Bah! Humbug! ✔️

(9)

Isabella POV
I awoke the next morning tucked up in my bed. I don't remember going to bed last night. Entering the living room I see Harry asleep on the couch snoring. I tiptoe into the kitchen so I don't wake him. I pulled out the milk and a packet of hot chocolate. Some people use water for their hot chocolate but milk made it so much better. Turning from the microwave I see Harry get up off the couch and walk towards me running his hands through his bed head. Holy shit he looked extremely hot.
"Good morning."
"Morning Harry How'd you sleep?"
Harry rubbed the back of his neck.
"Good but my neck and shoulders are mad at me now."
"I can fix that in a minute."
2 hot chocolates later I made Harry sit on the couch with his back towards me. I started to rub his shoulders in a circular motion giving Harry what my dad used to call my world famous massages. Harry moaned as I relaxed his tight muscles.
"Shit Harry you have a huge knot in your shoulder. You know you didn't have to sleep on the couch."
"I didn't think you would take kindly to waking up with me in your bed Isabella."
I nod my head agreeing. I probably would have killed him.
Once I had gotten the knot and soreness out of Harry's shoulders. He turned to face me.
"Thank you."
Harry says leaning in to kiss me. I squeal and jump backwards on the couch.
"Ewww Harry morning breath."
Harry just chuckles.
"So what are we doing today?"
"Well considering the snow is still falling pretty hard I was thinking we could make cookies."
I cock my eyebrow at him.
"Cookies?"
"Yep, Christmas cookies like sugar cookies and candy cane cookies and fudge and such."
"Do we even have the stuff to make these."
"Yep I saw it in your pantry yesterday."
I shake my head smiling and head to the pantry throwing the doors open.
"So Mr. Master chef what do we need to make cookies?"
Harry comes over and starts emptying most of my pantry onto the counter. I look on in shock.
"How many kinds of cookies are we making?"
Harry just smiles. He pulls a big bowl and hands it to me.

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(5 hours later)
We had made fudge and candy cane cookies. Drop cookies and chocolate covered peanut butter balls and more. Various colorful boxes covered my counter full of Christmassy goodness. Harry handed me the flour and leaned over the bowl.
"Pour flour in the bowl slowly till I tell you to stop."
I stood behind him on a chair to get a good angle. I slowly tipped the bag. Harry used the mixer to stir the flour in. Harry all of a sudden stopped the mixer and leaned his face into the bowl to look at something. He hadn't told me to stop so I kept pouring the flour getting is all over his brown curls. Harry stops examining the batter and looks up at me.
"So you want to play that way do you?"
"You didn't tell me to stop."
Harry smiled and grabbed something from the counter. He took his hand and smacked me in the arm with it I heard a crack and felt something slimy go down my arm. Great he has the eggs. A food fight erupts after that which gets us covered in various food substances. Harry stops what he is doing and walks over to me. He grabs my arm with his hand and leans in. His lips brush mine and he tastes like chocolate. All of sudden I feel something crack on my head and drip down the side of my face. Harry pulls away and doubles over in laughter. I grab the bag containing the rest of the flour and dump it over him. He stops laughing. I look around the kitchen and stop laughing. Food cakes the floor walls and ceiling.
I grab paper towels and hand them to Harry. He looks at me shocked.
"You helped me make the mess now you get to help me clean it up."
We cleaned the kitchen together then finished making the sugar cookies. Thank goodness that enough flour had gotten in the bowl before I dumped it on Harry. We worked side by side creating fancy and funny designs on the cookies with frosting. I turned to Harry.
"I'm going to take a shower to get the food off of me your welcome to use it after I'm done."
After showering I hand the shower over to Harry. Getting into jeans and a long sleeve red shirt I sit on the couch letting the fire dry my hair. I hear Harry clear his throat behind me. I turn around and freeze. Harry is standing in the doorway with wet hair wearing only a towel.
He looks down a little shy.
"Do you have anything I can wear?"
I head into my room and grab oversized sweatpants and one of my dad's old sweatshirts.
"I hope these fit its all I have."
Harry takes the clothes and heads back into the bathroom. He comes back out and I see the sweatpants are kinda short but they fit. He sits on the couch next to me.
"Story time?"
He asks questionably. I look at him and already start to tear up seeing Harry in my dad's clothes. Harry comes closer and pulls me to his side and puts his arm on my lower back.
"Shhhh shhhh its okay."
I turn teary eyes to Harry. He takes his thumb and wipes my tears away.
"When I was 14 Christmas seemed to go pretty well. We had a fun time with friends and family and we were getting ready to eat dinner. There came a knock on the door. My mom opened the door and talked to whoever was outside. I saw her face fall and knew something had happened. She called to me and I went to the front door. There was a man in a black suit outside he handed me a box and a letter. He looked at me sadly. 'Isabella I am afraid your father is dead.' I looked at him shocked and asked what happened. The man looked at me 'He took his own life with a gun. The letter was in his hand.' he said motioning to the letter on top of the box that was addressed to me. I took the box inside and opened it. It had 2 sweatshirts and empty journal and some pictures inside. The pictures were of us before my dad left. From the first time he held me to my 10th birthday."
I got off the couch and headed to my room opening a box I brought out the letter my father had written so long ago. I came out and handed it to Harry. HE look at me questionably and I nodded my head and he opened the letter and read the words I had read too many times.

Dear Isabella,
Whatever you may think of my know that I love you. You mean everything to me and are my whole world. When I first held you in my arms I knew you had me wrapped around your little finger. Everyday I wake up and you aren't here it feels like there is nothing left for me to live for. I have tried too many times to try and get your mother to let me see you but every time she says you don't want to see me. I know that you must think badly of me and I am sorry for that. But know Bella that I will always love you and look over you. I am sorry that I will miss your graduation, walking you down the aisle and the birth of your first child. But know that in my last moments I was thinking of you.
I love you Isabella,
Love Daddy

Harry looks up at me with tears in his eyes. He pulls me to him and rocks me in his arms.

"The hardest part Harry was it was my fault. I had no idea that he was trying to see me my mom never told me. If I had just decided to move in with him he might still be alive."
I sobbed into Harry's chest as he held me.
"Shhhh......Bella."
I sobbed harder hearing my dad's old nickname for me.
"It wasn't your fault. Your mother never told you. You had no way of knowing. I am sorry I made you watch Its a Wonderful Life yesterday I get it now."
Harry slowly rocked me till I stopped sobbing.
He picked me up bridal style and carried me to my bed. He tucked me in and kissed me on the forehead. As he turned to leave I reached out and grabbed his hand. Harry looked at me and I didn't have to say a word. I felt the bed dip as Harry pulled me to him. I fell asleep feeling safe and protected for the first time in a long time.