Songbird [H.S]

FIFTY

"Oh look, there's a little ladybird on you Sunny!" Harry's dramatic gasp caught the baby's attention, causing her wide eyes to flit to where her Dad was pointing at her small foot to watch a small ladybird was crawling along her toes. Her lips parted as she continued to stare curiously, her tiny fingers reaching forward to touch it. Harry was quick to grab her hand, lightly moving it away so as not to disturb the little bug, knowing the girl loved to grab everything she saw.

Marley smiled sweetly momentarily abandoning her crochet project to admire her boyfriend teaching their daughter all about the insects crawling through the meadow wildflowers. His thick curls had been decorated with colourful petals and intricate braids once again, the boy having begged the girl to do his hair the moment they stepped foot among the tall grass. It was no secret he liked his hair being played with and Marley couldn't resist his cute little face smiling up at her. Besides, seeing Harry embrace the natural world made her heart swell, she could hardly deny him the chance to explore more of that side of himself.

Josie giggled loudly as Harry managed to coax the ladybird onto his finger, bringing it closer to the baby so she could get a better look. Her constant babbling echoed in the gentle breeze, making Harry hum along with encouragement acting like he understood every word of what Josie was saying to him. His playful smile and silly words made Josie's eyes sparkle with joy, a sight Marley would savour for a lifetime.

"Shall we count her spots?" Harry asked softly and Josie babbled in response. "Okay, one...two...three...fou- oh."

The boy's dragged-out words suddenly came to a halt when the ladybird abruptly flew off his finger. Marley began to chuckle at Harry's slightly surprised expression, only for her laughter to quickly stop when she saw Josie's bottom lip begin to tremble as an unhappy pout scrunched up her cute little features.

"Oh little lovie, come here." Harry struggled to hold back his laughter as he lifted his daughter up from the grass to snuggle into his chest. She began to sob, upset that her new friend had suddenly disappeared despite how interested she was in it. "It's alright, Mrs Ladybird needed to go home to her babies. I'm sure we can find another one."

The teenage boy gently stroked the little girl's cheek as he continued to soothe her with his calm words, her quiet sniffles muffled against his bare chest. His strong tattooed arms enveloped her in a secure hug, bouncing the girl slightly as he glanced over to check on Marley, noting how she had started to fold up her crochet to take a little break.

It had been Marley's idea to spend the warm Sunday afternoon by the meadows to allow themselves to completely relax before their busy day on Monday. Harry in particular was driving her crazy, constantly pacing the house and messing up Marley's calm energy with his stress. It was the day before his big exhibition and he'd already handed in his submissions to college, his mind was restless now there were no more opportunities to fix little details so he'd resorted to taking his nervous energy out by blurting all his worries out as she walked all around the house. Unable to focus on her crochet, she convinced Harry to join her outside, telling him that helping Josie explore among the flowers would be the perfect distraction while Marley was able to enjoy the quiet and sunshine while focusing on the little cardigan she was making.

Right now, nothing felt as peaceful as letting the August sun soak her skin with its golden warmth as Josie's little babbles mixed beautifully with Harry's quiet humming and the singing birds. Also, it gave her a chance to admire her boyfriend's tanned chest, swirls of ink glistening slightly with the thin sheen of sweat clinging to his body.

"I think she's hungry." Harry stated bluntly before talking to Josie in a light and playful tone. "You want Mummy's boob? You want the boob? Yeah? Alright."