*pleaseee read the authors note at the end :)*
Lydia White
"I wish he could've met her." Harry says as we stand over Liam's grave in the backyard.
He was holding Daisy in his arms, while she was dressed in a little pink romper. I stood right next to him, my head resting on his shoulder.
"He's looking down at us." I say.
That's what I was choosing to believe, that Liam wasn't really gone.
We got back from the hospital a week ago. We're still adjusting to everything. We aren't even comfortable leaving Daisy alone in her nursery just yet. We got a mobile crib that we put next to our bed, and she slept in there.
It's just not easy, after everything we've gone through. We're taking baby steps. Literally.
"I just know he would've loved her." I mumble.
He nods. "Just like he loved Elijah."
Liam was on the path to becoming an incredible father. He had the attributes, he just needed to apply them...and he was starting to.
He really was gone too soon.
I felt slightly guilty.
Liam was shot because he was protecting me, and that was a lot of weight to carry.
I've talked to Harry about it, and he -of course- told me not to let those thoughts haunt me.
And I haven't been, but sometimes it gets loud.
"He deserved so much better than what he got." Harry murmurs, looking down at his friend's grave with a frown.
"He's in peace now." I try to make light of the situation.
"I know, I just miss him."
I frown and rub his back gently. I know he was hurting a lot, but he's been distracted, which I guess can be seen as a good thing.
He turns his head toward me with and exhale through his nose. "We should get going, hey?" he says.
I glance up at him and nod. He plants a quick kiss on my forehead before we walk to his car.
Today was a sunny day, and we had big plans.
Harry buckles Daisy up in her car seat, making sure she was all fastened in for her safety. He gets into the drivers seat, with me in the passengers side next to him.
He grabs my hand and brings it to his lips, planting a kiss on it before driving.
"I'm excited." I smile softly, making his dimple pop as his lips curl in return.
"Me too."
We had the windows down, the light breeze blowing my hair as we drove down the highway.
I lay my head against the headrest, feeling peaceful for the first time in ages.
I didn't even remember what peace felt like.
I didn't have any worries right now. I was happy.
I had my fiancé and my baby, that's all I need.
"We haven't been here since-"
"I know." I cut Harry off, smiling because I was excited to go back to this place and create some more memories.
He smirks at my response.
He looked so good. His bruises were healing, along with his nose-which still had a bandage on it-. He was tan from the sun. He was just in blue swim shorts and a white shirt. He had black Raybands covering his green eyes, and his hair was loose and slightly messy, just how I liked it.
I was in a pink sundress, with a black bathing suit underneath. It was the perfect attire for where we were going.
We eventually make it to the familiar forest along the highway, and Harry makes the turn that brings us into the middle of a grove of trees, only this time, there were two other cars here.
I hop out of our car with a smile, grabbing the bag we had prepared full of necessities. Harry gets Daisy out of her seat, and she squeals a bit from all the moving around.
He cradles her as we walk through the grove, and eventually make it out onto the sand.
We stood before the beautiful, familiar beach that Harry loved so much. The water was clear and the sky was bright blue, the sun casting down on the sand.
Scattered along the beach were our best friends.
Eliza helped Elijah walk along the shore, his little feet splashing in the water.
Louis was laying shirtless on top of a beach towel, letting his skin absorb the sun rays.
And Niall was about to run off the dock and splash into the water, like a big child.
I chuckled at the sight, my heart feeling warm because I was surrounded with the people I love in the place I loved.
Louis sits up, spotting Harry and I walking towards him.
"The Styles family has arrived." he says, lifting his sunglasses up off his eyes.
"It's fucking gorgeous out here." Harry says, handing Daisy over to me so he could get out a couple beach towels and lay them down for us.
I rock my daughter in my arms, smiling at her delicate face.
"Yeah. I could get used to this." Louis replies to Harry's comment.
Niall runs back from out of the water, his body soaking wet and his face wearing a beaming smile. He grabs a towel and runs it through his hair. Eliza picks Eli up and begins heading our way as well.
