The Unexpected Journey-A Prince Harry Fan Fic

Chapter 155

"I can't believe Kyle and Amy are finally getting married," Maddie spoke softly to her mother as they sat off to the side. Sipping tea and munching at a tray at their own little bistro table, they watched Amy open gifts and be showered with pre-wedding attention.

"You're all growing up so fast," Hannah spoke just as softly, her lips turning up in a warm smile. "I still can't believe I'm going to be a grandma."

"I know," Maddie grinned, her eyes meeting her mother's that were equally as bright, equally as happy. "I can't believe that either." Maddie took in a breath and leaned closer to her. "I'm sorry, you know."

"Sorry?" Hannah chuckled with surprise. "What on Earth are you sorry for?"

"For having your first grandchild all the way across the ocean."

"Oh honey," Hannah rolled her eyes lightly, her hand reaching out to Maddie's arm; comforting and warm. "Please don't worry about that. Please don't. I'm happy for you and Harry and...I'm happy to travel whenever you need me."

"Yeah?"

"Of course," Hannah softened as she looked to her only daughter; her sweet as they took her in. "You tell me when to be there and I'll be there. I don't want to impose on either of you but..."

"You are not an imposition," Maddie was quick with a shake of her head. "In fact, Harry and I have talked about it and...we would love to have you come out closer to the due date," Maddie took a breath and lowered her voice. "We could rent a place for you so you wouldn't have to stay with us but I know that the date is right in the middle of your semester and I don't want you to get off track or anything."

"Shush," Hannah waved her hand dismissively. "I've finished all of my coursework and this next year is all clinical rotation hours."

"Yeah?" Maddie liked how hopeful that sounded.

"Yes," Hannah nodded. "And I'm sure if I talked to my professors in the fall..." Her eyes glanced around and her voice lowered even further. "Will this be public knowledge in the fall?"

"Are you kidding," Maddie snorted. "This is going to be public knowledge in a matter of weeks I'm afraid." She couldn't help but laugh at the way they, and her stomach, were pushing limits every day they managed to keep the world from finding out.

"Of course," Hannah laughed with her. "In the fall I can talk to my professors and I can double up on hours and maybe I'll be done by the time..." She blinked and smiled wider. "By the time the baby is here. And if I'm not then...I don't know. I'll just graduate next summer. One semester off so that I can be there when my grandchild is born?" She shrugged her shoulders and rolled her eyes. "I wouldn't think twice."

"So you'll come?" Maddie's eyes were wide and her smile bright.

"I will absolutely come," Hannah held her hand. "You tell me when and I'll be there."

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As the wedding rehearsals were set to begin, Kyle and Amy were at the front of the church, standing around the altar with the wedding planner as they went over a few details. The wedding party and other important family members were scattered about; catching up with each other, laughing over whatever fun they had found the night before. Maddie and Harry sat together in a pew next to her mother, among her cousins and a bridesmaid or two. With his arm draped over the back of the pew behind her shoulders, Harry's fingers ran soft over Maddie's shoulder.

"What's on your mind?" He nudged her lightly, seeing the far off smile on her face.

"I was just thinking..." She sighed, her breath soft on his neck as she turned to talk to him. "Do you remember our first rehearsal at St. Paul's?"

"Ha," Harry chuckled, his head bobbing in a nod. "When I found you lying on the floor in the middle of the aisle looking up at the ceiling? Yes I remember."

"That was a long walk," Maddie shook her head, biting back laughter.

"It was," Harry nodded in agreement. "This one looks significantly shorter. I think you'll make it, no problem."

"I think so," Maddie sighed, her body leaning further into his; tucking up under his arm. "But it's not about me today."

"Are you kidding?" Harry's forehead scrunched up. "It's always about you baby."

"Oh please," Maddie rolled her eyes, swatting at his knee.

"Hey guys..." Jenna's voice was in a low, hushed whisper as she slid into the pew behind them. "Sorry I'm late. Amy asked me to double check on the menu for tonight. Did I miss anything?"

"No," Harry shook his head. "They just started."

"Good," Jenna sighed; relaxing a bit. "How are you two doing this afternoon?"

"We're good," Maddie winked at Harry who had taken a little longer than normal to recover from the last nights' activities. "How about you?"

"Well I was great," she sighed again, leaning closer to speak to them. "Until I got online."

"What?" Maddie turned to look back at her.

