Mary smiles as she watches Ember and her friends run around in the backyard, hopping back and forth between the water slide and the bounce house. She's gone all out for her little girl because the divorce is taking a toll on her and it will for a while because she's so young. There are superhero decorations all over the yard and the house, Marvel heroes per Ember's request, and splashes of pink everywhere in between.
All of her classmates are over and so are a few of her friends from other classes. Mary invited Claire, but she's still refusing to talk to her and sent a present along with their parents. Alec came too because Ember wanted him there and Mary didn't have the heart to tell her no, but he was only there for about five minutes. He hugged Ember and told her happy birthday and left her present on the table before he snuck off and never reappeared.
Mary's incredibly infuriated with him because it's his daughter's birthday and she's already upset that he won't be living with them, the least he could do was stay and make her happy for the day, even if Mary didn't want him there to begin with. She lets it go after a few minutes though because it's Ember's birthday and she hasn't noticed his absence yet.
She's just brought out some more juice boxes and water for the kids when Harry walks into the back yard and happily exclaims, "Where's the birthday girl!?"
Ember hears him as she's getting in the short line for the water slide and she bolts across the yard and jumps into his arms. "Harry!"
She didn't think that he would come because her own father disappoints her all the time, but she's so happy to see him because she loves him and he actually came to her birthday party.
Harry hugs her tightly as he picks her up and spins her around. Ember's giggling like crazy by the time her feet hit the ground and Mary feels like her heart has just grown three sizes.
"You came!"
Harry beams down at her as she looks up at him with bright eyes and a smile that looks just like her mother's, "Of course I did! Where do I put your present?"
Ember practically radiates happiness as she takes his hand and pulls him over to where her mommy's standing. She wants her mommy to show him because she knows that they like each other and she likes how happy he makes her mommy.
"Mommy will tell you!"
Harry smiles to himself as she leads him over to Mary, who's been watching the two interact since he walked into the backyard.
Ember drops his hand and runs away without another word and Mary laughs softly as she shakes her head, "I'm guessing she directed you here for presents?"
"I think she's been paying attention."
Mary blushes but holds his eye contact, "She has, she's a smart girl. Her present table is inside; will you help me bring out the cake on the way out?"
Harry jokingly flexes his arms in front of her, "I think I can handle that."
Mary laughs and playfully rolls her eyes before turning on her heel and heading into the house. He's amazed to see the mix of superhero and pink decorations and just how much effort that she's put into her little girl's sixth birthday party. When she told him that she was going all out, she really meant it.
"No wonder she's over the moon...you did this all by yourself?"
He closes the sliding glass door carefully and follows her into the kitchen, where there's a mountain of presents sitting on the island and cupcakes on the counter. Mary smiles to herself as she opens the fridge and carefully pulls out the Marvel cake that she had specially made for Ember.
"I did. It actually wasn't too difficult, just a little time consuming. You can just add your present to the pile on the island."
Carefully, he sets his present down and rushes to the door to hold it open for her because there's no way that she's going to be able to open it by herself. Mary smiles and thanks him as she steps outside.
All of the kids are occupied with the bounce house and the water slide, so no one other than the parents notice that she's brought the cake out. Mary's grateful for that because she hasn't put the candles on top yet, let alone light them.
Harry's at her side until he realizes that she didn't bring out a knife to cut the cake. He runs back inside to get one and runs out with a triumphant smile when he catches Mary's eyes.
"You forgot this, thought you might want it considering those plastic knives won't do much good."
Mary smiles softly as he places the cake cutter beside her on the table and grabs the rest of the candles to put them in the cake. Their hands brush a few times and she blushes because it's something that she knows he put some effort into, even if he made it look like he didn't.
"What would I do without you?"
She sneaks a glance at him as she's lighting the candles and he grins, "You'd be cutting cake with a plastic knife."
Mary playfully rolls her eyes as she lights the last candle. Ember and her friends have noticed the cake and are stopping their play time to rush over and huddle around Mary to see the cake. She steps aside when Ember tugs on the bottom of her dress and the kids all hop into the plastic chairs like rabbits.