There was not one frowning face.
We were all so happy.
Harry turns to me with a smirk. "Come with me." he says, nodding his head towards the dock.
I quickly grab Eliza's attention, who had just handed Eli off to Louis.
Her and Louis have been spending a lot of time together. I think they're bonding over the fact that they've both lost someone they loved.
"Can you hold her for a minute?" I ask politely.
"Of course I can." she beams, gently taking Daisy into her own arms.
Harry grabs my hand and we walk towards the dock, my bare feet brushing the warm grains of sand.
"This place is so pretty." I say, looking out onto the body of clear blue water.
I could feel Harry looking at me and smiling. It was like all his love was radiating off of him.
"It's fitting for a person like you." he remarks, making me smile at him.
"Oh stop." I roll my eyes at his flirty comment, even though I know it was lighthearted.
He chuckles under his breath. "I'm serious." he says as we walk up onto the wooden dock.
He stays quiet for a moment, standing next to me with my hand in his as he looks out onto the lake. His hair was blowing in the slight breeze.
"This place is like our safe haven." he says quietly.
It's true.
This was the first place I went to after the explosion because I felt so much of Harry here.
This beach was like an embodiment of his spirit, and when he does pass on...this will be where his soul goes and I can guarantee it.
Because it's where my soul will be too.
"Is that why you proposed here?" I tilt my head.
He nods with one side of his lips upturned. "Mhm."
I grin to myself. Harry was all about the little things.
It was the small details he used to show his affection that made me fall more in love with him at every waking moment.
Harry looks down, smiling to himself before turning his body to face me completely.
"You know how we've been all about starting this 'new chapter'?" he starts.
I nod. "I do."
"Well, I was thinking..." he bites down on the inside of his cheek as if he didn't know how to say what he wanted to.
I await his continuation patiently.
"We're gonna wanna get our own place soon, right?" he says. "Like, I love living with the guys, but eventually it's gonna be time for us to move on, yeah?"
"Of course."
"Soooo-" he trails off. "I was thinking, when that time comes- and if you're comfortable with it- why don't we build a place out here?" He scrunches his face up, as if he had ripped a bandaid off.
"Like, out here on the beach?" I question.
He nods. "Y-yeah, like..." he looks around quickly, then points to an area. "Like on that clearing right there." he says, his finger leading my vision to a big patch of just grass in front of the trees.
I take it all in, picturing a little house built for the three of us.
Harry clears his throat due to me not responding immediately. "We don't have to, obviously, I was just thinking-"
"Harry." I stop him with a head shake and a laugh. "I love it."
His face freezes and lifts, his eyes lighting up.
"You do?"
I nod. "It's perfect."
He presses his lips into a line as the corners turn up, trying to suppress his excited smile.
"That's great." he says, trying to be nonchalant about it, only making me smile more.
"As long as I'm with you, I don't care where we are." I say, grabbing both of his hands.
His dimples pop as he smiles, his top row of straight teeth showing through his lips.
"I love you so much, Lydia." he says under his breath, his eyes gazing deeply into mine.
"Forever." I respond.
With that, he takes his hands from mine and moves them to my face, cupping the entirety of my face in his hands and leaning down to bring his lips to mine.
But right before they connect, he stops and whispers something, our lips only maybe an inch apart.
"I hope we stay this happy forever." he says before kissing me passionately.
That's all we ever really wanted...happiness.
And now that we have it, I couldn't help but worry we'd lose it.
I guess you could say I had a great trepidation.
But you can't let fear run your life.
You have to appreciate what you have...and what I have right now is him.
My soulmate.
The End.
-
Hi there.
Thank you so much for the support on this series. I cant express my appreciation enough.
I've loved writing these books from the moment I started...so why just stop at a sequel?
So, I do have some news for you.
There will be a third book.
Theres an Author's Note out for it right now, so you can feel free to go to my profile and add it to your libraries and reading lists.
It'll be heavy, just like the first two books were, and I can't wait for you guys to read it. I love you lots.