If I could fly (BOOK 2)

Marry you

Y/N woke before the sun.

The hotel room was quiet in that unfamiliar way-soft hum of the air unit, blackout curtains glowing faintly at the edges. Harry slept on his side facing the bassinet pulled close to his side of the bed, one arm stretched out instinctively, fingers resting lightly against the mesh like he needed to know Darcy was still there. Darcy slept peacefully, swaddled, her tiny chest rising and falling in a rhythm that immediately steadied Y/N's breathing.

She didn't move for a long moment.
Instead, she lay there replaying everything from the night before.

There is nothing better.
I want to marry you.

The words didn't scare her this morning.

It surprised her how settled it felt. Heavy, yes-but grounding. Not a demand. Not a rush. Just... real.
She watched Harry sleep, the seriousness in his face softened by rest, the way his body angled toward Darcy even unconsciously. Even asleep, he was guarding something precious.

He looked certain.

That certainty wrapped around her chest like warmth.
She reached over carefully, brushing her fingers against his arm, then leaned toward the bassinet and pressed a soft kiss to Darcy's hair through the mesh.
Marriage didn't feel like pressure right now.
It felt like a future she might actually belong in.

Later that morning, Harry took a call near the window, voice low and controlled.

Y/N sat on the bed with Darcy in her arms, rocking gently while she ate, watching Harry's reflection in the glass. She couldn't hear the other side of the conversation, but she didn't need to. She knew the cadence by now-the pauses, the quiet firmness, the moments where he chose his words carefully.

"No," Harry said calmly.

A pause.

"We're not speeding this up," he continued. "We agreed on stability, and that's what we're doing."

Another pause.

"My family comes first," he said evenly. "That means fewer flights, longer breaks, and no last-minute changes. If that doesn't work, we'll adjust something else."

He ended the call without ceremony.

When he turned back toward the room, the hardness drained from his expression immediately. He crossed the space and leaned down, kissing Y/N's forehead, then Darcy's.

"All good?" Y/N asked quietly.

"All good," Harry said.

And this time, she believed him.

That night, the hotel room dimmed again.
Darcy slept in the bassinet on Harry's side of the bed, one tiny hand visible beneath the blanket. Harry checked on her once more before sitting back beside Y/N, the mattress dipping slightly with his weight.

Y/N stared at her hands in her lap for a moment.

Then she whispered, "I'm scared."

Harry turned fully toward her. "Of what?"

"Of losing myself," she said. "Of becoming only a mum. Of disappearing into this version of me I don't recognize yet."

Harry didn't rush her. He didn't interrupt.

He took her hands instead-warm, steady-and pressed them gently to his chest so she could feel his heartbeat.

"I love you exactly as you are," he said.

The words were simple. Certain. Unconditional.

Her breath hitched.

She looked up at him, eyes searching his face. "Did you really mean what you said yesterday?"

He didn't ask her to clarify.

He knew exactly what she meant.

"Yes," he said immediately.

Her voice trembled. "You knew what I meant?"

"Yes," he said again, softer. "All of it."

She swallowed. "Even... that?"

"Yes." His thumb brushed gently over her knuckles. "I know it's not right now. I know we don't need to rush anything. But it wasn't something I said without thinking."

He leaned in then, kissing her slowly-carefully at first, like he was checking in.

When she leaned into it, the kiss deepened immediately.

Not rushed. Not desperate.

Certain.

Y/N's hands slid into his hair, fingers curling gently as she pressed closer, her breath catching when Harry's hands tightened slightly at her waist, pulling her into his lap. The kiss grew warmer, heavier, filled with everything they hadn't said out loud.

Harry exhaled softly against her lips, a sound of restraint and relief tangled together.
She shifted instinctively, pressing closer, her forehead resting against his shoulder as she caught her breath.

"I missed this," she whispered.

Harry's chest tightened.

"I know," he murmured, kissing her temple, slower now, grounding instead of escalating.

She pulled back just enough to look at him, fingers still curled in his shirt. "I wish... I wish I could-"

Harry shook his head gently before she could finish.

"You don't need to finish that sentence," he said quietly.

His hands stayed firm at her waist, thumbs brushing slow, reassuring circles.

"You're still healing," he said. "And that matters more to me than anything else right now."

Her shoulders dropped, relief softening her features.

"I'm not in a rush," he continued. "I just want you. Close like this is more than enough."

Her eyes filled again, but calmer this time.

"You're really serious," she said softly.

"Yes," he replied without hesitation. "About all of it."

She searched his face. "Even knowing how messy things are right now?"

"Especially because of that," he said.

Harry leaned forward and kissed her again-deeper, slower, full of promise rather than urgency. His hand slid gently up her back, settling between her shoulders as he pulled her closer until she melted fully against him.

"You don't need to worry about timelines," he murmured against her skin. "Or pressure. Or what people think."

She swallowed. "Then what should I worry about?"

His thumb tipped her chin back toward him.

"Just saying yes when the time comes."

Her breath caught.

He kissed her again before she could respond-slow, warm, deliberate. The kind of kiss that felt like a beginning pretending to be a continuation.
From the bassinet, Darcy stirred softly.
Harry smiled against Y/N's lips and pulled back just enough to glance toward her.

"See?" he murmured. "She knows something's coming."

Y/N laughed quietly, resting her forehead against his.
She didn't ask what he meant.
She didn't need to.

Because whatever was coming-whatever question Harry was already holding quietly in his chest-it felt closer than she'd ever imagined.

And for the first time, she wasn't afraid of it.
The room settled around them-quiet, warm, waiting.

And somewhere in that stillness, a future was already being chosen.