1 month later..
"Mia, how have these past 2 weeks been with your brother?" Jack asked with a grin on his face, as he took a seat down beside his daughter.
It was a summer Saturday and in true tradition, the Lawrence's were having a family BBQ. Jess and Jack had been run off their feet, making sure everyone was having a good time however, they finally got the chance to sit down with their daughter, so wanted to get an update. Mia had initially stated that she would only stay for 2 weeks, so they were curious whether she was planning on coming home anytime soon.
Glimpsing over to Harvey, Mia caught sight of his very proud expression.
"It's been..." She began before pausing. "...interesting."
"Has it been noisy and messy?" Jess asked while raising her brows knowingly at her 26 year old son.
When he had been living at home, it was impossible to forget that he was there, and to add to that he hadn't always been the most tidiest person either.
"I've been an angel to live with. She's loved it!" Harvey jumped in before Mia got the chance to answer.
"He's been... alright." Mia corrected, with a smug look due to knocking her brother's ego a little. "I mean, it's not been crazy but it's also not how I wanna be living for the rest of my life."
While Harvey's mouth dropped open as he pretended to take offence, both Jess and Jack just laughed.
"I think that's a pretty good rating, Harv." Jack added. "I was expecting it to be hell for her."
"Yeah I'll take that, you gonna stay longer Mia?"
"Er, maybe yeah... just one week or so would be good." Mia shrugged, sounding reluctant to show that she had actually enjoyed it and didn't mind staying longer. "I like being closer to the beach and town... I can just walk from yours."
Although Mia was trying to make it seem like that was the only reason she wanted to stay, she was hiding the other aspect of it. Even though it had only been 2 weeks and she did miss being at home, she had enjoyed experiencing a bit more independence. Having the seafront and shops on her front door step forced her to get out more and prevented her from hiding away behind the walls of her parent's house.
"Well you're welcome to stay for as long as you like." Harvey said, as he gave his younger sister a reassuring smile. He had seen the change in her already and he was glad that he was able to contribute to that.
Looking out for her had been one of his main priorities since they were toddlers, so knowing he could still do that now gave him a sense of pride, as though he was doing his job as a brother right.
"Harvey!" The voice of Addie was suddenly heard from across the garden, capturing all of their attention and causing Harvey to immediately look up. "Grace is here."
Skimming his eyes behind his sister and to the patio doors, it was then he noticed that blonde making her way through them. Catching her eye, he immediately noticed the slight discomfort and nerves within her. Grace wasn't usually one to get that nervous but right now she was fully feeling it.
It wasn't that she had never been to Harvey's parents house, or around his family before however, she had never been here since they had started dating. She didn't know how much his family knew nor did she know what they would think about the whole thing therefore, she was feeling slightly apprehensive.
"Hey babe." Harvey grinned as he jogged over to her and immediately urged her into a reassuring hug.
The moment Grace hugged him back, she appreciated the few seconds of being hidden from all the eyes she hoped were not on them. She didn't know why, but she felt like she was under such a spotlight. After Harvey's long relationship with Lottie, she was sure his family and family friends were curious on who this new girl in his life was.
"You alright?" Harvey asked with clear concern in his voice as they pulled apart.
"I think so." Grace nodded, forcing a smile to reach her lips, which he read straight through.
"Don't worry about this, any of it. People know, but they're not going to ask questions."
"I'm just a bit worried about what they'll think..."
Grace was usually so sure of herself and full of confidence, so she hated the way she was feeling over this whole situation. She wanted to be accepted by Harvey's family. She wanted them to like her as much as they did Lottie, but she also didn't want to have to change things about herself to do it.
"They'll think you're amazing, because I do." Harvey replied simply, capturing Grace's adoring gaze. But before giving her chance to respond, he had taken her hand and immediately began guiding her over to where everyone was engaged in conversations.
Grace was clinging onto Harvey's hand with both of hers, so tightly, as they approached his family. There were many faces she knew and recognised, like his grandparents, parents and siblings however, there were also a lot more that she didn't. That was when she began to really feel nervous, as she noticed their eyes drifting her way.
"Hey!" Harvey called out, to capture all of their attention, as if they weren't already secretly glimpsing over. "If you haven't already met her before, this is Grace."
