Harry's POV

"Harry!"

I turn at the sound of my mother's happy voice. She walks quickly through the people between us and envelopes me in a tight hug, practically choking me to death. I think she forgets that I'm twenty-eight sometimes.

"Hi," I laugh. "How was your flight?"

"It was lovely, though the man sitting next to me snored the entire time." Leave it to my mother to even make that sound pleasant. "Where's your little family? I hoped they'd come with you."

I shake my head, a small twinge in my heart at the reminder that they're not with me like they should be. "They're waiting at the apartment for us."

"Oh." She smiles and I take her luggage from her as we walk towards the exit. There are a few more lines along her face since the last time I saw her, the wrinkles around her eyes much more pronounced than they used to be.

"How's Jackson?"

"Oh, he's adorable," she gushes. "He's growing up so fast! I can't believe it. I'm sure you know what I mean, though."

"Yeah," I agree. "I can't get over how much Sophie has grown up."

"It goes fast and faster," she agrees. "Before you know it you've got grand-babies."

"I don't even want to think about that, Mum. But thanks."

She laughs as we exit the airport. She loves to tease me about getting old, but she's older than me so it doesn't take much to shut that conversation down. I don't mind getting older, but I know hitting thirty is going to be a tough one.

My mother fills me in on life back in England while I drive us back to Savannah's mother's place. I still haven't told her where we're staying and I know she's going to be in awe when she even sees the lobby of that place. The wealth of Savannah's family never ceases to amaze me and I've been around it for five years.

I'm dying to take Sophie to England. I want her to spend time with my family there and with Jackson. They're pretty close in age and I know Sophie would love it. I want her to see where I grew up for some reason. She makes me more nostalgic than I should be. Gemma and her family have come a few times to visit us, but I've seen her maybe once a year. Most of our relationship is conducted on skype. It sucks, but it's better than nothing I guess. We were always close growing up; we had to lean on each other when things got hard and that's not an easy bond to break, even with all the distance between us.

"Where are we?" my mother asks suddenly. "Did you move?"

"No, we aren't staying at my place," I tell her finally.

"Harry, you did not pay for me to stay in a hotel!"

"No, I didn't."

"Then-"

"Patience, mother," I tease. I pull up to the building on cue and drive up to the front door. This place, of course, has complimentary valet parking. I can't help but smile at the amazed expression on my mother's face as she stares up at the expensive-looking building.

"What is this?" she asks as I roll her bags through the doors. A slight gasp escapes her as she takes in the sight of the lobby. It really is impressive, I must say. I've only been here a handful of times, but each time I left I found myself wishing I could afford a place like this.

"Come on." She glares, probably from my lack of explanation. When we get in the elevator she just stares at me, but I don't give in.

"Harry, why are we in the most glamourous building I've ever seen?" she asks.

The elevator dings and the doors slide open so we step right into the living room and immediately her mouth falls open. The main area is all one big space, the kitchen alone probably larger than my entire apartment. The place is decorated with sleek, modern furniture that looks like it came straight out of a magazine. There are floor to ceiling windows the the view is hard to miss. The kitchen is white and looks more luxurious than any other I've seen There are five bedrooms and two of them have bathrooms attached with another main bathroom to add to the list. It's massive and excessive, especially since Savannah's mother is usually staying here alone.

"Where are we?" she asks quietly, eyes wide as she takes in the scene. Light footsteps are heard from the hall and Sophie comes running around the corner with her hands extended in the air.

"Daddy!" she squeals. A grin breaks onto my face; every time I hear her call me that I can't help but feel almost giddy. It's the best feeling. I hold my hands out to her, but then she sees my mother beside me and runs to her instead and squeals her name.

"Hi darling," my mum coos. I can see tears brimming her eyes as she hugs Sophie tight. She can probably see the teasing smile on my face because she rolls her eyes. "Don't start, Harry."

I just laugh and my eyes catch Savannah's as she comes around the corner. She's dressed more casually than usual, ripped baggy jeans that she somehow makes look nice. She's wearing a loose v-neck t-shirt and flip flops on her feet. Her wavy hair falls in waves over her shoulders and I force myself to look away before she catches me staring at her. Her beauty is distracting.

"Savannah," my mother drawls.

"Hi Anne," she says, hugging her around Sophie. "It's good to see you."

"You too, dear. I missed you!"

Savannah smiles and I give her a soft smile. I know this is hard for her, though she's never told me why. After we broke up getting her to spend time with my family was like pulling teeth. I never asked her why, I just know she doesn't like it. It's confusing.

