The Nanny

It felt like a complete failure. Especially when we arrived back home with nothing to show for it but an appointment back, this time in Grace’s home turf, in a month.

Grace tried to give us some solace by telling us that there had been progress in my case.

And as she said her final goodbyes to us before we made our way to the airport, she reminded me with a sly wink that now I had Jamie’s birthday clear of any drama, at least on the Mark and Layla front.

It saddened me greatly that with everything going on I hadn’t even had the opportunity to plan even the smallest of gatherings for Jamie’s first birthday, arguably the biggest birthday sentimentally. Honestly the whole thing had slipped my mind and farther made me feel like a terrible mother.

But I was still deliriously appreciative of her managing to give me this small thing in my world of never ending upsets.

The whole flight back I spent trying to think of something, anything really, to mark my baby’s first year of existence, and in many ways my own fist years of truly existing.

It wasn’t lost on me that Harry watched me with happy gleaming eyes as I searched the internet on our flight back. It must have been the first sign of life I had shown since realizing I would need to make this trip in the first place.

And I didn’t even mind when he cut me off mid rant about how I didn’t even know any children to have a party by placing increasingly longer pecks on my lips until I forgot all about what I was talking about in the first place.

For those few hours as we flew across an ocean back to our babies all was forgotten, the case, the fake engagement, the stress. We were just Harry and Aria trying to decide if a petting zoo was a good idea for a one year old.

Damn him for making it hard to be mad at him. And I really, really ought to be mad at him.
For his part, Harry was definitely taking advantage of my lapse.

But I had to admit it was nice just being us again.

“I like the bubble man idea.” Harry said with his head resting on my shoulder and pointed to the image of children playing in mass amounts of bubbles.

“For Jamie or for yourself?” I giggled and he pouted up at me confirming my suspicions.

“I like bubbles.” He grumbled as I laughed harder.

It was almost an unfamiliar sound to my own ears, I wondered vaguely when the last time I had laughed was. Harry tilted his head back and stared at me as I tried to remember the last time I had.

“I miss hearing you laugh. I wish I could make you laugh more.”

My thoughts ceased as I glanced down at Harry still leaned on my shoulder looking up at me with a smirk and wide eyes.

“It’s not you. It’s just been hard to find the energy to laugh lately.” I spoke after a while of admiring him.

He pulled away from my shoulder reaching his hands up to cup my cheeks before sliding into my hair and pulling my lips onto his.

It was a slow kiss, a promising kiss. A calming and comforting kiss and we both poured ourselves right into it, trying to reassure and erase.

Breathlessly we pulled apart, eyes closed and foreheads resting against each other.
I love this man.

My eyes sprang open to stare wide eyed at him, his eyes still gently closed with his long lashes brushing his flushed cheeks and swollen pink lips slightly parted.

He was beautiful.

And I loved him.

I had for a very long while.

It wasn’t a new thought but it was the strongest I had ever felt it.

I had never felt this way before. It was so clear in my head and heart what I was feeling.

It took me actually being hit with it full force to realize neither of us had spoken those words out loud to each other. As I watched him catch his breath I realized that I wanted to very, very much.

Pulling away slightly I spoke. “Harry I-“

And those clear green eyes shot open and cut right into mine freezing the words in my lungs.

Try as I might I couldn’t unstick them.

“You….” Harry tried to coxes me into finishing but the words still wouldn’t come. “Aria?”

“I…” I struggled again.

What if he didn’t say it back?

That would be humiliating.

And quite frankly my heart had been through enough these last few days; I don’t know if I would be able to recover if he didn’t respond.

“Um… I’m thirsty.” I chickened out glancing at my forgotten laptop and pulling away completely.

“Way to kill a mood woman.” He joked clearly unaware of the very serious struggle I was having with my feelings.

The rest of the flight was uneventful, quiet even. Maybe it was everything finally catching up to us but the next thing either of us knew we were being woken up by the kind flight attendant announcing we were about to land.

I could barely contain myself the whole way home, even if it was shockingly late or early depending on how you looked at it.

Our babies were only a short car trip away and I couldn’t wait to hold them.

“It feels so good to be home.” I said carelessly glancing out the window and completely missing the pleased look Harry shot me while squeezing my hand just a little tighter.

I hadn’t even realized that I had made the transition into this being home to me. A few years back and I would have never pictured anywhere but my hometown being home.

But it was home.

And then we were pulling up onto the driveway.

I thought about the first time I had pulled into this driveway.

I was an anonymous unemployed single mother who knew all of two people, Kendra and Tessa, and had very little hope for her future.

Now my life was news by association. I had a, admittedly awkward at the moment, pseudo job watching Darcy who is a lovely child that I adore. I had friends who were by far better than any I left behind back home.

And I have a… well, I have Harry who had in the last 24 hours told the father of my child and his wife along with our respective lawyers we were planning on getting married.

