AN: I don't have a Valentine's Day fic planned but I figured an update would be better than nothing. Let me know your thoughts! This chapter is a long one, and without giving much away I'll just say the next one is gonna be a crucial one. Will try to update again before the month ends. Hope you'll like it!
CHAPTER ELEVEN
He's spent the last minutes of therapy worrying about the firm, Mike's deal, and Frank Gallo. Dr. Reisman listens patiently, asking some questions but never diving into the technical stuff, reminding Harvey that this is therapy, after all. The deal should work, or at least he's confident they'll win this and Mike will be freed after only a few weeks in jail. It's what Harvey needs to do to feel less guilty, even if he's been working nonstop for it to happen. There are a lot of things being handled at once.
"How's Donna?" Dr. Reisman asks when they've reached a pause.
An inadvertent smile forms on his lips. "She's good. We've only got a few weeks to go now. Finishing up the nursery."
The doctor smiles. "That's good to know. But I meant how's Donna about all this?" she asks again. "I'm sure you have all been working a lot on this and haven't focused on personal matters much."
Harvey purses his lips and nods. "We're making the most of the time we have together," he says at last. "I hope all this can be done before the baby is here. Donna is taking six months off, I'll take one."
Dr. Reisman leans forward in her seat. "Do you think you'll miss work once the baby is here?"
He snickers. "What? No," he answers automatically. "I'm sure I'll miss some aspects of it, but I'm eager to have some time off. Especially with the baby. And it's bad enough that I'll get a temporary secretary to fill up for Donna while she's gone too," he sighs. "No, I won't be looking forward to going back to work."
She nods. "From what I've gathered, you're not the type to go on vacation, either."
"You got that right," he admits. "If things weren't so hectic right now, I'd go somewhere with Donna. Not too far away, of course. Maybe just for a weekend."
"You can do that once Mike is freed," the doctor suggests.
Harvey nods. "And if the baby hasn't arrived by then," he jokes. "It's like Donna says, though. There's always something holding us back at the firm."
Dr. Reisman purses her lips. "I assume that will change when the baby is here."
"I guess so," he sighs. "I'm, uh, thinking of going to Boston, though. Once Mike is freed. Hopefully, Donna won't have given birth yet, but even if she has, I figured my mom should meet her grandchild."
"You should work on that Boston trip, Harvey," the doctor advises. "Before or after the baby arrives."
"Yeah," he agrees. "I'm sure a lot of our priorities will change once she's here."
"I think they're already changing," Dr. Reisman replies. "In a way, I think Donna is changing your priorities herself, or you're changing with her. That's normal in a relationship, especially when you've known each other for so long. The romantic aspect may be new, but everything else isn't."
He frowns. "What are you saying?"
"I'm saying you're changing, Harvey. And that's normal," the doctor says patiently. "Perhaps this is just who you're meant to be. Work may fade into the background. You should know that that's okay, too."
Harvey snickers. "Not sure Jessica would agree with you."
She tilts her head. "Maybe she would. There's more to life than work, and there's more to life than a relationship. It's the balance that is hard to find. You and Donna seem to be navigating calmly through it, but it'll change once your daughter is here," she says patiently. "Life might feel off-balanced for a while. Maybe it has already started feeling that way."
He nods; he gets it. Even with all the hours he's been putting into work — because he wants Mike to be freed and because he owes the kid that much — he doesn't long for work anymore. He's not anxious to go to the firm or to take on new cases. He'd much rather be home with Donna, going to doctor appointments, decorating that nursery. He's pretty sure that if he wasn't so focused on Mike's case, he'd be skipping work mornings for mornings in bed with Donna. Truth be told, he hasn't even bothered with the actual firm in a while. He knows Donna has been doing her best with the tenants and handling other clients with Louis, but it seems that none of the others have been focused on it either. Jessica and Rachel have taken that pro bono case, and even Louis himself has been focusing on his love life more than the firm.
Perhaps they can all agree that there's more to life than Pearson Specter Litt, after all. Perhaps, in a way, they're all looking for it.
He arches his eyebrows. "I think it already has, yes."
