If I could fly (BOOK 2)

Statement

The statement took longer than Harry expected.

Not because he didn't know what to say - but because he knew exactly what not to say.

They sat side by side on the hotel bed, Darcy asleep between them, Harry's laptop open and untouched on the desk across the room. Management had already sent drafts. Carefully worded. Polite. Vague in all the wrong places.

Harry didn't like any of them.

"I don't want her name in it," Y/N said quietly. "Not even hinted at."

Harry nodded immediately. "Agreed."

"And no timelines," she added. "No wedding dates. No speculation about her or the wedding."

"Got it, sweetheart," he said.

He reached for his phone and called management back before the silence could stretch.

"We'll confirm the engagement," Harry said calmly when they answered. "That's it."

A pause.

"You don't mention our daughter," he continued, voice firm. "Not directly. Not indirectly. Nothing."

Another pause - longer this time.

"If anyone pushes," Harry added evenly, "I walk. Interviews. Appearances. All of it."

Y/N looked at him sharply.

Harry met her eyes. "I'm serious."

Silence.

Then: Understood.

He ended the call and exhaled slowly.

"I didn't even think about it," Y/N said.

"I did," Harry replied, glancing at Darcy. "I just won't negotiate it."

⸻

Three weeks later, Darcy was nine weeks old.

She was louder now. More expressive. Her eyes followed movement, her mouth forming almost-smiles that felt intentional. She reacted to Harry's voice every time - her face lighting up, feet kicking like she was trying to launch herself into his arms.

They were supposed to be quick.
In and out. One appearance. One controlled moment.
Harry hated the car part.

He opened the back door carefully, one hand steadying the car seat as he leaned in to unbuckle Darcy. He could already feel the crowd pressing closer than agreed - bodies too near, cameras too high, flashes starting before he'd even lifted her.

"Please give them space," security called.

They didn't.

As Harry lifted Darcy out of the seat, someone shoved forward to get a better angle.

The door jolted.

Harry felt it immediately - the sudden shift, the weight changing in his arms, Darcy getting pulled under Harry for a moment.

Darcy startled.

Then she screamed.

Not a fuss. Not a whimper.

A full, terrified cry - sharp and panicked, her little body stiffening as her face crumpled in pain.

Harry's heart slammed into his throat.

He locked his arm around her instinctively, pulling her hard into his chest, turning his body sideways to shield her as her cries escalated, desperate and loud.

"BACK UP," he shouted.

The sound cut through everything.

Cameras froze mid-flash. The crowd stilled.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Harry snapped, fury breaking clean through his voice. "She's a baby! If any of you manage to get my baby hurt I will sue."

Y/N was there instantly, hand pressed to his back, her other arm coming around Darcy protectively as she cried harder, face buried against Harry's chest.

"She's scared," Y/N said, voice shaking. "They scared her."

Harry's jaw was clenched tight, breath uneven as he rocked Darcy, one hand cradling her head, murmuring to her even as his eyes stayed locked on the crowd.

"You don't get this close," he said, voice low and dangerous now. "You don't touch us. You don't shove. Ever."

Security surged forward, forcing space at last. Someone apologized. Someone else tried to explain.

Harry didn't listen.

He kept Darcy tucked against him until her cries softened, then slowed - hiccupping breaths replacing the panic as she pressed her face into his neck.

"That's it," Harry said flatly, without looking up. "We're done."

They left immediately.

⸻

That night, the hotel room felt quieter than usual.

Darcy slept between them again, worn out from the day, her breathing steady at last. Harry lay on his side facing Y/N, one hand resting against the bassinet like he was still guarding it.

"Her little arm got hurt," Y/N said softly.

Harry swallowed. "I know."

He stared at the wall for a moment, jaw tight.

"I don't care about photos," he said. "I don't care about headlines. But if they ever make her feel unsafe again-"

He stopped himself, breath shaking.

"I won't do this," he finished. "I won't keep putting her in that position."

Y/N shifted closer, resting her forehead against his.

"We'll change how we do things," she said. "Together."

Harry nodded slowly.

"I've been thinking about timing," he said after a moment. "Wedding. Tour. Everything."

She waited.

"I don't see it in schedules anymore," he continued quietly. "I see it in school years. In where we live. In what keeps her safe. I'm not planning chapters - I'm planning a life."

Tears gathered in Y/N's eyes, but she smiled.

"I like that," she whispered.

Harry kissed her knuckles, then rested his hand gently over Darcy's chest, feeling the soft rise and fall beneath his palm.

"I don't need it fast," he said. "I just need it solid."

Y/N nodded. "It is."

And as Harry finally closed his eyes, the tension of the day easing at last, he knew one thing with absolute certainty:

No matter how loud the world got, he would always be louder when it mattered.