Looking from Harvey, then back to his family, Grace was being watched with smiling faces, followed by loud voices from family members shouting things out. Many were simply saying 'hi' but in true Lawrence style, others were teasingly commenting on the fact that Harvey had a new girl and how he had been hiding her.
"...and this is my crazy and annoyingly loud family." Harvey announced, as he swept his spare hand towards them.
"Hi." Grace spoke, as a genuine smile crossed her lips.
She had been nervous, and still kind of was, but it had been eased so quickly. She had been expecting awkwardness and judging faces, with people looking out for an ex Harvey had spent an incredibly long time with. But instead, it was the complete opposite. Everyone looked happy and they were all friendly. None of this felt uncomfortable and instead, they immediately began engaging her in conversations, as though this wasn't the first time they had met.
Grace had always known that the Lawrences were an enthusiastic and chatty bunch of people, but this was so much more than she ever expected. To be able to sit here with them and already feel like she was part of them, was incredibly warming.
"How long you two been dating then, ay?" One of Harvey's uncles, Luke, called out when he found a semi-quiet moment.
"Is that really any of your business?" Harvey raised his brows in challenge, knowing that even though it wasn't, it wouldn't stop any of them from wanting to know. Nothing stayed secret in this family for long.
His dad had grown up with the gossip of him and Jess spreading quicker than they had chance to process their own relationship. Therefore, he did what he could to prevent that from happening with his own children, yet it wasn't always so successful.
"It's all of our business, we gotta know!"
As Harvey squeezed Grace's hand, she took that as a sign of reassurance but also him wanting to ensure that she was comfortable. This wasn't easy for her, he knew that. She wasn't used to all of this. Not only had she never experienced a serious relationship, she was also not used to the large family that came with him.
She had been brought up surrounded by her parents, step-dad and siblings, with the addition of her grandparents, uncle and his two kids too. That was a far as it went. Therefore, this was going to take a little getting used to.
"It's been about 3 months." Harvey muttered, trying his hardest to not let this become a huge topic of conversation.
"Wow! Give it another 9 and you know we'll all be expecting a baby." Harvey's uncle Braiden added with a grin on his face while both Harvey and Grace looked like a deer in the headlight.
"He's right, gotta keep building that family tree and adding to this craziness." Luke added while sweeping his hand towards the busy garden.
"Chill out you two." Jack spoke up with warning to his voice, yet there was still a faint smile present. "Stop making it fucking awkward for them."
Flashing his dad an appreciative look, Harvey didn't dare look at Grace in fear of her reaction.
"We're kidding, don't worry." Luke continued while turning to look at both Harvey and Grace with a teasing look on his face. "Just when it does happen, be prepared for a boy because it seems to be a common theme in this family."
"Fuck off." Harvey reached for a cushion and aimed straight for his uncle. Luke attempted to catch it but missed, causing it to hit him right in the face. "You're going to scare her off."
When Luke was about to respond, Grace suddenly spoke up taking Harvey by surprise.
"I already have a baby girl, so I think I'll be okay with that." She grinned, with clear humor to her voice.
While Harvey had expected Grace to be feeling incredibly uncomfortable and like she wanted to escape, she had been the total opposite. Although it had initially taken her off guard, she suddenly looked quite relaxed and as though she was very happy to joke around with them.
Harvey admired that, a lot.
"Ah, perfect then! You'll have a good mix like El..." Luke continued before Harvey was quick to cut him off.
"Alright, good chat guys. This was great." He laughed while standing to his feet. "We're off."
"Are you leaving?" Jess immediately asked and you could hear the slight sadness in her voice. She craved spending time with her children as often as possible now that they all had their own lives, so when it happened, she never wanted it to end.
"No mum, I thought we'd stay over if that's alright? I just wanna get some food." Harvey turned to look at his mum, who instantly looked relieved and incredibly happy at what he had just suggested.
"Of course, of course you can both stay! Go and get some food, you must be starving."
Although Harvey hadn't actually asked Grace about staying over at his parents, he hoped she'd agree. It was a lot and he knew that, but family evenings like this meant a lot to him and his family, so he wanted her included. He wanted her to realise how serious he was about her and that this wasn't just some post-ex fling.
"You hungry?" Harvey looked down to Grace, while holding his hand out for her to take.
