Til Kingdom Come [Harry Styles- Bk 4]

ch.21

"Harry" I mumbled so faintly even I couldn't hear.

Harry knelt down and held his arms out to the kids.

"Where are my babies?" he grinned.

"Daddy!" Darcy shrieked. She ran into Harry's arms, winding her arms around his neck so tightly that he nearly choked and fell back on the pavement. 

Harry held Darcy's gentle face and kissed the life out of her cheeks and her forehead and her dimples. She giggled all the while, wishing that he would hold her like this forever so that he could protect her and love her instead of the 'annoying' boys at school that pulled her hair and tried to kiss her. 

"I made you cupcakes, daddy" she told him eagerly.

Harry scooped Darcy up and rested her on his thigh as he looked down at the cupcakes.

"Wow! Darc, all for me?" he gasped theatrically.

"Of course, daddy" she nodded so hurriedly her curls fell over her eyes. Harry dipped his finger in the frosting and tried it. Then he scooped more and dabbed Darcy's nose.

"I missed you, daddy" Darcy told him sweetly, almost as sweetly as the cupcakes tasted.

Harry held Darcy's face again and looked into her eyes.

"I missed you so much my heart throbbed from dawn to dusk"

Darcy furrowed her face in Harry's chest and held onto to him as if her life depended on it.

Harry rubbed her back soothingly and looked at his sons.

J.D. and Des stood patiently, waiting to greet him.

"Boys" Harry lowered his voice while raising a dark brow.

J.D. glanced at me momentarily, then back at Harry.

"Hi daddy" he smiled. Harry tugged him close and hugged him with one arm as he still held onto Darcy. He kissed J.D.'s cheek and ruffled his hair.

"I wrote something for you, daddy" J.D. mumbled, showing the paper he had carefully been holding behind his back.

Harry read the poem and his lips turned into a quiet grin.

"J.D., your writing deserves to be published. Are you sure you aren't a little Hemingway?" he winked.

J.D.'s cheeks reddened and glanced down at the ground. (Yes, he knew who Hemingway was. He had taken a peak at my book collection once).

"I'm sure" J.D. mumbled, while glancing at his hands.

Des cleared his throat.

Harry took a breath. Their eyes met.

"Welcome back, dad" Des spoke up.

"Thank you, son"

Des's eyes gleamed with pride. Harry had called him 'son.'

Harry reached for Des, but he didn't need to, Des jumped into his arms, nearly kicking Darcy in the process.

Darcy slipped to the side, allowing Des and Harry to have a more intimate hug.

Harry kissed Des' head while Des hid his face in Harry's chest, terrified of showing Harry that a few tears streamed down. 

"I love you, daddy"

Harry swallowed back the lump in his throat.

"I love you, too"

I pressed my hand to my chest as happiness inflamed my chest. 

Harry held his arm out for J.D. to come back and he held all three of his children in a tight bear hug. He stood up and held Darcy in one arm and J.D. in the other. Des found a comfortable spot on Harry' shoulders.