How He First Met Her Family
Harry made his way to her fridge, grabbing a water bottle and chugging it down. After finishing, he took another bottle out and handed it to her. Anna took a few sips from it before screwing the cap back on. She gave him a long seductive look. ”I do have a surprise for you..”
That piqued Harry’s interest as his ears perked up. ”Hm.. a surprise?”
She nodded. ”Mhm.. give me a few minutes?” She winked and blew him a kiss before turning in the direction of her bedroom.
He refrained from jumping foot to foot in anticipation, knowing it had to do with a bedroom activity by the way she was acting. He had no clue as to what it was exactly and it was enough to drive him mental. He wracked his brain for something to occupy his mind, glancing at the coffee table that had her laptop with the top open. He shuffled his feet towards it and plopped down on her sofa. Taking the machine out of sleep mode, he was greeted by a couple windows she had left up in her browser. He opened a new tab and logged into his email.
He cracked his knuckles and stretched out his back before typing out a couple responses. He heard a ringing sound and stared at the screen in confusion. Was her laptop ringing? He tapped on a key and another screen popped up with an unfamiliar face.
“What the fuck?”
A guy with short blonde hair that appeared to be in his mid thirties stared back at him in utter disbelief before pointing at him through the screen. ”Daniel! I’ve got Prince Harry on skype!” He yelled.
“Bollocks,” Harry muttered as Anna’s family gathered around the computer with wide eyes, openly staring at him. He sat there frozen, hands laying on the keys as he contemplated his next move. Should he pretend he didn’t see them? Quickly put the top down to the laptop and go on with the night as if this was all a dream? Maybe this was a dream. A nightmare of some sorts.
“Do you think he can see us?” A woman asked, fluffing her blonde locks. “How’s my hair?“ She pushed them aside to allow room for her, getting a better glimpse of her reflection from the small box that was in the bottom right corner.
“Who cares? This is the fucker who’s taking my baby sister’s innocence? I’m gonna fuck him up.” A guy that looked quite a bit like Anna answered, shooting daggers at him. A horrible nightmare, Harry thought as he swallowed, his adams apple bobbing up and down slowly. His palms began to sweat, his stomach clenched with nerves and fear.
“Oh please, Annalisa lost her innocence long ago,” Gabe replied in a airy voice, a little laugh following.
“Whoa, what’s that supposed to mean?”
“Just let it go, guys. Come on.” Danny pleaded.
“It means that sweet little Annie is not a vir-”
Danny clamped a hand over his husband’s mouth. ”Oh-kay! Moving on from this awkward discussion..”
“No, there is no discussion. Anna doesn’t know what sex is.” The group burst into laughter at how incredibly oblivious Luke was. “What?! Man, you guys are fucking idiots.”
“You’re the fucking idiot if you think Anna doesn’t know what sex is.”
“Well she didn’t before Prince without the symbol over there-” The other three guffawed again, shaking their heads. “What is so goddamn funny?”
Kathie placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder, smiling sweetly at him. ”Sweetie, you know I adore you.. sometimes.. but.. Anna is almost thirty.”
“Yeah… and? This is her first actual boyfriend.”
“Oh, you don’t believe she waited this long, do you? Are you really that naive?” Danny asked.
“What are you talking about?!” Luke yelled, incredulously.
“She slept with Chase!” Gabe blurted out. “Ow!” He rubbed the back of his head where his husband had smacked him in annoyance.
“What?!” Luke fumed, his scruffy face becoming beat red.
“Yeah, years ago.” Kathie shrugged.
He lifted an accusing finger at his wife. ”You knew and didn’t tell me? How could you keep something like this from me?”
“What? Like the time you told me you got hit on at the gay bar at Danny’s bachelor party?” She snickered, sneaking glances at Danny and Gabe who were stifling their laughs, fists covering their mouths.
Luke turned sharply to them. “Which one of you little bitches told her?”
“Oh for the love of all things holy, let’s not get into that right now..” Danny said, gesturing towards the forgotten computer screen where a petrified looking man sat, his eyes darting between all of them at what he had just witnessed. Chase? Who the fuck was this Chase character they spoke of? He was going to kill him.