"I have to tell you, Duchess, your fans are hardcore."

"What are you talking about?" Maddie's lips twitched into a smile as her eyes met Harry's.

"I'm talking about the pictures of your husband in that damn t-shirt."

"Sorry?" Harry was amused as he turned back to look at her; eyebrows raised.

"They want to know exactly who the hell 'Jenna' is." Jenna grumbled and Harry rolled his eyes.

"Oh please."

"Oh please!" She nudged his arm with a smirk. "They're coming for you too! Talking about how disrespectful it is for you to be wearing a shirt around with some other woman's name on it..."

"That's ridiculous," Harry shifted in his seat; annoyed and amused at the same time.

"There are pictures of me standing right next to him," Maddie laughed and dropped her voice. "Pretty sure there are pictures of him with his tongue down my throat."

"Nice," Jenna deadpanned.

"We are in a church," Harry reminded her with a wink.

"Anyway," Jenna exhaled. "They think there's something salacious going on."

"They always do," Harry tried a light shrug, meeting Maddie's eyes for a moment.

"Well," she smiled as she leaned in to kiss his cheek. "I suppose you could do worse."

"I could," he nodded in agreement, his smile pulling higher.

"A lot worse," Jenna interjected.

"Ha!" Harry clapped his hands together lightly, turning to look back at the woman he considered his cousin, his family. "I'm sorry I dragged you into this. I promise it will blow over soon."

"Whatever," Jenna rolled her eyes. "I don't care. If you two don't care, I sure as hell don't care..." She shrugged one shoulder and grinned. "I actually wish I had a shirt that said 'I'm Jenna'."

Maddie laughed as Harry thought it over, devious grin playing on his lips. "You know I could probably make that happen."

As Maddie and Jenna laughed, the wedding coordinator took a few steps forward and called them all to attention. "Good Evening. Good Evening..." She waited for a beat as the conversations drew to a close, as eyes travelled to the front of the room. "Thank you. My name is Angela Bender. I'm the Coordinator for the Wedding. I just want to take a moment to thank you all for coming. I know that Kyle and Amy are thrilled to have you here from all over the world to celebrate this important occasion for them. I also know that there is an amazing dinner planned for all of us once we're done here. So in interest of keeping us on track and getting us all to the food and drinks...I'm going to go ahead and get started." She looked down at her clipboard then. "We're going to start out at the altar. I'm going to line you all up where you'll be standing during the ceremony and we'll go through it once. Then we'll walk out and back in and do it again. And we'll do it till you have it." She flashed a grin out at the group, a mild laughter traveling around them and then she looked back at the list. "Now, can I please have the wedding party up front and ready to go..."

"That's my cue," Maddie patted Harry's knee. "See you soon."

"Have fun," Harry kissed the top of her hand before she slipped away from him, making her way to the altar.

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As was promised, the coordinator had them trained and ready to go ahead of time. As soon as they had it down, they were excused for dinner. The dinner was amazing; Maddie had gushed over her plate as she ate all of hers and managed to take a bite from Harry's. He had grinned as he watched her enjoy herself and when she asked for more dessert, he was more than happy to oblige. So he excused himself from the table and went on a mission. While he was gone, the groom made his way over to her table with his own mission in mind.

"So listen..." Kyle's voice was low, his eyes focusing in on Maddie as he took a seat next to her; moving in close so as to keep the conversation strictly between them. Curious about his demeanor, Maddie glanced around and leaned in to hear him. "After the rehearsal dinner tonight Gary, Derek and I were going to go up the hill and...light one up..." He whispered. "For old time's sake."

Maddie's lips pulled into a soft smile. "Is that right?" Memories of the handful of times they had snuck off together drifted through her mind.

"Mmmm," he nodded. "Obviously we would take you with us but..."

"I get it," she chuckled.

"But I was wondering..." He cleared his throat and glanced around. "Think Harry would want to go?"

"Wow," Maddie's smile pulled higher; her cheeks turning a bit pink as she thought of what it must be like to experience Harry high. "I don't know," she bit her bottom lip and looked up to her cousin with a shrug. "I think you can ask him but Kyle..." Her fingers wrapped around his shirt as she brought him closer to her; her eyes growing serious as her voice dropped. "Listen to me. It can only be the three of you; you, Derek and Gary. If you were thinking you would take your buddies from school or even Amy's brother, then don't even ask him. You just go." She took in a breath. "But if you're going to ask him, then it has to be just you. That's...too big for me to ever risk putting him in some crazy position."

