Piper ~ H.S

~Twenty-Two~ *

***Edited in October 2022***

A/N: Hihi, I'm really sorry to have kept you waiting. Here is the next chapter :)

"Thank you, mummy," Piper toddled up to me and stood on her tiptoes to hold out her cup to me.

I smiled down at her as I bent down and took her cup. "That's okay, pumpkin. Did you like that smoothie?"

"Yes!" She smiled and nodded vigorously, "It was yummy!"

I chuckled. "I'm glad you think so, Piper. Now you go on and keep watching Dora, yeah?"

She giggled and nodded before she ran back to the telly - her bottom plonking down on the carpet as she took her toy bunny from the floor and into her arms before hugging it close to her chest, and I couldn't help but smile again as I watched her. She really did love that bunny.

I washed her cup and dried it before putting it back in the cupboard. However, I had to stop for a moment as my eyes drifted down towards the cupboard's bottom shelf - my eyes widening slightly as I spotted Piper's old bottle from when she was a baby.

I had breastfed Piper for eight months before I had the heart to wean her off it and start giving her baby formula instead. I just loved the bonding that came with breastfeeding so much. Due to my desperation to find a job and support her - even with the help of Ashley, Ashley's parents and Aidan, I had her enrolled at Chappell Croft when she was only 6 months old - and even though I thought I'd be okay, it wasn't long before I found myself missing her so much every day, and wanting nothing more except to be close to her. And breastfeeding was literally the best way to do that.

Sometimes, I when I stumble across Piper's bottle, or anything else she used when she was really little, I find myself staring at them for such a long time, and I start to think back to those days when Piper was still just a baby.

One thing I regretted doing during Piper's babyhood so much was enrolling her into a childcare centre when she was still so young. I was so panicky about not being able to earn the money I needed to look after her, that I got a job as earliest I could. Originally, I wasn't even planning to be a stay-at-home mum for as long as I turned out to be. When she was born, I was actually thinking of sending her to childcare when she'd turn three months old, but when that time came, she was still so small and helpless that I just didn't have the heart to do it. And, three months later, when she was six months old, I still found it so hard to let her go. But I forced myself to do it. And when I look back on my decision now, I literally want to slap myself in the face.

There wouldn't have been any harm in being a stay-at-home mum until Piper was about one, or even two. I didn't have to send her to daycare so early, but I did. And there's been so many instances where I've just wished I could turn back time and try again - to spend so much more time with her than I did. Because I really do miss looking after my baby when she was still...well, a baby.

I was suddenly snapped out of my thoughts by the sound of a knock on the door. With a frown, I slowly rose to my feet and shut the cupboard before making my way to the front door. Once I reached it, I placed my hand on the doorknob and turned it before opening the door by a crack - but as soon as I saw who was waiting outside, I immediately gasped and threw the door wide open.

"H-Harry..?!" I gawped at him.

"Is this the welcome I'm supposed to expect, Leah?" He replied with a smirk and a chuckle.

As soon as I heard his voice, I let out a squeal and immediately jumped into his arms - making him laugh as he lifted me off the ground a little and kissed me.

"That's more like it," he chuckled again once we pulled away.

"Holy shit, Harry...what are you doing here..?" I pushed some hair back behind my ear and looked up at him in disbelief.