10. Emerson
SERIES RATING: M (sex)
CHAPTER WORD COUNT: 9.8k
MASTERLIST | INSPO TAG
Y/N promised herself she would never date a musician. It was her one rule–her only rule, actually–when it came to dating. But then, Harry Styles rolled into her life and asked her to break it, just this once. And this is what happened.
a/n: this is the last chapter of The Only Exception, and honestly, i never thought it would come. s/o to @bfharry and @havethetimeofyourstyles for helping me with dad!harry concepts! thank you to everyone who reblogged and loved my two little angels - i love them so much and hope you enjoyed their journey as much as i did! concepts for them are always open - i’m definitely not ready to let go of dad!harry. slide into my DMs and share your thoughts!
pls reblog to spread the word about only exception! 🥰
The final weeks before Emerson arrived were a flurry of activity. Y/N went on maternity leave, much to her dismay and Harry’s joy because he got to spend all day with her, every day. They finished the nursery off, finished their respective parenting books and compared notes, and did buckets of research on what to expect at the hospital. Harry, being Harry, ended up worming his way into helping Hanna and Jamie plan the baby shower, saying that if it was going to be at their house he deserved to have at least some part in planning it.
If he was being honest, he mainly did it to distract himself from the anxiety that seemed to plague him every time he woke up in the morning and rolled over and saw Y/N’s extremely pregnant belly. It wasn’t necessarily the anxiety about being a dad, that he could figure out, it was the anxiety about her giving birth. He had stayed up one night stalking a Reddit page that started out as advice for soon-to-be-dads, but ended up devolving into horror stories of things gone wrong. There were even a couple where the woman had died, which had Harry immediately shutting his computer, trying to get the thought of Y/N dying in childbirth out of his mind.
But he couldn’t. He rolled over every possible outcome of the birth, even the extreme ones of losing either her or their little Peanut, who he hadn’t quite adjusted to thinking about as Emerson yet. Anne hadn’t been much help at calming his nerves, even though he knew she was saying all the right things. The problem was that he wasn’t being rational, that he was letting his mind run rampant, and the only way to solve that, Harry knew, was to focus it on something. A goal.
Which led him to the baby shower. He had basically forced Hanna and Jamie to let him help, which he was a bit ashamed of, but the planning actually helped. Thinking through decorations and guest lists and party games and food and playlists, it quieted his mind enough to let his anxiety subside for most of the day. Now they only took over when Y/N fell asleep and he laid awake, watching her sleep and staring at her belly in awe.
Those moments of anxiety and awe were, coincidentally, the same moments in which he ended up thinking about proposing to her.
He loved Y/N more than any other woman he had ever known, he knew that much for sure. She challenged him in ways he loved, made him work to keep her around, and cared for him in a way he had never experienced before. Somehow she knew what he needed before he ever asked—the touches, words, reminders that put his mind and body at ease. Loving her was so fucking easy that it scared him a bit.
And then there was their little Peanut, Emerson, who was already the love of his life. The time he spent singing to her belly, talking to him with his body nestled between her legs, pressing kisses to where he kicked her, it made his heart practically burst. Harry had always wanted to be a father, and even though this wasn’t how he had planned it, it made no difference to him. It was still the best thing that had ever happened to him. She was the best thing that had ever happened to him.
He wanted them to be a family, a proper family in a traditional sort of way. And he knew that marriage didn’t make a family, that it was love and time and effort that created one, but that didn’t mean he wanted to marry her any less. He wanted her to have his name, the same last name Emerson would have. He wanted to watch her walk down the aisle in a beautiful white gown in the church in Holmes Chapel he’d spent years in. He wanted their child to throw rose petals ahead of her. He wanted to say his weddings vows to her, to slide a ring on her finger, to kiss her when it was all said and done. He wanted to spend the rest of his life loving her.
He didn’t necessarily know when he decided he wanted to propose to her, which night exactly, or what moment he knew in his heart that if he didn’t he would regret it for the rest of his life. He’d been thinking about it off and on since she told him she was pregnant and it got stronger when she moved into his house and made it her permanent address. When she came on tour and he saw how easily she fell into his world every single day. When she had a group text chat with Anne and Gemma where they bullied him and talked about the baby and politics all in the same conversation. When he got home and he felt like he could finally breathe again, because he was with her.
He was fully set on the idea a week into being home, and that was when he went rummaging through his attic for the box of things Anne had given him of his grandmother’s. Specifically, he was looking for a ring—one that had been her wedding ring, and she had given him as something to remember her by, or use for his own marriage. When he found it, he knew it was perfect for her—simple silver with vines etched into the band, and one clear diamond. Y/N was an understated person, never too flashy, and even though Harry could afford an expensive ring, he knew it wouldn’t mean nearly as much to her as this one would.
When it came to the question of when he would propose, he decided to wait. She was too stressed as it was, with Emerson on the way, and it wasn’t like she was going anywhere. He would wait until things had settled down, until he had the ability to do something special for her. He didn’t want to rush it in any way, shape, or form. So instead, he kept the ring tucked into the back of his sock drawer, ready for when the moment arrived.
Until that time, though, he would have to satisfy himself with the simple moments of loving her. And when they were all sat in their backyard, streamers and lanterns decorating the space, their closest friends and family sitting around them at tables and chairs, that was one of those moments. She was talking Anne and Gemma, who had flown in for the birth—which was only a handful of days away—a grin on her face so wide he wondered if her cheeks hurt. Her hair tumbled down her back in waves, her eyes glowed with joy, and the soft pink lipstick she had selected made him want to kiss every inch of her face. She was in a white summer midi dress and a pair of comfortable sandals, and he didn’t know if she had ever looked more beautiful.
