Do I Wanna Know?

Chapter 34

ONE MONTH LATER

Growing up, Christmas was nothing special for me at all. The only decorations I got to see were the wreaths my neighbors hung on their doors, or sometimes a small Christmas tree with dull lights wrapped through the artificial branches that I could make out through an open window to their units.

My parents made just enough money to buy the booze or the drugs they needed to keep them satisfied, but gifts for me were out of the question. As a little kid, the gifts were all I thought I wanted, but as an adult, I think it was just the feeling of the holiday I was missing-the feeling of family.

But now? I was four and a half months into growing a human inside of me, wrapping presents for that human's father and the love of my whole life to put under the 20-foot genuine Christmas tree we had set up in the living room.

We were a little late to the decor game, seeing as we were only two weeks out from Christmas Day but Harry had been busier than ever and I wasn't even really expecting much for decorations until I saw a flyer in our mailbox offering a service to put lights on the house. I asked Harry if we could, and he said what he always said: whatever you want, baby.

Maria made a point to tell me that never once in all her years with Harry had he put up one single decoration for any holiday. She said that his house was the only one on that block that stayed dark during the season, and that included our Jewish next-door neighbor.

Now there was a decoration in just about every room. We even had a smaller tree in our own, which I insisted that we kept lit at night when we went to sleep because I loved the way it glowed in the dark and reflected off the glass wall. Harry rolled his eyes but never dreamed of unplugging the thing.

I was just finishing up a present for Maria when I heard Harry speaking to the party planner downstairs, or I guess I should say I heard the party planner speaking at Harry. I heard his fake laugh before his footsteps came hurrying up the stairs, and he already had that look on his face by the time he was in the bedroom with me.

"That woman is driving me fucking insane," he muttered, closing the door behind him.

I laughed where I sat on my knees, gently nudging Maria's gift over to the side with a couple more I had done for Harry. "Are they almost finished out there?"

"Yeah, but she's asking my opinion as if I give a shit. I mean, I don't not give a shit about the gender of the thing, but why the fuck would I care where she puts the balloons? I was on the fucking phone when she came and found me in my office."

"I'm sorry," I pouted sympathetically at him through my giggle. "They should be leaving soon, and then no one is supposed to be here until like 6:00. Except Adam, he should be here soonish to start cooking."

"Mm," he nodded slowly, pinching his eyes closed before he tossed his phone onto the bed. "What are you doing up here? Wrapping?"

"Yup. Maria's presents are done, yours are kinda done, and I still need to wrap Claudia's and Sage's."

"Sage," he echoed. "Niall is fucking head over heels for her, you know that? The kid won't shut the fuck up."

I smiled at that as I forced myself up onto my feet and walked over to sit on the mattress instead. "Yeah, she really likes him too. I just wish I had someone for Louis."