"It's okay to put your own needs above others," Dr. Reisman continues. "Even if your child gets here before Mike is freed. You don't have to be the hero all the time."
He chuckles. "That's what Donna told me when we got together."
Dr. Reisman smiles. "Donna is a very wise woman."
Harvey smiles. "She is, but don't tell her that. It'll go straight to her head."
Things are changing, and the balance is off, he knows that.
He just has to fix everything before the baby is here. He can do it; he's not the best closer in the city for nothing.
"Anyway, by the time the guy gets back, Donna has already drunk her flute of champagne, and mine," Harvey tells them.
Donna laughs at the story; she barely remembers it, really, because the only way she survived that event was with alcohol, and she doesn't even care if it's ridiculous. The things she has attended for the good of the firm — and Harvey's — are too long to even be part of a list, after all.
"I can't even remember how many of those I drank that night," she admits while running a hand through the back of Harvey's hair softly. "I remember getting home, very vaguely."
It feels good to have a night like this, though — Mike has been free for just about four days, and while things have been a little awkward between him and Harvey since the kid declined that job offer, Donna's glad they can overcome that and have a nice meal together. It's the first time they're having dinner like this, the two couples — Donna is aware that Rachel is more than giddy at that thought — and it just feels right to be together like this at Mike and Rachel's apartment and not having to talk about work.
"I got you home," Harvey says indignantly. "She even made me an indecent proposal."
It's a joke and she rolls her eyes, but Mike and Rachel laugh. Harvey's arm is over the back of her chair, and they sit close together. She's full of dinner and dessert and the baby has been quiet and she's grateful to not be feeling what are now stretches of limbs around her belly; she's sure there's not enough space down there for kicks anymore.
"Since you're such a gentleman, I'm sure it wasn't hard to decline it," Donna replies.
"It was very hard, even for a gentleman," Harvey winks at her.
She laughs out loud then, shaking her head at him. Mike seems to find the two of them to be such a rare, surreal thing, that she's not surprised to see the awe in his eyes as he watches them.
"When was this?" Mike asks.
Harvey looks at Donna; of course, he has no idea. She tilts her head, making the math quickly. "I think that was around nine years ago."
Rachel chuckles, but Mike only shakes his head in disbelief. "Man, if I had known me going to prison would make you get together, I'd have let myself get caught earlier."
"Mike, please," Rachel rolls her eyes.
"Don't give yourself so much credit, kid," Harvey says as he takes a sip of his beer.
"Pretty sure she's helped too," Donna continues, pointedly looking at her belly.
Mike laughs. "Yeah. Guess you guys were always inevitable," he shrugs, then looks at Rachel and takes her hand. "Which brings us to why we've called you here."
Donna frowns slightly, sharing a look with Harvey before focusing on the couple across the table.
"Yeah, we wanted to let you know first," Rachel says. "We're getting married!"
Both Harvey and Donna are silent until Donna speaks. "Wait. Didn't we have this conversation before?"
Rachel gives her a playful glare.
Donna makes a face. "Too soon?"
"Well, now it's happening for real," Rachel goes on, pointedly ignoring Donna, "and we were hoping you'd still be up for being our maid of honor and best man."
"Oh, of course, we are!" Donna says.
"You don't even have to ask," Harvey says softly.
"And since it's gonna be a few months until it happens," Mike says, "we want to extend the invitation to the baby too."
"I think I can speak for her when I say yes, please," Donna answers immediately. "She's gonna be so cute at the wedding."
Harvey laughs, probably thinking that they haven't even seen her yet, but she knows; she's her mother, after all. Everyone loves flower girls because they're adorable, but she's sure their baby will come to be the best flower girl. Even if she might not yet be walking then.
It's late when they leave Mike and Rachel's apartment, and Donna is more than happy to snuggle into Harvey's warmth as they get into the cab to take them home. Out of habit, he gives her address, and not his; they haven't spent one night apart since that night, weeks ago, and she's not sorry for it. While they have yet to talk about living arrangements, the nursery is nearly decorated at her apartment, not his, and Harvey has been spending more and more time there. Even if her closet might be ready to collapse.
