Chapter 11
The firm was in a frenzy Monday morning when the announcement was made. But Harvey had equipped Louis and Mike to handle the situation. He doesn't say it enough, but both had developed over the past few years, and they were ready to take on the new roles they have been assigned. He gives them both a manly hug, before jumping in the lift to exit the building. Ray is already waiting for him downstairs when he walks out onto the footpath. He had remained downstairs waiting after driving Harvey to the office that morning. Harvey's luggage was already in the trunk, as they made their way to the airport. He smiles to himself in the backseat and as he puts words to what he is doing.
I'm going to celebrate my daughter's birthday.
..
Donna stirs from her sleep, noticing a limb weighing down her chest, preventing her from moving. She slowly opens her eyes and comes face to face with a miniature sized foot 2 inches from her face. Her daughter has always been quite independent and capable of sleeping in her own bed, but every now and again, she wakes up to find that that the toddler had snuck into her bed during the night. She smiles and slowly moves the leg off her body and places it on the mattress next to her. She looks down and observes her mini me, lightly snoring away, with her red hair sprawled everywhere. The past few years have flown by; she can't believe that her little one is turning 3 that day. Though sometimes, she feels like she's raising a 13-year-old.
Donna turns to her bedside table to check the time. 7.45am. She decides to let Charlotte sleep in a bit longer and quietly sits up, ready to start preparing for the day. Birthdays at in the Paulsen household are not extravagant, but full of cherished memories and traditions. Though this year, it will be different. This year, they will welcome a third person into their annual celebration.
Remembering said person, Donna turns and grabs her phone from her bedside to contact him. She's surprised he hasn't hounded her for the details yet.
Ok spoke to soon, she thinks to herself. He had already sent her 8 messages that morning, asking when he can drop by, what Charlotte's favourite food is, what her favourite colour is, when he can drop by (again)…
She decides to respond to relieve him from the suspense.
Hey Harvey, sorry just woke up. C is still sleeping. We're going to have a quiet breakfast, then head for the park at around 10am.
- D
She hits send and places her phone back on the charger, before getting out of bed and slowly making her way to her bathroom. She's makes it exactly 5 steps before she hears her phone chime from his response. She spins round and returns to her phone, reading his response.
I'll meet you ladies at the park then. You never answered my question – what's her favourite colour? :)
- H
She smiles, and sends him the response. She has a feeling that the little girl will be in for a nice surprise this morning.
..
Donna decides to wake up her sleeping beauty at around 8.30am, giving them enough time to get ready and have breakfast without having to rush about. She pounces on the bed and showers her little girl with kisses and tickles, taking pleasure as the little girl's laughter and shrieks filling the room.
"Happy birthday my princess," she says, picking her daughter up and giving her a huge bear hug.
"Is it really my birthday?" the little girl squeals, still recovering from the tickle attack, "I've been waiting soooooo long for it."
Donna rolls her eyes in amusement. Charlotte wasn't even aware her birthday was coming up until she told her two days ago.
"Yes it is missy, which means we're going to the park and you can play for as longgggg as you want. And then we're going to the American Girl store and you can pick out a doll for your birthday."
The little girl beams up at her mother, excited for the day ahead. "So no day care today? Just you and me?"
Donna's face falls a bit. All this talk with Harvey about being in her daughter's life, she had forgotten to include the little girl's input in the process.
"Charlotte," she starts, "Harvey wants to join us for your birthday today. Is that OK with you?"
Donna holds her breath. She knew that Charlotte had taken to her father quickly over the past few days, however she wasn't sure if the girl was ready to see him again so soon. Donna watched as the girl scrunched up her nose, a tell-tale sign she was thinking about the situation at hand. But her face soon relaxed and the smile returned to her face.
"Yes," she nodded, "I like him, he can come."
Donna let out the breath she was holding. Despite her promise to let Harvey join, she knew that she would take it all back the moment Charlotte decided she wasn't comfortable with him there.
"Ok then, let's get you ready for your big birthday day, missy!"
