Kiwi // H.S. // A.U.

Chapter Sixty-Three

EMMA

Four Months Later

"Home sweet home." Harry says as we walk back through the doorstep of the cottage we had stayed at before Christmas.

It was pretty much the same, except without the Christmas decorations. There was a bowl of fresh fruit on the counter, both our dogs immediately sniffing their way into the kitchen. Harry put our bags in the room while I set up the dog bowls. When he came out, I outstretched my arms for him to wrap his own around me, pick me up, and give me a tight bear hug.

"I've missed this place." I mumble into his neck.

He sets me down, "Want to make love to you in front of that fireplace again."

I grin, "I expect you too."

He captured my bottom lip in-between his, giving me a searing kiss. One that made my toes curl and heart hammer in my chest. I could never get enough of him in any way. Even when he was annoying me, I wanted to be around him.

The last several months have been good for us. Without the distraction of outside forces we were able to bond in a way I didn't think was possible. We got to learn what each other was like in our every day normal lives.

I had found a counselor to speak to once every two weeks. She had also talked to me about my abandonment issues created by my biological father leaving. I still wasn't giving him much, but I would sit down with him and my mum whenever I went up to visit her. My nightmares had stopped rather quickly which I was forever grateful for. I didn't need the reminder of what'd almost happened.

Harry and I found a routine, him dropping the dogs off at daycare before work, me picking them up on the way home. We would cook and clean together, take long walks as the sun started to set. We still got our alone time in bed, Toby preferring to sleep in the living room, and Daisy sleeping wherever he was. We still went out on Fridays with everyone, and had lunches and brunches over the weekend.

It was the life I never thought I would have. It was domestic and dreamy, Harry being sweet and attentive. We worked through his anxiety issues, attacks happening less than they used to, but not stopping entirely. He had finally spoken to his boss about stepping down, admitting that he was unhappy with the position. He agreed to stay on to help with the hiring process, which would probably take a few months to find and properly train someone.

He had been talking to Tony about expanding her consulting business. She wanted to reach more businesses in Manchester, but with her workload and her family, she wasn't able to travel as much making it much harder to accept clients down here. Adding Harry as a partner would be perfect for her to expand, and Harry actually liked the work. It would allow him to be at home more, to be surrounded by the comfort of the dogs and our memories.

He even made a joke about it being the perfect job for when we have children, because he can watch them while I'm at work. More and more we talked about starting a family, more so than us getting married. We weren't rushing things, though, both of us wanting to enjoy being us before complicating things.

He had told me about his plans with Tony over my birthday weekend. He had taken me to Brighton to see the beach, staying at a cute little house by the seafront. We had walked along the pebbled beach, visited the Brighton Palace Pier, and took some boat trips into the ocean. At night we would walk along the shops, eating way too many sweets, before heading home.

Harry was sensational the entire time, both with his body and his care. He wanted me to have a birthday like I've never had before, and he gave that to me. My heart was so full as we left, my hands touching some part of him at all times. I'm sure we were that annoying couple that was sharing too much PDA, but I wouldn't ever hold myself back when it came to him. His lips were too inviting.