Right From The Start -H.S. AU

1

"Oh my god, Harry. I'm nervous." I mumble and grab his arm as we walk up the steps of Anne and Bobby's house.

"Hey, hey." He holds my hand in his and stops walking, forcing me to turn to look at him. "Everything is going to be fine, baby."

I clutch the meticulously wrapped gift for my dad in my hands, holding it against my growing belly. It's his birthday today, and our entire family is sitting on the other side of the front door, waiting for us to arrive so the party can start.

Harry cradles my face in his palms and smiles down at me softly, his green eyes pouring into mine. I exhale a soft breath and feel my shoulders drop, giving him a small smile of my own in return.

"Today is a good day, my love." He whispers before he leans down to press a gentle kiss against my lips. My chest swells at his reassuring and calm demeanor when he could feel I was starting to panic. He's going to be a great dad.

"Okay, let's do this thing." I exhale a heavy breath and charge forward before I can change my mind, leaving a chuckling Harry to follow behind me.

I push the front door open and a chorus of greetings ring out when they spot us. Tiny footsteps pad along the floor towards us and I immediately scoop Eliza up from the floor while Ryan jumps into Harry's waiting arms. I kiss Izzy all over her face, while Ryan loses a tickle fight with his uncle, and both kids laughing is like music to my ears.

We got so wrapped up in our godchildren, I almost forgot about the rest of our family patiently waiting in the living room. Harry sets Ryan back on the floor and quickly takes the baby from me. I realize this is the first time he's gotten to meet her, and tears well in my eyes at the look on his face.

"Hey, buddy." My dad's gruff voice pulls me from the baby induced trance I was in and before I know it I'm being wrapped in a bear hug.

"Happy birthday, old man." I say, my words muffled against his flannel shirt that is at least fifteen years old.

"I'm so glad you guys could make it." Dad says as he lets go of me and pulls Harry into him for a half hug, careful not to squish the now sleeping baby that's tucked into his arm.

"Wouldn't miss it for anything, Mav." Harry smiles as he looks at me over my dad's shoulder and winks.

We greet the rest of the family and quickly merge into the birthday festivities. I'm taking deep breaths through my nose as all of the combined smells of food, dessert and various alcoholic drinks fill my senses. I'm trying not to gag, while simultaneously starving since I have a hard time keeping anything down. These babies are actually torturing me, because by the looks of it, Anne made just about everything here. I'm bummed I won't get to eat almost any of it.

I end up filling my plate with heaps of fresh fruit, the one thing I can stomach most days. I grab some pasta salad and half of a BLT sandwich, knowing full well that Harry will steal it off my plate so no one gets suspicious when my food is untouched.

Macy brings the cake out with what looks to be exactly forty-seven candles on it, based on the size of the flame. She has a mischievous grin on her face and Dad raises his eyebrows at her, accepting the challenge. He manages to blow out every single candle in one and a half breaths while we all cheer and laugh. I excuse myself to the bathroom when Anne dishes up the cake, and am startled when I come face to face with Sophie right outside the door.

"What's going on?" She whispers, not giving me a chance to ask her why she was waiting for me.

"What do you mean?" I play dumb, but can feel my face heat the longer she stares at me.

"You barely touched any of the food, when usually you'd have at least two plates. You've had nothing but water, despite your favorite cider being stocked in the fridge. You closed your eyes and hid in Harry's chest when Bobby brought out the fresh sushi. And you're wearing a dress that is closely related to a garbage bag, instead of your usual perfectly tailored clothes." My mouth drops open and she cocks an eyebrow at me.