Kiss Me Slowly.

Harper hadn’t always been this insecure. Well, maybe she had, but how could she not when she was married to Harry? It was basically asking for her to be an emotional, insecure wreck with him for a husband, and being pregnant with a stomach the size of a hot air balloon only made it a hundred times worse.

She hadn’t meant to let herself get so worked up. Honestly, Harry went out all the time and it was no surprise when he’d stay out all hours of the night and end up stumbling into bed sometime in the early morning. But her hormones seemed to be working overtime as she glanced towards the clock and saw that it was nearing ten. He’d said he’d be home by seven, and while she hadn’t expected him to be on time, she didn’t expect him to be so damn late. It was so like him, and it was one of the things that infuriated her the most about him.

“Mama?”

Harper tore her eyes away from the clock above the television to catch the familiar green eyes watching her with a wide expression. “I got changed all by myself for bed.” The three year old announced as she did a little spin to showcase the Rapunzel pajamas her daddy had bought for her.

“Good job, baby.” She smiled softly, pushing her thoughts of Harry to the back of her mind as she opened up her arms and motioned for her daughter to come closer. The little girl grinned, dimples making an appearance as she hurried over, jumping up onto the couch and into her mother’s awaiting arms, nuzzling her face into the crook of her neck.

Harper carefully smoothed the wild blonde waves as she hugged the little girl tightly to her chest. “Ready for bed then?” she asked softly.

“Mhm.” Sophie nodded and nuzzled further into her mother’s neck and tightening her tiny grip around her.

Harper scooted forward, readying herself, before hauling herself as well as Sophie up. If Harry was home and saw her carrying Sophie up the stairs, he’d have a heart attack and instantly snatch Sophie away, claiming that she was adding too much extra stress to the baby. She simply rolled her eyes at the thought and held Sophie closer.

Once they reached upstairs, Harper set Sophie down on the bed carefully, pulling out the sheets and helping her underneath them before she shuffled to the set of mahogany drawers and pulled out a pair of sleep shorts and one of Harry’s old t shirts, trying to ignore how tight the baggy shirt looked around her. Harry probably thought she looked like a whale and that was why he stayed out so often. It wasn’t exactly fun staying in with Shamu, who was constantly a blubbering mess and shoving her face with food every few minutes.

She carefully slid into bed, thankful to finally be relaxing her tense back as Sophie immediately curled into her side and let out a tiny satisfied sigh. Harper reached for the bedside lamp and switched it off, leaving the room in darkness as she gently rubbed a soothing pattern along her daughter’s back and listened to her breath as it eventually turned slow enough to the point where she knew she had fallen asleep.

Harper was exhausted, completely spent, and she wanted nothing more than to just fall asleep and leave all her worries and thoughts for the next morning when she would feel better equipped to handle the day, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t fall asleep. Her mind was too clouded and all she could do was worry about the stupid asshole who was late and pray that he was alright and nothing had happened to him on his way home.

She found herself tossing and turning for the next couple hours, unable to get comfortable as she waited for Harry to get home. Something about Harry not being in bed with her always made her feel apprehensive and anxious. She’d sadly grown so accustomed to being curled up into his warm side that having the bed all to herself always seemed to bother her more than probably healthy.

Although Sophie was good company and she loved the tiny little one cuddling close to her, it still wasn’t Harry so she found herself lying awake in complete silence until a few hours later when she heard the front door downstairs open and shut briefly. Her eyes flicked to the bedside clock, telling her it was three in the morning. She let out a long sigh before closing her eyes tightly and trying to feign sleep.

She heard the bedroom door open quietly and a flood of light streamed into the bedroom for just a moment before he shut the door once again and left the room in darkness. She could hear rustling and she knew he was pulling off his clothes. She listened for the shoes, the leather boots making a soft thud against the carpet before the bed was sinking in on the other side.

“Daddy,” Sophie’s sleepy voice murmured from beside Harper and she peaked open an eye to barely see her daughter through the dark. She’d sat up to a semi upright position and she was rubbing at her tiny eyes as she looked up at her father.

“Hey there, princess.” He smiled warmly, his dimples matching hers as he slid into bed and instantly scooped her into his arms, holding her tightly to his chest. “You sleeping with mama again?” he cooed softly as he ran a careful hand through her hair. He was trying to keep from waking up Harper although there was no use, she sourly thought, as she’d been up the past few hours worrying about him.

“Mhm,” the little girl hummed as she settled herself atop of Harry’s chest. “Didn’t want mama to be all alone.”

Harry chuckled softly and leaned his head down, pressing a warm kiss to the little one’s forehead. “That’s very sweet of you, Soph.” Harry told her quietly and she purred at the compliment. “But mama wouldn’t be alone, this is daddy’s bed too, you know?” he asked teasingly.

“Yeah,” Sophie let out a tiny yawn and Harry lifted the comforter up high to rest just below his neck and cover her perfectly. “But you always take too long.”