“Harry!” His name pulled him out of his trance. She was beckoning him over, and he stood from his chair where he had been vaguely talking to Jeff and some of his other friends, and moved towards her immediately.
“Hey love,” he said, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders, his chest pressed to her back, and rest his chin on her head.
Her hand moved to cup his forearm, a simple touch that made him smile. “Anne and Gem were just wondering if there was going to be cake.”
“For the record,” Gemma said, “we did not specifically ask about cake. We asked generally about the likelihood of there being dessert.”
Harry laughed at his sister and simplicity of the request. “Yeah, there’s cake. Got. Your favorite kind,” he said squeezing Y/N’s shoulder.
She tipped her head up and looked at him, eager eyes finding his. “Really?”
“Mhm,” he murmured. “Cookies and cream ice cream cake is in the freezer.”
She yelped in excitement, pressing a kiss to his lips chastely. “Love you.”
“Just for the cake?”
She shrugged. “And other stuff.” Anne and Gemma started laughing, the sound intermingling with the chirp of the birds and soft sounds of the playlist he had spent hours creating. They had played baby shower games led by Hanna, which had left them all in hysterics, some people had gone for a swim, and they’d had a cookout. It was simple, easy, and exactly what Y/N had requested. There was pile of gifts inside that she declined to open in front of the group, since neither she nor Harry were the kind of people who liked to show off their gifts at parties. One of the many things they shared.
Now, the party was winding down, the sun was setting, and he knew people would begin preparing to head out. It was probably time for cake. “Ready for it?” He asked Y/N.
“Yes!” She followed him inside, where the air conditioning was a welcome relief from the warm summer day. Her hand slipped into his and thumbed along the inside of his wrist, a smile drifting onto his face from the small action.
“Do you like the party?” He asked when they reached the kitchen.
She leaned against the counter and watched him make his way over the fridge. “Yeah. I don’t know why I was so against the idea at first—it’s been nice having everyone here. And to celebrate little Peanut.” She hadn’t adjusted to the name yet either, so they had stuck to calling their unborn child Peanut, leaving the name for when they arrived in the world.
“Me too.” He pulled open their freezer and found the cake easily—he’d gotten it done at their favorite gelato shop and it had cost an absurd amount for a cake, but he didn’t mind. The reaction on her face when he lifted the top and she saw the cake was worth double the price. “Like it?”
Her arms came to wrap around his waist, tugging him into her. “You know, sometimes you just blow me away a bit.”
He mirrored her position, arms twined around her waist. Her head was tucked into the crook of his neck, and he leaned his head against hers, savoring the simplicity and calmness of the moment. He’d started doing it lately, knowing they would be few and far between. “So do you.”
Footsteps sounded on the wood floors of their house, and he turned his head to see Trisha, her mother, in the living room. “Sorry,” she said with an embarrassed smile. “Came in for another drink.”
Y/N pulled away, much to his dismay, and when to the fridge for another sparkling water for her mother. “Can you take the plates out too, Mom? We’re doing cake.” She handed her mother a stack of plates and flatware, bustling around the kitchen to find the rest of the napkins from earlier.
“Is that ice cream cake?” Trisha asked, sliding the stack into her arms. “You know her well, Harry.”
That he did. Was quite proud of it, too. The three of them made their way out to the rest of the party, Harry holding the cake and the napkins clasped in Y/N’s hand. Everyone turned at the sound of the sliding door and excitedly joined the couple around the cake, a jabber of conversation about how gorgeous the cake was and how delicious it looked. Anne asked if it was going to melt and Harry chuckled in response, before cutting into the cake. Y/N got the first slice, and Harry watched as the ice cream melted on her lips ever so slightly, a sticky mess coating her skin a bit. He restrained the desire to lick at her skin knowing she would hate him doing that in front of everyone. Instead, he stood next to her with his own piece of cake, an arm around her waist and her head nestled against his shoulder as their friends and families chatted.
“How are long are you staying?” Hanna asked Anne and Gemma, taking a bite of the cake.
“A few weeks,” Anne replied. “I might stay longer, but Gem has work to get back to.”
“If you need someplace to stay, I’ve got spare rooms,” Peter piped up.
Anne gave Peter a thankful smile. “We might take you up on that. Hotels can get a bit tiresome.”
“Mum, you can alway stay with us,” Harry told her for the millionth time. Anne had insisted upon her and Gemma staying in a hotel until the baby was born, wanting to give Y/N and him as much solo time as possible before Emerson arrived. Harry and Y/N had both fought her on it, telling her she was welcome, but she was sure on the decision. Trisha had ended up deciding to stay in the same hotel, echoing Anne’s desire to let them have their space before the birth, so the two had gotten a bit closer. Trish had even become Anne and Gemma’s personal chauffeur, since they didn’t have a car.
Anne waved at the thought. “No, I want you two to have your space. We’ll be here after the birth, but until then, savor these last moments together.”
Y/N pinched at Harry’s hip and he yelped, giving her a glare. She was giggling into his arm though, a playful smile on her face, so she let it slide. “As much as I’d love to have family around, I can’t say I’m mad.”
Everyone laughed at that, and Harry rubbed a circle on her skin, enjoying her relaxed nature, the anxiety that had been plaguing her recently disappearing. It wasn’t just him who had been stressed lately about the quickly approaching birth—Y/N had been having vivid stress dreams that usually ended up waking him up, her body sweating next to him.