They'd have to talk about this soon, she knows; while sharing both apartments isn't something she minds, she thinks his condo might have been fit for the both of them just fine (while her own apartment is struggling with space). For three, however, both their apartments are not practical. They'll need one more bedroom — maybe not now, maybe not in a few months, but they'll have to think of it soon.
While she loves her apartment and she knows Harvey loves his too, she likes the idea of them getting a place together, with all their current needs in mind. There won't be time for that now or even in a few months, but she knows they'll have to discuss this soon. It's funny because with past relationships she always worried about things happening too fast, or she always hit the brakes before something crazy like living together happened.
It's different with Harvey.
"You're very quiet," Donna notes as they approach her apartment building.
Harvey looks at her with a soft smile on his face. "I'm just happy Mike is free, and we can focus on our baby girl getting here in a few weeks."
Donna laughs. "I sure can't wait to not feel like a walking watermelon," she snorts, "but I also can't wait for her to get bigger, so…"
She feels him pressing a kiss on her temple and sighs.
"You're beautiful," he whispers softly in the back of the cab. "The most beautiful watermelon I've seen."
She laughs and smacks his arm playfully.
Wherever they go, it doesn't matter. Home is wherever he is, anyway.
Jessica leaves on a Friday.
In a way, Harvey feels like an orphan.
He has never walked into that firm with it not being run by Jessica. Even when he had just started and she had just gotten her name on the wall, Jessica was the firm to Harvey. She had been right to say they've all been distracted with their lives to put their work into the firm and as a result of that, she did realize there is more to life than just work.
So Dr. Reisman was right about Jessica agreeing with her, after all.
He's not sure what life will be like from now on. Mike's not at the firm anymore, Donna will give birth in a few weeks, they've got tenants and Louis is too busy pursuing a pregnant woman on his own (and no, Harvey won't open that can of worms). He feels lost and he doesn't really know what today will bring.
He's just glad he has Donna now — that she was there for him as Jessica's loss sunk in last night, and that she's there for him this morning, thankfully not mentioning their now former boss upon waking up; instead, she got up before he could barely say anything, and told him she has a surprise for him.
He's excited about that. Being with Donna makes all other thoughts go away; he may worry about life at the firm but when he's with her he can forget all that (when she lets him, anyway).
"Hey, if it's gonna be much longer, I could just get some on the way," he calls from his spot in her bed.
It takes less than two seconds for Donna to show up on the doorway.
"Hold your horses, mister," she says, walking in with two steaming cups in her hands.
He watches her from his spot, sitting up in bed, and takes a nice admiring look of her silhouette. She's wearing a pink nightgown that's riding a little high on her thighs because of the now thirty-weeks-pregnancy. She's so beautiful most people wouldn't believe she has just woken up. Lately, she's been complaining about her nose, because she thinks it's swelling with pregnancy. Harvey sees no difference; in fact, he thinks she has never been so beautiful, and that's saying something, because, well… she's Donna.
He holds the cup she's offering and takes a sip. It's perfect, as usual; he lets the caffeine in and takes in the splash of vanilla she has added and grins at her over the cup. She's taking a sip herself, sitting on the edge of the bed next to him. He's especially happy because it's clearly the caffeinated kind, the one that's been missing from her apartment for weeks and they keep forgetting to buy since she's only drinking decaf now.
The sunlight hits her face and she sighs contently, but not before raising an eyebrow at him.
"This is a good surprise," he tells her.
Donna laughs. "I knew you'd like that. I know I would like that," she adds. "This isn't that bad, really."
Harvey makes a face. "It is kinda bad."
She immediately raises her eyebrows. "Really? You're gonna tell that to the mother of your child?"
He leans in, resting his hand on her growing belly. "No. Decaf is definitely not that bad."
She shrugs. "Okay, that's better."
He grins, spreading his palm open over the baby bump, moving here and there to feel the baby. He knows it's becoming uncomfortable for her — the frequent trips to the bathroom and the sleep positions. And he's grateful, above all, because somehow she's still managing to wear high heels to work and look absolutely sexy as she runs the firm. He finds a sharp movement after a few seconds and rests his hand above it. It's close to Donna's stomach, and they know the baby is already upside-down, so he's guessing that might be a little foot.