Everyone sings happy birthday and Ember blows out the candles with a smile as bright as the sun. The kids all eat like it's a race and end up back on the blow up rentals in only a few minutes. All of the parents are congregated in small groups here and there and Harry stays by Mary and talks to her for the remainder of the party.
When they make it to the presents, Ember's happy with what everyone's gotten her, but she's in love with what Harry got for her. He bought her another stuffed elephant to join Miss Elly, a journal so that she can write down her feelings and how her day went if she really wants to, some colored pens to write with, and a new coloring book with new colored pencils.
Ember got so many new clothes and so much jewelry that she was practically bouncing off the walls. Harry decides to stick around after everyone leaves and he's currently helping Mary take down decorations and playing with Ember.
"You can't catch me!" Ember shouts as she runs around the house and giggles as Harry jumps over furniture and makes himself slower to pretend that he really can't catch her. As he goes, he's pulling down decorations and leaving them in small piles to pick up later when they're done playing.
Mary laughs as she roams the house, pulling down the decorations that Harry's missed and picking up the things that he's already torn down. It means everything to Mary that he's come to Ember's party and that he's stayed to play with her and help clean up.
He's so much more of a father to her than Alec has really ever been and she's so glad that he's taken the time to lend his heart and his attention to her during the divorce process. Ember's been a little down lately and she's glad that he can help her take the pain away from her sweet little girl.
She's been trying her best to keep Ember happy and to keep her mind away from the fact that her parents are separating, but Harry is much better at it than she is right now. It probably has something to do with the fact that he's a father figure to her and the fact that he's been through the same thing before, so he knows how to nurture her heart like he had to nurture his own. And, it also helps that he's happy and Mary is hurting, so he can give one hundred percent without having to try so much.
The past week has been really hard on Mary and Ember and they've spent most of their nights cuddled up in Mary's bed, comforting each other and watching their favorite movies. Ember's been feeling better about the divorce than Mary is because she's been talking to Harry about it after school while they wait for her mommy to come and pick her up. He's told her a whole bunch of things that will help make her feel better about her parents and he's stepping into the position of her father.
Ember's already noticed his presence in her life and how it's going to change eventually when her mommy feels better. She notices the way that they look at each other and how he's helping her feel better too. She notices how much happier her mommy is when he's over and she hopes that he won't hurt her like her daddy did. Ember has hope that Harry will stay and that he'll keep her and her mommy happy.
On the other hand, Mary's been feeling a little better because she's been talking to Harry at night and because she can finally sleep. But she still hurts because she really did love Alec and it's hard to let that go, no matter how much that she wants to. He's gotten all of his stuff out, so that's a start, but her heart is still hurting because she's wasted so much time on a man that doesn't love her and because she's put her poor little girl in the middle of it.
Harry's good at healing her heart though and she knows that she'll be okay soon, especially with his help.
Mary listens with a smile as she hears Ember shriek in the other room because Harry's caught her. He's got her trapped in his arms and he's tickling her mercilessly, Ember's loud and bright laughter echoes throughout the house and resonates in Mary's ears.
Harry's not really getting any work done, but she doesn't mind because he's keeping her daughter distracted and happy. She's managed to clean up the mess that Harry's created and she's picked up all of the decorations that were inside the house. The only thing left to do is the dishes and she's perfectly capable of taking care of those while Harry and Ember run around the house.
She's still upset with Alec for showing up and then leaving after five minutes and she's incredibly hurt that her sister didn't bother to show up at all. Mary thought that, after she told her that she and Alec were getting a divorce, that she wouldn't be mad at her anymore and that she would have her best friend back. Unfortunately, Claire didn't seem to care at all and she didn't even respond to any of her messages.
Mary feels like she's alone and it really sucks because she knows that if she just listened to what everyone told her, she wouldn't be feeling like this right now. If she just listened, she could be happy and in an actual relationship with Harry instead of this weird in between stage they're in right now.
And the worst part about it is that she knows that she isn't alone. She knows that she has Ember and she knows that she has Harry and she knows that she has her parents, but it still feels like she's going through this alone because Alec has literally been her life and she doesn't think any of them really understand that she's giving away a big part of herself with the divorce. She's been so used to being with him that she really doesn't know who she is without him.
