Sequel: In Unexpected Places

Against the Odds

Chapter Forty Nine

“Remember when we were kids and we used to come out and watch you jump here?” Harry asked Zara as he surveyed the scene around him.

They were in the stables at the venue of Emma’s very first show jumping competition. Emma was brushing her horse down, Zara was giving her some final coaching, and Alex and Harry were standing to the side, watching proudly.

“You didn’t watch,” Zara scoffed, turning from Emma to look at Harry. “You were under the bleachers with your little heathen friends the whole time, poking people in their asses with sticks.”

“You said a bad word, ZaZa!” Emma said when Zara turned back around to adjust the little girl’s helmet. “You know what that means!”

“Sorry,” Zara sighed. “I didn’t mean to curse, Emma. And yes, I know what it means.” She leaned a little closer and her lips turned up into a slightly naughty grin. “But it’s really Harry’s fault so he should be the one to pay the price.”

“Listen,” Harry’s eyes narrowed playfully in Zara’s direction. “Don’t try to recruit Emma to gang up on me.”

“What’s the price?” Alex asked, trying to smother her laughter at the banter between her boyfriend and his cousin.

“Everytime ZaZa says a bad word she puts a pound into a jar.” Emma said, matter-of-fact. “When I win my first competition, I get everything in the jar.”

Harry snickered, loving that his sailor mouthed cousin was probably losing a fortune to Emma. “And how much is in the jar right now?”

“I don’t know,” Emma shrugged. “But it’s pretty full already. I hope I win today!”

Laughter chorused among the adults for a moment before Zara finally turned and shooed Harry and Alex out. She needed to finish prepping Emma and they were becoming a distraction.

“Okay, Okay…we’re leaving,” Harry laughed, holding up his hands in defeat. He and Alex both hugged Emma and wished her good luck and then moved out of the stables and walked hand in hand towards the stands, followed closely by Harry’s protection officers.

“Zara says she has a chance to medal,” Alex said with a smile, glancing to the side at Harry.

“Yeah?” Harry said, his face brightening with the possibility. “I hope she does. She works hard with Zara and she seems to really love it.”

“She does,” Alex nodded as they reached the stands and Harry led her up to the top bench where they took a seat. “You look really proud of her,” Alex said softly once they were settled.

Harry turned to her with a slightly surprised smile. “Of course I am, love. I’m terribly proud of her. She’s my…” He trailed off, catching his words in his throat and swallowing them with a gulp, not sure if they were the right thing to say.

But Alex wasn’t about to let him get away that easily.

“She’s your what, Harry?” she asked, her eyes soft and sweet, dying to know what he was going to say.

Harry chuckled and shook his head slightly, a small flush crawling up his cheeks. “She’s my little girl.”

Alex had to look away; she had to. Her eyes filled with tears and if she hadn’t looked away they would have spilled out and she knew there were cameras on them and she simply could not cry right then. So she took a deep breath and turned her gaze off in the distance, concentrating on keeping her face straight.

But her hand reached for Harry’s and when her fingers tightened around his and her thumb stroked over the palm of his hand, he knew that she was agreeing with him in the only way she could at the moment. And he had to swallow the lump in his throat as well, had to concentrate on keeping his face straight until he could get it under control.

It took several long, emotional minutes but finally Alex was able to relax a little bit, to allow herself to glance in Harry’s direction, to find her voice again.

She leaned into him and rested her head on his shoulder and squeezed his fingers tighter. “She’s a lucky, lucky girl, that Emma,” she said lightly, her lips twitching up at the sides.

And Harry chuckled and moved an arm around Alex as he bent to kiss the top of her head. “Nah. I’m the lucky one.”

“You really are,” Alex sighed, drawing a shout of laughter from Harry and dialing down the intensity on the situation just a bit.

Harry squeezed her tight with the arm he had around her and took a deep breath before relaxing a bit, trying to move his brain into a different subject; something less emotional.

“So, Matt left today?” he asked, dropping his arm from around her and moving to pick up her hand instead.

Alex smiled. “He did. He would have been her if he didn’t have to go home today. He will be back in a few weeks. He’s got to finish up some things at work before he transfers and he’s got to put his house up for sale and…” Alex’s grin pulled even wider. “My brother is moving to London.”

“To live with Charlotte,” Harry smirked.

“Pretty crazy, right?” Alex giggled. “From a one night stand last summer to Matt moving to an entirely new country for her.”

The announcement that the riders would be beginning momentarily came then, putting the conversation about Matt and Charlotte on hold. Both Harry and Alex straightened up, anxious to see everything start. They watched as three riders were announced, came out and performed their jumps, and rode off the field before the announcement was finally made that they were waiting for.

“And up next we have number four, Emma Morgan, riding her horse Prince Charming.”

There was a rumble of laughter that moved through the stands at the name of her horse, and more than a few glances were thrown in Harry’s direction, the irony of the name not lost on any of them. But Harry just grinned and pulled his phone from his pocket, getting the camera ready to go for when Emma came out.