..
The two redheads had just turned the corner onto the block where the park is located. It didn't take Donna long to see Harvey standing at the entrance. He was holding a dozen purple helium balloons, and a huge stuffed unicorn, with a purple mane and rainbow coloured wings. She feels the little girl beside her yanking at her hand as she sees him too and starts running towards him.
"Whoa, slow down Charlotte, we're almost there," she says in vain, before speeding up to keep up with the girl.
Harvey has a huge beaming grin on his face as he watches the girls approach and bends down to welcome the little girl running towards him.
"Hi beautiful," he greets, "happy birthday little one."
The little girl looks up in awe at the balloons suspended above her head and the huge unicorn that was the same size that she is.
"Wow, so pretty," she exclaims, with wonder in her eyes.
Harvey smiles at her reaction, before standing up and turning to the older red head.
"Thanks for allowing me to be part of her day," he says sincerely, before leaning over planting a kiss on her cheek and pulling her into a hug.
Donna gasps in surprise at the sudden sensation of his soft lips on her cheek. She returns his hug and mumbles a "no problem," before bending down to Charlotte, allowing her hair to fall across her face and shielding the blush she feels invading her cheeks.
"Aren't you a lucky girl," she whispers to her daughter, "don't forget to say thank you."
Obediently, Charlotte looks up with a charming smile and belts out a "Thank you!" before wrapping her arms around Harvey's legs and giving him a tight hug.
Donna chuckles at the sight. She's sure that Harvey had not thought out the logistics of his gifts.
"You do realise that you're going to have to carry it around all day?" she quips, "The unicorn is bigger than she is and I'm pretty sure the balloons will lift her away if you hand them to her."
He gives her a shrug before replying, "I'll do whatever she needs me to."
Donna nods, her heart skipping a beat at his response. She had never seen him look as ridiculous as he does in that moment, but at the same time, he has never looked better. She had always gotten hot and bothered when she watched him dominate a room in his tailored Tom Ford suits. But what she sees in front of her in the moment, in a pair of jeans and a casual button up shirt, and the absurd unicorn and balloons, has triggered something in the pit of her stomach. A feeling that she hasn't felt in years.
"What are you smiling at, red?" he asks, breaking her from her trance. She realises that she had been staring at him with a goofy smile painted across her face.
She shakes her head, "Let's go, the play equipment is just over there. She can spend a whole day there if we let her," Donna states, changing the subject as she grabbed Charlotte's hand and leads them into the park.
He smirks at her flustered response, before following the girls close behind.
They take a seat on the bench as the little girl bolts into the playground. Harvey ties the balloons to the arm rest and plops the unicorn on the seat beside him.
They sit in silence for moment, watching the birthday girl weave through the play equipment energetically. Being a Tuesday morning, it was relatively empty, with most children being in school or day care.
"Rachel called me yesterday," Donna interrupts the silence, "she said that you went home for the weekend?"
"I did," he responds, "did she tell you why I was there?"
"Nope, she said I'll find out from you." Donna turns to face him, curious to hear the rest.
He continues to watch Charlotte with a smile on his face. It's all worth it.
"I stepped down as managing partner," he starts, "and I'm moving here."
Donna sucks in a breath in shock. The firm was Harvey's whole world. It was what he had worked towards his whole adult life. He had fought tooth and nail for it over the years. And he's just...letting it go?
"Harvey…are you sure? You can't just let it go just like that…" she tries to reason.
"I can work anywhere, Donna, but there is only one of this…" he explains, nodding towards the laughing girl as she shoots down the slide, her fiery hair flying behind her, "and I'll go wherever she is."
He pauses, before he turns to her and looks at her with his soft brown eyes. "And I want to be there for you. You've done an incredible job raising her by yourself, but you don't have to do this alone anymore."