“Do you think he can hear us?” Kathie whispered from the side of her mouth, still in awe of seeing a well known figure in the public eye in her sister-in-law’s home, sitting on her sofa and using her laptop.
Harry cleared his throat and wiped his sweaty palms on his jeans. He lifted his hand and gave an awkward little wave. ”Hello, I’m.. erm.. Harry.”
His head swam with the responses that got thrown out at him at once, giving him whiplash as his ears tried to keep up with who was saying what.
“Oh my god, Prince Harry just said hi to me.”
“Holy shit, his voice is so damn sexy.”
“Hi, Harry.. I’m Daniel, Anna’s brother.”
“Listen, you little prick..”
His eyes widened, stumbling as he fought to find the words to respond. ”Erm..uh..” He looked back over the sofa, silently praying for Anna to save him, but she was still nowhere in sight. What was taking her so long? ”Annalisa!” He called out in a plea, the trainwreck that was unfolding in her living room unbeknownst to her.
When he turned back to face her family on his own, this time he wasn’t surprised to witness the foursome talking amongst themselves in rushed voices.
“Oh man, I knew I should’ve taken extra time to get my hair right today!” Kathie huffed, patting her head as she frowned into the camera.
“Kathie, nobody cares about your fucking hair.” Her husband rolled his eyes.
“I think it looks lovely, Kath. What kind of product do you use to make it look so shiny?” Gabe asked as he played with the strands that fell in her face.
Luke and Daniel both groaned simultaneously. ”Here we go..”
“What? This is valuable information!” Gabe argued, turning back to Kathie. “I’ve tried to use different products but I can never find one that gives it the volume I’m looking for. My hair seems to go flat after a few hours at the restaurant.“
“Can you girls please go elsewhere and talk about this crap?”
Kathie ignored her husband, continuing her conversation with Gabe. Harry was almost sure if he had gone with his first thought of pretending this didn’t happen, he would get away with it. They were too engrossed, they wouldn’t have noticed his absence. Until Danny smiled kindly at him and winked. ”Welcome to the family.”
Harry laughed, nervously. ”Erm.. hey, thanks.. yeah.”
The vibration of an enticing beat interrupted the scene, all brows furrowing together in confusion, realizing it was coming from the speakers. Harry scanned the room, the music being far too close to be coming from the computer speakers. He caught the glimpse of a shadow on the wall behind where he sat, turning to investigate it. His eyes widened in pleasant surprise as Anna appeared from the darkened hallway.. dressed in a skimpy nurse costume. He stood and moved around the sofa to see her fully.
She bit her lip, willing her nerves to float away, her stomach dipping with the flushed appearance of him. She sashayed closer, the faint click clack from her strappy stilettos bringing a self-assurance to her steps. She raised a perfectly shaped brow at him, noting the way his parted lips and the steady rise and fall of his chest fueled her confidence.
She had been fretting over this for days now, the idea forming when he had suggested her being his private nurse as she helped him to bed. She wanted to do something special for him.. to make him realize that he made her feel incredibly sexy. She had never been more sexually open to anyone before, too shy and awkward to even try. But Harry.. he looked at her and treated her as if she was the most stunning woman he had ever seen.
Pulling on the end of her stethoscope that hung loosely around her neck, she flashed him a sensual smile. ”Nurse Peaches at your service..”
She inwardly cringed at the cheesy line, recalling how she had spent the last ten minutes practicing in her mirror to perfect it, trying out a few lines to prevent from sounding as if she stepped out a porno. She hoped he wouldn’t start laughing at her expense.
But Harry brought a hand up to cover his racing heart, his mouth dry. ”Wow..” He breathed, his eyes roving over her figure that was barely covered. ”Fuck.”
The husky curse sent a thrill through her, the ache in between her thighs becoming stronger.
She another step forward, entering the room fully and opened her mouth to speak. But a series of catcalls, whistles, and horrified yells caught both of their attentions as they turned sharply back to the computer screen. Anna let out a yelp and ducked behind the couch, hiding her exposed body. ”Oh my god!”
