Poppy/H.S

Chapter 17

"Baby," Harry whispers, gently rubbing Poppy's shoulder, "You can't sleep here. You need to brush your teeth first and then you can go sleep in your bed, yeah?"

Poppy groans, switching her sides so she didn't have to face Harry.

"Stop being so stubborn, Poppy. It's way past your bedtime. You promised you would do as I said if I let you finish the movie with us," Harry says strictly.

After the three of us finished playing Twister, Harry agreed to make an exception about the eating dinner in the kitchen rule. Poppy persuaded him to order from her favourite pizza place for dinner, which he did. I've come to notice she's such a daddy's girl. Harry would do anything for her, and clearly can't say no to her. What surprised me was the fact he asked me to make the call about our order instead. I swear I almost forgot he was famous. He always acts so normal and humble when he's around me, it's hard to see him as an international superstar when the little girl I was babysitting has him wrapped around her little finger. I also answered the door when the delivery boy was here with our pizzas, however, I was forced to pay with Harry's money. He literally shoved his leather wallet into my hands saying, "It's on me. I don't want you to pay for it with your own money. Give him a tip only if he's nice and respectful towards you, yeah? I know how the delivery guys can get sometimes."

The three of us then ate the pizza in the living room, watching The Lion King. Harry and Poppy were cuddling, but I didn't feel left out even in the slightest. Poppy sat in the middle, surrounded by Harry on her right side and me on her left. We chatted all the time during the movie, since Poppy couldn't keep quiet for five minutes straight. She was always interested in what Harry and I had to say about what was going on on the screen. It was adorable. She persuaded Harry to let her finish the movie with us, even though she would stay up way past her bedtime. And according to Harry, she gets very cranky when she doesn't go to bed on time, which has proven to be true right now.

"Daddy, no. I'm too tired to brush my teeth. I wanna sleep here on the couch. It's comfy," she argues.

"It's Monday tomorrow. You've got to get some proper sleep before going to kindy in the morning," Harry says. "Don't forget, Valentine is here. She's staying one more night because of the ugly storm. If I were you, I would be on my best behaviour. I don't think she will want to babysit you next time if she sees your tantrum," he sighs, raising his head and searching for my eyes. When our eyes meet, he looks at me apologetically and runs his fingers through his hair in frustration.

I didn't plan on spending another night here, especially when I don't have any clean clothes left for tomorrow. But considering the current weather situation, the rain still hitting the windows hard and the thunder echoing the house occasionally, I've agreed to accept Harry's kind offer to spend the night here and go home tomorrow morning instead.

"It's okay. Let me," I whisper only for him to hear, leaning closer to him and Poppy on the sofa. I reach for his hand and give him a reassuring squeeze. "Hey, pumpkin, do you want to walk up the stairs by yourself or do you want your daddy to carry you?"

"I want daddy to carry me. My legs feel funny," she responds, getting ready to get up from the couch. Harry stares at me wide-eyed, shifting his gaze between me and Poppy.

"Carry her upstairs before she changes her mind. You can thank me later," I grin at him.

"Unbelievable," he mutters under his breath, shaking his head, which makes me laugh. "How did you do that?"

"It's just something I've learned from my mum. Kids feel more independent if you give them options to choose from. But the key is to give them options that both fit what you want them to do," I whisper.