"Are you okay?" Donna asks quietly.
He raises his eyes to meet hers.
"I will be," he tells her honestly.
She rests her hand on top of his, fingers caressing his softly. "It's gonna be a long day."
He nods. "Yeah, it will be."
"I was thinking," she says a little tentatively. "Maybe we could schedule that trip to Boston now. In two or three weeks."
Harvey ponders the suggestion. Months ago he would have fled at the very thought. Half of him waits for the panic that will undoubtedly set in, but the moment is not now. Maybe later, maybe when this trip actually happens. Today, the suggestion makes sense to him. They've both lost a lot in Jessica, him even more so than Donna, and this might just be what he needs.
"We could drive," he suggests too. "Maybe stop by your parents' on the way. Make it a long weekend."
She smiles, a little more relaxed. "That would be great. We still have some time before this one gets here," she pats her belly a few times. "I think it would be nice if we went there before our lives get really crazy."
"Yeah. Let's do that," he decides. "You wanna book us a hotel?"
Donna gives him a look. "As if I'd let you do that. Itineraries are my things."
He laughs and agrees.
"Oh, Louis has called four times," she says, and despite everything, he's glad for the change of subject.
Harvey rolls his eyes. "What did he want? It's not even nine yet."
"I don't know. Told him we're too busy having sex to answer him," Donna says matter-of-factly.
He snorts. "That must have shut him up."
She shakes her head. "On the contrary. He asked about your style," Harvey makes a face; Donna laughs. "That's right, that style."
"Jesus. What did you say?"
"Nothing because we're too busy having sex, apparently, but I'm gonna ignore that for as long as I can," Donna replies. "I think he's been wanting to ask that for weeks."
They both cringe and go on with their coffees; for a few minutes, they are entertained by the baby moving here and there. Donna jokes that she's waking up as well, probably stretching and getting comfortable for the day. It's been months but he's still in awe that she's growing their baby and that soon this human being will be in their lives. It's weird because, in a way, they don't know each other at all — and yet he already loves that baby more than he loves himself.
He puts his cup on the nightstand and does the same to Donna's.
"That was the best cup of coffee I've ever had," Harvey tells her.
Donna smiles. "I told you it was worth the wait."
He smiles too, leaning closer to her until their lips touch in a soft, proper good morning kiss. He can taste vanilla in her tongue as well and breathes in her scent as she snuggles closer too. When they pull away, it's only for a few inches.
"That was nice," she says with a sigh, and his eyes get lost in hers quickly.
"It was," Harvey says softly. "And as much as I'd like to spend all day doing it, we should get going."
Donna groans and he kisses her again just for it.
It won't matter if they are half an hour late to work today.
Three weeks later, they arrive in Boston. It's late when they get there, after spending a night and most of the day in Hartford with Donna's parents.
Harvey's still recovering from Jim's incessant stares. Apparently it's one thing to impregnate his daughter, and another altogether to be in a relationship with her (and having a baby at some time). For his part, Harvey tries to keep an open mind. He's gonna have a daughter soon too, after all. Maybe she'll be as much trouble as Donna is.
He hopes she won't be as troublesome as he was, anyway.
It occurs to both of them that it's the first time they've gone on a road trip together, and it's wholesome in a certain way. It's hard to not talk about work sometimes, so they make it a rule to keep work out of their minds. Their first attempts at conversation aren't brilliant, but they make it. It turns out they're getting good at this relationship thing.
Still, it's late when they arrive and Harvey decides to give Marcus a call tomorrow after he's spoken with their mom. Their first evening there is just for the two of them; they have dinner at a fancy French restaurant — Donna's pick and he definitely won't complain about it — and then they go back to the hotel.
This morning, however, things are different.
He feels the anxiety in his skin as he wakes up, and it would be so easy to just stay in with Donna, but he gets up and takes a shower and orders room service, enough to feed a small army. He puts on casual clothes and has breakfast in the sitting room adjacent to their suite; when he gets ready to leave, Donna is still snuggled into the pillows, but heavy eyes look at him.
