She Lays Down [h.s.]

Twenty-Seven

Author's Note: Ahh! Thank you all so much for getting this to 10K reads! I love and appreciate all of you and I'm so glad that you've decided to tag along to Harry, Marigold, and Ember's journey with me! Thank you, thank you, thank you! <3

Mary twists her engagement ring around her finger anxiously. She hasn't met Harry's parents prior to this and she's a little worried that she might not be what they're expecting.

Harry's assured her that they already like her because he talks to them on the phone every other day and they've been dying to meet her and Ember since he first mentioned their relationship.

But Mary's only done this once before and she's still nervous about meeting them. Ember's perfectly alright with it. She loves meeting new people and she's incredibly excited to meet her new grandparents and to see Isobel again.

She's also really happy because her mother didn't make her dress nice for dinner. Sometimes, when they went to see her grandparents in Alaska, her mother made her wear nice clothes because that's what her grandparents expected. Dress clothes are okay; Ember just doesn't like them very much because she can't really play or she'll ruin her nice clothes.

It's nice to be able to wear warm clothes and not have to worry about keeping them super clean. Ember knows that her mother thinks so too because she's wearing one of Harry's sweaters and it's a little too big for her and she's got her leggings on. Mary only wears her leggings when she's comfortable and it's usually when she's at home, so it's something that's new for her.

Harry notices how she's fidgeting and he refrains from knocking for a moment. "Marigold, there's nothing to worry about. They don't bite, mum just talks a lot."

Mary laughs and smiles up at him, "I know, I'm just weird when it comes to meeting new people. Ember loves it, but I get a little antsy. Are you sure that it's fine that we came dressed so casually?"

"Yes, my parents don't make a big deal out of dressing nice for Christmas dinner. That only happen when my grandparent's join us and this year they decided to go on a cruise. We're fine, Mary, relax."

He gives her hand a quick squeeze to further reassure her. "You ready?"

She takes a deep breath and nods, "Ready."

Harry knocks on the door and it swings open a few seconds later. Mary's surprised to see how much resemblance he shares with his mother. They share the same smile and similar noses and Mary's suddenly not nervous anymore.

She and Harry say hello at the exact same time and his mother laughs happily as she pulls her son in for a hug.

"You're home!"

Harry laughs happily as he hugs her back. "Missed you too, mum."

Ember looks up at Carol with bright eyes and chirps a very joyful, "Hello!"

Carol beams and stoops down a little to offer Ember a hug, "Hi! It's nice to finally meet you! I'm Harry's mom, you must be Ember!"

Ember nods excitedly before practically throwing herself forward for her hug. Hugs are one of Ember's favorite things because they make her feel good and she's certain that hugs can make anyone feel better, even if only just a little bit.

"Hi grandma!"

She's so straightforward and Carol absolutely loves it. Harry smiles and shakes his head because he knew Ember was going to do that without being asked to. She's such a happy little girl and he's proud to almost be able to call her his step-daughter.

"Isobel's waiting for you in the living room. You're free to join her whenever you'd like."

Ember's off and running into the living room as soon as Carol pulls back from their hug. Mary laughs lightly and shakes her head, "She's excited. They haven't seen each other for a few weeks. I'm Marigold, it's nice to finally meet you."