A chance to love again

Chapter 14

Bringing Harry home isn't too hard, actually. He has to be extremely careful with his back, and he's got a brace on it to make sure he won't reinjure it for now, but it's not impossible. Ava is absolutely heartbroken when her papa won't pick her up, throws a proper tantrum, which, in turn, brings Harry to frustrated tears. Louis kisses his forehead and grabs Ava, bringing her outside into the cool air and hoping to calm her down.

"Papa's back is very hurt," he explains gently to his two-year-old. "We don't want papa to get hurt, right? We want papa to be happy, don't we?"

"No papa hurt," she agrees, sighing against Louis' shoulder. That tantrum really took the energy out of her.

"Mhm, so papa can't pick you up for a little while. But daddy will pick you up, okay? As much as you need," Louis promises, kissing her curly hair. She yawns and snuggles closer, and Louis thinks it's time for an early nap. "Do you want some warm milk, sweetheart? Then you and Peanut can take a little nap?"

"Yes please daddy," she says, yawning again.

"That's my girl," Louis murmurs, kissing her forehead. He loves his kids so, so much it aches.

He walks into the living room where Harry is lying on the couch, settled as best as he can, and the twins are feeding him the cupcakes they made with Louis. Louis grins.

"Need anything, honey?" Louis asks, playing with the hair on Ava's head as he speaks.

"No, I'm fine, babe," Harry says. "Ava okay?"

"Just tired and cranky, I think," Louis says. "I'm gonna warm up some milk and put her down for a nap."

"That's a good idea," Harry agrees, letting Joshua put blue frosting on his lips. Harry pretends to try and eat his finger for it.

"I'll be right back. Boys, make sure not to hurt papa, yeah? Be easy with him," Louis reminds them carefully.

"Yes daddy," Lucas agrees, licking pink frosting off of his own vanilla cupcake.

"And don't make too much of a mess," Louis pleads. Not like Harry can help him clean anymore, at least for a while.

"I'll watch them," Harry promises. "Go put Ava down."

"I'll be right back," Louis promises.

He walks into the kitchen to warm up milk for Ava, pouring it into a sippy cup and handing it over to her. She takes it gratefully and Louis kisses her cheek, bringing her upstairs to her bedroom. He puts her down and makes sure she's got her blanket, and most importantly, Peanut. She takes him gratefully while sucking down her milk happily, her eyelids falling slowly. Louis smiles fondly, unable to believe that she came from him, that him and Harry made her, together, that she's half Louis and half Harry. He doesn't think he'll ever fully get used to those thoughts.

"Sleep well, baby," Louis whispers, kissing her forehead and pushing her hair off of her forehead. She blinks sleepily at him, rubbing Peanut over his arm as if to tell him she loves him. Louis' heart nearly bursts in his chest. "I love you, angel. I'll be downstairs with papa and your brothers if you need me, okay?"

She gives him a nod and closes her eyes, which just shows Louis how absolutely knackered she is. She's been having a difficult time sleeping lately, giving Louis a hard time about it, but she so willingly went down today, which is a testament to how exhausted she is.

Louis leaves the room quietly, giving another glance to his baby girl before walking back downstairs. He often thinks about his life, about how perfect it is. He doesn't have to worry about financial strain for him and his family, because they're secure enough to last three lifetimes. He knows no matter how many kids they have, they can all go off to college and live comfortable lives because of their parents' careers. He's able to have so much, it feels like. He's managed to start his own clothing line, something he always thought would be a distant dream. He can do what he loves most for a living, and that's insane. On top of that fact, he's got the best husband in the world, a husband who loves him and would do anything for their family, who's always there to support them and comfort them. Plus, one of the most amazing parts of his life is being able to have Harry's baby, to have the power to determine how many they have and when they have them. There's no middleman for them. It's all them, which not every couple gets to have, especially same-sex couples. He takes serious pride in the fact that he can do something so amazing for him and his husband.