"You ready?" Her voice is raspy with sleep.
He thinks it's rather sexy.
He sits on the edge of the bed, and she shifts closer to him.
"Yeah."
"Are you gonna be okay?" She asks softly.
Harvey smiles. "Yeah. I need to do this myself."
He leans down to give her a peck on the lips and she stretches in bed, looking very much content.
"I ordered breakfast," he tells her, "and I'll let you know if we get to the lunch part."
"Sounds good," Donna replies, "but I think I'm gonna stay in and sleep for now. Who knows when I'll have the opportunity to do this when she gets here."
He snickers and nods, feeling reluctant to leave but knowing he must.
"Harvey," Donna calls, and he turns back to look at her. "Try to keep an open mind there."
"I will," he says, smiling at her.
And so he leaves.
He finds his mom thirty minutes later at her art studio, where they planned to meet, surrounded by her paintings — paintings the same style his now lost one. She looks just about the same as the last time he saw her, at his father's funeral. But this time she smiles more openly, looks more relaxed, and back then it had less to do with mourning and more to do with how estranged the two of them had been.
Hesitantly, as they see each other for the first time in years, Harvey moves to hug her. He doesn't remember the last time he hugged his mom — many years ago, for sure. Decades, even. He can't help but feel emotional as she hugs him back. So much has changed. They both made mistakes, he realizes that now, even if for too many years he blamed only her. The hug lasts more than a simple hug would; he knows this is as emotional for her as it is for him. He can't imagine how she must have felt with a child that wouldn't even want to look at her.
His daughter isn't even born yet and he already can't fathom the very thought of not being able to be a part of her life, no matter her age.
They pull away and look at each other again. There are tears in his mother's eyes, and he feels them on his own too. She smiles.
"This… this feels strange, doesn't it?" Harvey asks with a frown.
Lily laughs. "Yeah, a little bit. It feels right too."
"Yeah, it does," He nods, looking around the studio. "This place is nice."
His mother beams. "Thank you. It's better than that little room I had in our old house."
Harvey snickers, wondering how his mom managed to work with him and Marcus running around all the time. Things have changed for them too — the move from Riverside to Boston, his mom teaching, remarrying, Marcus opening a restaurant. A life that went on without him. It hurt a lot over the years; it still hurts now.
But then his life went on too.
"When did you get here? Was the trip okay?" his mom asks.
"Last night," he replies. "We drove, so we spent the day in Connecticut with Donna's parents."
His mom's eyes lighten up. "So Donna is here too."
"Yeah," Harvey smiles. "She's still sleeping after tossing and turning until she found the perfect position. I don't think she'll move for hours."
"I remember that part, and I don't miss it," his mom sighs. "Not much left to go, right?"
He shakes his head. "Her due date is on October 28."
"Not that long to go," Lily notes with a smile.
There's a pause in which neither of them knows what to say. Harvey thinks back to all the things he used to share with his father, all the news he's shared over the years and all the things he wished he had someone to share with.
Sure, he's always had Donna, but it was different with her. It was always different.
"So… where do we start?" His mom asks a little nervously.
Harvey purses his lips. "I guess we start with me telling you that I'm ready to forgive you."
His mom sighs. "Why now, Harvey? After all these years."
"Someone very special convinced me that I needed to," Harvey tells her. "Rather, two special someones," he jokes. "I started therapy after Donna stopped working for me. It's a long story," he continues. "And then with the baby… I think it forced me to do some growing up."
"Well, whatever happened, I'm glad it did," his mom says honestly. "And I want you to know that I forgive you, too."
Harvey nods. "Last time wasn't good."
His mom agrees. "It wasn't. And you being gone all those years…"
"I had my reasons to be gone," Harvey replies. "But it takes two. I know that now."
Lily nods. "I never should have put you in that position twenty years ago."
"I never should have let it come between us for so long," Harvey says
"Not a day goes by that I don't understand why you hate me," her voice breaks. "I was your mother. I was supposed to protect you, not scar you."
