A/N:  hey guys! Hope you like this update !!

Don't forget to follow my social media where I'll be giving update info, answering questions and having a little fun with spoilers and plot points

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@scarwattpad

Elena's Twitter account is now caught up to the baby honey storyline ! So now it's going to be used as her social media account ! Her updates will give you some insight into what will be in the next chapters, her thoughts and feelings, and she's open to interaction so go give it a follow for a bit of fun !!

https://twitter.com/elenarosegraham

@elenarosegraham

Stay safe and love you all !!

Harry's P.O.V

"It's on the left just up here" Elena tells me as she uses her fingers to point out the direction. I turn left and we drive up the road until we see an old yellow building that looks like a retirement village from far away, but the high fences surrounding the building give it an entirely new feel.

"There's an area through here where we can park" Elena gestures again to a large patch of gravel where some other cars are parked. I pull into a free space and shut off the car, turning to her as she doesn't immediately get out. She takes a deep breath in through her nose and rests her head completely back against the seat.

"Just preparing myself, it helps me" Elena turns her head slightly towards me and says with a small smile. I can't even imagine all the different times that she's come here to do this, and not all of them would have been good visits. Her eyes close for a second and she takes one final deep breath before sitting up straight and unbuckling her seatbelt.

"Okay I'm ready" She announces as she leans down to pick up her bag. I climb out and walk around to her side, waiting for her to climb out to lock the door. When she does, her hand immediately finds mine as we walk up to the main visitors entrance. It truly does look like a retirement village, except there are large security guards standing behind the desk and heavy looking key card access doors on either side of the receptionists desk.

"Good Morning, we're here to take my mother out for a few hours. Her name is Claudia Graham" Elena puts her hands up on the reception desk and speaks to the older woman sitting in front of a computer. She smiles kindly and picks up a phone sitting beside her and dials a few numbers.

A minute or so later, Claudia accompanied by a male nurse emerge from one of the heavy doors. Claudia has always looked very fragile to me but today she looks really well; she seems well rested, happy, nicely dressed, Elena must be excited.

"What a lovely colour on you!" Claudia grins at me as Elena wraps her in a tight hug. I chuckle and look down at the sweater, I'm glad it brought a smile to her face. Claudia closes her eyes momentarily as she soaks up her hug before pulling back so that Elena can sign some of the forms produced by the male nurse.

"You issued me a challenge" I say proudly as her arms wrap around the side of my waist. I put my arm around her shoulder and give her a soft hug, watching as Elena briefly talks with the male nurse.

"And it's wonderful to see, you look lovely in bright colours you should wear them more often. Both of you should, it's all that London attitude of being properly dressed that's gone straight to your heads" Claudia smiles as she responds, directing that last half to both Elena and myself who has now joined us.

"He wore it just for you mumma" Elena states proudly as we all walk back out of the front entrance and head towards my car. I don't know if Elena and her mum ever do this, go out into public together, from what I've heard they normally hang out at the facility or in her room so I think this will be a new experience for us all.

"And you should do it more often" Claudia grins up at me as I open the door to the backseat of the car for her to climb into. When she does I close the door and climb back into the drivers seat.

"Okay I'll put in the first address" Elena leans forward and touches the screen on the dashboard, opening up the navigation section.

"How was the drive up?" Claudia asks after she clicks in her seatbelt. I back out of the parking spot and begin to follow the navigation.

"Not too bad actually, we got on the road quite early" Elena replies for me.

"And on your day off, my poor baby you're so sweet" Claudia leans forward slightly and puts a hand on Elena's shoulder.

"It's an exciting day" Elena replies with a small smile as she stares out the front window, her hand resting on top of Claudia's.

"How's your mum Harry?" Claudia asks me after a moment or two, settling back into the back seat.

"She's great, not sure if Elena had the chance to tell you yet but she'd love for you to come up and celebrate Christmas with all of us" I tell her, checking for her response in the rear view mirror. She looks as though she could cry, if she weren't smiling so much I'd be worried that I had upset her.

"Oh wow, that would be wonderful. I would love that very much" She says with a wide smiles and big eyes. Elena twists around in her seat and holds her hand out to Claudia, who takes it in her hand and holds it tightly.

