Fishing For A Dream [Book Three]

Chapter 45 - Our House

A marathon of 'Salvage Hunters' and 'the Repair Shop', clementines, chocolate, and plenty of water - I lay on the sofa, eating happily, trying to ignore as my phone lit up yet again with a call from Harry. I knew I needed to speak to him, and he was probably getting a little worried by my silence, but I couldn't bring myself to answer and hear his voice. If I heard him, I would ask him to come home, and I'd spent long enough trying to convince him I was fine.

Another problem, and one which was purely as a reaction to how badly shaken up I was by the fall, but I couldn't help doubt if I wanted to raise a child where photographers - strangers - were trying to take photos of them! I knew it was a little late in the game to start worrying about it, really, but with lockdown I'd lowered my guard a little, and I'd been in a bit of a joyous baby bubble. That pap turning up unexpectedly had thrown me - literally - and I was reminded that any child Harry and I had would be of interest to people.

So, whilst I wasn't about to back out of any relationship with Harry (the time we'd spent together in quarantine had brought us even closer together, and I was more certain than ever that I wanted to be with him), I still needed to talk myself down off the ledge before we spoke.

Popping a clementine segment into my mouth (which was lovely and cold from where it had been in the fridge), I sighed and turned my attention back to the TV.

"Baby! Why aren't you-"

The sudden sound of Harry's voice coming from the living room door brought a blood-curdling scream to my mouth; causing me to cough and splutter on the juice of the soft fruit I had been enjoying. Picking up the nearest cushion to hand, I threw it at him, aiming at his head, but it softly hit his tummy and fell to the floor.

"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING, HARRY!" I managed to yell after I stopped coughing. "You nearly gave me a bloody heart attack!"

"I'm sorry! But I've been trying to call you all day to tell you I was coming home to make sure you were okay!" He picked the cushion up off the floor and tossed it back onto the sofa. "Why are you ignoring me? Are you both okay?"

My heart was still racing, and I hoped the whole road hadn't heard me. "'Cause you're a weirdo who turns up at women's houses unexpectedly all the time, mate! Jesus Christ."

"Well, answer your bloody phone then, next time. I thought something was seriously wrong, Lil, I've been worried sick. Are you and the baby okay?"

The shock at his sudden appearance was beginning to settle, and something else replaced it: suspicion. He hadn't just coincidentally decided to come all the way home from Italy for no reason; oh, no, someone had called him despite me telling them not to.

"We're fine. I had a scan this morning, and everything's fine. So, go on, who was it? Who called you?"

"Will did, but-"

I rolled my eyes towards the ceiling. "Oh, of course he did. That pain in the arse, I'll wring his flamin' neck when I see him."

"I was going to say: but so did Dee-" That took the wind out of my sails a little- "and I'm glad they did! Jesus, Lil, you can't keep that sort of thing from me. That's my baby, too!"