He knows that, he's known that for so long. And he realizes that they've never actually talked about it — he never really let his mom say these words to him. He cut her off before she could say a word because he was hurting, but he never thought that she might have been hurting too.
"I'm sorry, Harvey. I'm so sorry."
Harvey sniffs, trying to contain his own emotions. "I'm sorry too, Mom," his voice breaks too. "I don't hate you. I hate what you did, and I probably always will, but I don't hate you."
Lily smiles through her tears. "I'll take that."
They hug once more. It does feel right — too right. As they pull away, his eyes focus on a picture on the wall — the picture of him looking at his mom paint the same painting that used to be on his wall. His heart skips a beat. It's like he's finally coming full circle.
"What is it?" His mom asks.
He points at the picture. "It's… It's just that I had your painting on my wall for the longest time, and I just realized how much I missed it."
They share a smile.
"I love you, Harvey."
"I love you too, Mom."
Donna meets Lily in a way she never thought she would: dressed in leggings and a loose cream-colored sweater that, no matter how loose it is, it still shows off her baby bump. Their meeting happens in the lobby of the hotel she and Harvey are staying, and she's immediately taken by how easy Lily smiles at her, how grateful she looks to be having this moment.
Donna is grateful too. There was a time where she thought such a meeting would be impossible, either because Harvey would never make peace with his mom, or because Harvey was too distanced from her for her to even consider such a possibility. They have lunch together, and the conversation flows so easily that Donna wouldn't think Harvey has been estranged from her for so many years.
"I just want you to know, I've been rooting for you," Lily says at some point during dessert.
Donna snickers. Harvey rolls his eyes.
"I feel like my family is a Donna fan club," he mutters a little embarrassingly.
"It works if you're the club's president," Donna jokes.
They refrain from work talks, choosing safer topics like Marcus and his kids and even Donna's parents. Lily is excited about the baby and Donna is happy to show the pictures of little outfits and shoes and of the nursery that has yet to be finished. After lunch, they stroll on a park close to the hotel, and Donna is happy for the exercise because the baby has been restless since this morning and Donna thinks walking around helps somehow.
After a few minutes, Harvey's cell phone starts ringing.
"It's Louis," he says, making a face.
"Told you you should have turned off your phone," Donna says.
He gives her a sheepish look and lets go of her hand to answer the call without interrupting their current conversation. Donna just shakes her head at him, exchanging a look with Lily. She likes the woman — likes how Harvey took his grin from her, and the way she's been treating him since he decided to reach out. Donna takes in the park, the way it's all brown and orange and falling leaves. She thinks about bringing her daughter here in the future, just to see her play around the leaves, wondering if her hair will blonde or red or even brown.
"I'm so glad to have met you, Donna," Lily says. "I wanted to thank you, really."
Donna frowns slightly. "What for?"
"For not resenting me," she continues. "Harvey has his issues and I think I'm a big part of it. You had every right to want to keep your distance, and yet you're here."
Donna shakes her head. "No, I had no right. You're his family."
"I think you've been his family for longer," Lily says. "You were there for him when I couldn't be. I'm grateful."
"You've raised a wonderful man, Lily," Donna says softly. "It just took him some time to get that. Maybe things would have been easier for us, but maybe they wouldn't. It doesn't matter now."
"Still, I'm glad he reached out, and he tells me you're responsible for it," Lily tells her. "I'm glad you're here. I hope you'll let me be a part of your family."
"Of course you're a part of our family, Lily," Donna says immediately. "This baby needs more than one grandmother. If she's anything like Harvey, she's gonna want to be spoiled all the time."
Lily laughs. "Well, I can't wait to do that."
Donna reaches out for Lily's hand and squeezes it, hoping they've reached an agreement here.
They're both grateful for the right reasons, she thinks. Donna could never resent her for raising Harvey the way she has, even if her mistakes were deeply ingrained in him. Lily's son and the man Donna met all these years ago and fell for are the same man, and she could never resent him in any way.
He's more than just his trauma, but it's also part of him, and Donna never wanted him to change unless he wanted to change too.