And I was in love with him.

A sigh escaped my lips as we stepped out of the car and made our way up the steps while my mind kept wandering.

In a lot of ways my life was easier back then but not nearly as full as it is now. I wouldn’t trade it at all.

Harry glanced over at me as he slid his key into the lock. “You still with me?”

I smirked and nodded before bumping shoulders with him. “Open the door already. I miss our babies. I want to cuddle.”

Harry laughed swinging the door open while stepping aside to let me scuttle in. I wasted no time taking the steps two at a time barely noting the sleepy quiet that filled the house.

Jamie’s room was my first stop, as quietly as I could manage I slid the door open and peeked in only to find it empty.

Harry had made his way in behind me and raised a brow. “Maybe he’s with mum and Robin in the guest room.”

I nodded and turned towards Darcy’s room. I had missed her just as much as my son so I was just as anxious to see her.

And again the room was empty, only a slightly tousled bed greeted us.

Now Harry looked confused but shrugged again suggesting they were with his parents. “Let’s go to our room. Then we’ll wake them up.” He said giving me a knowing smile.

“You mean your room.” I said with a laugh nodding back across the hall at the door next to Jamie’s. “That’s my room.”

“I mean ours. If you think for one second I am going back to sleeping alone after all this time, you’re mad.” Harry chuckled and made his way back towards me wrapping his arms around my waist. “Now if my girlfriend wouldn’t mind taking that cute little bum of hers down the hall…”

“So I’m your girlfriend now?” I asked.

Even though we had been in this thing for a while neither one of us had placed a label on it. It was nice to hear him do so now.

“Well it kind of went without saying, yea?” He said placing a quick kiss to my lips.

I nodded and looked down at my feet. “I thought we had just skipped right towards fiancé?” My mouthed moved before I could stop myself. The topic had been one we had unspokenly agreed upon not bringing up, at least for the time being, but there it was shattering our little sleepy moment in the halls of the place I had come to call home.

For a second neither one of our reacted, we barely breathed. And then Harry pulled away letting out a long sigh as his hand had shot up to run through his hair before settling on his neck.

Clearly he was as uncomfortable with hearing that as I had been saying it. “Yea.” Was the only thing he said before nodding towards his room and walking away.

Yea wasn’t really what I wanted to hear.

I hesitated only a moment wondering if I shouldn’t just go to my old room tonight, especially after that little gem of a moment, but when I looked up and found Harry standing in the doorway to his room staring in with a soft smile on his face I couldn’t help walking up behind him.

All the tension from before melted away as soon as my eyes landed on the bed. There cuddled together in the center of Harry’s ridiculously large bed laid Jamie and Darcy sound asleep.

I could barely help my eyes watering and my hand coming up to cover my open mouth.

Our babies.

I had missed them so, so much and by the way they were sleeping alone in the bed they had missed us too.

Harry and I completely missed the sound of a door opening behind us. It wasn’t until Anne’s had rested on my back that we even noticed.

“You’re son is a little Houdini. He’s managed to escape his crib every time I put him in and sneak into Darcy’s room.” She said while yawning before adding with a fond smile at the children. “And then they both sneak in here to sleep. I gave up trying to move them back.”

My heart melted. Were they hoping to find us here? Where they sad when they didn’t? Did Jamie understand that I was coming back? That I would never leave him? Did Darcy understand that too?

I couldn’t help myself anymore. My feet made quick work of the space in between myself and the bed before I gently climbed on trying not to jostle them awake as I leaned over both of them a kissed their precious little heads.

When I looked up Anne was gone, the door was shut, and Harry was watching me with an intimately tender look on his face.

Tearing my eyes away from him I shuffled around to curl around Jamie and glance down at the spot next to Darcy. Harry didn’t need any more invitation before he copied my move around Darcy while reaching across both children to tangle his fingers with mine.

All being forgotten for the moment.

And that was how we fell asleep.

Together and at peace in our bed at home.

Notes

Hey guys.
So its been a while. The Holidays kinda killed me. But I’m back and with a new chapter. I hope you guys like it. Its kind a filler but you know… what can you do?
So once again I had to go to Wattpad and report this story being plagiarized. It sucks and I don’t think the people doing it realize how truly upsetting and frustrating it is to see someone else take credit for what you did, but the worst part is knowing it is a reader. I appreciate each and everyone of you guys so please be nice and don’t take my stuff. Write your own stories, if you need help and you would like I can do that just please don’t take my stuff. I work hard on it and sometimes I work on it when I don’t really want to be doing anything at all so it’s just not cool to take that.
Also if anyone happens to come across this on any other site by anyone that isn’t slushibubbles please let me know.
Anyway that’s all. Thank you for all the reads and the reviews and the favorites. Love you kiddies.