“Annalisa! Put some goddamn clothes on!”
“Whoa, get it girl!”
“Holy shit! My eyes.. my fucking eyes!”
“Daaaaaaaamn girl…”
———-
Ten long minutes was spent having to calm them down. As soon as they had toned it down a bit, Annalisa was able to crawl back into her room to turn off the playlist she had created for tonight, Harry hot on her heels. ”Jesus, baby.. I’m so sor-“
She spun to face him, the look of fury and mortification shutting his mouth. ”You!” She poked his chest. ”Why didn’t you warn me?!” She hissed, kicking off her shoes.
Harry was baffled. His mouth opened and closed again, unable to form a single coherent word with the way she was dressed. Anna caught the smirk as he stared at pushed up breasts, his eyes fixated on her cleavage. ”Harry!” She smacked his chest, his gaze immediately lifting to her reddened face.
“I didn’t know what to do! I thought it was the right thing! What was I supposed to have done with him staring at me like that?” She scowled and staggered towards her closet, yanking the door open and taking out a fluffy pink robe that went down to her ankles. Harry’s head tilted to the side to catch a better view of her ass before she hurriedly dressed in the robe. He pressed his lips together, making a dash to adjust himself before she turned back to him. “Goddamn..“ He murmured to himself.
Anna groaned, tossing the stethoscope on the bed and tying the knot tighter. “Put the top down! That’s what you were supposed to do!”
Harry rolled his head, cracking his neck before he threw his arms up, exasperated. “Fine! Next time I will!”
Anna laughed humorlessly. “Next time? There won’t be a next time, Wales! I’m pretty sure they’re forming an attack on you as we speak. Oh god, they saw me practically naked…trying to seduce you.. like we were on some type of cheap porno..”
Harry blinked, the comical image making him belt out a hearty laugh. Anna whipped around to scowl at him but felt the tugs at the corners of her mouth instead. He looked so cute as he laughed, his thumbs sweeping the corners of his eyes to catch the humorous tears. She shuffled her feet towards him, her shoulders slumped as a few chuckles escaped her. She rested her head on his chest and slipped her arms around his waist.
Harry instantly returned the embrace, squeezing her reassuringly. ”You’re right about something..”
She lifted her head up to look at him, smiling back at him. ”What? The cheap porno?”
“Ha!” Harry laughed, rubbing her back. “No.. that was very hot..“ He winked. “But you’re right about them plotting to kill me. I’ll be sure to beef up security for awhile..”
Anna cringed, shifting her focus back on the open door, the faint sounds of hushed voices wafting through the air. ”They’re waiting for us..”
“Before we go back, I have something to ask you.” The serious tone caught her off guard.
“What is it?”
Harry scrunched up his nose. “You’ve mentioned only being.. intimate.. with one guy before. Is his name Chase?”
“Whoa,” she stammered. “I wasn’t expecting that..”
Harry rubbed his lips together. “So.. yes? Who is he and how many ways can I cause him pain?”
“Ha!” She shook her head. “You have nothing to worry about, trust me.. And he’s not even worthy to speak of.”
“Enlighten me.”
She sighed. “Okay, yes.. I slept with Chase. He was in the same team as Ben and when they all came back to attend his..” She swallowed, “funeral, we slept together. We were both grieving and I was out of my mind.. and he was there so..”
“So it was one time?” He asked, hopeful.
“He was on leave because of the whole situation so he stayed in New York for a couple months..”
That wasn’t the answer he was looking for. “How long were you fucking?”
Anna hugged him closer. “For as long as he was there before getting deployed again.”
Harry nodded, his blood boiling as the sick images of another man’s hands on her played in his head. Anna reached up on her tiptoes to kiss him passionately. He softened his tense mouth after a moment, deepening the kiss as his tongue slipped in her mouth. She was the first to pull away, allowing their private moment to go on further until they were being beckoned by her annoying family. “It doesn’t mean anything, okay? It didn’t at the time and it most certainly doesn’t now.”
Harry frowned. “I don’t like the idea of another man seeing you the way that I do.”
She shook her head, laughing lightly as if he were silly to think such a thing. “No other man has seen me the way you have, Harry.. the way that you do..”