"A proper family Christmas together, it's been a while since that's happened" Claudia says to Elena, somewhat cheerfully. I turn down a small lane as Elena nods her head.

"Now Harry, how many people will be there?" Claudia asks me after she wipes the underneath of her eyes, and I think I know where she's going with this.

"No Claudia you're not buying us gifts" I tell her firmly.

"Just tell me" She gives me a small laugh. "I want to know what to expect" She adds, that's a fair point.

"Well on actual Christmas Day it will be a packed house for lunch; my uncles and aunts come by with their kids. But the main group will be us, my mum, mums boyfriend Peter, my sister, her husband and their two kids." I affirm. When we stop I should let my mum know that Claudia's agreed to come. Christmas is still over two months away but I know how much mum likes to be prepared.

"Those photos you sent me from the christening were so lovely" Claudia says in a happy tone.

"We babysat them for the whole weekend the other day, I'll show you some of those photos when we stop" Elena tells her with a wide grin.

"Fantastic. I take it you're really close with your sister Harry?" Claudia asks me. I guess in retrospect we haven't had many of these deep familial conversations yet.

"We were quite close growing up but we did drift slightly when I started the hotels and she went into teaching. But now we're a lot closer" I tell her with a small nod. We both spent quite a bit of time away from home, and I will admit I did drop the ball on keeping up contact with her a lot. It's not like we went months without talking or anything, but it was longer than it should have been.

"I sometimes wonder if it would have been nice for Elena to have a sibling growing up" Claudia says wistfully, Elena is about to respond but I interject.

"Well she has one now, Gemma won't shut up about how great it is to have a sister" I say as the navigation ends and we pull up outside a small group of cottages sitting side by side. They all have small gardens out the front and a high standing chimney on the roof. Very old English.

"These are so lovely!" Claudia exclaims happily as a woman emerges from one of the front doors and waves to us. I'm guessing that's Julia, the real estate agent who I've been dealing with the last few weeks. This is the one that both Elena and Claudia are really excited about, but there are others that we can have the opportunity to look at later.

We all climb out of the car and cross the basically empty road to reach Julia who stands by the gate.

"You must be Harry, I'm Julia Preston it's nice to finally meet you" Julia sticks out her hand for me to shake, and I do so before turning to Claudia.

"This is the client Claudia Graham, she's the one you'll be needing to impress today" I tell her by way of introduction. Claudia flushes and shakes hands with Julia before she shows us inside. I allow Claudia to go first and hang back with Elena, who grasps my hand in both of hers and sticks close by my side.

Now to me, the house is fairly unremarkable and probably a bit of a fixer upper. There is a new kitchen and bathroom but the rest of the house is a bit worse for wear. The paint is slightly chipping in places, the floors are a little scuffed and the garden is wild and not well maintained. But as we travel from room to room, I watch as both Elena and Claudia's faces light up with enthusiasm and possibility. They excitedly giggle between one another about new carpeting, painting walls pastel colours, curling up in front of the fully operational fireplace.

"I'll give you three some time to think about it, I'll just be outside" Julia politely excuses herself as Claudia, Elena and I walk around the surprisingly spacious living room. Both Elena and I turn to Claudia, wanting a review.

"I love it, I completely and utterly love it" Claudia bursts out almost the second the door closes behind Julia. "I love the character it has, I like that I could turn it into my own space, it's not too central but not too far away, it's a safe neighbourhood, there's a sweet little village nearby. I really think it's perfect" She says with a happy sigh, turning to look at me.

"If you're happy then we'll take it" I tell her. I've already done my research on this place; it's low crime, an approved distance from her out patient counsellor, she can get local work nearby, it's pretty perfect. Claudia gives me a nod and a wide smile.

"I think I'd be really happy here" She confirms just before Julia walks back in, a black book clutched in her arms.

"We'll take it, whatever the asking price is" I tell Julia, who seems quite taken aback at first. I've forgotten what the price on this one is, but it's nothing I can't swing. Elena tugs on my arm slightly as Julia directs us into the dining room to sign some documents.