Harry wasn’t mad that his family wasn’t staying with them either, because frankly after being apart from Y/N for so long, he didn’t want anyone invading their space unless absolutely necessary. (Exceptions would obviously be made for their child.) He just wanted to touch her all the fucking time, just pet her skin or kiss up and down her neck, and sometimes he kissed her hard against the wall just because he could. As they stood next to each other, her hands gripping the back of his striped t-shirt and his fingers brushing up and down her spine, he wanted everyone to leave so he could love on her as much as he wanted.
When Y/N started to yawn, Harry knew it was time to wrap up the party. He did the honors of ushering their guests out, knowing she was too kind to ever pressure people to leave, but Harry had no problem forcing people to leave his home so that he could be alone with her. Peter lingered behind to help pick up the yard while Y/N and Harry washed dishes in the kitchen. Fleetwood Mac flowed from the speaker and they moved around one another in ease, comments about the party passed between them. Harry pinched her hip when she scooted past him and she swatted his ass with a towel in retaliation, a playful smile directed his way.
“Love you,” she murmured against his shoulder, nosing at the shirt stretched across his body. His hands were in soapy water as he washed a plate so he couldn’t touch her, which he felt was a crime, but he settled for just turning his head and kissing her temple.
“Love you too,” he replied. “Now get back to drying, you’re messing up our flow.” She giggled and he handed her a plate, which she wiped dry. Her father came inside with the rest of the decorations and items that had been left outside, and Harry directed him to put them in the garage. Going through all of them was on his to-do list for tomorrow, but he didn’t have the energy to do it now. After that, Peter showed himself out, promising to call Harry the next day to talk about the song he had mentioned wanting to work through with him. Harry had never thought having a talented musician as a father-in-law of sorts would be so nice, but now that he had Peter he loved being able to give him a call and get his opinion on a mix or the bridge of a song he was working on.
The dishes were finished, and Harry pulled the plug in the sink to let the soapy water drain before wiping his hands on a towel and turning to Y/N. “I was thinking a late night swim might be nice,” he said, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear.
“I don’t want to try and find a suit that fits,” Y/N said with a frown, hand brushing over her belly.
Harry would personally have favored if she was naked all the time. “Don’t need one, love. C’mon—I’ll turn on the fairy lights you love.”
She smiled and nodded, letting him lead her to outside to the porch. Outside, it was dark, moonlight illuminating the outline of the large oak trees in the backyard, the shed with the lawnmower Harry had been meaning to replace, and a vegetable garden they had put in before tour. Hanna had tended to it while they were gone, and then it was Y/N’s responsibility, and she had done a good job—they had little tomatoes and beans and broccoli and a variety of herbs, which Harry loved cooking with. A few feet past the patio was the pool, the concrete surrounding it strewn with reclining chairs where they loved to sunbathe in the afternoons, Harry running sunblock over Y/N’s stretched skin.
When his feet met the concrete of the patio, Harry tugged his shirt off, then his pants and briefs, before turning to look at Y/N. She was struggling with the tie at the back of her dress, and Harry motioned for her to turn, his fingers deftly pulling the ties loose and then tugging her zipper down her back. “Beautiful,” he murmured, pressing a series of kisses to her spine that had her shivering. He helped her out of her undergarments, and then she stood before him bathed in moonlight and the soft glow of the fairy lights that twinkled around them. Her full breasts, a hand rubbing over her belly where their child rested. She looked almost ethereal, a vision, a dream. “Come on, love,” he said, walking towards the pool.
He dropped into the water without a pause, the cool temperature washing over his skin deliciously. When he poked his head up to the top of to the water, he found Y/N sitting on the edge of the pool, her feet dangling in. “It’s cold,” she said, kicking some water into his face.
Harry moved towards her, pulled like magnets, and snatched her feet. Littering her leg with kisses and leaving her giggling for him, he found a spot between her knees, his chest pressed to the side of the pool. “Feels good, though.” His hands swept over her belly, and he nosed at her bare skin. “Want to go for a swim, Peanut? Think it’ll feel good, but Mumma isn’t so sure.”
“God, you’re so annoying,” Y/N said, pushing at his chest so she could slide into the pool. She landed on the bottom and immediately reached for Harry, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. “Did you have fun today?”
Harry pulls her thighs up so he can hold her close, and her fingers scratch at the nape of his neck. “I did. You were so happy.”
“Not just about my happiness, you mush. You seemed pretty happy too.”
This was true, but the sight of Y/N happy made him happy. “I was, baby,” he reassured her. She pressed her lips to his, one of love and care, and then pulled away, resting her head on his shoulder. He just held her close, adoring the feeling of her bare skin on his, their child nestled between them, basking in the glow that was loving her.
Harry dipped the tongs into the pasta water, grabbing at a piece and pulling it out of the hot water to test its readiness. Y/N was standing next to him, tossing the salad they had put together, and trying to hold herself together. The contractions had been coming and going all day, pain that radiated up her spine as she clenched her jaw and tried to continue her activities. They’d called the midwife the minute they started and she had been there ever since, helping Y/N with breathing patterns and guiding her into different positions to keep the pain from overwhelming her. They hadn’t been regular, though, so they were still at home, waiting for the contractions to speed up or even out.
“Another one?” Harry asked, peeking over at her, her hands clenching the edge of the counter as another contraction rolled through her body. She nodded shakily, and Harry ran his hand across her back. “Breathe for me love, remember? In, out, even—there you go.” Once he was breathing more evenly, he went to pour out the pasta, wanting to make sure Y/N had strength for the delivery that was for sure coming.
It might have seemed unusual that Harry and Y/N were cooking dinner—the midwife had sure thought so, but it felt good to have something for Y/N to focus her mind on, even if it was just putting together a salad and watching Harry cook. It was better than doing uncomfortable exercises in the backyard to try get the labor moving along. They’d tried her squatting, her waddling around, her doing loud yells, and none of it had worked. She was exhausted.