“I will personally fly myself over there if you two don’t get your asses out here.” Luke called out.
Harry pat her lower back, dropping a kiss to her temple. ”That’s our cue.”
She grabbed his arm as he pulled away from her. “Hey, you okay? You’re not going to pretend you’re fine with the whole Chase thing and it really eat at you, are you?”
“Anna, if you say it was nothing, then it was nothing. I trust you…” He shrugged, taking her hand. “Are you ready, love?”
“I should be the one asking you that, Captain.”
He gave her another kiss, inhaling to prepare himself for what was about to happen. ”Sure.. I mean, worst part’s over, right?”
“Ha!”
——
“Well, well, well.. if it isn’t the two sex crazed dogs gracing us with their presence.” Gabe teased.
“And fully dressed this time..” Kathie winked.
Anna stuck her tongue out as she gripped Harry’s hand tighter in her grasp as they made their way over to take a seat on her sofa. Harry waited until she situated herself, tugging her robe to cover as much skin as she could, before he sat next to her.
“Well, aren’t you going to introduce us?” Kathie questioned with a smug grin. She brought a hand up to hide her mouth from the others and mouthed ‘he’s cute’ before giving her a thumbs up. Anna smacked her forehead in embarrassment.
“Oh god.”
Harry turned his head to the side and smiled gently when she met his eyes, letting her know he was ready. ”Well, love.. aren’t you going to introduce us?”
She shifted her eyes back at them and glared, wringing her hands together in a choke position. ”I’m going to kill you guys for this.”
Luke rolled his eyes. ”Get on with it, will you? I have to wash out my eyes after that little show you put on.”
“Hey!” She shouted. “We do not speak of this ever again, capiche?“
“Gladly.” They all agreed.
She reached for Harry’s hand and took a small breath, easing the tension in her chest. ”Okay.. Harry, meet Gabe, Danny, Luke, and Kathie.” She listed off as they raised their hand in greeting or gave a slight nod of the head in acknowledgment. ”Hey, where’s Finn?” She caught the nervous way they glanced at each other before they blurted out different answers.
“Erm.. home.”
“On a date.”
“Working.”
“Who knows?”
She gave them a curious look before they shrugged. She decided to move past that, making a mental note to call Gabe to find out what was going on tomorrow. She could always get gossip out of him. ”Oh-kay.. Guys.. this is Harry.”
Harry gave an awkward wave of his hand, smiling through the anxiety he masked. ”Lovely to meet you all.. Not the way I had envisioned this to go but..”
He got a few chuckles out of them all, except for Luke who still wore a sour expression, his arms folded. He could tell it was going to take some time to break through his walls, along with her father, who already hated him. The thought of her father catching wind of what had happened earlier made the anxiety intensify.
“It’s good to meet the man who has brought out the porn star out of our little Annalisa..”
“Gabe!” Anna screeched, covering her face. “Please let this go..“ Harry rested a hand on her knee.
“So, Harry.. You’re in the military, is that right?” Danny asked, trying to steer the conversation away from embarrassing his baby sister further, making a mental note to scold his husband later.
“Yes.. I’ve been an Apache pilot for awhile now.” He felt a sense of pride, sitting a little straighter and squaring his shoulders.
“Harry was promoted to commander a couple months ago.”
The look of approval crossed their features and he breathed a sigh of relief.
“Oh, is that right? Congratulations. That’s quite the accomplishment.” Kathie said.
“Thank you,” Harry replied. “That’s very kind of you. It was months of intense training and the written exams were quite something but..“ He smiled, “I’m glad it’s over.”
“And Anna has informed us that you’ve served overseas before?” Gabe threw a wink at Anna’s grateful expression for giving up on teasing them.
“I have, yes. I was in Afghanistan for a short tour back a few years ago and then again last year served for a few months.”
“That’s cool.” Luke said, all eyes turning to look at him in surprise. “What? Shut up.“
Breathing was easier for Anna now when Luke’s icy attitude that he got from their dad slowly start to melt. ”Harry just returned this past January from his latest tour.” She turned to smile proudly at him. Harry returned her smile and pat her knee, feeling more comfortable with the way things were going.