"Don't you want to like negotiate on the price or something?" She asks me in a low whisper. I shrug and kiss her on the top of her head.

"Why waste time? Come on let's sign these papers and grab some lunch somewhere"

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"I'm completely fine with just getting the essentials really, you don't need to go to all this extra effort" Claudia says for maybe the fourth time. Having signed all the papers and got a quick bite to eat, we've gone further into town to some furniture sorted out for her.

"You're not living in a home that isn't properly furnished with what you need" I repeat myself again. She's so like her daughter, willing to accept the bare minimum in an effort to not be too over imposing on other people. Claudia smiles up at me before looking back at the selection of toasters. So far we've managed to get a bed, a couch, a fridge and a microwave, but she needs more than that to make a house. We have to get her back to the facility soon, the rest will have to be ordered online or sorted out once she moves in.

"You truly are a lovely man, and I couldn't want anyone better for my little angel" She gestures towards Elena a few rows away, talking Heather through another 'baby daddy crisis'.

"I'm a lucky man" I tell her with a smile as she finally makes a selection, loading the light blue toaster into the shopping cart we have beside us.

"You certainly are, and I will admit I had my worries about you at first" She smiles widely over at me. I raise an eyebrow.

"You did?" I ask.

"Of course I did. You were her first boyfriend, you're much older than she is and you lead a very different life to her. I was so worried that someone would come along and take advantage of her kindness and her good nature, and I'm glad you were the opposite of that" She replies warmly. And really she has a few good points there, I don't know if I was what she would have expected when Elena told her she had met someone.

"Well I'm glad that you approve of me" I say with a small nod.

"Whole heartedly. You brought my little girl back to life." Is all she manages to say before Elena rejoins us in our aisle.

"So sorry about that, Heather just needed to vent. Oh I'm glad you went with that one" She peers into the cart with a small grin. "Now we need things like towels, sheets, cutlery, plates, mugs, all that kind of thing" Elena announces, leading us down the back towards the linen department.

With a delivery of all the items arranged for Claudias move in day, we get back into the car and drive back to the facility.

"How are you feeling mumma?" Elena asks just before we turn down the street that leads to the facility.

"So incredibly happy darling. It's been a long time since I've had some real independence, it's going to be lovely to have that again" Claudia replies blissfully. Turning in to the facility, the male nurse who brought Claudia out before is standing by the main entrance so I just pull up right outside, it looks like it will have to be a drop and go sort of situation.

"I'm really happy for you mumma, it's been a long time coming" Elena says with a happy sigh, turning her head slightly towards me to give me a warm smile as I pull the car to a stop.

"I'm happy for me too. Alright then hop out both of you, I need a cuddle. Yes you too Harry" Claudia tells us as she unclips her seatbelt and climbs out. I put the car in park and Elena and I climb out. Elena reaches her first, wrapping her small mum up in a tight bear hug, both of them with their eyes firmly squeezed shut. I lean against the door of the car, waiting for the two of them to finish up. When they both pull away, I can see Elena's eyes going glossy before Claudia pulls me into a hug herself.

"You take care of my girl, and yourself" Claudia says to me quietly. I rub her back and smile to myself. Elena is the most precious thing in Claudias life, and she trusts me to look after her.

"And you keep well Claudia, pick out some paints for your new house" I tell her with a grin before giving her one final squeeze and letting her go. Elena has already climbed into the car and waves to her mum as the male nurse places a gentle hand on her back and guides her back in through the set of doors. I round the car and climb into my side, immediately observing Elena wiping her eyes.

"Hey..." I say gently, brushing my thumb over her cheek as she sadly smiles, using the sleeve of her sweater to wipe her other cheek.

"This happens everytime, it's always hard leaving her behind" She tells me solemnly.

"But hey, that was the last time" I say with a small grin. The next time we come up to see a Claudia will be at her final discharge meeting, where we help her pack up her things and get her out of there forever. Elena grins softly at me and twists her head slightly to give the pad of my thumb a soft kiss.

"You're right, I never have to do that again" Elena says, smiling to herself and nodding her head before taking one final glance at the facility.

"Are you ready for a hometown tour?" She asks me with brighter eyes than a few moments ago. I start the car and give her a nod.