All of a sudden, a dull pain lashed through her and she dropped the tongs to the counter with a clatter, the metal hitting the granite countertops.“Fuckkk,” Y/N groaned, clenching the edge of the counter and trying to breathe in and out.
“That was faster,” Harry said, panic rising inside of him. He looked to the midwife, who was on her feet and moving towards them from where she had been sitting on the couch reading a book. “Right?”
“Yes,” the midwife, Sarah, told them both, coming to Y/N’s side. “Breathe for me, Y/N, okay? I need to start counting them. Can you do that with me?”
Harry had completely forgotten about dinner as he counted with Sarah and Y/N, timing the distance between her contractions. Y/N was panting so hard and all Harry could do was grip her hand when she reached out for him, and hold it and watch in sheer horror at the pain in her face. It had been like this all day, but this—this looked different somehow, more intense. Her fingers were squeezing his palm so tightly he thought she might cut off circulation.
Together, they managed to move Y/N to the couch, where she could be more comfortable. Her contractions were coming faster and more frequent over the next hour, dinner completely forgotten—Harry could tell and Sarah agreed. “Harry,” Sarah said, breaking her focus on Y/N to look at him, “is the hospital bag ready?”
It had been ready for two weeks—he’d done it the day after he had gotten home and checked it almost every day to make sure they had everything. “Yes,” he said.
“Go get it.”
Y/N’s eyes widened, and Harry pressed a kiss to her hand before scampering upstairs to the nursery to grab it. He took the stairs two at a time, eager not to be away from her for too long. When he reached the nursery, he looked around and thought to himself that the next time he would be there, his little Emerson would be coming home.
Downstairs, Sarah was counting with Y/N again, talking her through the contractions and the pain. When Harry reappeared, she waved him over before taking out her phone. “Take her,” she told him. “I’m going to call the hospital.”
“It’s time?” Y/N looked up in panic, before another contraction made her moan, her fingers squeezing Harry’s. “Oh my god, H, it’s happening.”
Harry scooted next to her on the couch and pressed a kiss to her sweaty brow. “It’s happening, love. How does it feel?”
“Like hell,” she said, teeth clenched. “They said it hurts but fuck this is horrible. Why do women have to experience this? Fuck, Emerson, baby, please calm down.”
Sarah was talking to the hospital in the background, giving them information on Y/N’s contractions and Harry was only half listening, mostly focusing on Y/N’s eyes, which were darting around the room. “Got the bag ready,” he said, trying to distract her. “We’ve got everything we need. Plenty of gas in the car, too—checked this morning.” He did it every morning now, just to be sure that if it happened suddenly, he would be ready to drive.
“What—fuck—about dinner?”
Harry just chuckled, brushing her hair back. “I’ll have Gemma come by and clean up. Don’t give a shit about the pasta getting stuck to the bottom of the pan.”
She leaned into Harry’s neck and exhaled sharply, clutching his leg. “I don’t know if I’m ever going to have another kid,” she said, “because this is fucking torture.”
Before Harry could reply, Sarah turned to them. “They’re waiting for you—let’s go you two! Time to meet little Emerson!”
Harry drove like a calm, collected, race car driver on the roads. Trying to go as fast as possible without getting pulled over, jumpy because every time Y/N moaned he freaked out a bit, just praying he would get the hospital soon so that they could give her something for the pain. At one point he had brought up natural birth and she had given a look like he made him immediately shut up and never bring it up again. Now that he was seeing labor in person, he fully understood why.
He pulled into the hospital, following Sarah’s instructions for what entrance to use, and put the car into park. People were rushing to the car with a wheelchair which he knew Y/N would hate, but she needed it. He let them get her out of the car before parking it horribly and racing after them, hospital thrown over his shoulder and his phone in his hand. He was having a baby, he thought to himself after the door slid shut behind and he walked alongside Y/N as she was wheeled down the hall. He was going to be a dad today.
“I don’t know if I can do it,” Y/N panted, holding onto Harry as she looked at the doctors around her. They’d given her an epidural, which helped, but she was fucking exhausted. She’d been pushing in time with her contractions for two hours and her body felt like it was on its last limb. Even though she couldn’t feel the pain, she could feel the ache in her muscles and she just wanted to sleep for hours. But she was dilated to ten centimeters and it was time to do the final pushes. She was in the home stretch.
“Come on, love,” Harry said, brushing at her forehead. “You’re so close, yeah? You can do it, baby.” His eyes bore into hers, the hazel irises overwhelming her. The look of love and pride and utter awe written all over his features.
“I need you to push for me, Y/N,” her doctor said. She could see him between her legs, where he was looking up at her. “Emerson is ready to meet you both.”
She nodded, taking a deep breath, and then she pushed as hard as she could, bearing down on Harry’s hand so hard she thought she might break it, but he didn’t say anything. Just held her tight and repeated encouraging words, telling her how good she was doing, how she could do it, how they were so close to meeting their baby.
“I can see the head,” the doctor informed her when Y/N took a breath. “Another one—okay? You’re doing great.”
She looked at Harry, the eyes pricking both of their eyes at the prospect of meeting little Emerson finally. And then she shut her eyes, took a deep breath, and pushed with every fiber of her being, desperately wanting to meet her child and let this be over. She screamed—she could hear it in her ears as her body tensed, toes and fingers curling.
And then she heard the most beautiful sound in the world.
The cry of a baby.
“Oh,” Harry gasped, kissing her hand in his, making her look at him. He was crying in the chair next to her, tears rolling down his face, utterly overwhelmed. “You did it, baby.”