Harry was quiet for a moment and Harper wondered if he was thinking about her words, if he was feeling guilty about always being out so late. “Did mama carry you upstairs, Sophie?”

Sophie was silent and simply cuddled further into her father’s chest, her tiny hands settling on each side of his rib cage.

“Sophie?”

“Mama said not to tell.” She whispered loudly and Harper held in a groan. She heard Harry let out a long sigh.

“Baby, when mama tries to pick you up, don’t let her. Not when she’s got your little brother in her tummy. It’s bad for her to carry you.”

“Why’s it bad?” she was still whispering as she sat up a bit and her tiny hands came to rest on her father’s cheeks. “She never told me it was bad.”

“I know she never told you, but it’s just too heavy for her to pick you up and hold your baby brother up too. Your mama likes to think she’s superwoman, but she isn’t.”

“She is pretty strong though.” Sophie mumbled quietly, her face pressed back into her father’s chest once again.

“That she is.”

+

Harper let out a tiny sigh as she stared at the end of the bathtub where her painted toes were sticking out of the warm soapy water. She’d just left Sophie in her bedroom with the television tuned to Disney Junior, a full coloring book, and a crayon box filled with every color imaginable. She knew the little girl would be occupied for at least an hour before she would become ansty and coming looking for her. So that gave Harper plenty of relaxation time.

Tuesday had the potential of looking very perfect. When she woke up that morning, Harry still had his arms wrapped around her, face nuzzled into her neck as he slept. He had the day off and insisted that today was going to be about them just having a relaxing day together.

Once they finally rolled out of bed, Harry scooped Sophie out of her big girl bed before Harper had a chance to, and they walked downstairs where the two girls sat patiently at the table while Harry whipped up some eggs and bacon, complete with buttered toast and a cup of orange juice for each girl.

Then they all moved to the living room where Sophie picked 101 Dalmatians and Harry popped it in before the three cuddled close together on the same couch, Harry’s worried eyes watching Sophie every few minutes as she cuddled closer into Harper’s swollen tummy. They lounged around there for a few hours, switching to the television and aimlessly flipping through channels for a while before Harry got a text from Alexa and a few minutes later, he was pulling away from the girls and getting up to leave, claiming that Alexa was picking up a few pieces from the furniture shop by her home and needed his help. Harper bit down on her tongue harshly as she watched him leave.

So that’s where she was now. Bathing alone on a Tuesday night, her brain swimming with thoughts of Alexa and how perfect she was with her dark brown hair and big bright eyes and long thin body, and Harper just really hated her. She knew she didn’t come up even close compared to her, the girl was a model after all, and the thought of Harry always hanging out with her put her in the most foul mood every time and it was impossible to lift her spirits.

Her hands carefully came up from the water and settled on her stomach that was protruding from the bubble filled water. She was huge, absolutely massive, and she was sure that was all Harry saw whenever he looked at her. She couldn’t blame him for wanting time out of the house when he had to wake up next to her every morning, but did he have to spend so much time with Alexa. Harper let out a frustrated huff.

She heard the door to the connected bathroom open and she wondered if her bath was going to be cut short seeing as Sophie had been entertained for a lot shorter than she’d hoped but when she glanced behind her, she was instead met with Harry as he walked into the bathroom and took a spot on the side of the bathtub beside her, sitting opposite her direction to face her.

He leaned forward, giving her lips a quick peck before he leaned back and took in her frowning expression. “What’s wrong, love?”

“Nothing,” she mumbled quietly, pulling her eyes away from him and returning them to the swollen stomach in front of her. She knew Alexa never had this problem; she’d never been pregnant so she didn’t have to go around lugging extra weight that only seemed to accentuate her already unsatisfactory body.

“Come on, Harper.” He said softly placing his head on the edge of the tub to watch her with concerned eyes before bringing a hand out to gently rub at the swell. “What’s wrong?”

“Don’t touch,” she said at the feel on his hand on her. She pulled one of her hands off her stomach to push his off. She watched him frown deeply.

“Why not? Are you not feeling well? Is it hurting?”

Harper ignored the concerned tone in his voice as she thought about Alexa walking the red carpet in her tight little dresses as she sipped champagne and hung off of Harry like they were best buddies. “Just don’t touch.”

“Harper, baby, tell me what’s the matter.” He begged, grabbing her right hand and rubbing the back of her hand soothingly with his thumb. “Talk to me.”

She sighed, sliding further into the water, wanting to disappear from his concerned eyes. “I just don’t want you touching my stomach. I look like an obese whale.”

“What?” Harry scrunched his nose up. “No you don’t, why would you say that?” he asked her incredulously.

“Because I do.” She pouted, bringing her arms to cross against her chest, but realized that her stomach didn’t leave her enough room to so she simply huffed and dropped them back into the water, unintentionally splashing water onto Harry’s shirt and his face.