And finally she did, looking every bit the professional little seven year old rider that she was. Harry and Alex watched intently as she cleared jump after jump, with just a small little error on the third one. And finally, when she cleared the last jump and steered her horse off of the field, there was applause throughout the crowd, although no one could deny that the loudest cheers of all came from the very proud red headed Prince sitting among them.

**********

The competition was a tight one; all of the riders in Emma’s age division were very good. Emma remained ranked high as the five riders after her each took their turns at the course. She remained in third place as the last rider went out.

The last rider, a little girl named Hannah Smythe, was good. She maneuvered the course and the jumps smoothly, with no errors. I was obvious to everyone in the stands that she was going to place within the top three, if not take first.

But on the final jump of her ride, her horse’s back hooves clipped the jump and he came down harder than he usually did. Little Hannah tried to hold on tight, to keep on the horse, but in the end she simply couldn’t keep her balance and she went toppling off, landing on her side.

The crowd gasped and a petite brunette woman, who was obviously Hannah’s mother, immediately jumped up from the stands and rushed down towards the course.

“Oh God,” Alex whispered, her eyes flashing wide as she watched what happened. “I hope she’s okay.”

“Me too,” Harry murmured, his eyes intent on the scene.

But their fears were instantly eased when the little girl sat up and looked around, definitely more shaken than anything. She stood up just as her mother reached her and bent down; checking to make sure everything was okay. They could see the little girl swipe at tears on her cheeks as she walked off of the field with her mother and Alex immediately felt awful for her.

“Poor girl,” she murmured.

“She would have won,” Harry said back, feeling bad for her himself. It was never easy to watch kids get let down.

“I know,” Alex nodded. “Such a shame she had to fall.”

“It is,” Harry agreed as they watched the little girl disappear into the stables with her mother. “Come on love,” he sighed, tugging on Alex’s hand and moving to his feet. “Let’s go find our little munchkin and congratulate her on her third place finish.”

Alex’s smile brightened and she nodded. “Absolutely.”

***************

The medal ceremony was quick and a touch cheesy, as most of them are, but Harry, Alex, and Zara ate it all up. Alex took pictures while Harry took video on his phone and they all cheered loudly when Emma’s name was called out as the bronze medal winner.

“Let me see your medal, Em,” Alex smiled when Emma jumped down from the medal stand and ran towards them. Alex bent down and Emma held the medal out from her neck for her mother to see.

“Mummy?” Emma whispered, drawing Alex’s attention up to her daughter’s face.

“Yeah, Em?”

“Did you see when Hannah fell?”

“I did,” Alex nodded.

“She’s really said,” Emma said in a small voice. Her eyes moved over Alex’s shoulder to where Hannah stood with her parents; she was still swiping tears from her cheeks. “But she still came over to say congratulations to me and the two other winners and to give us hugs.”

Alex smiled softly and pushed a lock of hair from Emma’s forehead. “That was very nice of her, baby. She has good sportsmanship.”

“I think…” Emma started before taking a deep breath and giving Alex a small smile. “I think because I wouldn’t have gotten a medal if she would not have fallen…”

“Go ahead…” Alex encouraged.

“Would it be alright if I gave her my medal? I know I should keep it because it’s my first one but I’ll get more and…”

“Oh Emma,” Alex said in a soft voice, her eyes shining with pride as she ran her hands over her daughter’s arms. “Of course you can. It’s your medal and you can anything you like with it. And…” She winked at Emma. “I think you would probably make her feel a bit better, knowing you care so much.”

Emma’s eyes brightened and a wide smile appeared on her face. “Thanks Mummy!”

Alex laughed lightly and then stood up straight, ruffling Emma’s hair as she did so. “You’re welcome, kiddo.”

Emma gave Alex a quick hug around her hips and then she went running off towards Hannah. Alex stood and watched her while Harry and Zara moved in closer to her.

“What is she doing?” Zara asked, her hands resting on her pregnant belly as she watched Emma.

“She’s giving the little girl who fell her medal, because if Hannah wouldn’t have fallen then Emma wouldn’t have gotten it. She wanted to make her feel better,” Alex replied, turning towards Harry and Zara with a proud smile.

“Wow,” Harry chuckled, shaking his head in surprise.

“I can see that being around Harry for so long hasn’t rubbed off on Emma, she’s still a good kid,” Zara snickered, waiting for Harry’s reaction and then laughing when he narrowed his eyes at her.

“Just because you’re pregnant doesn’t mean I have to be nice to you,” Harry joked.

“If you ever want to babysit, that’s exactly what it means,” Zara said smugly.

Harry rolled his eyes and grinned and Alex couldn’t help but giggle. His entire family seemed to know exactly how to get him to behave himself.

“Harry!”

The three adults all turned their attention towards Emma, calling Harry’s name as she ran back up to them. She grabbed Harry’s hand with hers and looked at him with wide, hopeful eyes.

“Harry! Can you do something for me?”

“Absolutely,” he nodded.

“Maybe that’s not a smart thing to agree to so quickly,” Alex teased.

