If I could fly (BOOK 2)

Oh

The drive out to the coast felt different the farther they went.

The roads narrowed, the air changed, and something in Harry's chest loosened without him realizing it had been tight. Anne sat in the back seat beside Darcy, making soft faces that earned her wide smiles and excited little sounds. Y/N caught it all in the mirror and felt something settle warmly in her ribs.
The house sat back from the water, pale and quiet, all windows and salt-stung wood, like it had been waiting for them specifically.

Anne was the first out of the car. "Oh," she breathed. "This is lovely."

Y/N stepped inside next, Darcy balanced on her hip. She stopped just past the doorway.

Harry watched it happen-the way her shoulders dropped, the way she exhaled like she'd been holding her breath for months without noticing.

"This is..." Y/N trailed off, eyes moving slowly across the room. "This is really quiet."

"That was the goal," Harry said.

Darcy wriggled, curious, and Anne laughed softly, taking her with practiced ease. "Someone likes it already."

They laid Darcy on a blanket by the window while Harry opened doors, let the ocean air roll in, carried bags that didn't feel heavy anymore. Anne wandered, touching the counter, looking out at the water.

"You chose well," she said. "All of you needed this."

"I feel like I can think again," Y/N said quietly.

Harry leaned against the doorway, watching her. "That's what scared me about booking it. How much I needed it."

Later, while Anne rocked Darcy near the window and Y/N unpacked, Harry sat on the edge of the bed scrolling through messages. One subject line caught.

Dunkirk.

He frowned, grounding himself.

"What's that face?" Y/N asked.

"Film stuff," he said. "They keep asking about this project. Dunkirk."

Anne looked over. "That's the war film, isn't it?"

He nodded. "Feels strange. Like it belongs to a different version of me."

Y/N kissed his temple. "You're allowed to become other things."

"That's what scares me," he admitted.

Anne smiled gently. "It should also excite you."

⸻

They woke before the sun the next morning.
Anne waved them off, already settled with Darcy. "Go. Walk. Breathe."

The beach was empty, the sky just beginning to soften. They walked barefoot, jackets pulled close, sand cool beneath their feet.

"Do you ever think about what happens after?" Harry asked.

"After the band?" Y/N said. "All the time."

"I'm terrified I'll wake up and not know who I am without it."

She took his hands. "You're already learning."

He hesitated, then added, almost casually, "If I do the film... they'll want me to cut my hair."

She stopped dead.

"No," she said instantly.

He blinked. "No?"

She made a dramatic, offended sound-an exaggerated hiss-throwing her hands up. "Absolutely not. Criminal. Unforgivable."

He laughed, relieved. "It's just hair."

"I have grown attached," she said seriously, eyes flicking to where it fell past his shoulders. "Emotionally invested."

He grinned. "You'll survive."

She stared at him for another beat, then sighed theatrically. "Fine. You're going to look hot no matter what. I hate that."

He laughed harder, pulling her into his chest. "That's better."

Her voice softened against him. "Whatever you choose... it's you. I'm not scared of that anymore."

He watched the horizon. "I want a life where I'm home more. Where Darcy grows up knowing where I am. Where you don't feel like you're borrowing me from the world."

"That's the life I want too," she said.

They stood there until the sun crested the water, slow and unhurried.

⸻

Darcy's first ocean moment happened later that afternoon.

Anne insisted on carrying her down herself. "I've waited my whole life for this."

Wrapped in a towel, Darcy stared at the water like it was alive. Y/N knelt, letting her toes brush the wet sand.

Her face changed instantly-half gasp, half laugh-and she kicked reflexively.

"Oh!" Anne laughed. "She felt that."

Harry crouched, heart climbing into his throat. "Look at her."

Darcy turned to him, grinning like she'd discovered something important. She babbled loudly, pointing at the waves.

Harry laughed-and then stopped.

Emotion hit him, sudden and overwhelming. He pressed a hand to his mouth, blinking hard.

Y/N leaned into him. "Hey."

"I didn't think this would..." He shook his head. "I didn't think I'd feel it like this."

Anne rested a hand on his shoulder. "That's exactly how it's meant to feel."

Harry nodded, eyes fixed on his daughter, on Y/N, on the quiet stretch of life in front of him.

For the first time in a long while, nothing was pulling him away.

He was exactly where he was supposed to be.