“It’s a girl,” the doctor said, giving them a wide smile.
A girl. “Emmy,” she said, the nickname claiming its place in her heart immediately.
“A little girl,” Harry murmured in awe, and she couldn’t stop the tears rolling down her face at the sight of him, overwhelmed with love for her and their child.
The doctor pulled away slightly from her and looked to Harry. “Do you want to cut the cord, Dad?”
Y/N’s heart lurched at the doctor calling Harry “Dad”—the kind that utterly took her breath away. Harry was moving in an instant, going to where the doctor was situated. “Harry, what does she look like?”
Harry’s curly hair bounced as he looked from their child to her. “Pink,” he said simply, a giggle leaving his lips. “Beautiful.” Then she heard a snip and the umbilical cord was cut, and the doctor was handing her baby to Harry.
She wanted to see her child, but the next thing she knew she was being told to keep pushing, that she had to deliver the placenta, so she focused on the task at hand. She was worn out, but she reminded herself that she sooner she did this, the sooner she could hold Emerson in her arms. When she was done, she sagged into the hospital bed and stretched out her arms to Harry, who was swaying slightly, their child held close in his arms.
Y/N looked at her child in awe. Ten fingers and ten toes, two little green eyes that stared up at her when Harry set her against her chest, a tiny nose and adorable lips that puckered and stretched. Emerson. Her baby, her child, the person who she loved with her entire soul from the moment she discovered her existence. “Hi, Emerson,” she whispered, brushing at her face.
Harry knelt next to Y/N, kissing her forehead. “She has your nose.”
“How in the world can you tell?”
He shrugged. “Just can.”
She looked up at Harry and found his eyes, the one their daughter shared. “I love you.”
He kissed her lips, the love that flowed between them overpowering every other feeling in her her body. “I love you so much, Y/N. Feel like the luckiest man in the world—I’ve got you and I’ve got little Emmy.” Then, he was nudging at Emerson’s hand with his forefinger, and Y/N watched in amazement as her daughter opened her little fingers and clasped Harry’s finger, as if to know it was her father.
She was a true wonder, and Y/N couldn’t look at anything else.
TWO YEARS LATER
Harry set his daughter down on the counter, her chubby thighs nestled against his torso. She had on a pair of overalls and a baby blue shirt, a pair of little baby Converse that Harry had absolutely lost it over when he saw them. He had discovered an obsession with baby clothes and had turned Emerson into his personal model, despite Y/N’s annoyance at the size of her daughter’s closet.
“Need to put your hair up, Ems, otherwise it’s going to get all in the food,” he told her, pulling at the hair ties he now always had on his wrist for moments like these. His daughter’s dark brown curls that matched his own were long enough to where they had to be tied up, otherwise they would end up tangled in seconds.
Emerson looked up at him, her hazel eyes peeking up at him under long eyelashes. Y/N always joked that she was a spitting image of Harry, and he couldn’t help but admit it was true. He adored it—seeing his child, who was so obviously his, but with a personality that was so Y/N it made him laugh sometimes. Her stubbornness, the way she insisted on her own way, even her little opinions that were starting to peek out as her vocabulary grew. It drove Y/N bonkers, but Harry loved discovering more and more of his child.
He swept her hair into a ponytail, something he had become adept at in the two years of being a father. As he tugged the hair tie around her locks, Emmy’s hands made their way to Harry’s hair, which had grown longer recently. Y/N had been working up a storm since she was promoted last year, and Harry had taken on the role of full-time stay at home Dad with glee, but it did mean things like shaving and hair cuts had fallen by the wayside. He didn’t mind though, and Y/N didn’t seem to either, from the way she nuzzled her face against his bit of a beard, and tugged on the ends of his hair when they made love.
Emerson had a similar obsession with Harry’s hair, another thing she shared with her mother, and it always made Harry burst with love whenever his daughter played with his hair. “Papa’s hair is soft,” she mumbled as he tightened the hair tie so none would fall out. “Like mine!”
He poked his daughter on the nose, loving how her eyes scrunched up. “That it is, my little angel. Ready to cook with Papa?”
“Yes!” Her hands reached for him to pick her up, which he did, swinging her onto his hip as he moved to her designated spot on the floor next to where he would be set up by the stove. It was their nightly routine—as Harry cooked dinner for them all, Emerson played with the wooden cooking toys that Harry had bought for her, babbling at his feet. It kept her entertained while he got dinner done, just in time for when Y/N got home from work.
He situated her on the floor and pulled out her box of toys from the cabinet, squatting down to unload the wooden bowls, spoons, and fake foods inside. Emerson grabbed at each of them, telling him the name, as he had taught her. “Bowl, spoon, cheese!” She said, looking at him with wide eyes to see if she got it right.
“Good job,” he said, kissing her forehead before standing to his full height. “Where’s your apron?”
“My apron!” Emerson babbled with a gasp, grabbing at her clothes.
Harry chuckled at the sight before grabbing her yellow apron that Harris had sewn her for her second birthday, something far too gorgeous for a two-year-old, but Emerson was utterly obsessed, so Harry didn’t make a fuss about it. “Apron!” She said when he tied it around her neck and her little waist. “Papa, spoon!” She was holding her wooden spoon up at him and Harry smiled at his daughter, her love for their little traditions making his heart soar.
He grabbed his own spoon from the cup on the counter, bending down and bumping it against his daughter’s mini version. “Spoons unite!” He said, the sound of his daughter’s giggles filling his ears. “What do you want to listen to while we cook, bubs?”
“Hmm.” Emerson dropped the block of cheese and some nondescript meat into a bowl and twirled them around with her spoon. “Papa!”