"Very." She nodded, placing hers in his and letting Harvey guide her away from the group.
As they headed into the kitchen, the pair were met with the large yet beautiful buffet the Lawrences had put together. Although many had already taken their first and second servings of food, there was still more than enough left here to feed the whole family once again.
"This looks incredible! Who cooked all of this?" Grace asked as she paced up the side of the tables. Seeing all of the food lined up was making her even more hungry by the second.
"Everyone really. It's kinda a rule that everyone has to bring at least one thing when we do big gatherings like this." Harvey replied while watching on in amusement at how in awe Grace was by the food.
"So which one of these was your contribution?" She asked with raised eyebrows, knowing exactly what his answer was going to be.
"The chocolate cake." Harvey responded, surprising her for a moment that he had actually brought something along. However, when her eyes followed to where he was pointing, she instantly recognised it.
"Not homemade then?"
"Homemade by my good friend Tesco." He grinned, while reaching out to urge Grace into him.
Letting her back comfortably meet his front, Grace closed her eyes when Harvey's lips touched her neck.
"I bet he is an amazing baker." She whispered when her whole body relaxed into his.
"Mm, he's pretty good."
Placing one more soft kiss to Grace's neck, Harvey began gently urging her body around so that she was facing him. Once he had captured her gaze, he suddenly felt his heart beating so fast against his chest.
Harvey had something on his mind, and that something was causing all sorts of nerves to flow through him. He didn't know how Grace would react but he knew for a fact that it felt right for him. He just hoped that she felt the same way.
"You okay?" Grace asked, when she had clearly noticed the tension within him. Running her hand up the side of his cheek, her thumb brushed over the gentle skin beneath his eye.
"Yeah... I just, I just wanted to ask you something." Harvey spoke so carefully, making every effort to keep his voice composed.
"Ask me what?"
Reaching up to run a hand through his hair, Harvey was failing at remaining poised and instead, showing every single nerve he was experiencing.
"This may be way out there and I totally get if this is all too soon. But to me it just feels like a good time and I don't see the point in waiting around if it feels right, you know?" Harvey began, unaware of how much he was completely avoiding the point and just saying words for the sake of speaking.
"If what feels right, Harvey?" Grace asked, suddenly feeling her own heartbeat pick up, as she watched him become such a nervous wreck.
"This... us, together, being official." Harvey spoke each word like it was a statement holding so much meaning, and it did, it did hold so much meaning for the both of them. "It feels right to me that we stop just dating and we make this official. I really want you to be my girlfriend, Grace... for real."
As those words left Harvey's lips, Grace's whole body instantly froze as though she was in complete shock. Seeing Harvey in such a state before her as he tried to produce the words he wanted to say out loud hit something deep within her.
"Wh-what?" Was all she managed to say due to her own jumbled mess of a mind. "You want..."
"I want you to be my girlfriend." Harvey repeated himself, yet this time with so much more confidence. "and I know it seems fast and people will probably think we're crazy but I don't give a shit because the past 3 months have been insane, in a good way, and..."
"Yes!" Grace immediately spoke over Harvey, stopping him from continuing in an attempt to provide Grace with an explanation. She didn't need one because she understood and felt exactly the same way. She wanted this as much as he did, and although she was completely inexperienced and not at all prepared for what this would entail, she didn't care because she was going to do it with Harvey. "Yes, I want to be your girlfriend. Yes I want us to be official. Yes, yes and yes."
It didn't taken a second after that for Harvey to wrap his arms around Grace's body, lift her off her feet and envelope her in the tightest hug. Wrapping her arms around his neck in response, she couldn't held but laugh at how crazy this all was.
She, Grace Ellard, the girl who was well known for her uncommitted personality and one night stands, was now in a serious relationship. Who'd have ever seen that coming, and with Harvey of all people?
Although it all seemed crazy and incredibly fast, that really didn't matter. What did matter was how this boy had made her feel over these past few months, going from a close friend to someone she actually saw a future with.
Now was the time to completely ignore the drama and all the people warning them that this wasn't going to work, and to focus on how they felt about each other instead. They may have a lot of baggage and Harvey just coming out of a long-term relationship was one of them but nobody knew what they were like behind closed doors. Nobody truly knew the impact they had on one another and the potential this relationship had at being something incredible, for the both of them.
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