer to me.
Our lips lock as she slowly rolls her hips against me. This time feels so much different than the past. It's more intimate, about more than our bodies and the pleasure we can provide to each other. She stops here and there, getting so lost in our kisses that she almost forgets I'm inside her.
I pull away for a second, looking up at her beautiful face as she rides me. She feels so good around my cock, and she's clearly enjoying herself since her gasps are becoming slightly more frequent.
"You're so perfect." I breathe out into the small space between us. "I... God I can't get enough of you."
She whimpers, resting her forehead against mine as she rolls her hips. "I'm yours?"
"You're mine, Bellie. And I'm yours. For as long as you'll have me." I whisper, groaning as I feel her clench around me.
She nods desperately before pressing her lips against mine again. It doesn't last long, as she pulls away to sigh into my mouth.
"We'll come back, Bellie. Just me and you. And I'll worship your body in every way possible, in every corner of this house. Kiss every inch of your skin..." My lips attach to her shoulder, the bare skin exposed as her sleeve slips down her arm.
She continues at her slow pace, butterflies forming in my stomach the closer I get to my orgasm. "H, I... Fuck... Oh fuck, fuck, fuck..." She pants out, "I'm gonna..."
"It's okay, I'm right here. I'm close too, baby. You're so beautiful and sexy and perfect. I don't want anyone else, baby, just you. Okay? My beautiful girl." I whisper, groaning as the pleasure builds.
Her orgasm hits right before mine, and she gasps, relaxing into my body as she stops moving against my cock. My eyes flutter shut as I finish, holding her body close to me. My fingers trace absentmindedly as we sit there, fully immersed in the pleasure of our orgasms. It feels peaceful.
Before she can fall asleep on me, I help her up. Once I've tucked myself back into my pants, I pick her up, cradling her in my arms as I carry her back to our room. She has a tired smile as I lay her in bed, trying hard to watch as I get her a fresh pair of underwear and a shirt of mine to wear, along with a towel to clean her.
I'm gentle as I take her dress off and put her clean clothes back on. She refuses to lay down in bed until I join her, despite how hard she's fighting to stay awake. Once I'm in my own pajamas, I join her, smiling when she cuddles right into my side.
"Goodnight, H." She mutters, barely audible as she finally gives in to sleep.
"Goodnight, Bellie." I whisper, kissing the top of her head, but sleep doesn't come as easily for me.
For a while I stay up, looking down upon her sleeping figure as my thoughts run wild. Maybe once the lease is up for the apartment on Cornelia Street we can look for a home. Maybe a brownstone, that could be nice. Somewhere close to a park so Rory can have space to run around. Wherever we end up, I know we'll be happy.
I didn't think New York would last. Once the merger was finished, it was always my intention to move back to London. So I could raise Ottilie with family around. Now here I am, dreaming about a future spent in New York with Isabella by my side.
Leaning down, I place the softest kiss to Isabella's forehead. She doesn't even stir, already deeply asleep. I can't help the small smile that tugs on the corner of my lips.
"I love you, Bellie. Goodnight."
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surprise update! he said it <3
gab