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Chapter 116

Oh, boy, you've left me speechless

— Lady Gaga, Speechless

. . . .

I wake up the next morning as Harry's stripping out of his clothes to take a shower after his run. He tosses his phone and earbuds onto the bed and stretches his arm out for me as I'm still naked under the sheets from last night. As much as I do want to stay in bed, I embrace his body as he lifts me up to wrap my legs around his waist to carry me into the bathroom. He starts the water, then once it's warm, he steps in and holds the curtain aside for me.

After our shower, and the modified version of last night where I'm pressed up against the shower wall, we get dressed then head out to the kitchen to start on breakfast. I get the ingredients from their spots as he's getting our dishes. He cooks, and I set the table for the three of us.

"My dad are going at noon to have lunch today. Do you want me to pick up something for you two?"

"I think we'll manage. I still have to pick up some things for Gemma's dinner tonight."

"Well, if you or Lilly want anything, just text me."

After having eaten breakfast, he takes Lilly outside to help her with riding her bike again. I sit outside with them in the shade as Lilly peddles the training-wheeled bike around the driveway. She looks so content with her pink helmet on her head that matches the bike. She's so happy, and because of that, I can't even describe how that makes me feel.

"Vi?" Harry comes to stand in front of me as Lilly takes a break to take some drinks out of her cup of water.

"Mhm?"

"Would you like to learn how to ride a bike?"

"Really? I can't fit on that bike."

"My old bike is in the shed. I could get it out and teach you once I'm done helping Lilly for today. I have to blow up the tires, but I want you to be able to ride one and get the childhood experience that you were cheated out of."

"As long as you don't let go when I start to get the hang of it," I threaten him, and he takes my hands into his.

"I promise," he says with a small smile then pecks my lips. He turns back around to Lilly and claps his hands together once. "Alright, Lil. Let's keep practicing."

She runs back over to the bike, and the process begins all over again. She circles the driveway with Harry's help when she needs it. Ten minutes of straight giggling as she rides around on the bike pass by until Harry says that it's time to put more sunscreen on. He holds the bike still as she climbs off, but her shoe scrapes the concrete, and her little body crashes to the ground. She lands on her right knee and the same side arm. Her heart-shattering cries pour from her lips, and her cheeks shine from the tears that slide down to then fall to her shirt.

"Shh," Harry helps her up off the ground and pushes her tears away from her cheeks. "It's alright, love. You only have a couple of scratches and scrapes. I'll take you inside the house and get this cleaned up, yeah?"

She whimpers and continues crying as he lifts her off of her feet and into his arms. As they walk past me, her knee is scratched up and bleeding along with the underside of her forearm that has similar scrapes tinted with the crimson red liquid.

I push her bike out of the way then grab our cups to take into the house before standing in the doorway to watch Harry clean up the injuries. The scrapes are too long to cover with a simple band-aid, so he wraps the area of both limbs with white gauze after slathering on the ointment to aid in the healing process.