About a month and a half after Harry had finished traveling for all of the Dunkirk premieres, we sat down to plan Elizabeth's first birthday party. We were going to have it in London since I couldn't travel anymore, and the majority of our friends and family were in the U.K. now anyway.
"So, Will and Allie are going to fly in the day before the party," I said to Harry from the couch. "Madison wants to fly in a week in advance so we can spend time with her and show her around the city."
"Isn't that Niall's job now?" Harry teased, walking in from the kitchen with Elizabeth in his arms. Madison and Niall were still going strong after meeting at Harry and I's wedding.
"Best friends always beat out boyfriends," I replied smugly. "Do we have room for Madison, Will, and Allie here or are we going to recommend a hotel for them?"
Harry sat down with Elizabeth and sighed, "We'd definitely have room for Madison here, but I'm not sure about all three of them, love."
I opened my mouth to reply but was cut off by Elizabeth giggling, "Da-da!"
"Oh, my god, Harry," I said, completely forgetting about my siblings and Madison.
"Did she just say what I think she said?" Harry asked in disbelief. "Come on, baby, say 'dada' again for Daddy."
"Dada."
"Our baby is talking!" I said, picking her up to kiss her cheeks. "Can you say 'mama,' Elizabeth?"
"Dada!" she squealed.
"Don't worry, babe, she'll get there eventually," Harry teased. I rolled my eyes at him and shook my head. Elizabeth's first word being "dada" was not going to help curb Harry's narcissism.
After laying Elizabeth down for her afternoon nap, Harry and I were able to solidify arrangements for Will, Allie, and Madison, as well as party details. The theme we chose for Elizabeth's party was simply pink and gold. I thought it was kind of ridiculous to throw an extravagant theme-party for a toddler and Harry agreed. We were hosting the party at home and my job was ordering decorations.
"Oh, my god, Harry, look at this cake," I said, turning my laptop to show Harry a cake covered in baby pink frosting with a gold, sparkly topper that said one. "We need to get it for the party, it's perfect."
"I think we can arrange for that," Harry said, kissing my forehead.
"Who else has responded to the invitation?" I asked. "So far we have Will, Allie, Madison, your mom, Gemma, and Niall."
"Louis, Liam, James, and Nick are all coming," he replied. "Are you sure you don't want to invite your parents, Sara?"
"They already know about the party since Will and Allie are coming."
"But they aren't invited."
"That's correct."
"They're your parents, love. And they're Elizabeth's grandparents."
"Well maybe if they didn't treat our children like unwanted accidents, they would be invited," I snapped. I hadn't spoken to my parents since I'd told them to get out of our house in Los Angeles when Harry and I announced that we were pregnant with Matthew. They hadn't reached out to me at all, which hurt. What hurt most was how they viewed Elizabeth and Matthew; they acted like the fact that I was pregnant again was some awful thing instead of the blessing it was. I still spoke to Will and Allie almost every day, and they updated me on major events back home with our family.
"I'm sorry I brought it up, love," Harry cooed. He kissed my forehead again and sat down next to me on the couch. We ordered gold letter balloons to spell out "Happy Birthday Elizabeth" and some other decorations for the party, the subject of my parents squashed for the time being.
Harry and I had set up Matthew's nursery in early August and were just waiting until he arrived. He was due September 24, but it was really up to him when he was going to be born. Harry was over the moon to be having a son. I know he'd always wanted a little brother growing up, and having a son was a dream for him. I'd been kind of hoping for a girl so we didn't have to buy new baby clothes, but I was excited to be having a son.
A week before Elizabeth's birthday, Harry, Elizabeth and I were on our way to the airport to pick up Madison. I was like a school girl the entire ride; I hadn't seen Madison since we'd left Los Angeles and I couldn't wait to show her around London.
"Sara, I can't tell if you're excited to see Madison or not," Harry teased.
"Ha-ha," I replied sarcastically. "I haven't seen her in months, Harry. This is the longest we've ever gone without seeing each other since the day we met."
"I'm glad she's finally visiting," he said. "And I'm sure Niall is, too."
"Oh yes, she told me he dropped his phone from jumping up from the couch in excitement when she told him she was coming to London."
"Did he really?"
"That's what Mads told me."
Harry laughed and shook his head. Madison and Niall had become pretty serious since Harry and I had last seen them. I was ecstatic that Madison was with Niall because he treated her like a queen, which is what she deserved.
Harry parked the car at the airport and we got Elizabeth into her stroller, making our way inside to find Madison. We waited outside the exit of the main terminal for her for about ten minutes before I saw the same blonde hair I'd become so familiar with.