"I get it," Kyle nodded. "You do know it's legal here, right?"

"Yeah, I know," she rolled her eyes. "Did you see the coverage of Harry in that t-shirt?" Her eyebrows shot up. "I trust the three of you. I don't know any of these other people."

"Of course," Kyle agreed. "We talked about it and we would rather take him than anyone else so...if you're okay, I'm going to ask him."

"Do you trust the dealer?" Maddie held his gaze.

"Yes. I trust the dealer," he smiled sheepishly, leading her to believe that it just might be one of the three of them.

"Then you can ask," she released her hold on his shirt. "And know that if you mess with him, I'm coming after you."

"Fair enough," Kyle chuckled and smoothed out the front of his shirt. "You a little jealous you can't come?"

Her lips curled up at the corners. "Only a little bit."

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"You know..." Harry's voice drew out; long and slow and easy as he laid sprawled out on a lounger on the deck with Maddie's cousins. "When you said 'up the hill', I imagined us sitting on tree stumps huddled around under tree limbs."

"Mmmm..." Kyle nodded, taking a puff and passing it on to his brother. They were up the hill and they were hidden from the main hotel but they were at an exclusive cabin that he had rented for him and Amy for the weekend. It was separate and luxurious and completely out of the way. It was perfect for this last little hoorah. "Did you want me to find you a tree stump?" He lifted his eyebrows to Harry as Derek snickered next to him.

"What are you going to do?" Derek laughed. "Run out into the forest and bring back a tree stump?"

"Maybe," Kyle chuckled. "You think I couldn't bring back a tree stump?"

"I think you would need to cut down a tree in order to do that..." Derek countered, reaching to take the joint from Gary.

"You think I can't cut down a tree?" Kyle challenged, causing Derek to laugh even more.

"Do you have a saw?" Derek took a drag, held it and exhaled. "Or an ax?"

"Or a hatchet?" Gary supplied.

"I am sure I could find one," Kyle shrugged, eyeing the tree line just beyond the deck.

"I don't think we should chop down a tree," Harry spoke up, his words jumbled as though there were something in his mouth, a small giggle of a laugh pushing through his lips. "We need the trees."

"Yeah?" Kyle snickered, taking the joint from his brother and taking a puff.

"They make oxygen," Harry explained.

"So you don't want a tree stump?" Kyle looked over to Harry as he held the joint out to him.

"I don't want a tree stump," he shook his head, taking what he was offering and inhaling. "But thank you." He handed the joint back and reached into his pocket; the crinkling sound of a wrapper sounding out into the quiet, peaceful night.

"Mmmm..." Kyle nodded and passed and looked over to where Harry was laying back on the lounger. He watched him for a few moments, his forehead creasing with contemplation. "Hey Harry."

"Hmmm?" Harry glanced over at him.

"Are you eating something?" Kyle kicked back in his chair; relaxing.

"Mmm Hmmm." In fact, he was eating something right at that moment.

"We have food?" Derek leaned forward. "I thought you said we had to stay out of the fridge."

"You do," Kyle chuckled. "But we can order up."

"Did you order up Wales?" Gary laughed.

"I didn't order up," Harry shook his head.

"Please tell me it's not from the ground." Derek eyed him as he relaxed back in his chair.

"My pocket," he smiled, holding up a piece of wrapped candy. "I brought them in my pocket."

"That's some sneaky snacks," Derek chuckled.

"Hold on," Gary who was sitting the closest to him, leaned forward, snatching the candy from Harry's fingers.

"Hey," Harry frowned as he watched it go.

"This looks just like the Christmas candy our grandmother used to keep at our house..." Gary studied it carefully; turning it over in his fingers. "Are you eating Christmas candy?"

"I am," Harry grinned, reaching out to take the candy back.

"Hold on..." Kyle leaned up with a smirk. "You have Christmas Candy in your pocket?"

"I do," Harry nodded, unwrapping the piece in his hand and taking a bite.

"But...why?!" Kyle snickered, watching as Harry ate it. "Why would you have Christmas candy in your pocket? In July?"

"Well," Harry took a deep breath, letting it out slowly as he shrugged his broad shoulders. "It's Maddie's favorite."

"What?" Kyle chuckled.