"This place is a palace!" my mum exclaims when their embrace ends. Savannah laughs.

"Yeah, it's a little over the top," she agrees.

"Is it yours?"

"No!" Savannah laughs and shakes her head. "I would never need a place this big. No, it's my mother's. She offered it to us so we could all stay together while we're here."

"All of us?" my mother repeats. She looks at me and I nod my head, more tears filling her eyes. Savannah looks between the two of us and rolls her eyes at me.

"You didn't tell her," she concludes. Mum swats at me and I laugh.

"I'm just a wreck today." Mum wipes at her eyes. "Let me get myself together."

"The bathroom is just down the hall. Actually, I'll just show you your room, there's a bathroom attached."

The two women disappear into the apartment, my mother going on about how incredible the place is. Sophie strains her neck so she can look up at me with her big green eyes, a grin on her cute little face.

"What do you want to do, Soph?" I ask, kneeling down we're at a similar level. She shrugs. "Did you bring some toys?"

"Yeah, mummy put them away," she says. She reaches for my hand and starts running towards the hallway, probably to show me where they are. I have to bend over to keep my hand in hers. I can hear voices down the hall and almost go to see what they're talking about, but I allow them some privacy. Sophie drags me into her designated bedroom and I see a whole suitcase full of her dolls and other toys.

"Wow, mum let you bring all of this?"

"Yep," she says happily. She reaches in for one of her dreaded barbies. "Play with me, Daddy?"

Never in my life did I think I would be sitting on the floor playing barbies, but it's the hardest thing in the world for me to say no to her. Savannah teases me endlessly when I play barbies with her, and I'm sure my mother will too, but her big green eyes make it impossible to refuse her.

"Sure princess," I agree. I sit on the floor with her and she hands me one a male barbie that I haven't seen before. "Where'd you get this one, Soph?"

"Mummy got for me," she says simply, taking out some furniture and other things. "So there's a boy barbie for Daddy."

So I guess she plans on making me do this a lot. Good to know. As she starts babbling in a fake voice about something Savannah and my mum step in the doorway, just observing from the hall without Sophie noticing. They whisper to each other and start laughing quietly, and I'm glad to see that Savannah is comfortable with her already. Even if it does mean making fun of me.

"Are you going to play with us or just make fun?" I ask eventually. They both laugh and Sophie looks at them quickly before going back to her game.

"We're going to have some coffee," Savannah says. "Do you want any?"

"Yeah, I'll be out in a minute."

"Daddy, you want tea?" Sophie asks in a high voice. I don't know it is about this girl and her tea; whenever we are playing any kind of make believe game there is always tea involved.

After about ten minutes she finally shoos me away because the boy barbie keeps saying the wrong thing to her barbie. I can't help but laugh as I walk out of the room, taking one last glance at her before walking over to the island where Savannah is sitting with my mother. It takes a lot of effort not to walk up behind her and kiss her head like I used to, or leave a sloppy kiss on her cheek that she would always complain about but I know she secretly loved. Now I just walk right past her and pour myself some coffee.

"What are you ladies talking about?" I ask, leaning back against the counter.

"I was telling Anne about the new designer," Savannah explains. My body tenses slightly, the grip on my mug a little tighter. Fucking Zach.

"So you hired that Zach guy?" I ask quietly.

"Yeah, I called him a few days ago. He's helping me finish up with the floorset and the store is well on its way to being set up," she says happily. I know this whole thing is stressing her out and I'll be really happy for her when it finally opens. It'll be a proud moment. "And his name is Zayn, by the way. How many times do I have to tell you that?"

"I guess he just wasn't that memorable." I fucking remember him. I also remember the way he undressed Savannah with his eyes. A person could not be any less subtle than that guy. Savannah rolls her eyes as I take a sip. I wonder if she realizes that I'm je-

That I don't like him.

"I would love to see the store," my mum says.

"You can come with me tomorrow," Savannah offers. I can't help but smile; I know she was hesitant about this, and now she's really making an effort. She seems to be falling into her old pattern with my mother. They really were quite close.

"I would love that. Harry, have you seen it?"

"No, not for a while."

"It looks so different since you saw it," Savannah says to me. "The shelves and tables are all set up and there's even some boxes of clothes in there. It's a mess, but it's progress."

"You'll be so relieved when it's open, I'm sure," Mum says.

"Yeah, but that will be stressful too. I have to manage the store as well, which means training all the associates. I haven't even worked in retail before, so I don't know how that'll work." I can see the anxiety forming in her eyes as she thinks about all the things she has to do, and I'm sure the list of what could all go wrong is spinning in her mind.

