He feels a slight breeze gently brush across his cheek and a patch of warmth on his left shoulder as well. A bird chirps easily just out the cracked window and the combination of everything is so soothing and comforting it allows him to keep his eyes closed for a just a few more moments basking in the contentment of it all.
He blinks his eyes open to the bright sunshiny room and beholds the most adorable and welcome sight even the best of his dreams couldn't create. His breathtaking wife, curled up against his side, facing him and with her face tucked neatly atop his shoulder. Her features are soft and striking all at once even while relaxed in sleep. He takes a moment to appreciate her full rosy lips and the barely there dusting of constellations freckled across her cheekbones. He gently raises a hand to run his fingers through her sleep mussed auburn tresses. He can't seem to decide what his favorite of her features are as each one he comes across becomes top of his list until his eye gazes upon the next.
For a moment it's her hair. Her hair has always been a source of fascination for him from the moment he first laid eyes upon her at the ripe age of eleven. It was what he first noticed of her, prior to her cutting cheek. Over the years his gaze never lingered far from her and even though he swears he needn't see her to know where she was, her vibrant spirit and his hearts desire for her had that under lock and key, but it always made his heart beat much faster against his chest each time he spotted her gorgeous red hair in a sea of neutral browns, blondes, and blacks. He remembers vividly, so vividly, the first time she allowed him to touch her hair. He craved to feel the soft locks between his rough and calloused hands for far longer than he cares to admit. But the moment he was able to run his fingers through her hair was a bucket list item checked off. But even more than that, he was beyond chuffed that his schoolboy crush turned into something much more meaningful and well, irrevocable.
Next he believes it could be her skin. Her warm milk and roses complexion. So soft and supple and clear of any impurities. Her freckles only adding abundantly to her beauty. His desire to run his lips across each and every one became his favorite past time in the early days of their relationship. When he learned that she would allow him to push the limits as long as he worshiped her. Which he did. Often. He spoke in hushed reverent tones of how much he loved her skin. How the paleness, a deep contrast to his own dark olive skin, was beautiful in its own right as it belonged to her. How much he adored the slight blush her body gave with every loving word and caress. And especially how, before their days as a couple, she would turn bright red in heated fury at him, cutting him with that cheek again. Always the cheek. And lastly how he, as a stupid idiot boy of youth, wanted nothing more than to see her red with passion and how he riled her up purposefully to see her cheeks tinted in anger at him.
He hears a soft cry from down the hall which drags his attention away from his beautiful girl. Not wanting to wake her, he presses a gentle kiss to her temple and rises slowly and quietly from their bed. He goes to their dresser and pulls on a pair of pajama pants before padding his way down the hall to the second door on the left. When he pushes the door open, his eyes melt in happiness at the sight of adorableness only second to his wife. His baby, Harry.
"Hey baby boy. How's my little man this morning?" James goes to pull his son out of his crib and cradles him against his chest. He kisses Harry's full head of ebony black hair, as wild and crazy as his own, and chuckles heartily when the baby nuzzles his face sweetly into his dads neck.
"What's say to some breakfast, hmm?"
Harry leans back and looks at James with wide attentive eyes, his mums eyes, and James takes that as a yes.
He saunters his way downstairs to the cheery little kitchen, Harry in hand, and grabs a bottle of Lily's breastmilk out of the fridge. Harry's precious little nubby hands reach for said bottle instantaneously upon sight of it. James chuckles as he watches his son, apparently ravenous, as he suckles the bottle with utter attentiveness.
James places Harry in his high chair as he sets off to make breakfast for his slumbering beauty upstairs. He pops some biscuits into the oven and fries them each two eggs and a side of crispy bacon. The kettle is chirping merrily at him just in time as he plates the food. With a simple wave of his wand a pair of tea cups fly out of the cupboard and find their place on the tray next to the delicious breakfast and pot of tea ready to be levitated upstairs. He finishes off the tray with the freshly buttered biscuits, jars of jam and marmalade on the side, and a bowl of Lily's strawberries from their garden. He grabs a handful of daisies from the garden and ties a piece of twine around the stems to give to her.
James grabs Harry from his high chair, sans empty bottle, hands him the bouquet of daises, and waves his wand at the tray full of food to follow behind.
James pushes the door to his bedroom open to see Lily still curled up asleep in bed. He wants not to wake her but knows she is in need of food to help replenish her energy and milk supply to her breasts and will be more than happy to be woken up to her baby. He directs the tray to the foot of the bed as he slips beneath the covers, holding Harry closely to his chest. Lily must feel a dip in the bed because her arm reaches for his warmth and when she finds it, she hums contentedly. A soft breathy sound that makes James heart constrict in love and desire for her. He lays back against the pillows, Harry sitting happily upon his chest, and wraps an arm around his wifes beautifully freckled shoulder, pulling her gently against his side once again. She wraps a leg across his hips, scooting as close to him as humanly possible, and nuzzles deeply into his neck, lips pressed delicately against his skin. They are sticky and soft and oh so what he needs.
