“And I also wish for dinosaurs”, Jonah says, “So many.”
I grin and press a kiss to his forehead. “I’m sure Santa will get you so many presents.”
He nods and stares back at the screen, watching as the credits of the movie start playing. “Now”, I say, “Let’s get you into bed, baby. It’s late.”
He nods and jumps of my lap. “You can bring me? Daddy talks to Tyler right now.”
“Yeah, just tell him goodnight and us two can do the rest alone.”
He runs of to the kitchen, explaining everything to Louis.
“Daddy, goodnight, Harry brings me to bed and you can stay here if you want cause my Hazzie and I do it alone.”
Louis chuckles. “Alright, love, give me a kiss. Goodnight, my baby. Sleep well and don’t be too excited tomorrow morning, the presents can wait a little.”
“Yes. Bye, Daddy, night Tyler and Gemma and Anne and Robin!”
“Hazzie”, he says when he enters, “Hi. I just sayed goodnight.”
He walks to the fireplace and looks into his stocking as if it was already filled. “Ugh”, he says, “Guess I have to wait.”
He pouts and I laugh before I throw him over my shoulder. “Time for bed, honey, lets go.”
He giggles and I put him down again so we can walk to the bathroom together.
“Harry?”, he asks, “Why does Tyler love Gemma but you love my daddy?”
I smile as I put a bit of toothpaste onto his toothbrush and hand it to him. “Do you mean why me and daddy love men, not women?”
He nods. “All the other kids have a mummy and a daddy but Sara has two mummies. I am the only one with two daddies.”
It makes my heart beat a little faster, hearing him say that. Knowing he considers me as his second dad, somehow.
“Yeah, most men marry a woman, but some don’t. That’s not bad though. Daddy probably told you he’s gay, yeah? That means he only wants a relationship with a man.”
“Okay”, he says and nods, “And you’re gay too."
I nod. “Yeah.”
“Okay. I like having two daddies, it’s cool. I like that daddy loves you.”
I smile as I hand him his toothbrush and watch him, brushing through his hair carefully. “I like that you like that. I’m very happy to have you as my son, baby.”
“I love you, Hazzie.”
He hugs me and it makes my heart melt a little. Makes me feel all warm on the inside as I hug him back. “I love you too, Jonah.”
He finishes brushing his teeth and he gets into grey, fluffy pyjamas with a T-rex on the front. We walk to the guestroom where he stays and he jumps into bed, patting the spot next to him.
“Sit down, Harry. Read me my story?”
I nod and he snuggles closer, burying his face in the fabric of my jumper and moving one hand through my hair. After reading one chapter, his eyes are nearly closed and I lay down the book on the nightstand.
“Goodnight, love, sleep well.”
“Stay”, he mumbles and wraps his arm around me, “Until I sleep.”
I stay until he sleeps, wrapping my arms around him as if it could forever protect him, enjoying his careful brushing through my hair, listening to his breath getting more and more regular.
The whole time I can’t stop thinking about how much I love him, how much I want him to always be so accepting about me, can’t stop thinking about how much he feels like family.
I stay, even some while after I’m sure he sleeps before I finally get up, quietly to not wake him up. I walk around the bed once and bend down to stroke some hair out of his forehead and kiss it once afterwards.
I go down the stairs and sit down on the table with all the others, listen to them talk about everything and laugh. It truly feels perfect, the whole evening, whole last two days. The kitchen still smells like cookies and Louis smiles at me every now and then.
After some time, he gets up. “I’m getting Jonah’s presents”, he says, “Help me, Haz?”
I nod and get up as well, following him to the hallway where he hid the colourful packages in the closet.
We grab them and place them under the tree, before filling the stocking with sweets and a few small dinosaur figures.
“He’ll be so happy”, I say, “he told me about everything he wished for. Hope he’ll like my present, too.”
“Harry”, Louis says and scoffs, “I told you not to get anything.”
He drops onto the couch and I sit down next to him, pulling him in.
“But”, I say, “I wanted to. I love him, Louis, I really do and he’s special to me so I felt like I had to, it’s only something small.”
Louis smiles softly and nods. “Okay.”
I kiss the top of his head twice. “Had a good birthday?”
He nods happily. “Yes. Very good one. Thank you, baby.”
“There’s no need to thank me.”
“Yes, there is. Thank you for making this one of the best birthdays ever, just by being there, by caring for me, thanks for bringing me into this family and not making it scary to celebrate without my mum.”
I don’t really know what to say because I can’t even try to express how much I love him, can’t even begin to explain all that’s going on inside of me.
“Will try to make every day great for you, always.”
“Thank you, for everything.”
I pull him into my lap so he’s facing me, smiling softly. “Oh, don’t. Could thank you for so much as well, but then we’d go on like that forever.”
He kisses me softly, hands on my back, Christmas song playing from the kitchen, the smell of cookies in the air and the fireplace crackling quietly.
~~~
Christmas chapter tomorrow <3
YOU ARE READING
three hearts in one home (l.s.)
FanfictionLouis is a single dad having problems raising his son, Jonah all by himself. Harry is a student at university. His part-time job is to teach children how to swim. What if a rather unpleasing incident forces them closer together than Harry ever coul...