They end up having dinner at Marcus's place tonight, and Donna is properly introduced to the rest of the family. She's glad Harvey refrained from speaking to Bobby much, deeming it better than an actual argument. One step at a time has been their motto for a while now, anyway.
But she has fun with Marcus and Katie and loves to see Harvey with Hailey and Joshua. The kids absolutely love him, that is plain to see, and she can't help but smile at the sight of him holding Joshua, who's just a little over a year old, and playing with Hailey on the floor of their living room. She tries to envision him holding their daughter like that, and meets Lily's eyes across the sofa.
He's gonna be such a good dad. She can't wait to see it.
For two people who have known each other very well, Harvey and Donna manage to find new things about each other since getting together almost every day. Some of them are good; some others, not so much. For example, Donna has too many shoes and bags. She'll say that a woman can never have too many shoes, but Harvey thinks she really does have too many, even he has a lot of suits as well. Honestly, his closet can't compare to hers. When he jokingly suggested they could use her bags as a baby bag, she didn't even laugh — and proceeded to buy three baby bags, because she needs options.
In addition to that, she's been trying new things in the kitchen. By new things, for Donna, it means actual cooking, and not take-out or frozen food. Some of her attempts are good. Some are terrifying. Thankfully she usually agrees when it's bad.
He's at fault too, he supposes — he has the terrible habit of taking off his shirt after boxing and leaving it anywhere that is not the laundry room. Donna is peeved about that constantly. He's trying to get better.
But aside from habits, there are little things here and there — like the fact that he watches Oprah occasionally in the morning (she will never let him forget that) and Survivor, and that he watches most baseball games, even if he's often at work. For her part, she usually sits next to him and endures a game or two, usually giving up after the first half an hour and getting a book to read next to him instead.
She's learned about Oprah and Survivor and his cooking skills, and he's learned that she's a voracious reader, likes to buy weird, random stuff online, and loves taking bubble baths.
Which is why he's not surprised when he gets home a little late and finds her in the bathtub, bubbles surrounding her, looking extremely relaxed.
"Hey," he says, a soft smile gracing his features. "I brought dinner."
"I'm too relaxed to stand up right now," Donna hums. Her hair is pulled up into a bun, and she doesn't even open her eyes to look at him.
"Well, then," he shrugs. "Can I join you?"
This time she opens her eyes and looks at him appreciatively. "I thought you'd never ask."
He sheds his clothes quickly — so quickly it makes Donna laugh. She moves forward a little, enough for him to enter the tub and sink behind her. The water is a little too hot for him personally, but he doesn't complain, especially not when Donna leans back and rests her head on his shoulder. She kisses him softly on the lips, a simple greeting, and he slides his hand around her waist to rest on her belly.
"How was today?" He asks as he relaxes too.
Things haven't been easy without Jessica, and with him now in the position of managing partner, it feels harder than usual. He doesn't pretend to be ready for the function — Donna would be a better managing partner than him, but he can't very well let Louis take the position when he clearly isn't in the right mind for it.
"It was fine. She's been kicking my ribs all afternoon, so I thought a bath might be a good idea," Donna sighs. "I think she may have damaged my kidney too."
Harvey chuckles. "Hey, we talked about that. No damaging Mommy."
"I think it's a little too late for that," Donna jokes. "I'm huge."
"You're beautiful," he says, pressing his lips repeatedly. "You know that, right?"
She shrugs. "It's good to hear it."
He laughs again. "You're rocking this pregnancy thing."
She shifts her head and meets his eyes, a mischievous grin on her face. "I am, right?"
His hand is wet when it touches her cheek, caressing her skin slowly. Her gaze moves to his lips and then his eyes, the grin never leaving her face.
"Yeah, you are."
The kiss is slower this time around, deeper. He can feel her hands digging into his thighs for support and her shallow breaths mixing with his.
Needless to say, they'll have to re-heat their dinner later.
With her due date approaching, Donna quickly decided not to take maternity leave until she absolutely had to, but she did not decline Harvey's offer for a spa day.
