Note: I'm so sorry for the long delay. I struggle with motivation at times, but I'm determined to finish this story. I also struggle to write fluff, so I'm really trying!
The impressively sized school auditorium was filled to capacity. From her seat, Rachel had to crane her neck to see around the mob of people.
"Where the hell's Harvey?" she mumbled, as she turned to face Mike who was sitting to her left.
Mike didn't look up as he read over the concert program. "I'm sure he'll be here."
Her boyfriend's noncommittal shrug annoyed her. Warily, she glanced towards the empty seat to her right. It was the only empty seat in the whole place, making Harvey's absence glaringly obvious. Beside the empty seat sat Donna, who was doing a horrible job of trying to hide her disappointment as Lizzie chattered on and on about the people in the room.
"Text him," Rachel insisted.
"I already did."
Rachel snapped out a low demand. "Text him again."
Mike finally looked up from the program with a soft smirk. "I'd rather not. He can be kind of a dick."
Rachel was not amused. The winter band concert was about to start, but instead of focusing on the children who had entered the stage, she focused on her best friend, and how crushed she would be if Harvey didn't show up.
"Remind me why I'm here again?" huffed Mike. "I feel like a predator."
"You said you wanted to see me tonight."
"Yeah. You. Not them." He motioned towards the stage as the band warmed up.
The pair had been inseparable since Thanksgiving, a fact that both Harvey and Donna teased them each about regularly. The lights dimmed, causing a break in the crowd as everyone sat down in their seats.
Rachel used the opportunity to look around the room again. There were dozens of men dressed in fine suits, but none of them were the one she was looking for.
"This will be the last you see me if he doesn't get here soon." Out of the corner of her eyes she noticed that Donna was also glancing around the room. Her gut twisted in sympathy.
Mike's mouth fell open. "Why am I his keeper all of a sudden?"
"You had one job to do."
He rolled up the program in his hand and then used it to tap out a rhythm against his leg. "Relax. He's not gonna forget his kid's recital." Deep in thought, Mike furrowed his brow before adding, "although, he did forget his own birthday last year."
At Rachel's narrowed eyes, Mike abruptly stopped talking. Donna would refuse to go on a date with Harvey if he didn't show up. She was sure of it. Rachel couldn't help but be invested in her friend's tragic love life.
"There's dad!" Lizzie exclaimed. Her voice was way too loud for the now quiet auditorium. Several heads turned as Harvey strolled through the back doors. His features showed nothing but calmness, even as the lights darkened completely and the concert began. "I told you he'd be here."
"I did too!" added Mike, as he leaned forward to give Lizzie a thumbs up signal.
"Shhhh," insisted Donna.
Harvey made his way over, apologizing to the people whose view he cut off as he did so. Rachel let out a relieved sigh as he finally sat down beside her and greeted everyone.
"Cutting it a little close, aren't you, Specter?" came Donna's light tone.
Rachel studied her friend's face, what little she could see of it anyway, now that Harvey was blocking her view. All traces of disappointment were gone. In fact, her eyes were bright, their happiness reflecting clearly in the lights of the stage.
Harvey sat back in his seat. "I like to live on the edge." He had a gift bag in his hand that he tucked under his legs before shooting a conspiratory glance at Mike.
"Well, did you get it?" Mike asked.
Harvey smirked. "Was there ever any doubt?"
Rachel glanced between the two with furrowed brows. "Get what?" she eventually asked Mike, once Harvey's attention moved to Donna and Lizzie.
Mike feigned indifference. She would have pressed further, but the concert began and soon she was too focused on Anna's saxophone skills to think about it any further.
The concert was long and drawn out, but Donna didn't mind. Seeing Anna up on stage, doing something that she loved was worth it. When her gaze wasn't on Anna, it was on Harvey, whose proud expression was on full display during Anna's solo.
Now that the concert was over, waiting around for her daughter to wrap up was the hardest part. The bathroom was over crowded and when Donna stepped out, she had trouble finding the faces of her family and friends.
Mike, Rachel, and Lizzie were nowhere to be found. Luckily her height gave her the advantage to spot Harvey across the room. It took real effort to slide through the mass of people, but finally she made it to him, only to find that he wasn't alone.
A petite woman stood beside him. They were engaged in friendly conversation until Donna arrived. Suddenly, she had two pairs of eyes on her.
"Kate, this is my uh…my…" Harvey stuttered, until Donna cut in to save him from himself. Why he had so much trouble introducing her she would never understand.
"I'm Donna. His ex-wife," she enjoyed the annoyed look on his face a little too much as she put an emphasis on the word ex.
Harvey's throat bobbed. "Donna, this is Kate. She's head of the PTO."
Of course she is. Donna thought, as she took in the woman's pristine appearance. Luckily, she didn't say the words out loud.
