Meant To Be

Chapter 40

Author's Note: So sorry! I didn't quite make it before the new year. I was actually done with it late last night, or early this morning, but was too tired and went to bed. Then worked on it today to go over it for errors which I had a lot. Thankfully I had some of the chapter written already and wrote the rest during my 2-week vacation. Though I only had time in between doing xmas shopping and being sick from the booster shot. But anyway I didn't make it for xmas, so shot for new years...but didn't finish still. But it's here now, and to make up for it, you get an extra dose of little Wynter!

So Happy New Year and read on!

The remaining days of the week seemed to slow down, which Harry thought was unfair. His upcoming date with Tom was all he could think about and it was just taking so long to get here like it was taunting him. He was nervous, though he knew he shouldn't be, it was just Tom, they've lived together for months...but this was their first date, as a real couple. They were going to try and that was what was making Harry excited and a little scared. This was new territory for them. Harry had only a few relationships under his belt while Tom was more experienced, but this was his first real relationship, for the both of them. The fact that Tom was trying at all was surprising, Harry was having a hard time keeping his hopes down, he didn't want to be hurt again in case something went wrong. Just thinking about how vulnerable Tom had been when he apologized made his heart squeeze and the hope come spilling out – it was what he had wanted. But it was scary at the same time. He said as much when Ron and Hermione came over.

"... Marque asked me out on a date," Harry said when they got settled with Wynter in Hermione's lap, "I'm kind of nervous."

"Really? That's great Harry," Hermione said as she cuddled her goddaughter close.

"Have you never been out on one?" Ron asked.

"No," Harry said, shaking his head. "I never left the cottage except for going to the market, which is where we met, and I had Wynter, so he would just come over."

"So you would just sleep with him," Ron finished.

Harry blushed, but nodded, "Pretty much."

"Nice."

"Ronald!" Hermione admonished him and slapped him in the arm. He just rubbed his arm and winked at him over her head.

"I wanted something more, but didn't think that would happen, we were just comfortable how we were. But now that it's happening..."

"You're afraid something will go wrong and you'll get hurt again," Hermione finished for him.

Harry gave her a weak smile and nodded. He loved his friends; he didn't have to say much for them to understand what he was thinking. Even though they didn't know the whole truth they still knew exactly how he was feeling. It made things easier because sometimes he didn't even know.

"Well, don't think about it too hard," Hermione said, "It's not like you haven't had dinner before."

"Yeah, but that was me making it. This is different."

"Yeah, this time you're not making it," Ron stated and Harry threw him an annoyed look to which he just grinned.

Hermione rolled her eyes, "I'm just saying, don't blow it out of proportion. It's just dinner, like all the other dinners. Act like you normally do and everything will be fine."

"Right," Harry said, nodding as he tried to calm himself down.

"Besides, I doubt you will have time to be nervous with this one there," Ron said tugging on Wynter's foot.