He leans down and presses many feather light kisses to her head and face, careful to reach every blessed freckle. She hums delightfully, yet again, and he chuckles against her hair. He cant help it. He is the luckiest bloke on the planet for this to be his daily life.
His soft laughter has her peeping an eye open at him. She squints cutely, scrunching her nose and eyes against the bright morning light streaming through the window and rubs her face into his bare chest to hide from it. He hugs her even tighter against him and whispers with hot breath into her ear.
"Good morning, love." His voice is raspy with sleep. It is still morning…
He feels her spine shiver and smiles to himself. It will never, ever, no matter how much time has passed, get old that Lily Evans reacts to him this way. That his dream girl personified actually married him, carried his child that they made together, and lays beside him each and every night will always be a bit - a lot - mystical to him.
He hums contentedly into his wifes hair. He smells her shampoo from their bath last night. Sweet strawberries. He dips his head down to nip a bit at her ear and is startled slightly by Harry falling forward to lay on his belly against James bare chest. James takes in the sight of his baby boy and laughs. His wild curls are everywhere. Harry, never missing the opportunity to mirror his dad, laughs along with him. The sound of the babies laugh gets Lily to rouse from sleep entirely. She curls around in her husbands arms and her eyes alight with sheer joy and happiness upon the sight of her child. She giggles, the sound sweet and soulful to James' ears, and reaches her hands out to wrap gently around Harry's head as she presses many enthusiastic and noisy kisses to every inch of his head and face. Harry and Lily both continue to laugh as they greet each other for the day. James watches on with bright eyes and an even brighter smile. Life honestly can not get any better than this. It moves almost in slow motion as he watches the two people he loves most in this world, his lovely little family.
James grabs the bundle of flowers from beside him and with a flourish, presents them to his gorgeous wife. Her eyes, the most magnificent of green, melt when she sees him hold them out to her. Her cheeks are ruddy with happiness even as she bites her lower lip between her teeth to suppress her bright smile. Her flaming hair frames her face and tumbles down beneath her breasts, covered by the sheet held up to her slight frame. Eyes pinned to his, she takes the bundle of fresh flowers with the hand not holding the sheet up to her bosom, and brings them to her nose to smell. He watches her eyes drop close and shoulders lift slightly with the deep breath she takes in.
"Mmmm." She opens her eyes, looking to James, and smiles, her smile saved just for him. She turns to look at Harry and wiggles a finger across his chubby cheeks. "Daddy's so sweet for picking these flowers for mummy isn't he?" She turns her dazzling eyes back to him and grins.
James can't help but grin back, stupidly in love with her that he is. He runs a hand through her hair and leans forward to press a good morning kiss to her supple lips. She kisses him back, ardently for a moment, then tilts her head to nip the corner of his mouth, his jaw, and his neck.
James' chuckle turns into a groan as she grazes the spot just below his ear. "Daddy also made breakfast for mummy and brought it to her in bed."
He wraps an arm around her waist and places a kiss to her shoulder as she turns to see the breakfast tray at their feet. She turns to look at him over said shoulder, cheeks and eyes alight with warmth for him. She leans back to press a sweet kiss to his cheek.
"I love you."
"I love you too, baby."
James lays back against the plush pillows and head board, Harry tucked neatly into his arms, as Lily brings the tray of mouth watering food across their laps.
They spend their morning, eating, laughing, and chatting merrily with one another. After a while, James watches his wife cradle his baby against her chest as he snacks, his late morning milk if you will, while she pops strawberry after strawberry into her pretty mouth.
She must feel his gaze on her because she turns her head to look at him, eyebrow raised in curiosity. "Yes, love?"
He smiles at her, a crinkly eye smile, and shakes his head. "Nothing, just -" He brings his hand up to her cheek, which she tilts her head into. "Just you're so beautiful and sexy. Especially when you feed our baby and eat strawberries while doing so."
That gets her to laugh loudly, hand coming up to cover her mouth. She looks at him with sparkling emerald eyes and grabs his hand. She squeezes it and brings it to her mouth to kiss.
"You're ridiculous." She shakes her head at him, laughter still filling those sparkly eyes.
He winks at her and removes his hand from her grasp to tuck a strand of red hair behind her ear. "You're ridiculous if you think I'm lying."
"I know you're not lying and that you truly do think that about me and that, my love, is what makes you ridiculous."
At that moment, Harry pulls away from Lily and reaches out for his dad. James takes the baby and holds him up on his lap. Harry's eyes are drowsy, heady with milk, and is ready for a nap.
James watches his son and marvels at how much Harry has taken after him. It's bitter sweet of course, as James wanted nothing more than a little Lily running around at their ankles. But oh so sweet in the sense that Harry has been gifted by the good Lord above, his mothers eyes. And thats when James decides that his utmost favorite feature of his Darling Lily are her eyes. Full of every emotion. The most luscious of green. Forever memorialized by their son.