Sideways // Book Three

Chapter 6.

After a few days of promotional photoshoots and interviews in Los Angeles, we're given a few days to rest. Our management set up a day on a yacht off the California coast. Charlie graciously accepted the offer before I could even speak a single word. She was so excited to be out of the hotel, even for only a few hours.

After our incident at the airport and after Liam was arrested, she and Gracie had pretty much been hidden away. They spent their mornings taking baths and playing dress up while their afternoons consisted of sitting and chatting with friends and family that had decided to tag along as well. Their nights were spent with me as we all laid in the bed, Gracie propped up on my stomach.

I could watch her play for hours and hours on end, watching as she discovered new, exciting things. I would wrap her up in my arms and kiss her all of her face to hear her laughter. It's the best sound in the world to hear your baby laughing. To know that she's okay and that all is right in the world.

"What trunks do you want to wear?" Charlie asks as she holds up two pairs of trunks in her hands. I point to the plain red trunks as I gather a few of Gracie's items to place them in her diaper bag. I hold Gracie's small pink bathing suit up to her before she insists on batting it out of her face.

"Don't be so snobby, Gracie..." I laugh to myself as I pack her bathing suit along with her other items. She wobbles around the hotel room, babbling to herself as Charlie and I both prepare for our day at sea.

"Let me lather you up," Charlie says as she massages sunscreen in her hands. I crack a smile and remove my shirt, turning my back so that she can "lather me up." "You know," I whisper, crossing my arms across my chest, "that isn't the first time you've said those words to me and I'm not so sure I want that to be the last time."

"Shut up," she giggles as she glides the cold sunscreen up and down my bare back, massaging it into my skin. I let out a few playful moans before she smacks me on the back of my head. "Ouch," I whisper as I clutch the back of my head tightly.

"Harry," she says sternly, "we have a baby in the room." I turn my eyes towards Gracie who keeps herself entertained with a remote control in the corner of the room. "She doesn't even have any idea what's going on," I laugh as Charlie pushes me away from her.

"But still," she whispers, "I don't want her to hear those things. I want to protect her as much as possible." I nod my head and throw my shirt back on before going to scoop Gracie up in my arms. She giggles and tosses the remote control down to the floor, missing and hitting my foot.

I stumble slightly towards the bed, quickly turning the stumble into a slight limp. I bite my bottom lip to keep from cursing in front of Gracie as I lightly set her onto the bed in front of me as I bend down to rub my foot. "Ouch," I mutter loudly, stroking my injured foot with my fingers.

"Isn't having a toddler just lovely?" Charlie laughs, picking up Gracie's hand and giving it a gentle high-five. "Why are you high-fiving her?" I ask, my eyebrows burrowed. "Gracie, one. Daddy, zero," Charlie laughs as she wanders into the bathroom.

"Yes," I laugh as I tickle Gracie in my arms, " encourage our daughter to injure the feet and hearts of men." I hear Charlie let out a laugh as she grabs a few last products from the bathroom. She returns to the luggage in the corner and begins to organize everything as a wonderful wife and mother would. If it were up to me, organization wouldn't be a thing. Everything would be in one massive unkept pile, like my hotel rooms when Charlie isn't here.

"So...." Charlie muttered under her breath as she zipped up the last of the luggage and sat beside me at the edge of the bed. "So...." I say in my best Charlie voice, in a childish attempt to mock her. Charlie rolls her eyes at me as she slightly punches me on the shoulder. "Geez," I groan, "I'm getting beat up today by the two ladies I love the most....well, and my mom."

Charlie sips on a bottle of water as she tilts her head. I can tell she has some sort of smart response coming. "And what about your sister?" She asks as she gives Gracie a sip of her water, a single streak of water sliding down Gracie's thick chin. I wipe away the excess water with the back of my hand as I smile back at Charlie.

"Eh, it depends on the day I guess," I shrug with a small laugh. Charlie lets in a deep breath as she watches Gracie play with my fingers, gawking at all of my tattoos. "So," Charlie begins again, "this tour will be over soon enough and what are we going to do with all of our spare time?" I continue playing with Gracie in my arms, considering what Charlie has said.

"Um," I mutter, "I don't know. I guess play with Gracie," I shrug. She lets out a deep sigh and I just know that this isn't the last of our conversation. I've known Charlie too long, something is up. I look back up at her and she that she has a wide, deceiving smile plastered across her face.

I immediately groan. "Yes?" I groan, "What can I do for you?" She raises her left eyebrow and widens her smile, moving closer to me as she wraps her arm around my shoulders. "Well, I was just thinking that during that time that maybe you and I could do something very special...."

"Oooh," I mutter, acting like I know what she's implying. She nods her head excitedly as if I do know what she's talking about. I nod my head in response and then quickly begin to shake my head so that she knows that I'm in the dark. Her lips thin as her eyes darken. I should've just known what she was talking about like any good husband would.

"Harry...." she groans, as she looks away from me. "What?" I laugh with a shrug, my face reddening in embarrassment. "Do you want to go back to Bali or something like that? Am I even close?" I laugh again as I struggle to come up with ideas as to what she might be talking about.

"You're so clueless...." She laughs as she unwraps her arms from around my shoulders. "Ah no," I groan, "I like your it when you're all wrapped up in me like that." She gets up from the bed, taking Gracie from my arms as she swings her onto her right hip.

"I was just...." she begins as she smiles over to Gracie who points at me from across the room. "Just what?" I ask as I begin to make faces at Gracie. "I was just thinking that maybe....just maybe," she mutters, her eyes turned from me, "that we could have another baby."

I immediately stop making funny faces at Gracie as my eyes dart towards Charlie. I feel my heart quicken in my chest as a bout of anxiety begins to course through my tired-father veins. Charlie gives me a weak smile and quick shrug as she bounces Gracie up and down slightly. "Like, a human baby?" I ask, my eyes narrowing.

"No, like a puppy. Yes, a human baby, Harry!" She exclaims as she sets an unhappy Gracie onto the floor of our hotel room. "Oh," I whisper, "well....I mean, I guess." I stare down at the floor and watch as Gracie grows into a disgruntled bundle on the floor.

"You guess?" Charlie says, a hint of disappointment settling in her voice. I think back to our first pregnancy. It was terrible. The thought of going through all of that again was enough to send me into a panic.  "Harry?" She says, bringing me out of my walk down memory lane.

"Huh?" I say as my head snaps up again. Her arms are crossed against her chest before she kneels down in front of me running her hands along my thighs. "Harry," she whispers, "I know that you're afraid because of last time but I really want another baby. I want Gracie to have a sibling, especially a brother."

"I know," I whisper as I take her hands in mine, giving them a gentle squeeze. She smiles lightly as she reaches up and places a gentle kiss against my lips. I feel my heart jump in my chest, just like it did the first day that I met her. Suddenly I want a million babies with her again.

"We don't have to if you're not ready now," she whispers as she strokes my face. I shake my head and take her hand in mine again, pulling her up and into my arms. I place my head against her collarbone and smile. "No," I smile as I watch Gracie play with the tags on our luggage, "I think I'm ready for another baby too."

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