She could definitely use a spa day. She loves spa days — she's been missing spa days. So she takes a day off work and makes the most of it: she has her nails done, gets a facial, hydrates her hair and has more than one type of massage. By the time she's done, she's more than ready to face a quiet evening in, or maybe even an evening out with Harvey. When she leaves the clinic, feeling very much relaxed in her flip flops and leggings and sweater — her usual attire these days when she's not working — she doesn't see the familiar Lexus nearby.
It's only when she sees Ray leaving a rather big car that she recognizes that, maybe, that's their car now. She's confused.
"Harvey said you'd be surprised," Ray comments when she reaches him.
Of course, she's surprised. The car is much bigger than the old one — they're both Lexus and black, but otherwise, completely different.
"Harvey's never changed cars before consulting me," she comments, finding the whole thing a little odd. "Not that I know much about cars, really."
Ray frowns. "I remember you saying you were an expert once."
Donna laughs. "I was an expert once, yeah."
Ray shrugs, then opens the door for her. "Well, then. There's more inside."
She gives him a bewildered look, then enters the car.
The first thing she notices is how big the inside is. All black, very comfortable, very roomy.
The second thing she notices is the baby car seat on the other side of the passenger seats. It's black too, to match the car, and she sees that it's installed and ready to go. She examines this with her mouth agape, hands resting comfortably on her belly as she remembers that in a short time her baby will be sitting right there, looking at her.
Ray gives her a soft smile as he gets inside the car and starts driving away.
She notices other things too — window shades that had never been in a car owned by Harvey before, a tiny mirror next to the driver that looks straight to the baby seat, and there are even a few toys already stored in the back of the driver's seat.
It's overwhelming.
"Did Harvey do all this?" She asks, bewildered.
Ray nods. "I helped a bit, but he's the one who installed the car seat. I don't think he would have trusted anyone else."
Donna chuckles. "I think you're right about that, Ray."
So he finally found a car seat safe enough for their daughter.
She wonders what else he's been up to today, without her around to monitor him.
She's giddy by the time she reaches her apartment, unlocking the door with some care and tuning in for any sounds — the first thing she hears is jazz playing. Not her kind of jazz - his kind. His father's kind.
She follows the sound, going for the former guest room instead - the nursery now. She stops in her tracks when she looks inside the room.
There's Harvey, of course, turning around quickly from where he's standing, which is right beside the crib. The crib is exactly the one she wanted but couldn't find anywhere. And all the decorations they had chosen but not put into place are there too — the mirror is hanging on the wall, the dressing table, the soft white rug. Sure, the walls had been painted weeks ago, and some furniture was there before, but not like this. She walks in almost in a haze, eyes taking in everything — the bear plush rocker they had bought that day at Pottery Barn, the sheets, the little bookshelf filled with books they chose together.
It's all right here, just the way she wanted.
And Harvey, looking very much anxious to hear her thoughts.
"You like it?" He asks, unable to contain himself any longer.
"Like it? I love it," she says, now noticing the rocker chair next to the crib. "This is perfect."
"You wanna try it?" he points to the chair.
She nods silently, sitting on the chair and shifting to get comfortable. This isn't an item she chose, yet she loves it. She loves the fluffy cushions and she notices the breastfeeding pillow on the dresser too. It's perfect.
"We gotta find something for this wall, though," Harvey continues, pointing at the blank space above the crib. "You were right. It's missing something."
"I have something to put there," Donna says, leaning against the chair with a sigh. This is too comfortable. "I may have asked your mom to do a commission for me."
"You didn't."
She nods. "Yeah. She's not done with it yet, but as soon as it's here we can hang it."
Harvey takes one long stride before kissing her, and she can't stop smiling because this is truly perfect. She can already imagine their baby here with them, crying or needing to change her diaper or maybe just falling asleep. She can't wait for it to happen.
"You really like it?" he asks again once they pull away.
"Yeah," Donna tells him. "This is perfect. The entire nursery, that car seat… that car, Harvey!"
"Only the best for my girls," he grins, and she doesn't even care that she's crying.
She pulls him into another kiss and hopes their baby girl will be right on time to greet them soon because she really can't wait to meet her.
