Mexico was absolutely incredible for the short whirlwind of a weekend it was, but there was nothing like being home...even if that meant waking up before the crack of dawn on Monday morning to feed Gemma. Harry was still asleep, which only reminded me how exhausted we were from having too much alone time. We didn't waste a single second.
But today would be a good day. Nora was starting second grade, and I wasn't nervous for her the same way I was last school year. She had a small group of two friends who were actually very sweet, and I learned that their parents were the same so that was a massive relief.
I couldn't tell you the last time I saw the Beverly Hills mom group either. It might have been right after that nightmare of a charity event at the hotel, and right after I found out that awful friend of theirs was missing. I did reach out and ask if they ever found out what happened to him just to try and save my own ass, but they didn't. He was gone, or dead. That's what the police had decided, and you'd better believe they milked all the sympathy they could out of that situation.
Rarely did I ever think about him or what happened anymore, but when I did, I still couldn't help but wonder if Harry went just a little too far as to murder the man for making a sex joke about me. Well, it wasn't really just a sex joke at all. It was a rape joke. Maybe he did deserve the Harry Styles treatment after all.
And speaking of the devil, he came wandering into Gemma's room with tired eyes, wild hair, and his joggers resting low on his hips. I lifted my head as he leaned in for a kiss, watching him offer the smallest smile as he stroked Gemma's full cheek with the back of his index finger.
"Coffee," he rasped. "Want one?"
"Yes please," I whispered.
With a single nod, he turned and left the room with his bare feet padding on the hardwood floor. Gemma only ate for maybe a minute longer before she let up and started wiggling in my arms. I adjusted my shirt and changed her diaper before I took her downstairs with me.
The scent of coffee alone started to make me feel a little more awake, and the first few sips did wonders as I handed Gemma off to her dad. He held her on his hip, pressing profuse kisses to her cheek and her forehead while she gently smacked at his face and played with his bottom lip.
"No tears this morning?" He asked me, his voice still rough.
"Mm-mm," I had another sip before getting Nora's things ready for lunch. "She has her friends, and she loves being at school. Besides, I'm not alone at home anymore, so...yeah, that helps."
"Huh," he dodged Gemma's hand as she reached up for his eyelashes. "Does that mean I'm gonna have to give you a baby every time they're old enough to go to school?"
I laughed as I started slathering peanut butter and raspberry jam on two slices of honey wheat bread. "No. I don't know. Do you think we should have another in a year or two?"
He took a moment to think about that as he eyed Gemma, smiling a little when she blinked her big green eyes at him before she started to smile too. "I think that's your call, darling. I'm not the one who has to do the work."
"Yeah, true," I capped the condiments to put back in the pantry. "I would love to have a boy though. I mean, I'm obviously really happy with these two and I wanted Gemma to be a girl anyway, but...I want a baby boy."
"Why's that?"
I shrugged weakly and pulled the bag of small carrot sticks from the fridge. "The girls are obsessed with you, so maybe a little boy would be obsessed with me. Y'know, 'daddy's girl and mama's boy'? I feel like that's a real thing."
"Mm," he nodded, bouncing Gemma when she fussed quietly. "I don't know if I like that."
"Why not?"
Then it was his turn to shrug. "Don't really feel like competing with any other boys."
