The Weeks Between • HS

The Weeks After. Epilogue: Part 1 • Nola *

After the wedding reception in Italy, Harry tells me that he has a surprise for me- just he and I. Elodie is going to stay with the kids at the house in Italy along with Michal and Gemma. I rack my brain over what he could possibly have for us to do, considering we're already at the house in Italy and that is pretty perfect in my mind. When Paddy starts driving towards a marina, I turn in my seat towards Harry. "YOU DID NOT!" I scold as we pull into the open spot in front of a dock. Parked in a slip off of that dock is an obnoxiously huge yacht.

"You kept talking about me going on vacations on yachts before we were married. I just decided that since we had never done it together, we should probably give it a whirl." I smack his chest as he snickers in the seat next to me.

"Of course you would book a yacht for a week just to make a running joke between us into reality." We exit the car and Paddy takes our bags out of the back of the car and he is smiling, having caught our conversation in the backseat of the car.

We get on the boat and the captain and crew all introduce themselves to us. I think there are twelve people on the boat for just the two of us, or so I thought. "Don't be mad, but I invited a few people to come along for a few days of the trip. They are going to get off half-way through, at one of the ports, and fly back to England together, though." I don't even have time to try and figure out who he asked to stay back after the wedding to come on this little adventure with us. Down the dock, I see Helen and Albert walking up with Anne and Darren.

"Our parents?" I ask him and he nods.

"Only for a few days, then it's just you and me, Mrs. Styles." He is quick to take me in his arms and lift me up off the ground, but the human between us makes his, or her, presence known by kicking furiously in my belly. "Woah! That one was crazy," he says, setting me down so my feet can touch the ground again.

"Let's hope that they like the feeling of the ocean, because I tell you what, H. If the movement makes me even the tiniest bit nauseous, we will be docking this behemoth because I spent too many months feeling like crap to do it on my vacation."

Harry pulls me down onto his lap on the couches on the very top of the yacht. It really is the best place to take in the views and soak up the sun. He looks out over the water and replies to me. "It appears that there will be calm seas."

"Those sound like famous last words," I say as Anne and Darren come to the upper deck from below, having just gotten settled into their room.

"What sounds like famous last words? Hopefully nothing about the boat sinking or anything of that sort. I don't even want to put that energy out into the world," Anne says and I shake my head.

"No, I was just telling him that I refuse to be seasick after so much morning sickness and he was telling me that our journey seems to look as though it will be a smooth one. That comment feels a little like tempting fate." Anne and Darren seem to agree with me and Harry feels so ganged up on that he actually gets the captain to talk about it with us.

Helen and Albert come up, too, in the middle of our weather conversation with the captain. "We really want to stay out of the bays if we can, because that's where the paps like to wait for photo opportunities."

"Ugh. I actually forgot about them for a moment. It was a really sweet moment."

Harry kisses my forehead. "Stop worrying. It will be fine- we are going to have a wonderful time, darling."

THOSE last words are the ones that turn into his famous last words. The weather is just fine, but the calm waters allow for the company of other smaller boats to surround us, even outside of the bays. It's only the first day and we've already been photographed and plastered all over, so I just give up. I literally throw in the towel and live my life, damming those who are watching it all unfolding through a series of grainy photographs online. At least I packed some cute swimsuits and I'm not gigantic yet.