“Me?” Recently Emerson had become obsessed with his music, constantly requesting for him to play it. Fine Line had come out just a few months ago and she loved Watermelon Sugar, which Y/N utterly hated since she knew what it was about, but Harry found it hilarious. “Which one?”
“Watamelon Suga!” She said, struggling with her Rs. She bounced up and down on her knees in excitement until he was hooking up the music over the speakers. When it came on, she immediately began bopping her head back and forth to the music and trying to sing, which Harry found positively adorable.
He started to make dinner, chopping up vegetables for a stir-fry that he knew Emerson liked. He had been trying to help her branch out into new foods, which Y/N kept on reminding him was really unnecessary considering she was barely two years old, but he liked seeing her little face screw up when she didn’t like something or eyes widen when she liked it. They sang along to his songs, and every so often he’d peek down and check on Emmy, who was happily pretend cooking with her toys, making all sorts of things. Sometimes he would ask what she was making and she would reply with any foods that came to mind that she had heard him mention, even if it was completely incorrect. One time she said she was making a cake, but she had a broccoli and some grapes in the bowl, and he tried not to crack up at the sight.
“Papa!” He looked down at his daughter, her spoon raised at him. “Look at my spoon!”
He chuckled, bending down to take a picture of her holding her spoon up triumphantly. “You just love your spoon, huh?” He snapped the photo and posted it on his Close Friends story on Instagram, which was 90% photos of Emerson doing random things throughout the day.
“Papa’s spoon is bigger,” she said, struggling with the last syllable of bigger, but making it through.
“It is. But yours is pink, which I like a lot.”
Emerson examined her spoon, and then lifted it to Harry, rubbing her nose on the back of her tiny hand. “You can use it, Papa!”
His heart melted at his daughter’s generosity, which was overflowing. She was always offering for him to borrow her toys or to let other kids to use her things, and he loved her kind soul. It was another thing that came from Y/N, he was sure of it, since he hated sharing as a kid. “Thank you, bubs, but I’m fine with mine.” He kissed her hand and she smiled at him, before going back to her cooking.
Fifteen minutes later, he heard the garage door open and close, and Emerson must have heard it too because she on her feet immediately, teetering out of the kitchen in the direction of the garage. “Mama!” She screamed, and Harry smiled at the sound of Y/N’s voice, her soft reply of “Hello, pumpkin,” and the soft laughter of his daughter cascading through the house.
“Smells good,” she said, and Harry’s eyes caught hers as she entered the kitchen, Emerson resting on her hip. Her little head was on Y/N’s shoulder, each hand scrunched in her work shirt, eyes flickering over Harry. “Stir fry?”
Harry gave his love a kiss on the forehead. “Mhm, know how much my two girls love it.”
“That we do,” Y/N replied, hiking Emmy up a bit on her hip. “Did you have fun with Papa today, bubs?”
“Yes!” Emerson replied, picking her head up and smiling at them both, her little baby teeth showing. “We went to park and made new friends. Charlie, right, Papa?”
He nodded, brushing a hand across Y/N’s shoulders and rubbing into the tense muscle there. She lolled her head back on his arm and smiled at him, a silent thank you passing between them. “Then we got some lunch at our favorite spot, and took a swim in the pool.”
“I kicked Papa!” Emerson said excitedly to her mother, and she laughed in response.
“Did you get him all wet?” Emerson nodded, and Y/N brushed her hand to Harry’s side, the touch warming him immediately. “Sounds like fun. Maybe we can have a pool day tomorrow?”
It was Saturday, the whole family’s favorite day. Emerson got both of her parents all day, and Y/N and Harry usually had date night, Emerson going to her grandpa’s house for the night. It was a tradition they’d had since she was born, and one that had become incredible important to them. “I think that sounds great,” Harry said. “Ems, can you help Mama get dressed for dinner?”
“Yes!” Emerson loved watching her mother get dressed and Harry firmly believed that she was inheriting his love of clothes from the way she loved to run her hands over the materials.
Y/N chuckled and pressed a kiss to Harry’s cheek before she walked out of the kitchen, their daughter on her hip. She chatted to Emerson about her day, asking questions about what she and Harry had done in her absence and answering her daughter’s questions. Harry got dinner finished up, putting the stir fry into bowls for him and Y/N and a smaller amount into a bowl for Emerson, cutting it up into smaller bites so she could eat it more easily. He placed them on the table and filled up a glass of wine for both Y/N and himself, before switching the music to some nice relaxing jazz while they ate.
Y/N reappeared in one of Harry’s old tour shirts and sweatpants, an excited Emerson trailing after her on the stairs. She was scooting down them hesitantly, something she had recently become obsessed with doing and Y/N and Harry were letting her do while supervised. Harry was terrified of her cracking her head open on the stairs, but Y/N told him it was important for her to develop confidence in her ability to move around, so he tried to let it go.
“Ready for dinner, Ems?” He asked, picking her up and settling her into her high chair. She nodded and he handed her little fork and her bowl, before settling into his seat next to her. Y/N sat down in the seat opposite him, reaching out for her wine glass and taking a long sip. “How was work, love?”
“Long,” she replied, tucking her napkin into her lap and picking up her fork. “I got that presentation done I was working on. I think we’re planning to bring someone else on, which would be a huge help.”
“When’s that going to be?” Harry took a bite of his food before reaching over and helping Emerson to get some food onto her fork, noticing she was struggling.
Y/N sighed, and Harry looked up at her, noticing the exhaustion in her eyes. “Soon hopefully. There’s way too much on my plate and there’s just no way I can get it all done.”
