Kiwis | Harry Styles

One

Jessi

My fingers trail along the edge of the crib which has been home to all of my babies, when I close my eyes I can still picture them all smiling up at me. I can see Harry squished in beside Robin when she had that tummy bug and she just wouldn't settle any other way. I can still feel the dents from where Mac bit into it while he was teething. Daniella seemed to think it was a prison and tried to escape at every opportunity and as for Madison, it felt like she was only asleep in here yesterday. How can she be three already? I pick up the fluffy pink blanket which had been discarded on the rocking chair and fold it neatly, a feeling of sadness washing over me as it hits me we won't be needing that blanket anytime soon, if ever, despite mine and Harry's best efforts. We'd been trying for a year now and still nothing. Maybe my body is trying to tell me I'm too old for this? It had never been a problem before. 

"MUM!" Robin's voice hollers as the front door slams shut. "MUM! DAD IS A PERVERT!" I can't help but laugh. "Mum? You won't be laughing in a second!" She declares as she waltzes into the room and drops her backpack by the door. "Do you know what Uncle Mitch told me today?"

"No idea, Love." I smile as I tuck her soft, brown, shoulder length hair behind her ear and pull her in for a hug.

"Well,  yesterday Dad was getting this piece of... "art" installed, right?" She places air quotes around the word art. 

"OK. I'm with you so far." My heart hurts a little as I realise my first baby is now taller than me, when did that happen?

"Well, it's a bum which is creepy enough but then Uncle Mitch told me it was yours and now I can't ever bring my friends to the studio again!" She puffs air out of her mouth as she huffs. "Do you know about this?" She pulls back from me with her hands on her hips.

"Why is my bum creepy? And yes I'm aware of it, that plaster cast was darn cold." I smile, I thought it was a great idea for Harry's Anniversary present. We'd had fun making it. Harry had definitely been thorough in making sure he cleaned my body afterwards. 

"Ugh! Why can't you guys be normal? Do you know he pats it for good luck?" She exclaims and all I can do is chuckle in response. "Anyway, what are you doing in here?" Robin asks as she glances around the nursery. "Are you and Dad having another baby? Oh God, you guys still have sex? Euw, yuck, yuck, yuck!" She hops around the room as if the floor has suddenly become hot lava.

"Sweetheart, the man has a statue of my bum at work, what do you think?" I can't stop myself from smirking. It felt good to know my husband still wanted me after all these years.

"So are you pregnant?" She presses her hand carefully to my stomach after she hops back toward me.

"Oh - uhm - No." I panic, trying to come up with a good reason for why I was in here. "Just wondering what to do with the space." I blurt out, without really thinking of the consequences.

"Could I have it?" Her question threw me. I looked at her curiously. She had her own room which we'd only just finished re-decorating.

"Why would you want it? It's smaller than your current room?"

"I figured I could move all my art stuff in here, maybe like a little studio?" She bats her eyelashes.

"Oh - well we'll need to speak to your Dad." I force a smile and hope she forgets all about it but that wasn't very likely, I'd need to get to Harry before she did. "Now come on, let's go see what carnage your brother and sisters have been creating?" I wrap an arm around her as we head downstairs. Maybe we could find a space for her to have a studio? 

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"DAD!" Robin yells the minute I hear Harry's keys in the door. Mac, Daniella and Madison rush towards him and I can't stop smiling as I watch my husband wrap his big arms around all three of them at once.