"It is..." Derek nodded his head slowly. "It really is. I remember when we were little and she used to run into grandma's ahead of us so she could get them all...wow..." He smiled as he remembered. "And you have them in your pocket? Maddie's favorite candy?"

"Nearly all the time." Harry took another bite; happy and content as he laid there under the stars.

"But..." Kyle was taking a bit longer to process it all. "Why?"

"In case," Harry shrugged.

"In case of what?"

"In case she wants it," Harry laughed at them, finding the looks on their faces beyond amusing.

"Is this like...a pregnancy thing?" Derek nodded to Harry.

"It's like a..." Harry thought over his word options, his choices for a minute before he abandoned it all together. "It's just a...thing."

"Just a...thing..." Kyle blinked. "A thing you do. Keeping her favorite candy with you?"

"Nearly all the time?" Derek clarified.

"Yep," Harry's lips smacked against each other as he said the word, making a popping sound.

"Smooth..." Derek grinned with a nod. "That's really fucking smooth."

"I'm not trying to be smooth," Harry shrugged, settling back into his chair. "She just...she likes them." He took a long deep breath. "In fact the first time I met her, she was showing me around Bendal, around the new Community Center and she started talking about her father..." He smiled softly as he remembered, his eyes shifting up to look at the clear sky. "She got really quiet and sad and I wanted to see her smile again..." His smile tipped higher and he looked back to the group. "So I asked her what her favorite candy was and she told me; these chewy, minty Christmas tree candies she used to eat at her grandmother's house." Harry nodded to Derek. "And the next time I went to Bendal, I brought her some. You should have seen the smile on her face..." He chuckled sweetly as he remembered. "She still gets it...that smile..." All three of them watched as Harry's mind drifted away from them completely.

"Jesus Christ," Kyle groaned amidst laughter. "Look at you."

"Hmmm?" Harry blinked heavily. "Me?" He pointed to his chest.

"Yes you," Kyle laughed louder. "You're so..."

"Mushy?" Gary supplied with raised eyebrows, his fingers reaching for the joint his brother was passing him.

"Soft?" Kyle offered with a smirk.

"Soft?" Harry leaned forward, his eyes narrowing as his shoulders squared; looking right at Kyle. "I'll have you know I'm a wartime soldier my friend."

"Yes." Gary deadpanned. "We know. We've seen the pictures to prove it." As his brothers chuckled at him, he took a deep breath and looked at Harry. "You in the uniform. You in the fatigues. Can't walk through a grocery store without your pretty ass smiling back at me."

"Did you just say I have a pretty ass?" Harry winked.

"I did," Gary's face cracked into a smile. "One of the prettiest."

"Well thank you Gary," Harry tried for genuine and heartfelt but they could all feel the sarcasm passing between them.

"Don't mention it."

"Ha!" Derek clapped his hands together, his laughter making his sides hurt. "Somebody sounds a little bitter."

Gary reached for the joint and took a long drag. "Most of those magazines end up in my house. I am a little bitter."

"I'm sorry man," Harry's hand covered his heart as his eyes turned sympathetic. Gary chuckled with a shrug and seemed to let it go easily. "Anything I can do?"

"I think you've done enough," Gary grinned over at him.

"You do know I have to wear the uniform."

"I do," Gary chuckled. "But let's not pretend you don't know the effect it has."

"Well," Harry's eyes flickered in the night as his lips pulled up. "My wife really loves it, if you know what I mean."

"Oh God," Kyle groaned. "When you say it like that, we know exactly what you mean."

"Nice," Derek shook his head.

"What do you want me to say?" Harry smiled cheekily, shrugging. "I'm in love with my wife...and she does so much for me and our family and...I'll do anything it takes to make her smile like that."

Kyle didn't have words to retort that; even he had to smile at Harry's words, at the conviction in his hazy eyes. So he shrugged and took the bud from Gary's fingers. "You do know you kill us with stuff like that."

"Us?" Harry's forehead crinkled in confusion.

"Us...ordinary men," Kyle explained, passing off to Derek.

"You say that like I'm not ordinary," Harry rolled his eyes.

"You're not!" Kyle shook his head. "You with the candy in your pockets and the Handsy Harry craziness all across America....you in fatigues, telling men to go home and kiss their wives..."

"Ha!" Harry clapped his hands as he laughed. "You SHOULD go home and kiss your wife Kyle. You should kiss her every opportunity you get."

"Is that right?"