Their smiles faded at Danny’s next question. ”And are there plans in the near future of going back?”
Harry paused before answering. He didn’t want to give too much, having yet to speak with Anna about his new position in the military after he returned from his trek. He went with the answer he was accustomed to giving. ”Being in the army, there’s always the chance. I go wherever I’m needed. I’ve had the proper training and if I’m given orders to serve my country again, I’ll be there no questions asked.”
Anna felt the anxiety build up in her chest once more at the thought of Harry being deployed.. Away from her.. In a warzone.. Where she could lose him.. Could she handle that?
The distant sound of an explosion rang in her ears, bringing her back into her nightmares. She knew the conversation was flowing on but she couldn’t hear anything but the moans and groans that plagued her dreams. The smoke and dust that suffocated her as she searched through the darkness for something she did not know.
She thought back to how it felt, waking up each morning and wondering if Ben was okay. She remembered tricking her mind into not going to dark places, not wanting to bring bad karma to life. She remembered the jump she felt at every phone ring, at every door bell..
And she remembered the break of her heart at the sight of the car in her parent’s driveway with two military officials standing at the front door.
She blinked back the tears that started to form in her eyes, clearing her throat and trying to focus back into the current conversation. Gabe was watching her intently, concern etched across his features. She smiled at his soft eyes and looked to the man that sat at her side.
He was laughing at something she missed but she didn’t care what it was about. She loved to see him this way. His head back, mouth open as his loud laugh filled her ears, making the anxiety and all her doubts disappear. For the time being.
“I’m sure it won’t reach the point of frostbite but if it does..” He nodded towards the computer screen. “I’ll keep that in mind, thanks.“
They were talking about his upcoming trek, she realized. Her stomach knotted as she thought of the time they would have to spend apart with no contact. She would miss him, already did miss him when he spent his day and evenings on base. He was due to go back to work for a couple more weeks before his leave would begin. And even then, right before he would have to start the cause, he schedule was booked with meetings and engagements. She was thankful that she was included on a couple of them, being the one to organize the ones that had to do with the charity.
“Okay, my lovely.” Gabe started, glancing at the others. “We have reservations to meet before Daniel and I have to head back to the Big Apple.“ He grinned at Harry. “Harry, very nice to finally meet you.”
Harry nodded. ”It’s lovely to meet you all. Anna talks highly of her family.” He smirked. ”I’m just glad we could get past the whole… uh.. incident.”
Everyone laughed except for Luke who gave the smallest of smiles Harry had ever seen. ”Hey, Luke.. is that a smile I see?” He teased.
“Shut up, man.” Luke joked back. “There’s nothing here stopping me from kicking your ass.“
Kathie raised a brow at him. ”Your kids? Your wife? Your job? Money?” Luke waved her off before pointing back at Harry.
“Nothing will stop me, comprende?”
Harry gave him a thumbs up as the rest of the gang rolled their eyes at Luke’s attempt of a joke.. knowing he was only half joking. “I will win you over eventually, mate.”
“Doubt it.” Luke smirked.
“Anyway, we really should be going, honeybee.” Danny said, stretching. “Harry, It’s been a pleasure.“
“Looking forward to our next meeting for sure.”
“Harry.. take care of our girl over there, you hear?” Gabe winked. “Carry on with your.. previous plans.“
Anna grumbled. ”I hate you.”
After their goodbyes, Anna shutdown the laptop and pulled the top down, sighing in relief as Harry threw himself back on the couch. ”Holy shit.. did that just happen?”
“Yep.. I just met your family.” Harry replied, reaching for her and pulling her back against him. She laid her head on his shoulder, tucking her feet underneath her.
“It went well, right?”
Harry chuckled. ”If you don’t count how it started, sure.” She groaned and buried her face in his neck, his arm wrapping securely around her. ”It went great, baby. I mean, I got a smile out of Luke by the end.. I call that a success.”
Anna nodded, placing a soft kiss behind his ear. ”You did.. I’m very proud of you. He can be.. a hardass.”