“Baby, you look beautiful.” He murmured, scooting up further to bring their faces closer. “You always look beautiful.” Not as beautiful as Alexa. “Don’t put yourself down.”

Harper simply looked away, casting her eyes to the unlit candles in the corner slot of the tub. Harry was stubborn, just as much, if not more than Harper, and she knew he wasn’t just going to give up. He was simply going to keep arguing with her until she gave in.

In the couple of moments that she’d focused her sole attention on the assortment of candles, Harry had stood up and begun pulling his shirt over his head, tossing it carelessly across the floor and soon his tight jeans and underwear followed suit. “Scoot forward, Harper.”

Harper glanced up to see Harry stripped of his clothes and motioning for her to move forward. She said nothing but slid her bottom forward, giving him just enough room to slid in behind her and sit down. She watched as his long legs came forward on each side of her before they rested just in front of the drain. She felt Harry’s arms carefully grip her shoulders and pull her back, flush against his chest.

She let herself relax against him and even let out a tiny sigh of contentment as she left her head rest against his chest. She really hated getting into any kind of argument with Harry because he always knew exactly how to defuse the situation in a matter of moments and it wasn’t fair. She could never seem to hold her ground around him.

Harper watched silently as Harry’s hand came forward and picked her left hand up off her stomach. His fingers glided across the diamond ring settled on her dainty finger. Her hazel eyes watched as it glittered immensely with the water that it had splashed atop it. “You know this ring means something, don’t you?” his voice came out soft in her ear and she instantly frowned, craning her neck to get a look at him.

“Of course I do.” Her eyes were furrowed deeply as she looked into his eyes. He pushed some of her hair back behind her ear.

“Then you know that I wouldn’t have chosen to marry you over everyone else in the world if I didn’t think you were the most beautiful, amazing, intelligent, perfect girl there was.” His eyes were boring into hers as he spoke each word and she felt her heart swell and her stomach fall at the same time.

She hadn’t meant to come off as ungrateful or think that she wasn’t lucky, because she was, she really was. He was the most perfect man that ever existed and she knew that she didn’t deserve him and that the Gods must’ve been looking out for her because he somehow fell in love with her of all people. So she never took for granted that she got him, that he was all hers, she just got self conscious sometimes, because he was always around leggy blonde models, and Harper was just, well Harper was just Harper. “I know that.” She replied softly.

“Just don’t ever forget that, Harper. You could be as huge as a house, and I would still think you were the most beautiful girl I ever laid eyes on. And for the record, you’re not even that big. You can still fit in most of your clothes.” That earned a little humph from Harper. “If anything you look even more beautiful now that you’re pregnant.” Harper’s frowned deepened a bit. “What, do you think I’d lie to you?”

She shook her head after a moment, tears welling in her eyes. “No.” she mumbled out. She couldn’t take it when he spoke to her like that. She could barely handle it on a regular basis, but when she was pregnant, there was no way.

“Then why are you about to cry, baby?” he asked her softly as he reached forward to catch the first tear that slipped down her cheek.

“Because I’m pregnant,” she sniffed. “And you’re being sappy.” A couple more tears fell and Harry was quick to wipe them with the pads of his thumbs. He smiled softly before carefully maneuvered her back into their previous position, wrapping his arms tightly around her as he kissed the side of her face continuously. “I love you, Harper.” He murmured against her skin. “There’s never going to be any other girl for me,” he assured her as he craned his neck to press a kiss to her nose. “Because nobody compares to you.”

Harper snorted and a soft giggle slipped past her lips. Harry smiled confusedly and leaned forward a bit more. “Was it something I said?”

“Did you really just quote your own song to me?”

Harry was silent for a moment, but then it quickly dawned on him and he shook his head with a chuckle. “Not intentionally, but yeah I guess I did.”

They were silent after that, just their soft breathing as Harry peppered kisses along any bit of skin he could get his lips on, occasionally causing Harper to let out giggles at the contact.

A loud gasp sounded from behind them and they both quickly whipped their heads to see Sophie standing at the door with an excited smile on her face. “Bath time! Bath time! Yay!” she shouted as she instantly began tearing her clothes off her body and tossing them carelessly across the floor as she ran towards them.

Once she stripped herself down, she instantly jumped into the tub, settling perfectly between Harper’s legs. “Mama.” She hummed, hugging her mother’s stomach tightly.

“Man,” Harry grinned as he looked down at Sophie when she began playing with the bit of bubbles that remained in the corner of the tub. “Did you see that kid undress that quickly? She’s definitely mine. No denying that.” Harry laughed loudly at that and Harper slapped his arm, unable to hold back her own laughs.

So maybe Harper was a bit insecure. (okay, maybe a lot.) But it helped to have Harry there with her every step of the way, reminding her that she had nothing to worry about, because at the end of the day, he was still hers and he didn’t want anybody else. And that was more than enough for Harper.