"It is."

"Listen to this guy," Kyle looked to his brother, thumbing over to where Harry sat. "Giving out marriage advice."

"It's not terrible advice," Derek smiled at his older brother. "Maybe you should listen up."

"Oh yeah?" Kyle's eyebrows shot up as he looked at the three of them, his eyes settling on Harry.

"Here's the thing Kyle...Do you know Amy's favorite candy?" Harry didn't wait for him to answer; his hazy smile matching his eyes. "If you don't, you should ask her. Because here is what I'm telling you. It's probably something simple, something easy; something ordinary. Something that would cost you less than five dollars to have on hand...and when she's feeling down, you just...give it to her. It's the smallest thing and I swear to you, the smile she'll give you...Totally worth it."

"Is that right?" Kyle had softened; maybe it was the weed, maybe it was the drinks from before, maybe it was the realization that the next day he was marrying Amy.

"It is."

"Well, maybe I'll give that a shot."

"Let me know how it works out," Harry smiled and leaned out to pat his knee, seeing the shift on his face. "You're getting married tomorrow."

A wide, loose, warm smile spread across Kyle's face as he let Harry's words sink in, as he thought of Amy. Nodding, he looked down at his hands; his heart warming in his chest. "I am." As a few tears began to well in Kyle's eyes, he felt Gary's hand on his shoulder. Turning to look at him, he patted his hand with his and they shared a moment between brothers. "I can't believe it."

"Believe it," Gary relaxed back into his chair. "She's an amazing woman. You're a lucky man."

"An incredibly lucky man," Harry agreed easily. "And she didn't make out so terrible either."

"Is that right?" Kyle smirked.

"It is," Harry nodded, sitting back and stretching out. "You're a solid man; loyal, kind...decent hair."

"Thanks," Kyle sighed as the group around him laughed. "And what about you?" Kyle looked to Harry who had tucked his hands behind his head as he reclined. "You're about to be a father."

"I really really am," Harry breathed, his smile stretching from ear to ear. "About to be a father..." He turned his head to look at them. "It doesn't get much better than this."

"No?" Gary lifted his eyebrows; amused.

"No," Harry shook his head and turned his eyes back up to the stars. And a peaceful sort of silence passed over them; all slipping deeper into contemplation.

"Hey guys..." Derek's voice was soft as he leaned in and broke the silence, his eyes thoughtful as he looked from Gary and Kyle to Harry. "I just...."

"You okay Derek?" Harry nodded his head to him.

"Yeah. I just...seriously..." He took a deep breath. "How exactly do trees make oxygen?"

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The morning of the wedding had a wonderful excited rush to it. Maddie left Harry sleeping quite soundly in bed as she showered and dressed. She kissed him good-bye, refused to let him pull her back to bed, and she hurried up to the bridal suite where all of the girls would be meeting to get ready. For a few brief moments at the very beginning, it was just the four of them; just family.

"I think those boys had a good time last night," Amy giggled as she tugged at the straps of her robe

"You think?" Maddie chuckled. "Harry came back and woke me up. He spent two hours telling me how much he loved me, listing the reasons why..." She shook her head, even though her cheeks flushed pink as she remembered. "Who knew that Harry would get so wordy when he was high..."

"Well," Jenna's eyes slid from one woman to the other, her smile amused. "Gary said Harry spent an hour telling Derek all about photosynthesis."

"Photosynthesis?" Dena giggled. "What the hell?"

"I have no idea," Jenna shook her head. "But apparently Derek was listening; intently."

"You know what was really weird..." Amy's voice dropped as she moved towards the knock on the door. The stylist had called and was on her way up. "Kyle called me at like two in the morning, wanting to know what my favorite candy was."

"What?" Jenna turned surprise to her. "I mean...Gary asked me the same thing."

"Me too," Dena glanced between them with a furrowed brow. "That's...odd."

"Must have been something they talked about," Jenna shook her head. "How about you Maddie? Did Harry ask you?"

With a sly smile on her lips, she forced her eyes wide and innocent and shook her head. "No. No, he didn't ask."

"Huh..." Amy shrugged her head and took a deep breath. "Weird. Okay ladies. You ready to be curled and primped?"

"Absolutely," Jenna nodded with an excited smile. "How about you? You ready to become a Forrester?"

"Wow..." Amy's smile wavered as her emotions pressed forward. "I totally am."