She nods in response and swallows the lump that forms in her throat. He reaches over and cups her cheek in his hand, before leaning over and lightly presses his lips on her forehead. It was brief and soft but the moment it happened, she felt a weight lifted off her shoulders. The burden of her secret, and of raising her daughter alone, evaporated into thin air. She felt enveloped by the comfort and safety of his presence. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders as she melted into his embrace and rested her head on his shoulder. They sat frozen in that position for hours as they watched their daughter play.
..
Donna quietly unlocked her front door and slowly pushed it open. She gingerly stepped in and held the door wide for the man behind her, who was carrying a happy but exhausted 3-year-old. The excitement of the day had caught up with Charlotte as she was finishing off her pancakes and passed out at the table. Her head was resting in the crook of Harvey's neck, her hair tickling his chin, as he carried her down the hall and into her room, placing her gently onto her bed. He brushed the hair from the little girl's face and stared at her for a moment, with a content look on his face. This is how he wants all his days to end.
Donna leans against the bedroom door, taking in the sight in front of her. With a soft smile on her face, she silently enters the room to say goodnight to her daughter, leaning past him to give her a kiss on the forehead and tucking her under her covers. The two adults give each other a satisfied look, both humbled by the perfect little girl in their lives.
She tilts her head toward the door, signalling for them to let the girl sleep in peace, before they silently leave the room, closing the door behind them.
"Did you want a coffee?" she asks as they walk down the hall, "or some scotch?" she adds, a smirk on her face.
"I think you know the answer to that," he replies, as they enter her living room.
She nods in understanding, whipping out the glasses and the bottle of amber liquid from the top cabinet in the kitchen and pours them both a glass.
"Thanks for including me today," he starts, "it was a special day."
She turns around, handing in a glass, before settling down on the couch beside him.
"She loved sharing the day with you Harvey. Though now you've really set a high standard for birthday gifts. She's going to expect half the American Girl store every time there's a holiday now," she chuckles. Harvey had insisted that he bought her every outfit option there was for the doll she picked out. The doll almost has as many outfits has Donna has herself in her closet.
"She's a great kid, she deserves it," he smiles, before bringing the glass to his lips.
"And what about you," he continues.
She cocks her head and gives him a look. "What about me?"
"How did you feel having me around," he asks, before taking another sip. His heart pounds heavily in his chest, eager but at the same time anxious for her response.
She pauses for a second, trying to put words to how she felt that day.
"It has been just the two of us for so long," she starts, gazing at him over her glass, "it was nice to have someone to share the moments with. It was…nice to have you around."
He raises an eyebrow in her direction. "Just nice?" he quips, "way to stroke my ego."
She rolls her eyes and gives him a smirk. "Don't push it buddy. And like your ego ever needed stroking by anyone else anyway."
He chuckles and shakes his head. He missed this. He missed the years that they had spent back in New York, just being comfortable in each other's company. Joking, bantering, flirting. It was as though he was being brought back to life; resurrected after years of being stuck in a coma.
They quickly slip back into old habits and catch each other up on the last couple of years. Donna tells him stories of Charlotte and her milestones. And Harvey catches her up on the office gossip, including Louis's latest shenanigans.
Before long, the two are finishing off the bottle of scotch and both are definitely feeling the effects of the alcohol running through their veins.
Donna downs the last drop of the amber liquid in her glass. Liquid courage, she thinks to herself. She closes her eyes and whispers the question that has been on her mind for days.
"Harvey…" she hesitates, "when you said you chose family…why didn't you think of me?"
She holds her breath, waiting nervously for a response. She waits for what feels like an eternity, until she finally hears it. Soft snores invading the silence in the room. She opens her eyes and turns to see Harvey passed out on her couch, mouth slightly open as scotch tainted breath wafts through the air.
A sad smile appears on her face. She grabs the throw from the end of the couch and lightly drapes it over his body. Hesitating for a moment, her fingers freeze an inch from his head, but she continues and runs her fingers through his soft hair. She then leans down and gently presses her lips against his forehead, as she had done with her daughter a few hours prior. As she reaches over to turn off the light and retire to her bedroom, a small smile appears on his face as he sleeps.