“Mum!” Emma sighed; a picture of sass as she put her hand on her hip and shot Alex a look.

“Sorry,” Alex laughed, holding her hands up in the air.

Emma turned back to Harry. “Can you please come take a picture with Hannah? She said her big sister has a crush on you and it will make her jealous.”

Zara and Alex couldn’t contain their snorts of laughter but Harry just chuckled and nodded. “Sure thing, Princess,” he grinned, motioning for her to lead the way, happy to do anything she asked of him

**************

They barely made it through the door to Harry’s room before Alex’s hands, urgent and needy, were on Harry’s clothes, pulling and tugging, wanting them off of him right then. Emma was tucked in and asleep and after the events of the day, she wanted him so badly she could taste it.

And she was about to take exactly what she wanted.

“Wow…” Harry grinned as he lifted his arms above his head to let her pull of his shirt. He loved when she was like this, when she went after him, when she was fierce and passionate and demanding.

“You’re so smug,” Alex laughed low. She flung her own shirt off and moved into him, her own arms wrapping around his torso as she walked them slowly towards Harry’s big bed.

“I can’t help it,” Harry responded in a low, husky voice. His eyes grew dark with passion. “Not when it’s you who wants me.”

“I always want you,” she breathed, her eyes sparking at his words. A slight moan left her lips when he reached around her and flicked at the clasp of her bra, pulling it from her and flinging it away. She sighed with the small relief and with the way it felt when she pressed her chest against his, loving the feel of his hot skin against hers and the pressure that felt so good against her hard, sensitive nipples. “Especially when you call my daughter your little girl…” she continued, her eyes growing a touch softer at the memory, even as she was pushing him backwards on the bed and moving in above him.

Harry sat up and wrapped his arms tightly around her as she settled her legs around him. He didn’t want any space between them; he needed to be as close as possible to her right then.

“Alex…” he groaned when she slid her hands into his hair and tilted her head over his, her mouth pulling his into a scorching kiss.

“I can’t wait to give you more children to love like you love Emma…” she continued, pulling her mouth from his and dragging her hot lips down his jaw towards the sensitive spot just under his ear, bringing a soft groan from him. His hands slid to her hips and around to her ass, flexing and pulling her tighter against him. And Alex continued, kissing his neck softly before she spoke again, “How long are you going to make me wait to give you babies, Harry?”

“Alexandra,” he groaned as his entire body pulsed with her words. His eyes pulled open and his hands moved into her mane of blonde hair, pulling her back from his neck and finding her gaze with his. “You’re going to kill me,” he panted, his eyes flashing with need.

Alex’s lips curled up at the sides and she reached between them, finding the button the zipper on his jeans. “That's not good,” she teased as she popped the button, pulled the zipper down, and reached in. She wrapped her hand around him, loving the moan that fell from his lips. “Then I definitely won't be able to give you babies.”

A laughing sort of groan fell from his lips. He was totally turned on by everything about her in that moment; her desire, her playfulness, the words she was saying to him. “Alexandra…you know I want that more than anything…” He let out a harsh breath when she squeezed him and then, out of pure necessity only, his fingers wrapped around her wrist and he pulled her hand from his pants and to her side. She pouted and he shook his head, thinking she was the most adorable thing on the face of the earth. Trusting she would keep her hand to the side for the moment he released it and his fingers moved to her face, cupping her cheeks and pulling her face closer to his. “I want that more than anything…except marrying you. I want that more. And...”

“Yes.”

Harry blinked, confused. “What?”

Alex’s lips pulled into a wide smile and her eyes danced. “I'll marry you.”

“Alex…” Harry warned in a shaky voice. His eyes were wide and he was sure that she could hear the way his heart was slamming into his chest over and over again. “What are you doing to me right now?”

Alex’s head tossed back and she laughed; a happy, warm sound that only served to draw Harry closer to him in that moment, to make him love her even more, if that was even possible. Here she was saying these things to him and she wasn’t shy or trying to beat around the bush. She was happy and had no qualms about the things she said.

“Doing to you? Come on, Harry,” she said lightly. “If you want to marry me, then ask me. It's that easy.”

Harry’s fingers flexed on her cheeks and his eyes grew serious and steady. “It'll be the easiest thing I ever do.”

Alex held his gaze for a long beat. She knew he was serious and she knew he meant it. She also knew that he making assurances to her; assurances that she didn’t necessarily need, but that made her heart beat fast all the same.

And then she sighed happily, her lips curving up into a soft smile. “You have a plan don't you?” she teased.

He nodded slowly and leaned forward, brushing her lips softly with his. “I do…and baby?”

“Hmmm?” She was already moving her hands back to his body; her desire for him growing by the second.

“Just so you know, it's taking everything I have not to throw it to the wind and ask you right now. But…”

“The plan is good isn't it?”

Harry’s eyes danced as he nodded and Alex couldn’t help herself, she had to kiss him. And so, with a wide grin she moved in again, wrapping her arms around him and giggling as he fell back onto the mattress, pulling her with him.

And she went, happily. As she always would.