Harvey was leaving for Cambridge this morning and Grace had spent the night at his place to soak up his presence. She always slept better here too, not because Brinley woke up less, but because for some reason, she felt more content and secure. However, last night hadn't been a particularly good sleep and Brinley wasn't to blame for that.
Grace's mind had been filled with so many overpowering thoughts that kept her up. She was confused at why she felt so intensely about Harvey's trip, as it wasn't like he was going away forever. She just couldn't block out the feelings that she was going to miss him and feel slightly lost without him here.
It was then that she was hit with realisation of how much she had been relying on him.
"You awake?" Harvey's hoarse morning voice was heard as he pressed his lips to Grace's head. She reacted by lifting it from his chest so she could look up at him.
"Yeah."
As Grace smiled tiredly up at Harvey, he reached out to brush her frantic hair from her face. He could see that she hadn't slept and to be quite honest, he hadn't had the best sleep either. Today was going to be a weird day and he felt more apprehensive about it than he was willing to let on.
"I feel fucking exhausted. I wish my dad didn't suggest leaving so early."
"I wouldn't call 11am early, Harvey." Grace chuckled, even though she fully agreed and could easily fall back to sleep right now.
"I need my sleep..." He retaliated before the screams of Brinley were heard coming from the other room.
As Grace immediately pushed herself up from Harvey's body, he reached out for her hand to stop her.
"I'll go. You sleep for a bit longer."
"It's fine, I can..." Grace started before being interrupted once again.
"You rarely get a break from this, it's my turn."
Those words and that gesture was something that filled Grace's body with so much warmth. Harvey would never understand how much she truly appreciated it, as it really said a lot about him as a person.
Brinley wasn't biologically his daughter. In reality, he didn't have to do anything for her however, the fact that he was so willing really meant a lot. Therefore, watching him push himself off the bed, Grace laid her head back against the comfort of the pillows and watched him leave. Even if she just waited a few minutes, she wanted to give Harvey this moment with her daughter.
...
"Hey, hey baby girl. It's okay." Harvey soothed as he made his way into the bedroom and over to her cot. Brinley was not holding back, and he would be surprised if she hadn't woken Mia and Reece up too at this point.
"You're gonna be a loud mouth like your mum when you get older." Harvey teased as he reached in to lift her up, instantly trying to calm her cries.
Harvey was no expert when it came to babies however, he had earned a bit of practice from his nieces and nephews, meaning he wasn't completely new to this. He was aware though that Brinley was used to her mum, and only her mum. Juliet was there to look after her a lot but other than that, Grace took on the full load. This little girl wasn't used to having a man around coming to her aid. Therefore, he was a little apprehensive that his offer of attending to her was potentially a bad one.
"I think we should get you some breakfast, yeah? What d'you think?"
Harvey didn't waste anytime in getting her a bottle sorted, knowing he'd have Reece complaining at him for the noise if not, and he wasn't prepared to start any arguments before he left. Therefore, when it was finally ready, he was met with utmost relief as it seemed to immediately soothe her.
Looking down at Brinley, Harvey smiled at her beady eyes just staring back at him with so much innocence. Since dating Grace, he had been getting to know Brinley too and with each day that passed he was beginning to really understand her ways and see her own little personality dying to shine through. It was exciting and he could genuinely say he couldn't wait for her to be a little older, so he could be apart of all the crazy antics she got up to.
...
"Right, now you're happy we need to get started on feeding your mum." Harvey announced before connecting his phone up on the bluetooth in the kitchen. "But first we need some music, right?"
Now that Brinley had finally finished her bottle, she was happily perched on Harvey's hip, while he pranced around the kitchen. Her eyes didn't leave him as she watched on in awe, occasionally expressing a smile when he pulled a funny face.
Harvey was in his absolute element as the reality of what was happening today just faded from his mind. Instead, he having the best time with Brinley while preparing some blueberry pancakes for himself and Grace to eat. They were her absolute favourite and she'd insisted that he was the best at making them.
Grabbing all of the ingredients, Harvey was throwing it all together while keeping Brinley entertained with the music and his over the top dancing. He was earning plenty of smiles and giggles from the little girl, which was obviously biggest win ever.