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Maddie was the second one to walk up the aisle. Just behind Elise and right in front of Jenna. When she stepped into the church, she could hear a soft, slight murmur from the guests as they realized who she was, as they recognized her face. In that moment Maddie was infinitely grateful to Amy who had chosen a bridesmaid dress that wasn't formfitting, one that would never have given away the bump that was becoming more and more difficult to mask. With her flowers held in front of her and a bright smile on her face, she made her way up the aisle; slow and steady. She grinned as she saw her mother, winked when she passed Harry and when she saw the look on Kyle's face—she wanted to cry.

It was a beautiful day, a wonderful ceremony and when it finally came to an end, she burst into applause while biting back tears. Walking back down the aisle with her arm tucked into the arm of a groomsman, she caught Harry's eyes and she felt her entire body come alive and warm. It had been such a long, glorious weekend with family. But all she wanted in that moment was to be with her husband; tucked into his arms and close to his heart.

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After all of the reception necessities, after the dinner and the first dance and the toasts and the photos and the obligatory tapping of the wine glasses...after duty had been taken care of, Harry had turned to his wife, scooped her hand into his and led her to the dance floor. It was a nice slow number and it gave her all the reason she needed to snuggle in close as he moved them around the dance floor.

Yes, people had recognized them. Yes, there had already been a handful of tweets about their presence. And yes, a few cell phone photos had been snapped and would be leaked.

But neither of them seemed too bothered by it to care; certainly not bothered enough to stop looking at each other with lovey eyes, not bothered enough to keep their hands to themselves. But it was there on that dance floor when the most wonderful of moments surprised the both of them.

"Oh my God," Maddie gasped in Harry's arms; her eyes welling up with tears in an instant.

"What?" His head turned to her, his hands still holding her as they danced. "Are you okay?" He leaned back to look at her but she held him tight.

"Don't move!" She shook her head. "Keep dancing..."

"What is it?" His fingers stroked against hers.

"Harry..." Her voice was soft and sweet, her breath featherlike against the skin below his ear. "I just felt the baby move."

"What?" His heart leapt into his throat as his feet stalled.

"Don't stop dancing," Maddie looked up at him with wide, watery eyes; a bubble of a laugh pushing through her lips. "I...I can feel...the baby. I can feel it move inside..." She blinked and swallowed at the emotions gathering in her chest. "It's the strangest feeling."

With a smile that took up the entirety of his face, Harry watched her closely; his eyes committing the look in hers to memory. Pride and excitement etched into the creases at the corners of his lips, at his temples. Holding her in his arms, he continued to sway as she experienced this amazing moment inside of her. "You do know that I am incredibly..." He chuckled. "And irrationally jealous that you get to carry the baby."

Maddie laughed then, nodding her head as she tried to calm her beating heart. "I do know that."

"It's like you already have your own private relationship," he tugged her closer.

"You do know that if I could let you experience this...I would." Her fingers slid up into the hair that tickled his neck; her smile growing softer as the moment passed and her pulse returned to normal.

"Yes," he grinned. "I'm sure you would." He watched her for a moment as their dancing returned to normal; as she eased her hold on him. "Has he stopped moving?"

"Yes," she snickered. "He has. You're quite convinced it's a boy, aren't you."

"Actually," Harry's grin grew a bit mischievous, his eyes dancing as he leaned in closer to her. "Since the moment you told me...I've envisioned a daughter."

"Really?" Maddie's eyes flashed wide as Harry nodded.

"I don't know why or really where the feeling came from but yes..." He tipped his lips to hers. "I see a girl in our very near future."

"Wow..." Maddie swallowed at the lump in her throat, feeling suddenly sentimental as she thought of Harry with a tiny little girl in his big hands, in his strong arms.

"What about you?" He nuzzled closer still. "Do you have any mother's intuitional guesses?"

"Mmmm..." She cleared her throat and took a breath. "I don't have an overwhelming sense of things but...if I had to guess..." Her eyes twinkled as she shrugged. "I would say it's a boy."

"Ha!" Harry's laughter rumbled from his chest. "Is there a chance you're saying that merely to go against me?"

The corner of her mouth twisted up in a smirk. "Maybe a little bit."

"I knew it," he shook his head and pulled her cheek to his. "God...I hope she's just like you." As his hands wrapped tighter and his heart swelled larger, he held her to him—held them to him. His wife and his baby; growing and moving inside of her.