Mary never really changed for him, but she did give up a lot of things that she loved for him. She used to draw and she used to take photographs whenever she got the chance to, and she was good at it too, but then she had Ember and Alec wanted her to be a stay at home mom while he worked. Obviously that didn't really work out because she's far too driven to just sit at home, even if she loves spending time with her daughter.
Unfortunately, she didn't have the time to do what she liked while she took care of Ember and waited for her husband to come home. Now she's kind of just a shell of who she used to be and she's starting to notice it now that her focus is elsewhere.
It hurts to know that she's given up the things that make her who she is and that she really didn't notice until it was all gone. Now she doesn't know what to do with herself because everything that she does reminds her that she's basically given up who she is and all of the time that she could've spent loving herself and someone that actually cares for her.
Harry's carrying Ember into the kitchen on his shoulders and she's pretending to control which direction he goes by gently tugging on his hair. She's beaming and so is he until they actually reach the kitchen and see Mary with her head bent and tears streaming down her cheeks.
Ember frowns and releases his hair from her grip and Harry stops walking. His frown is deeper than hers as he carefully sets her down and turns around to face her. He offers her a soft smile as his hands find her small arms.
"I'll help your mommy. How about you surprise her by getting your pajamas on all by yourself? I'm sure she'll like that."
Ember nods and her lips lift in a small smile because he's just told her that she's a big girl and he believes she can put her pajamas on by herself.
"Okay."
Harry kisses her cheek and she's smiling again as she throws her arms around him and hugs him tightly, "I love you, Harry."
He's known this for a while now, but it's so nice to hear her say that to him, especially because he's kind of sort of dating her mother. Despite knowing that her mother is upset behind him, Harry beams as he hugs Ember.
"I love you too, Ember. Go surprise your mommy, we'll be upstairs soon."
Ember retracts her arms and runs up the stairs in a rush to change into her pajamas before Harry and her mommy make it upstairs. Harry stands and makes his way into the kitchen, where Mary is still crying, her shoulders shaking and tears rolling down her cheeks.
She didn't hear them talking and she jumps as he wraps his arms around her and rests his head on her shoulder.
"Hey."
Mary wants to laugh at his attempt to make her smile, but she can't because she's realizes that she really hates what she's let her life turn into. She hates that she gave Alec all of her and let him change her and then throw her away like she meant nothing to him in the first place. She hates that her daughter feels like he doesn't love her anymore and that she's hurting because she let him walk all over her for so long.
She turns around in his arms and hides her face in his chest, her fingers fisting in the material of his thin t-shirt.
A muffled sob passes her lips as she clings to him, "It's all my fault. It's all my fault and I hate it."
Harry smooths her hair and frowns as he holds her a little closer, "It's not your fault, Mary."
Mary shakes her head because she knows that it's her fault that it's this bad right now. She let it go on for longer than it should have because she gives people too many chances and she hates letting things go.
"It is. I let him s-stay because I couldn't let him go and I ended up h-hurting my little girl even m-more. I'm such a horrible mother."
Harry pulls away a little so that she'll look up at him and believe him when he tells her that it isn't her fault and that she isn't a terrible mummy at all.
She looks up at him with wide and glossy eyes and trembling lips. Harry feels like he's forgotten how to breathe. He's seen her upset before, but this is the worst that it's been because he can see that she's not happy with herself right now. The most important thing for anyone is to be comfortable and happy with the self and he knows that she's hurting, but he hates to see that it's gotten so bad.
"He could have walked away too, it is absolutely not your fault for loving him too much, Mary. It's his fault for putting you through hell because you love him. And you are such a wonderful woman and such a great mother, please don't ever think that you aren't. Ember is the happiest little girl that I've seen in years and you treat her like she's a princess without spoiling her too much and making her bratty or ungrateful. You're one of the best mum's that I know."
Instead of calming her down, his little speech only seems to make things worse. Mary's crying like it's the last day of her life and Harry feels so bad seeing her like this. He knows that they really aren't definitively in a relationship yet, but he knows that there's something there and he cares for her so much and it hurts him to know that she isn't happy with herself and that she thinks the divorce is completely her fault.