"This is the greatest show!!" Harvey sang to a beaming Brinley as he flipped over the pancake, and he was completely oblivious to Grace stood in the kitchen doorway, watching the whole thing.
She didn't want to say anything, she didn't want him to know that she was there just yet. She was admiring the sight before her, appreciating every single aspect of it. Rewind a year ago, she never would have predicted this being her life now but she was incredibly grateful for it.
"Am I interrupting something?" Grace finally spoke up, watching as Harvey quickly spun around to face her.
He didn't look embarrassed at all and instead just flashed her a grin.
"You're just on time actually." He replied while making his way towards her. "Can you take her for a minute while I dish up?"
Passing Brinley in Grace's direction, Harvey then began heading back over to the oven where the pancakes were waiting. Brinley watched as he left and the sadness was evident on her face, as their little dance party very quickly came to an end. That was another thing that filled Grace's heart with warmth; knowing that her daughter had taken to Harvey so easily was such a relief.
"Take a seat and I'll serve you the best breakfast you've ever tasted!" Harvey announced causing Grace to comply.
Her stomach was filled with butterflies but not from nerves, from excitement and happiness. She was in her absolute element and was doing everything to force away her brains reminders of what was happening this morning. So making her way over to the table, Grace took a seat with Brinley still in her arms. Having a 4 month year old baby was not an easy task in situations like this however, Grace had mastered the act of multitasking, even though her little girl never made it easy.
"Ah ah!" Grace warned as Brinley instantly attempted to reach out for something on the table. "That's not yours."
"What is it?" Harvey asked as he turned around to see Grace moving a key from Brinley's reach.
"It's just a key."
"Oh right, that's yours."
Harvey's comment was spoken so casually that Grace was a bit taken back and confused. It was a key... a key that she had never seen before so why was he saying that it was hers?
"That's not mine, Harv." Grace replied and he instantly picked up on her confusion as he was watching her in amusement.
"It is now."
"What? What do you mean?"
Putting the pancakes onto a plate, Harvey then made his way over to the table and laid them down in front of Grace. He then pulled out the seat beside her before holding his hands out for her to pass Brinley back over to him. Grace complied because it made her life a lot easier while she ate the food however, his silence was just putting her more on edge.
"Harvey, what do you mean?" She asked him once again, as he began tickling Brinley's side. She couldn't judge his emotions. She didn't know what he was thinking. That was just making her feel worse.
"That key is for you." Harvey began as he finally looked at Grace while reaching out for her hand. "It's for this place, in case you want to come here while I'm away."
Grace's mouth dropped open at those words; unbelieving to what had just left his lips.
"Are you serious?"
"Yeah, I'm serious. If things get crazy at home and you want a bit of peace... although, you obviously won't be completely alone here..." Harvey chuckled. "...you're welcome to come whenever."
"Fuck, Harvey... thank you!" Grace breathed, feeling a wash of emotions consume her whole body. To some, that gesture may mean nothing but to her it meant everything.
She wasn't used to this. She didn't know how this whole relationship thing was supposed to work however, one thing she knew for sure was that she was going to miss Harvey like crazy. Therefore, him giving her a key to his place filled her with so much comfort. If things did get too much, she could come here to be in his home, sleep in his bed and feel like he hadn't really left. It sounded pathetic to say out loud but it was the truth, it was the true intensity of her feelings for him.
"I just wanna make sure you're alright while I'm gone." Harvey squeezed Grace's hand and he genuinely meant that.
He felt bad for leaving. He had just asked her to be his girlfriend and now he was running off to another part of England. He knew she was going through a lot with this whole first time mum thing and just as he was there to support her, he was now leaving.
"This means a lot, really." Grace replied as she stood to her feet and took a seat on his lap.
Wrapping her arms around his neck, Harvey reacted by wrapping his spare one around her waist. Then for the next few moments, him, Grace and Brinley shared a group hug full of so many emotions. This was the start of a brand new chapter in their life. Harvey may be going away but their relationship would continue to grow and that created so much excitement.
Last year Grace had been filled with fear and sadness. She had felt lost and confused about what her life would entail due to her pregnancy. However, she now saw a bright future with a man she cared a lot about and her beautiful baby girl, who she loved more than anything in this world.
....
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