Kate suddenly swatted Harvey's arm, and then let her hand linger. "Your ex-wife? You had us all thinking you were a widower." Her big blue eyes fluttered gracefully in his direction. A smile spread her lips apart when Harvey let out a low chuckle.
Pure, unfiltered jealousy cut through Donna's confidence as the sound. "Did he now?" She managed to keep her tone sweet, despite the burning jealousy in her gut. She should have expected him to be the school's most eligible bachelor. She should have seen it coming.
"I never said that," Harvey insisted. He spared Donna a brief glance, but it wasn't long enough for her liking.
Kate flipped her dark hair behind her shoulder and moved in closer so that she could drop her voice low. Low enough that Donna had to strain to hear. "You said that you lost your wife. Here we all were, feeling so sorry for the handsome widower."
Harvey's ears reddened first. Then his cheeks. "I did lose her." He nodded. "I never said that she died."
Donna pursed her lips as the woman invaded his personal space. Her lips pursed even harder when he made no move to get away.
"Spoken like a true lawyer." Kate smiled.
Harvey smiled right back. "Best in the city."
He wasn't doing anything wrong, but Donna couldn't help the sudden feeling of possessiveness that overwhelmed her senses. It wasn't like with Paula. Or Scottie. Or…any other woman in his life, really. No. This was an all consuming burning feeling that made her feel like she may suffocate if she didn't mark her territory. Claim him as her own. She couldn't control what she did next. Without thinking, she grabbed his hand and laced her fingers through his. It was irrational and childish and so unlike her, but she didn't care.
"Honey," she drawled out, letting the foreign nickname roll off her tongue like it was an everyday occurrence. "Lizzie's looking for us." Her eyes met his and she watched as they went from shock to relief. "It was nice meeting you, Kate." She pulled Harvey away before the woman could even respond.
"Honey?" Harvey mused, once they made it a few feet away. "I don't remember you being the pet name type."
"Well I was afraid she'd start humping you right here in the lobby. I didn't wanna have to bail you out of jail for indecent exposure." Donna spotted Rachel across the room and she let out a sigh of relief. Embarrassment over what she had done was starting to sink in. Still holding his hand, she effortlessly weaved them in and out of the crowd to get to them.
Harvey put a stop to their forward progress though. He planted his feet and refused to keep moving. When she turned to find out why, his lips were curled into a sly grin.
"You're jealous."
"I am not!" Flustered, she tried to pull her hand away from his, but he was too quick. He tightening his fingers around hers, refusing to let her go. Donna felt like kicking herself. She should have known better. Once Harvey got a hold of something he wanted, there was no escape.
"You are," he insisted.
Donna rolled her eyes. "Shut up."
She had her mouth open to say more, but she had no choice but to shut it as he moved in and brushed his lips against hers. The feel of his soft lips made her nerve endings jolt to life. The kiss was brief, like a habit, but long enough that anyone watching would see the intimacy behind it.
His lips left hers and drifted up to her ear, where his breath gave her goosebumps. "I think it's hot." Her stunned expression must have amused him, because he grinned and then quickly added, "I figured I'd let all the PTO moms know that I'm off the market.
In that moment, she needed him to move away before she did what she had just accused Kate of wanting to do. She let out a long breath when his body stepped away from hers. "You're awfully presumptuous."
His grin never faded. "Maybe. Maybe not."
At his cockiness, she rolled her eyes, but didn't try to hide the fact that she was enjoying it. She didn't bother trying to move her hand from his as they continued to cross the room. Once they made it, they found Mike there too, along with Anna and Lizzie. The twins zeroed in on their joint hands instantly and shared a glance, but wisely kept their mouths shut about it.
"Anna, you were amazing, sweetie," Donna beamed. Harvey's fingers loosened and she used the moment to slip her hand out so that she could hug their daughter.
It was Harvey's turn to praise and hug her once Donna was finished. "I want to talk to Anna for a second," Harvey told them all. He reached his hand out and right on cue, Mike handed over the gift bag that Rachel had seen earlier.
Donna had no idea what was going on, but understood the feeling of needing a private moment, so she waved him off. Just as Harvey had struggled to bond with Anna, Donna too was struggling to bond with Lizzie. It wasn't something that would happen overnight. Dr. Lipschitz had made that clear in their second therapy session, but it was still a hard pill to swallow.
"You know what's in that bag, don't you Mike," Rachel guessed.
Mike made a show of sealing his mouth shut with his finger. "I've been sworn to secrecy."
Lizzie moved to stand next to Donna. "If it's something cool, she's gotta share it with me, right mom?"
Sibling rivalry was also a new part of life that none of them had figured out, especially the twins. As much as they loved each other, the girls were finding it hard to adjust to life with a sibling.