"Madison!" I called, waving my hand to catch her attention. She saw Harry, Elizabeth, and I and practically ran to us.
"Sara!" Madison cried, wrapping me in a bear hug. "Oh, my god, you're huge. You look amazing."
"Thank you," I laughed. Harry gave Madison a hug and handed Elizabeth to her.
"How's my beautiful little god-daughter?" she cooed. "You're so big now."
"She said 'da-da' a few weeks ago," Harry said proudly. I rolled my eyes at him playfully and he grinned.
"You have got to show me around London, S," Madison said excitedly.
"Of course I will, but let's leave the airport first?" I joked, linking arms with Madison like we always did in high school. We walked to the baggage claim and Harry helped carry Madison's bags. We all walked to the car and got in.
"Where to first?" Harry asked from the driver's seat.
"Can we go eat?" I asked. "I'm starving."
"Of course, love," he replied. He picked my hand up and kissed it.
"Gross," Madison teased from the back seat. "You know, Elizabeth, your parents are the most sickeningly sweet couple I've ever known."
"Oh, hush, Madison," I scoffed. "I'm sure you and Niall would make me sick, too."
"Fair enough," she conceded.
"How are things with Niall?" I asked. "You don't talk about him much."
Madison sighed, "Things are good. I just never get to see him since I'm in L.A. and he's been all over the place lately."
"Well, you're going to see him soon since he's in London right now," Harry piped up.
"Maybe if he isn't busy he could meet us for lunch?" I suggested.
Madison smiled and pulled out her phone. We all decided on a place to eat and she told Niall where and when to meet us. She was smiling so hard.
"You love him," I said. "I can tell."
"How?" Madison replied.
"Mads, I've known you for the majority of the time I've been alive. I know you better than anyone."
"Okay, yeah, I do. I love Niall."
"Good. I like you two together."
Niall was able to meet us for lunch, which I knew made Madison the happiest person on the planet. It was also good for Harry and I to catch up with him since we'd all been so busy. He updated us all on his world travels and what it was like making a solo record. Madison knew all of this already, but I think she was just happy to be with him in person for a change.
"So, how's baby number two?" Niall asked.
"He's doing well," I replied. "He should be here at the end of the month, which is absolutely crazy to think about."
"I'm excited to meet him."
"So are we," Harry interjected.
It was absolutely insane to think about the fact that my second child was going to be born in a matter of weeks. It was also insane to think about the fact that my first child was almost a year old. Elizabeth was growing up so fast and part of me wished that time would just slow down for a minute so I could take it all in.
Harry offered to stay home with Elizabeth so Madison and I could spend the afternoon together. I took her shopping and bought some clothes for myself, Elizabeth, and Matthew. I was getting more comfortable with the stores that Harry loved and especially with buying children's clothes from them. Madison had no problem waltzing into Louis Vuitton and looking for a new bag. She'd always had a taste for the finer things, and I was usually fine with buying a purse from Target. We balanced each other out and that's what had made our friendship work.
"So, how are things really going with Niall?" I asked.
"S, I don't know what he wants," Madison confessed. "I know that I could see myself with him long term, but it feels like he's so busy that he doesn't see that."
"Have you tried talking to him about it?"
"No, I don't want to freak him out. We've only been seeing each other for six months."
"I think that when you know, you know," I said. "Harry and I both knew early on in our relationship that we were going to be together for the rest of our lives, but it took us three years to get married because we were afraid of talking about it. Don't wait three years to have that conversation, Mads."
Madison sighed, "You're right. I think I'll see if him and I can spend a day together while I'm here and we can talk about it."
"You're going to come back for Matthew's birth, right?"
"Of course I am."
Madison and I paid for our items and left the store. We decided to stop at a cafe and get some lunch.
"You know, S, your parents miss you," Madison said after we'd placed our orders.
"They made their decision," I replied stiffly. "They told me that my children, their grandchildren, were mistakes."
"I know that, and that was a really horrible thing to say to you. I understand why you're angry. But they're your parents, S. I'd kill to be able to speak to my dad again, even for five minutes."
Madison had a point. I'd spent the last few months wrapped up in the what my parents had said instead of appreciating the fact that they were there to speak to me at all. And honestly, I missed them. It wasn't the same hearing about family news from Allie and Will.
"Do you still talk to them?" I asked.
"All the time," Madison admitted. "They're like my parents, too, you know?"
