♡ Be My Baby ♡

nine.

A couple of years later...

"Alright, do not tell anyone about this," Harry tells Darlene, who's nodding with wide eyes. "Not a single soul."

"Not even aunty Gem?" Darlene asks hopefully.

"Especially not aunty Gem," Harry says. He's squatting down to be at her eye level so it's easy to reach for her hands then. "I've kept this from aunty Gem for decades, you absolutely cannot tell her."

"Can I tell Mateo?" Darlene wonders. Harry thinks about his one-year-old, "Well, he can't quite speak yet. I suppose you can but think about it, and if you still want to after I show you this, then you can."

"Alright, daddy, what is it?" Darlene asks impatiently. "Please, show me."

Harry stands up straight and offers Darlene a hand. "Come with me."

White Willow Manor hasn't changed much over the years. With minor fashionable updates, it retains its stoic face throughout decades. Not many renovations have taken place so Harry knows his favourite spot in the whole house still remains undisturbed. The colours of the house radiate warmth, and not just because of the stifling August heat.

Their steps lead towards the library, Harry's favourite place in the world. They enter the high-ceilinged room but they don't stick around. Harry takes Darlene to the right corner by the window.

"Okay, baby, now look carefully at what daddy's doing," Harry says and pulls out a few books on the sixth shelf from the bottom. A tiny lever disguised as the backing of the shelf comes into view. Harry pulls at it and the shelf moves away, opening like a door. When he looks at Darlene, she's staring at the secret entry with her mouth wide open.

"Daddy! It's like in the films!" Darlene cries excitedly, pulling at Harry's arm. "Can we go in, please?"

"Of course we can," Harry smiles at her. "But this isn't the only secret."

The secret door hides a passageway to the master bedroom and everyone knows about it. No one's found much use for it since his mum stays in the room but Harry discovered something else when he was a bored seven-year-old. The passageway is dark as it has no windows. But the lineup of them on the second storey doesn't add up. Everyone wrote it off as the window being concealed for the passageway but that isn't the truth. There is an entire room hiding along the walls of the passageway.

Harry's turned on the flashlight on his phone to illuminate their way up until they reach an old sconce for a candle.

"Darly, look closely again, baby," Harry tells Darlene as he twists the sconce to the side and then pushes the door open. They enter a dusty room littered with old furniture and the remnants of all the crap Harry's brought in over the years. That includes a new mattress for the old bed, two power banks, pillows, a guitar, magazines and books. There are a few toys underneath the bed still, from his childhood. Darlene steps inside in amazement, looking around with her lips frozen in a silent gasp for a moment. She runs her fingers along the bed and the furniture, as if she couldn't quite believe it's all real.

"So what do you think, love?" Harry asks Darlene, coming up behind her and putting his hands on her shoulders. "Do you like it?"

"Is this secret room mine?" Darlene asks, turning to face Harry in a pause in her exploration.

"It is now," Harry says. "I found it when I was seven. You're seven now so I think this should be of good use to you. Do you still want to tell your brother?"

"No," Darlene shakes her head but her smile drops. "I love Mateo but he slobbers over all of my toys and my iPad. He won't do it if I'm playing here."

Darlene has never seemed more like she's truly Harry's daughter than in this moment. They both love their siblings, but they can be annoying. Darlene continues to traverse the room, walking away from Harry to a corner with books and magazines.

"I should've kept it for Mateo, since he's the younger one and I'm also the younger sibling but when I found you reading my old books, I couldn't resist," Harry says as he comes to Darlene, who has now started sifting through the old magazines. "I'm afraid you can't really read those just yet. I'll get you some that you'd enjoy, okay, baby?"

"Okay, daddy," Darlene replies and looks up at Harry. "Can we spend some time here now? Just you and me? You're always with Mateo."

"I'm so sorry, baby," Harry says and kisses the top of her head. "He's just little, you know? He's still a baby and he needs more attention. We have to teach him how to speak, walk, all of that. Had to do it all with you as well. However, Darly, I still love you very, very much. I love you both equally, no matter what. What would you say if we read something together now in your secret room and no one would interrupt us? Only the two of us."

Darlene nods enthusiastically and hops over to the bed immediately. Harry joins her with a copy of Anne of Green Gables he's had in his back pocket the entire time and gets to reading with Darlene tucked under his arm.

"Are you ready to meet Anne and all of her friends?" Harry asks Darlene as he opens the book.

Darlene nods, looking up at Harry. "She has the same name as grandma."

"That's true, she does," Harry chuckles and kisses the top of Darlene's head. "Alright, let's do this then." He clears his throat and starts reading, " Mrs Rachel Lynde lived just where the Avonlea main road dipped into a little hollow..."

Harry's voice is carried through complete silence, only the inconspicuous sounds of the house settling seldom interrupting. Right then, it's just him, Darlene and a bloody good book. And White Willow Manor.

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thank you SOOOO MUCH for reading guys ❤️❤️❤️ i know this is a bit different from what i normally write so thank you for giving it a chance ❤️❤️ let me know if you would be interested in reading a sequel to this ❤️