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Chapter 108

Lost and afraid
Young and innocent but getting older
I don't wanna be alone
I don't wanna be alone

— The Neighbourhood, Wiped Out!

. . . .

I feel the covers shift as the sun blasts its vibrant rays down on us. There's a lump moving underneath the blankets, and it slowly moves towards us. Harry feels it too as he shifts next to me, his body still nestled up to mine. His eyes struggle to stay open, and when he sees his little girl crawling towards us, he has a small smile on his lips.

As her head is just at the hem of the blanket, she springs her arms up in the air and makes a growling noise as the blanket flies behind her. She has a bedhead like both of us, but unlike my wild, flowing free hair, hers is in two braids that are barely hanging on as she most likely lost the ties in bed.

"Where did you come from, my little monster?" Harry tickles her belly and pushes a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "I didn't even see you."

"Did you see me, Violet?" She looks to me with that mesmerizing grin of hers, her eyes lit up like a Christmas tree.

"I had no idea you were there."

She giggles and sticks her finger in her mouth. Harry takes hold of her tiny wrist and pulls her hand away from her mouth.

"Don't put your fingers in your mouth, Lil."

"It hurts."

"Open your mouth and show me where it hurts."

He places his hands on either side of her head, and she opens her mouth wide to use her tongue to point where it hurts.

"I know what's wrong. You're losing your first tooth, Lil!"

"Will the Tooth Fairy come see me?"

"I think so, but I hear she only comes when you're a good girl."

"Is it going to hurt when it comes out?" She asks him as she goes back to wiggling the tooth around, or as much as she can at this early stage of losing a tooth.

"Maybe a little, but you're so strong." He kisses her forehead, and she crawls off of his lap to lie down in between us. He hands her one of her dolls that was lying nearby on the floor, and she quickly gains focus on bending the arms of the doll.

Meanwhile, Harry lies back down and covers his eyes with one of my shirts to block out the sunlight. Then he asks me, "What time is it?"

"10:23."

"Damn, we slept in that long?"

"It's not even that late."

"For me, it is. I like to start my day early."

"That is where we differ," I tell him.

"I want to lie here with you two for the rest of the day," he says after several beats of silence.

"No, daddy, I want to go play outside."

"Is there a park around the building?" He rests his head on my shoulder and wraps his arm around my stomach, similar to what I normally do to him.

"The landlord said there's one a couple of blocks down."

Lilly is kneeling in front of us with a pleading expression on her face. He reluctantly agrees, and says, "C'mon, Lil. Let's have some breakfast then get dressed to go play."

He lifts her into his arms and carries her over to the barstools to sit so he can start on breakfast. However, she protests, so she can help get everything out for him. As they're making breakfast, I clean up the mess of blankets on the floor and fold them to store them back in the bedroom.