The Nanny

Houdini

It felt like a complete failure. Especially when we arrived back home with nothing to show for it but an appointment back, this time in Grace's home turf, in a month.

Grace tried to give us some solace by telling us that there had been progress in my case.

And as she said her final goodbyes to us before we made our way to the airport, she reminded me with a sly wink that now I had Jamie's birthday clear of any drama, at least on the Mark and Layla front.

It saddened me greatly that with everything going on I hadn't even had the opportunity to plan even the smallest of gatherings for Jamie's first birthday, arguably the biggest birthday sentimentally. Honestly the whole thing had slipped my mind and farther made me feel like a terrible mother.

But I was still deliriously appreciative of her managing to give me this small thing in my world of never ending upsets.

The whole flight back I spent trying to think of something, anything really, to mark my baby's first year of existence, and in many ways my own fist years of truly existing.

It wasn't lost on me that Harry watched me with happy gleaming eyes as I searched the internet on our flight back. It must have been the first sign of life I had shown since realizing I would need to make this trip in the first place.

And I didn't even mind when he cut me off mid rant about how I didn't even know any children to have a party by placing increasingly longer pecks on my lips until I forgot all about what I was talking about in the first place.

For those few hours as we flew across an ocean back to our babies all was forgotten, the case, the fake engagement, the stress. We were just Harry and Aria trying to decide if a petting zoo was a good idea for a one year old.

Damn him for making it hard to be mad at him. And I really, really ought to be mad at him.
For his part, Harry was definitely taking advantage of my lapse.

But I had to admit it was nice just being us again.

"I like the bubble man idea." Harry said with his head resting on my shoulder and pointed to the image of children playing in mass amounts of bubbles.

"For Jamie or for yourself?" I giggled and he pouted up at me confirming my suspicions.

"I like bubbles." He grumbled as I laughed harder.

It was almost an unfamiliar sound to my own ears, I wondered vaguely when the last time I had laughed was. Harry tilted his head back and stared at me as I tried to remember the last time I had.

"I miss hearing you laugh. I wish I could make you laugh more."

My thoughts ceased as I glanced down at Harry still leaned on my shoulder looking up at me with a smirk and wide eyes.

"It's not you. It's just been hard to find the energy to laugh lately." I spoke after a while of admiring him.

He pulled away from my shoulder reaching his hands up to cup my cheeks before sliding into my hair and pulling my lips onto his.

It was a slow kiss, a promising kiss. A calming and comforting kiss and we both poured ourselves right into it, trying to reassure and erase.

Breathlessly we pulled apart, eyes closed and foreheads resting against each other.
I love this man.

My eyes sprang open to stare wide eyed at him, his eyes still gently closed with his long lashes brushing his flushed cheeks and swollen pink lips slightly parted.

He was beautiful.

And I loved him.

I had for a very long while.