“I hope they figure it out soon,” he told her, reaching across the table and squeezing her hand. “Want to have a bath after dinner? I can do nighttime tonight.”
“You sure? You’ve been with her all day—“
“Hush,” Harry cut her off with a smile. “You know I love doing it. Want you to relax, okay?”
She nodded, lifting their clasped hands so she could press a kiss to his knuckles. “Thank you.”
“Of course, love. Emmy and I have a book to finish, right, bubs?”
Emerson nodded, and then launched into a mildly botched description of the book they had started reading last night, one about a girl detective that she really liked. Harry was passionate about reading to her every night, as it helped her settle down and developed quite a healthy imagination that he loved. They chatted for the rest of dinner about what they wanted to do the following day, deciding that Harry was going to make biscuits, Emerson’s favorite, and have a pool day, since it was quickly becoming too cool outside to have a proper pool day. Harry loved that about California, though, that it was warm year round so even in September they could be outside in the sun and he could work on teaching Emerson how to swim. Y/N wanted her to be comfortable in the water so they could feel safer with her around the pool, so they had been working on teaching her how to get in and out of the pool how to kick and how to breathe. So far, she was a natural, a little fish, Y/N called her.
After dinner, Harry helped Emerson into her pajamas after changing her diaper—they were still struggling with potty training—and watched her as she brushed her teeth triumphantly in the mirror. Then, they recited their nightly affirmations, thinking of something they were thankful of and something they liked about themselves. Harry had implemented it from the moment Emerson had started learning to talk, and now it was a nightly ritual for them.
“I’m thankful for Papa,” Emerson said, making Harry smile as he stood behind her in the mirror, the resemblance between them startling. “I like that I was nice to Charlie. What about you, Papa?”
“I’m thankful for Emerson and Mama,” he told her, tickling her sides and making her giggle, “and I like that I was able to help Mama tonight when she was stressed.”
Emerson turned around, gave her father a peck on the cheek, and lifted her arms for him to carry her to bed. She wrapped her arms and legs around him, clinging to him like a koala, and Harry walked her to her bed, pushing aside the princess netting she had fallen in love with at Target one day and had nearly thrown a tantrum about before they bought it. She snuggled into his side as he curled up next to her, grabbing the book from the bedside table to continue reading. She rested her head on his chest, eyes on the book that he had opened for them to read, and he sighed from the feeling of his daughter nestled into him. He loved the moments like this of being a father, the quiet ones of just him and Emerson, the world falling away from him.
Being a dad was his proudest achievement.
Once Emerson was asleep, he got up, tucking her in and making sure her nightlight was on before shutting the door gently behind him. Down the hall, Y/N was waiting for him, tucked into bed with a book she was reading.
“Hi you,” he said, shutting their door behind him, the wood creaking softly as he leaned against it. “Missed you today.”
She looked up, taking in the sight of the man she loved standing next to the door. His hair as all askew from her daughter’s pillow and his voice was a bit raw from reading, clothes creased from a long day with a two-year-old with plenty of energy. But she loved him like this, so obviously a father, taking every part of his role with a smile on his face. “You say that every night.”
“That’s because I miss you every day,” he said, moving towards her. “Now come here, wanna hold my girl.”
But Y/N waved him away. “Go get ready for bed. Don’t want you to have to get up later.”
“Fine,” Harry said, rolling his eyes at her, but followed her directions anyways. While he brushed his teeth and washed his face, she chatted about work and asked questions about Emerson’s day, wanting to know what she had missed out on. As much as she loved working, she hated being away from her family all day. After he had stripped out of his clothes, just his briefs hanging on his hips, he pulled back the duvet and pulled Y/N into his side. “That better?”
She rolled on top of him, her book long forgotten on their bedside table. “Much.” Her knees came up on either side of his hips and she tucked her hands into his hair, tugging softly as he pulled him into a kiss. She lost herself in the taste of his lips, a home she loved returning to every day, a home she never wanted to leave. His fingers trailed down her body, rucking up the edge of the shirt she wore and smoothing across her back. She shivered under his touch and he smirked, pulling her bottom lip between his teeth and making her pant his name.
“Thought you were tired,” he mumbled, brushing his lips down her neck in short kisses that had her panting in his ear.
“Not too tired for this,” she replied, and when she rolled her hips over his, Harry groaned, hot and heavy into her neck. She wanted him always, it seemed, unable to get enough of the way he touched her, even after a child and plenty of sleepless nights, she still found the energy to love on him. It filled her up, the way he brushed her skin with his kisses and showed her how much he appreciated her.
“Gonna kill me, love.” His hands, bare from his usual rings, pressed into her hips, anchoring her against him. “Ya sure? Don’t have to.”
But Y/N had other plans, wiggling free from his grip and kissing a line down his chest. Harry was mumbling her name as she moved, tugging at her skin as she disappeared under the comforter and pulled his briefs down his legs. He pushed at the duvet, desperate to keep his eyes on hers, and Y/N loved it, wanting nothing more than to see his face as she drew pleasure from his body. “Want to show you how thankful I am for you,” she told him, before spitting on his dick and pumping the spit in her hand.
“Fuck.” Harry gripped the sheets to try and hold himself together. Nighttime was her favorite time of day, because it was when she got him all to herself, Emerson far enough down the hall that they could do whatever they liked without waking her up most times. They’d had some close calls, but so far they were blessed with a daughter who loved to sleep and they’d made sure to put her on a sleep cycle early on so she was trained to sleep through the night by now.
Y/N tugged her hand up and down him a few times, before licking a stripe up the underside of him. Harry pushed at her hair, tugging it into a ponytail so he could see her face as she did it and the light from their bedside tables illuminating his face. His wide eyes, the same ones their daughter had, stared back at her, blown wide with desire, his tongue licking across his lip as he watched her move. “Wanna taste you,” she said, pressing a kiss to his tip.
