Saving Styles

Holidays

Harry's POV

Doug and I laughed as we watched the twins bomb around in the backyard in their new car, giggling to themselves as Hank practically 4x4'd over an uneven part in the lawn.

"I can't believe how fast that thing goes, it's made for toddlers." I laughed.

"It is a bit scary isn't it? They've gotta be going at least 20." Doug chuckled.

"I'll have to take a look at it, there's gotta be a way to slow it down."

"It's nice to see them so happy." Doug smiled as he slapped me on the back. "They've been through a lot."

"Yeah, Han told me their dad's not around much." I sighed, feeling bad for them not having a dad around and knowing what it's like.

"He just kinda drops in when it's convenient for him, Em finally had to tell him to just stay away, it was too hard on them to have him coming around and giving them hope then just disappointing them."

"Well they're good kids. Emma is doing a great job raising them all by herself." I said as we watched them switch places driving and Hank showed his sister how to make it work.

"It's tough on her, but she does the best she can. We try to help her out as much as possible, but we're not as close since they moved up close to you guys. I worry about Hank, I can tell he already feels like he's supposed to be the man of the house, taking care of his mom and sister." He sighed.

"I noticed that. I was actually thinking since we live so close maybe I could take him out once in a while, even if it's just to Hannah's game or something. Han and I could take them for a night here and there, give Emma a break."

"That's very thoughtful of you, I think they'd love that." Doug smiled.

I nodded as Maci rammed the car into the corner of the deck before they both gave us a thumbs up to let us know they were okay. Doug and I chuckled as he told them to be careful and they took off across the lawn again.

"Speaking of thoughtful, what you gave Hannah today...I don't know if you realize how much those things meant to her." Doug sighed as he looked over at me. "I watched for four years while Luke either didn't get her anything at all, or just gave her something like a bottle of nail polish. I know it's not the gift that counts, but it's the thought, and he never even attempted to get her anything that would mean anything to her. Softball is her life, her dream in a lot of ways, and you just gave her a chance to live that dream a little longer. She's dreamt about going to Fenway since she was a little girl. I know what it costs to get her there, I've looked into it many times. The pendant with such a nice story behind it, you're literally making her dreams come true Harry. As a father, I can't tell you what it means to me to see her so happy."

"I just want her to be happy. She does so much for me, more than I could ever tell her. She deserves the world, and I just want to try to pay her back for what she does for me every day. I mean, I don't usually talk about things with people, but since you know more about me than probably anyone else, you know that things like this...this life...I never thought I'd have any of these things. Hannah has given me this sense of normalcy, she makes me feel like maybe I could have this kind of life. Like maybe I deserve it."

"You do deserve it, Harry. You're a good man. I know it's probably hard for you to be here in a lot of ways, and uncomfortable for you to know that I know those things. I just want you to know that if you ever need anything, someone to talk to or help with anything, I'm here. I'm not your dad, but I've felt a responsibility to you for a long time, and if you ever need advice or anything at all, you can call me."