“I did good, I did good.” Anna giggled, trailing tiny kisses along his neck and jaw. “Can I tell you, though.. after this, I’m a little petrified of your father finding out what happened.“ She stopped her kisses, looking up at him and softening at the worry his blues held. “He’s already not a fan of me and.. you’re his little girl..”
“Harry, if you can loosen Luke up, then you’ll be able to do that with my dad, too.” She pecked his lips, but he wasn’t convinced.
“It’s different with your father, though. Yeah, sure, your brother is protective of his baby sister but.. you’re your dad’s baby girl.” He licked his dry lips before continuing. “When he looks at you, he will forever see his little girl who he loved first.. You’re his princess,“ he smirked. “And now here’s a real life prince….” He trialed off.
She couldn’t stop the emotions that were coursing through her as his words sunk in. Memories of her daddy playing tea time with her, of dressing up as a prince to her princess costume and getting fake married.. Of horseback rides after a long day at work.. He would do anything for her, no questions asked. Except to let her go.
Her heart ached for him as she remembered the tears in his eyes as she hugged her blubbering mother at the airport, ready to board her plane that would take her to a new life.. A new life without them.
He was right. Her dad would be a little more difficult to warm up and crack through his tough exterior.
But she knew in her heart that he would learn to love Harry. She knew they would have easy flowing conversations, both interested in military life. It would take time, yes.. but she wasn’t worried about it.
Anna brought both hands to cradle his face, looking him square in the eyes. ”He will love you, baby. He might be an asshole at first and put you through hell at first.”
“Wow, thanks for the reassurance.” He said, sarcastically.
She laughed. ”No, I’m serious.. it’s a good thing. Because I know you will past the test with flying colors. You love me, right?”
“Of course I do.” His answer was immediate.
“Then that’s what matters. He will see that.”
Harry pursed his lips in thought. Maybe she was right, maybe she wasn’t. But he was going to try his damn hardest to stop fretting over it. He loved her, more than anything. He was willing to go through fire for her, fight for her with everything that he had.
Anna gave him a sultry look, swinging her leg to move onto his lap. She pressed her pelvis to his, bringing her lips to meet his. ”Now.. how about we stop talking about my family and..” She dragged a finger slowly down his chest to his belt buckle. ”Focus on other things?”
Harry growled, holding onto her hips and lifting his lower body to press more firmly against hers, eliciting a moan from her. ”I like the way you think..” Her robe fell open, her cleavage peeking at him as he gazed at her milky skin. He wet his lips before leaning to place open mouthed kisses on her exposed flesh.
“I believe you paged me..” He heard her say as she ground down on him.
“Fuck..”
——-
Annalisa moaned, reaching over to check the time. 5:58am. She was disgruntled and couldn’t remember what had stirred her awake until her apartment buzzer went off again. ”Who the fuck is that?” She asked outloud.
Harry snored beside her, not moving as the buzzer rang out, the person behind it becoming impatient. ”Jesus Christ..” She tossed the covers back and sat up, ready to drag herself out of the warm bed before another buzzing sound caught her attention. Harry’s phone lit up on the nightstand that was on his side of the bed. ”What the fuck is going on?” She shook him awake.
“Harry, wake up.” He groaned, unmoving. “Harry..“
“What? It’s dark out, go back to sleep.”
She shook him harder. ”Someone’s at the door and your phone is going off.”
“Ignore it.” He mumbled into his pillow, burrowing further in it.
Anna contemplated doing what he suggested. Until the buzzer became more persistent. She sighed, getting up from the bed and hitting him with her pillow. ”Get up and answer your phone.”
She made her way towards the door and hit the talk button on her security. ”Yes? Who is it?”
“Jesus fucking Christ. I’ve been out here for ten goddamn minutes. It’s cold and I’m freezing my balls off.” Anna stood on the other end confused. Her tired mind was working slowly to try to put a picture to the voice. “And there’s some guy out here giving me bedroom eyes.“ She shook her head to register what was happening. “Are you ignoring me? Open the door, you brat!”
Something clicked in her brain at that moment. ”Finn?!”
Wild Winter's Day 