united [h.s.]

ten

"Wake up you lazy bums! It's Christmas!" Gemma yelled into our room, startling Harry and I. She slammed the door back shut, and I could faintly hear her laughter as she ran down the hall.

I groaned, turning over for my eyes to be met with Harry's. A smile immediately rose on my face, a smirk on his.

"Merry Christmas, baby girl," His voice was slow and raspy, my body warming up from his voice. His eyes had a glint of mischief in them, never looking away from my own.

"Merry Christmas," I whispered, leaning forward so our foreheads were against each other. He took no time in attaching our lips, his hands guiding my hips so that I was straddling him. The blanket fell from my back, the cold air hitting me suddenly.

"Shit, it's cold," I mumbled against his lips, threading my fingers through his hair.

"Well, it is December," He chuckled, peppering kisses all over my face.

"Stop, stop," I laughed, pulling away from him with a wide smile on my face. I leaned over him, licking my lips as I admired the view below me.

"C'mon, we better get downstairs before Gem goes crazy," He chuckled, gently nudging me off of him.

"I should probably put on pants then," I laughed, digging through my suitcase to find a pair of sweatpants.

"I'd be fine with you walking around like this," He smirked, squeezing my butt as he walked past. I rolled my eyes, used to his usual antics by now. I pulled on the pants, throwing his matching pair at him.

We finally made our way downstairs, Gemma sitting on the floor unpatiently with Emily while our parents were half asleep on the couch.

"Finally," She huffed, glaring at us.

"You're 27 years old, Gem," Harry laughed, the two of us sitting on the floor beside her.

"So? I don't see your point." She shrugged, reaching for the presents.

Most of them were for Emily, since she was the baby, but there were still a few presents for everybody else.

Gemma had gotten me a couple of sweaters and a framed photo of Harry as a child, bare naked. I laughed at it for a good couple of minutes, pulling her into a hug.

"That's brilliant, Gem, thank you," I grinned as Harry sat unimpressed.

I had simply gotten chocolates for Anne and Robin, considering I'm terrible at gift giving. They smiled and hugged me, so I guess I didn't do too bad with it.

I got Gemma some jewelry which she loved, immediately putting it on. I got my mom a photo album full of pictures of both Emily and I, plus a nice pair of earrings.

I got Emily some stuffed animals, since she was so young and couldn't really get much use of other items.

I got Harry a new pair of boots and a watch, which he seemed surprised by.

"What, I can't get you nice things?" I teased, him leaning in and pressing a light kiss to my lips.

"I told you that you didn't need to, babe." He laughed, kissing my cheek as he pulled away. "I love them though, thank you."

Both Harry's parents and my mother chipped in on a joint present for Harry and I. We both got a necklace, his a dog tag with a heart cut out and mine the heart. They fit together perfectly, and had eachothers initials on them.

"I love it you guys, thank you," I smiled, hugging my mom and Harry's parents.

"My turn," Harry smiled, picking up a wrapped envelope that was under the tree. He handed it to me, my eyebrows raised.

"What is it?" I laughed awkwardly, tearing the seal open and sliding out the paper. I skimmed it quickly, my eyes watering as a smile grew on my face.

"I'm released," I smiled, wrapping my arms around Harry as a few tears slid down my cheeks. "I don't need to go to therapy anymore?" I asked him as he nodded in confirmation.

"Yup. I'm so proud of you, Zoe," He smiled, kissing my forehead.

"More?" Emily spoke softly, causing all of us to laugh.

"That's all the presents, Em," Gemma chuckled pulling her onto her lap.

"Well, I have one more. But I have to take you to it." Harry grinned, standing me up and pulling me with him. I raised my eyebrow in confusion, glancing at the family around us. They just grinned knowingly, not saying a word.

"Um, okay," I decided not to question it, following Harry upstairs.

"It's pretty cold outside, so put on something warm, baby girl." He smiled, kissing my cheek as he quickly changed and went downstairs.

I pulled on some warm clothes, my mind all over the place as I tried to think of what this surprise was.

When I got back downstairs, Harry was standing with a worried face as he talked to Anne, who seemed to be giving him a pep talk. When he heard me walking down the steps, fhe conversation immediately stopped.

"Let's go, babe," He smiled, reaching for my hand and intertwining our fingers. I smiled at Anne as we walked out the door and to his car.

I watched him as he drove, his bottom lip between his teeth and a look of concentration on his face. He steered with one hand, the other resting on my thigh. Once we got to a stop light, he turned to me with a grin on his face.

"See something you like?" He teased, running his fingers through his hair and shaking it out.

"Yeah," I smiled, never wanting to look away from the sight in front of me. "I do."

"Fuck... Zoe, I have a question." The light turned green, so he started driving again.

"That was a question," I laughed, causing a grin to appear on his face.

"No, babe, seriously." He patted my leg nervously.

"Well what is it, Harry?" I glanced at him.

"Will you marry me, Zoe?" He blurted out, his eyes widening.

It felt like the world stopped at that very moment. He pulled the car into a parking lot, turning it off and looking at me with worry in his eyes.

"Fuck, I'm so sorry, I just got so nervous and I couldn't wait, and it just came out and-"

"Yes." I grinned, watching the man that I loved freak out in front of me.

"I probably shouldn't have been so spontaneous, I was going to ask at the park but then I looked at you and fuck-" He continued rambling, obviously not hearing what I had said.

"Yes, Harry," I spoke louder, my grin widening. His voice stopped, him turning to me with wide eyes.

"Wait, yes?" He asked, a grin appearing on his own face.

"Yes, Harry, I would love to marry you," I laughed, leaning in and pressing my lips against his. He smiled into the kiss, pulling away quickly.

"Wait, one more important thing," He laughed, reaching over my lap and opening the glove compartment. He reached around then finally pulled out a small black box, my heart racing as he closed it and then opened the box.

It revealed a shimmering diamond ring, smaller diamonds littering the band.

"It's so beautiful," I whispered, admiring how it caught the light. A tear slid down my cheek as Harry lifted my hand up, gently sliding the ring onto my finger.

"I love you, Zoe." He smiled, leaning in to kiss me again.

"And I love you, Harry."

The End of United.