Little Things

Chapter 38

New York City. Our family made it.

Harry kept a protective arm around me as I carried Elizabeth off of the plane. The first thing I saw was a camera flash. Harry's grip on me tightened as we walked closer to all of the paps.

"Remember to just keep walking, love," he whispered in my ear. I nodded and tried to block out all of the questions.

"What a cute charity case, Harry!" one pap yelled. My heart stopped for a second and tears burned my eyes.

"Ignore it, my love," Harry whispered. "You're so much more than your past."

"Can we just get our luggage and leave?" I pleaded, my voice cracking.

Harry kissed my temple and replied, "Of course." We quickly made our way to the baggage claim and got our luggage. There was a rental car waiting for us which we immediately got into. I buckled Elizabeth into her seat in the back. I got into the passenger seat and buckled my seatbelt. Harry started the engine and grabbed my hand.

"We made it, babe," he said.

"I can't believe I'm in New York City," I replied. I looked out the window at all of the tall buildings. Our hotel was a few blocks away from Central Park. After we checked in and put our luggage in our room, Harry and I put Elizabeth in her stroller and walked around.

"This is so beautiful," I said.

"Not as beautiful as you," Harry replied, kissing my cheek. I blushed and shook my head.

"You're silly," I told him.

"This really is beautiful, though," Harry agreed, his emerald eyes looking at our surroundings. He had on a tan sweater, black jeans, and his brown boots. He looked handsome as always, but less dressed up. Don't get me wrong, I loved it when Harry wore all of his suits, but it was great to see him dressed down.

A group of fans recognized Harry and asked for pictures. He obliged of course. He always did. They were nice enough and said hi to me too.

Harry and I eventually made our way down to one of our favorite restaurants near Rockefeller Center for dinner.

"I'm really glad that you and Elizabeth came with me," Harry said, taking a sip of his water.

"I am too," I replied.

"So, how would you feel about going to Holmes Chapel for Christmas and New Years?" he asked.

"I think that's a great idea," I answered. "It would be great to see your family."

Harry smiled and said, "I know they'd love to see you too."

Our food came and the conversation stalled. All either one of us could talk about was how good the food was. As we ate, I gave Elizabeth a bottle for her dinner. Harry was smiling at us.

"What?" I asked, locking eyes with him.

"You're such a great mum," Harry said, smiling still. I felt my cheeks redden and I smiled.

"Thank you," I replied. "You're an okay dad."

"Just okay?" Harry asked, his eyes shining with humor and his dimples prominent in his cheeks.

I shrugged. "Yeah, you're okay."

Harry and I both laughed and shook our heads. What I loved about Harry was his wit and his sense of humor. We had the same sense of humor and could bounce off of each other easily.

After dinner, we made our way back to the hotel. We made a few stops along the way. Harry insisted on visiting the Toys R Us in Times Square to get Elizabeth something and to ride the Ferris wheel.