I nodded. When we were seniors in high school, Madison's dad was killed in a car accident on his way to pick her and her sister up from school. Madison's mom had always kind of blamed her and her sister for his death, which put a rift between them.
"How are they?"
"They're good, but I can tell that they miss you."
"I kind of miss them, too."
Madison laughed, "Kind of?"
"Yeah," I said, "kind of."
"Sara, you are the most stubborn person I've ever met."
I laughed and shook my head. I told myself that I would call my parents as soon as I had a free moment. I wanted to make things right with them for Elizabeth and Matthew's sake.
After our shopping spree, Madison and I took a cab back to my apartment. We unloaded our bags and Madison went right to bed. Harry looked at my bags and was impressed.
"I'm sorry, who are you and what did you do with my wife?" he teased, picking up the Gucci and Louis Vuitton shopping bags. "Since when do you go into Gucci without me having to drag you in there?"
"Excuse me, who do you think went to get you that shirt for Christmas?" I replied. "Plus, I'm starting to get more comfortable with the insane prices at these stores."
Harry kissed my forehead and said, "That's my girl."
I folded the baby clothes and put them in Elizabeth and Matthew's nurseries. I put my new Louis Vuitton bag in the closet and flopped down on the bed.
"I think I'm going to call my parents," I said, partly hoping Harry wouldn't hear me from the bathroom.
He poked his head out and asked, "Really?"
"Yeah, Madison and I talked today and she said that they missed me. Knowing that they're somewhat sorry for what they said kind of changed my mind."
"I'm glad that you're going to call them, love."
I sat up and picked up my phone. I found my mom's phone number in my contacts and put the phone to my ear.
"Hello?" she said, picking up after a few rings.
"Hey, Mom, it's me," I replied.
"Sara? Hi, how are you doing?"
"I'm good. How are you and Dad?"
"We're okay. Allie and Will aren't home right now, if that's why you called."
"No, I actually called to talk to you," I said nervously. God, this was so awkward. Why did everyone in my family have to be so stubborn? I know I hated admitting when I was wrong, and my mom hated to admit that she was wrong even more than I did.
"I'm sorry for kicking you and Dad out of the house after the gender reveal a few months ago. And for not reaching out sooner," I continued.
"Thank you, Sara," my mom replied. "I'm sorry for what I said about Elizabeth and the new baby. That was really selfish of me."
"Thank you. I've missed you and Dad."
"We've missed you, too."
My mom and I spent about two hours on the phone catching up. I updated her on my family's new life in London, and she updated me on everything going on back in Los Angeles. Harry looked on from the hallway and smiled at me.
The week flew by and it was finally the day of Elizabeth's first birthday party. Allie and Will had flown in the night before and found their way to their hotel alright. Gemma and Anne were coming to help set up a few hours before the party began. My parents weren't able to take off work and fly over, but they promised to send a card and to come visit for Matthew's birth.
"Can you believe our little girl is a year old?" I asked Harry as we set up the balloons for her party.
"I hate that she's growing up so fast," he admitted. "I wish she'd stay this little forever."
"So do I, but at least we have Matthew coming. We get to relive this whole newborn journey all over again."
"Minus the parts where you and I both ended up in the hospital, right?" Harry asked.
"Of course," I said, laughing. "Unless you're planning on driving drunk again."
Harry shook his head quickly and laughed. The last year of our lives had been busy, to say the least. Between raising a newborn baby, planning a wedding and getting married, moving, and then preparing for another newborn, we'd had our work cut out for us. But Harry and I had made it through every single curveball that life had thrown at us. And we'd done it together, which I was insanely proud of.
Elizabeth's party was just a reminder of the growth that had occurred in our family. The friends and family that we'd gained and lost, the memories both good and bad, and everything in between. There were often moments where I'd wondered if Harry and I were ready for a second baby, but looking at Elizabeth's little face as she destroyed her birthday cake, and at all of the people surrounding her, I knew we could do it. The good, the bad, everything; we'd do it together.
"Happy birthday, Elizabeth Anne," I whispered to my daughter as I laid her to sleep in her crib. She'd had a busy day, getting passed around for people to hold her.
"I can't wait to see how she grows in the next year," Harry said, walking into the nursery.
"Me either."
A/N:
Hi, I'm so sorry it's taken me so long to update. Life has been absolutely nuts between family things and college applications and stress. But I'm really glad I'm getting to a point where things are starting to calm down and I can write again. I really hope you enjoyed this chapter! I'll update sooner than I have been for the last few chapters. Thank you for reading this, I love y'all so much