"It's going to be great," I encourage. She smiles tiredly and brushes her fingers through her hair. "Besides, Madison is always a big help for you."

"Yeah. Anyway, enough about work. Anne, have you eaten dinner? There are some leftovers in the fridge if you want them," Savannah says, standing to get something ready.

"No, I'm fine. I'm actually going to head to my room if that's alright. I'm exhausted from the trip." Mum stands and gives both of us a hug before saying her goodnights and going to see Sophie.

"I missed her," Savannah says suddenly, sitting back at the island.

"I'm sure she feels the same way." She nods and we sit in silence for a moment. When Savannah first had Sophie my mum came to visit; the first month of two after the baby was born we managed to stay pretty happy, despite the sleep deprivation. Then the arguing started again, but for the first two months we were happy and when my mum came to visit it was one of the best weeks of my life.

Flashback

"She's exhausted," my mother says, nodding her head towards Savannah. I look down to the woman leaning into my body, now sound asleep. Mum cradles our sleeping newborn in her arms.

"She is," I agree, smiling fondly at the girl I love desperately.

"She looks so much like you did, Harry," Mum continues, smiling at the baby.

"She's gorgeous," I agree. "She's all Savannah."

Mum laughs a little and I press my lips lightly to Savannah's forehead. I know she's stressed about the motherhood thing; worried about making a mistake, about Sophie hating her. There are so many insecurities she never had before and it's hard for me to see her so fragile when I know how strong she is. I wish she would see it, too.

"Things are better with you two?"

I nod and tear my eyes away to look back at my mother. "Yeah. I think we were just stressed about the baby. Hopefully it stays like this."

"This is always a hard time for couples. I'm sure you'll get through it."

"She doesn't make it easy," I say lightly, smiling at her again. "She's stubborn as hell."

"I can hear you," Savannah mumbles. Mum laughs and Savannah opens her eyes to glare playfully at me. "Asshole."

"Easy," I laugh. She smiles and sticks her tongue out at me. I miss having fun with her like this. "You can go to bed it you want, baby. I know you're tired."

"I'm okay right here," she says, wrapping her arms around my waist. My mother smiles at me and I can't help the stupid grin on my face. This is my happy place, spending time with my family and the beautiful girl beside me. I couldn't be happier. This is all I ever wanted. This will always be enough for me.

End of Flashback.

They were so comfortable around her, and they would gang up on me all the time. It pissed me off a little, but it was nice to know that my mother and the love of my life got along so well. I could live with that. I really don't know what happened; I made it clear to both of them when Savannah and I finally ended things that I didn't mind if they stayed in contact. My mum said she tried, but Savannah slowly just stopped trying to communicate. It irritates me a little since I know it hurt my mother's feelings, but I'm not going to confront her about it. We aren't together so there's no obligation on her part.

"Do you have to work tomorrow?" Savannah asks, snapping me out of my memory-filled daze.

"No, I took the weekend off," I say simply.

"Really?" The skeptical look in her eyes makes me nervous. She's not stupid; she knows I was always struggling but my extra activities have been helping with my situation. I don't need the extra hours anymore. I just hope she doesn't figure out what that is. Together or not, for Sophie's sake she'll absolutely pissed.

"Yeah, it's not a big deal."

"Hmm." She sips her coffee and I catch her staring at the bruise on my arm. I meant to wear long sleeves until that went away, but it's so damn hot outside.

"Mummy?"

"I'm in here Soph," Savannah calls. Sophie comes stomping over and stops a few feet away, dramatically crossing her arms over her chest. Savannah looks at me with an amused smile and I shrug, also smiling at the little girl.

"What's goin' on?" I ask Sophie. She huffs and Savannah turns her head so she can giggle discretely. I have to bite my lips so I don't laugh as well. These little fits are hilariously adorable. "What's wrong, love?"

"Anne went sleep and I want to play," she huffs.

"She travelled really far, princess. She's tired. She'll play with you tomorrow, I promise," Savannah says, standing so she can scoop her up. "Do you want me to play with you?"

Sophie's bottom lip wobbles and I can see that she's already tired as well, even though she usually doesn't go to bed for another hour. She's not usually this sensitive. It's so cute but so heartbreaking at the same time.

"Do you want me and Daddy to play with you?" she corrects. Sophie's lip remains pouted as she nods her head and she leans her head against Savannah's shoulder as she nods in agreement. We share an adoring smile and I follow the two girls I love the most in the world back towards the barbies.

Notes

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do you like the flashbacks??