“God,” Harry mumbled, bucking his hips up into her touch and she loved the control she had over him. “Can do anything you want to me, baby.”
Without waiting, her lips were around his tip, taking him into her mouth and Harry moaned, fingers digging into the sheets from the sensation of being inside her. He was heavy in her mouth and she loved how he brushed her throat and panted her name, barely holding himself together and she licked at him. She knew everything that set him off after years of being together and used it all. Scratched at his thighs, hummed over him, batted her eyelashes at him, mumbled his name.
She knew Harry wasn’t going to last, though, he never did. Far preferred being inside of her to coming in her mouth and told her often. “Love,” he said, reaching for her and trying to pull her off of him. “Need you.”
She decided to play with him a bit, wind him up just because she could. “Where do you need me?”
He whined, pulling at her hair to try and get her to move up him, a desperation overtaking his body. “Around me. Need your pussy.”
Those were the magic words for her. She climbed up him, capturing his lips in hers for a passionate kiss that had them grinding against each other like kids. He was hard against her clit, the wetness of both of their desire mixing and allowing him to slide easily between her folds. When he bumped her clit with his tip she whimpered, and Harry lost it, unable to wait any longer.
He flipped them, Y/N yelping as she landed on her back, a soft giggle escaping her lips as he settled over her. “Little tease,” he scolded with a playful smile, sucking on her neck, the soft spot that always had her pawing at his skin.
“H,” she panted, pushing her hips up to his. “Please.”
She was on an IUD, had been since they’d started having sex after Emerson was born. Neither of them were in the market for another kid right now, as much as they loved Emmy, she was plenty of a handful for both of them. They wanted to wait longer, get their life together and more settled before they had the conversation about more kids, although it definitely wasn’t off the table. Especially since Y/N had said yes when he had bent down on one knee, a year after Emerson was born, unable to wait any longer. For now, though, they were in no rush to marry, just enjoying building a life together, raising Emmy, and being together. Maybe it hadn’t been the life either of them expected, but now that they were living it there was no turning back.
Y/N pushed his hair off his forehead and tugged at the ends, pulling his head to hers so she could pull him into a kiss that left them both breathless. “H, fuck me, please.”
“Good God,” he panted against her lips. “One day you truly are going to kill me.” With that, he moved slightly and pressed his tip to her slit, both of them groaning as he pushed inside. It had been a few days, the longest they usually went since they, even after a child, couldn’t get enough of each other. Y/N quickly adjusted to his size, because after four years with Harry she couldn’t remember what it was even like to be with someone else—he was so good to her, always.
Her legs twined around his waist and pulled him deeper into her, and Harry moaned her name into her neck as he sunk in and then pulled back out. He leaned on his elbows on either side of her face, his head falling so his forehead knocked against hers when he pushed into her, but neither of them minded. They loved being this close, so close she could feel the beads on sweat on his chest and hear his every exhale in her ears. He was deep, deliciously so, and when he nudged the back of her walls, finding that spot that drive her wild she arched her back into him. “Feel so good,” she murmured, attaching her lips to the column of his neck, sponging kisses down it. “H, fuck fuck fuck—“ He drove into her, deeper than before, and the impact had her scratching lines down his back, red angry marks left in their trail that he would admire in the morning and Y/N would blush at the sight of.
“Yeah? Like feeling me inside of you?” He nudged at her nose, turning her head so he could kiss underneath her earlobe, a soft spot that left her keening in his touch. “Made for me, you know. Just…made for me and only me. You’re mine, love—fuck—mine forever. Can’t wait to marry you, Y/N, please,” he spat when she fluttered around him, walls pulling him deep. He stuttered inside of her, barely inches from tumbling over the edge, but he wanted her to come first, always wanted her to finish first. “Close for me, baby?”
She nodded frantically, pulling at his biceps to keep her steady and he thrusted into her at a fast pace, their bed squeaking slightly. “Want you to come, too,” she told him, lips finding his in a quick kiss.
“I’ll come when you do,” he promised, because he could never hold himself together when she came around him. Had never been able to and would never be able to. “Come for me, love.” His words were rough in her ears, murmuring and begging for her.
With another thrust and a sloppy kiss to her nipples, she was coming, panting his name in breaths that left her gasping for air. Harry finished right after her, slamming into her and shuddering against her body as he fell, sweaty skin kissing sweaty skin. He rested his head on her chest and her fingers combed through his hair, brushing at the locks just like he loved. “When do you want to get married?” She asked him after a few minutes of lying there.
He picked his head up and looked at her and she saw the sparkle in his eyes that she adored. “Tomorrow. I don’t care, Y/N, as long as it’s to you.”
She kissed his forehead and pushed a curl back. “I want to do it in Holmes Chapel, like we talked about. Or maybe Italy. In the Spring? Before Emmy is three.”
He slid his arms under her and pulled her up so she was sitting in his lap, her legs around his hips, and he grinned at her. “Yeah? You wanna marry me in the Spring?”
“As long as it’s to you,” she said, and Harry chuckled into her skin, before capturing her lips in his, just as sweet as the first time he tasted them. “I’m so glad I made an exception for you.” Her words were a quiet confession, and one that Harry had heard multiple times over the past four years of being with her, but ones that never ceased to make him love her more.
“Your only exception,” he mumbled, kisses dusting across her cheeks, showering her in his affection.
She nodded, holding his cheeks in hers, eyes boring into his, the ones he dreamed of when he was gone. “My only exception.”
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