She's clinging to him again and the best he can do is to hold her tightly and repeatedly tell her softly that it isn't her fault and that he's there for her. It takes a good couple of minutes for her to really calm down and stop crying and it's perfect timing because Ember's padded downstairs and is headed toward the kitchen.
She's successfully made it into her pajamas by herself for the very first time and she's excited to show her mommy. It's been a while since she's changed and she was getting worried about her mommy, so she decided to go downstairs anyway.
Ember stands at the entry of the kitchen, rocking on her heels with her hands behind her back. She's not really sure what to do because Harry's hugging her mommy really close and it looks like she might still be crying.
Her voice is really soft as she asks, "Are you okay mommy?"
Mary's feeling much better and she finally pulls away from Harry's embrace. She wipes her eyes and sniffles a little before she offers her daughter a soft smile. "I'm okay sweetie. Did you put your pajamas on all by yourself?"
Ember grins as she nods, "Mmhhmm! I did! Are you proud of me, mommy?"
Mary's smile grows as she looks over at her little girl who's already growing up so fast. "Very proud, sweetie. Did you brush your teeth too?"
She's already thought of that and she's proud to say that she did, even if she did make a bit of a mess in the bathroom. "Yep!"
Mary crouches down so that she's near Ember's height and she opens her arms for a hug. Ember immediately runs across the kitchen and practically knocks her over when she throws her arms around her.
"I'm so proud of you, sweetie!"
Ember smiles and hugs her mommy as tight as she can manage to let her know that it's okay and that she loves her. Mary holds on for a little too long, but that's okay because Ember needs it too and the long hug makes her feel a little better herself.
"Is Harry sleeping over again?"
Mary stands and looks over at Harry with a raised eyebrow. She didn't plan for him to spend the night, and neither did he, but she's not going to give Ember an answer and make him feel like he has to stay.
Harry doesn't have anything to do except to finish his lesson plan for Monday, and that's not a lot, so he decides to stay and be there for the both of them.
"Only if you want me to."
Ember nods quickly and looks at her mother with pleading eyes. Mary can't resist and she wants Harry to stay anyway because she really likes him and she feels so much better with him around.
"We'd like it very much if you would spend the night."
Ember practically jumps on him to hug him tightly and Harry laughs as he hugs her back. He surprises both Ember and Mary as he picks Ember up and holds her in his arms like she's a little smaller than she actually is.
She's smiling like it's the best day of her life and Mary can't help but to smile as she follows them up the stairs and into Ember's bedroom. Harry gets her in the bed and helps Mary tuck her in. Ember's decided that she doesn't want to hear a story tonight because she's really tired and she's a 'big girl now,' so Mary holds in her disappointment and lets her have her way. She really loves telling her stories before bed, but she knew that this day was coming soon and it really hits her knowing that her little girl is growing up so fast.
Mary kisses her goodnight and tells her happy birthday again and that she loves her. It really takes her by surprise when Harry does the same and Ember tells him that she loves him too. She feels like her heart has just melted and she's thrilled that Ember likes him as much as she does because she'd hate to end up dating a man that Ember didn't like.
She waits until they close the door and make it into her bedroom to say anything.
"You're such a good man. Thank you so much for taking such good care of my little girl and for acting like a father to her. It means so much to me and I know that it means the world to her because her father was never there for her like you are time and time again. I forgot to say it earlier, but thank you so much for coming to her party and getting swarmed by children because of it. My sister didn't come at all and her father only showed up for five minutes before he left and broke her heart again and it really means the world that you showed up because you mend her heart so much when you're around, and mine too."
Mary knows that she's hugged him a lot today, but she can't help but to hug him now because he means so much to her and so much to her daughter and she really wants him to know that she means it. She'd kiss him if her heart wasn't in the process of repairs and if the divorce was already finalized.
Harry hugs her close for a long moment before he pulls away and presses a loving kiss to her forehead. "You don't have to thank me for caring, Mary. I love to be here and to make you and your daughter happy, even if it means a few tear filled nights and marathons of Disney movies that I've seen a hundred times over. I'll always be here for you two for as long as you want me to be."