Donna put her arm around Lizzie's shoulders. "Let's just see what it is first, okay?" During their marriage, Harvey wasn't the greatest gift giver. She couldn't imagine what he would give an 11 year old.
Harvey led Anna a few feet away and spoke to her in tones much too low for them to hear.
"Rachel, this is officially the worst date ever. Are we just gonna awkwardly stare at them?" wondered Mike.
Rachel nudged him in the side with her elbow and then rolled her eyes. "We wouldn't have to if you would just tell us what the gift is."
Lizzie added, "I hope it's that new limited edition Starbucks cup. It changes color when you add something hot."
The comment earned a laugh from Rachel. "A cup for a band recital? That would be an odd choice."
Remembering the long list of weird gifts she had received, Donna also let out a laugh. "He gave me a pen for our first anniversary."
"A pen?" came Mike's amused tone. He lifted a fist to his face. "Oh man, thank you Donna. You just gave me the best ammunition to use against him."
Donna smirked. The more she got to know Mike, the more she liked him. He was like the younger brother she never had and never wanted. "I'm glad I could help."
They all watched as Anna opened the gift, but she was holding it too low for them to see what it was. Suddenly, she started to cry and on instinct, Donna stepped forward, but quickly got a hold of herself when Anna wrapped her arms around her father.
In her hand, was a familiar stuffed cat. Tears sprang to Donna's eyes instantly. "Oh my god."
Rachel's reaction was the same, and Mike rolled his eyes in jest. "I didn't realize a stuffed animal would make you swoon."
"Maybe you should take lessons from Harvey then."
Harvey, who looked like he was about to cry, and Anna, who was still crying, walked back over to the group.
"Mom, it's fluffy. Dad found fluffy. Can you believe it?" She shoved the well worn animal into Donna's hands. "I thought he was gone forever."
Donna in fact, couldn't believe it. Harvey was focused on Anna, so she used the opportunity to take in his appearance. His hands were in his pockets and his eyes were red, but his face was purposefully void of emotion. Her heart suddenly ached for the man who could feel so much, but not show it.
Anna took the stuffed animal back. "Look Lizzie, now I have mine again, too."
While Anna's attention moved to her sister, Donna forced Harvey to meet her gaze. "How'd you do it?"
Harvey's eyes lit up. "I have my ways."
Donna easily read him once again. "You bought a new one, didn't you?"
Harvey glanced towards the girls and then took her arm and gently pulled her away from the group. "Jessica put me in touch with the company that made them. They were discontinued four years ago, but I was able to convince them to make me one."
Donna's eyes widened in shock. "You convinced them?"
"They don't call me the best closer in the city for nothing."
Glancing back at Anna, Donna took in the stuffed animal's thread bare appearance. "But, how'd you make it look like hers?"
She expected him to shoot her a cocky grin, but instead, a sheepish smile spread gently across his lips.
"I had Mike get Rachel to show him pictures of Anna with it." Harvey put his hand in the air to silence any question she had. "Don't ask me how he got that accomplished without her getting suspicious. I don't even want to know."
Donna's brows furrowed. "Did he rough it up, too?"
"No. I paid the company extra for that."
A lump formed in her throat at the knowledge that he had gone through all that trouble just to replace Anna's stuffed animal. Over the years, she had forgotten how amazing he could be.
Swallowing hard, she took his hand in hers again. This time, not out of jealousy, but out of love. "You're a good man, Harvey." As expected, he was unable to handle the compliment. He quickly avoided her gaze, but squeezed her hand in acknowledgement.
"I just thought, maybe she'd let me in a bit if I got this for her. She can see me as a hero instead of a villain…for a minute, at least."
His shy gaze met hers. Communication wasn't easy for him, but he was getting better at it. She had the proof of it right there in front of her.
"Thank you for doing all that. She'll remember this forever."
Harvey's shoulders straightened as his confidence slid back over him like a well worn suit. "Will you, Donna?"
The warm sound of her name sliding off his tongue made her shiver. The combination of his words and actions to back them up left her emotional. "You're gonna make me cry if you keep this up."
Harvey's face lit up. "I'm just getting started. You still owe me a date."
Donna cocked her head as she thought over her upcoming schedule. Things were getting hectic with the play. "I'm free this Saturday night. It'll be my last free one while the show is running." She wasn't sure how it was possible, but somehow, Harvey's smile grew even wider.
"Saturday it is, then." He glanced over at Mike and Rachel before adding, "can you convince the love birds over there to watch the girls?"
"Trust me, it won't take much convincing. Rachel lives for this."
"Great. The girls can stay at your place then and I'll pick you up there."
Enjoying the way he took charge, she nodded happily. She could get used to the new and improved version of the man she had married.