"Fuck yes" I tell her, my grin mirroring hers before we leave the facility behind and head out on the open road.

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"Oh I love this music shop!" Elena suddenly says, taking my hand and guiding me over to one of the little stores near the village centre. It's an old run down record store with dingy lighting and only a couple of customers inside.

"Spent a lot of time in here?" I ask her, leaning down slightly and lowering my voice to avoid looks from the other patrons.

"Some, most of it was with my dad" Elena tells me with a small shrug and a little smile, flicking through a box of old records. "When I was around 6 or 7 he had a trucking job where he would do long distance deliveries, can't remember what he was delivering now" She begins, I can't believe she's actually about to tell me a story about her dad. She tucks some of her hair behind her ear and walks around the aisle to the next section of records. I follow close behind, eager to hear anything about her past she's willing to share.

"And in the school holidays I would come with him. Sometimes if we had extra money at the end of the month, we would come down here and buy a CD. And one time he even let me pick one for us to listen to while on the road" She smiles fondly as she repeats the story.

"What did you pick?" I ask her with a smile and lean against the wall, watching as she grins to herself before looking back up at me.

"S Club 7, not sure which album" She tells me with a shy grin. I can't help but roll my eyes and laugh a little.

"He would listen to the songs too!" She continues with a laugh. "Even though he liked stuff like Guns n Roses and the Rolling Stones. We would listen to them for hours and become word perfect. I'd sit in the front seat with him and he'd even let me honk the horn sometimes" She grins softly as she lifts up a record and flips it over. So I guess she does have some nice memories with her dad.

"Sounds like a fun time" I tell her with a wide smile, she nods her head absentmindedly before sliding the record back into its place. Just over her head, something catches my eye.

"Is that a Fender?" I ask more to myself than anyone else, moving across the floor to take a better look at the guitar hanging on the wall behind the counter. It just seems so completely out of place amongst the other guitars mounted on the wall ready for purchase. It's pristine, no scratches or obvious wear to it. I can't even imagine why it's here in this dingy little town when instead of wasting away in some rundown music store it could be cared for and played.

"Sure is, you want it?" The man behind the counter asks, barely looking up from his paperback book, completely uninterested in the fact that he's about to sell me that guitar.

"How much you want for it?" I ask the man as Elena appears by my side. The man looks me up and down for a moment, then at the guitar, what a day to wear a bright yellow sweater, thanks for making me look like a simpleton Claudia. Luckily I have a few less ridiculous shirts I will soon be changing into back in the car.

"£250?" He states with a shrug, and he knows he's made a mistake not asking for more as soon as I take my wallet out. I can see Elena's small smile out of the corner of my eye as the man turns back to the wall and carefully lifts it up off of the wall and disappears behind a black curtain with it.

"That seems like an impulse purchase" Elena says quietly to me, resting her forehead slightly on my shoulder.

"I think I'm good for it" I tell her with a smirk, feeling that familiar igniting feeling as her hand brushes against mine. This is the good part about having money, you can just do things on a whim, even after buying a house for your girlfriends mother hours earlier.

"You should wear more colour, I really love this on you" Elena says softly before standing up on her tiptoes and pressing a soft kiss against my cheek. It's so gentle and sweet and unexpected, well fuck if she loves it that much when I'm not doing business I'll wear fucking Hawaiian shirts and neon sweaters, just for a smile like that.

The man reappears from the back curtain with an old black guitar case and starts pushing some buttons on the cash register, the kind that makes a clicking rattling sound every time it's touched. I swipe my card and take the case from him, walking out hand in hand with my girl and my new Fender.

"Where to next?" I ask Elena as she directs me back in the direction of the car.

"Well school is in session so I can't show you around there like you did for me in Manchester, but I can take you to the hill beside it where I would hang out with my friends sometimes" She smiles up at me as we climb into our respective sides of the car.

"Please tell me you went there to drink or smoke or something?" I ask with a slight smirk. All because we had a spot fairly similar by our school where the older students liked to go and drink cheap beer, smoke weed and make out. I'd love to have pictured Elena going through some kind of angsty teen phase, black make up and all.

"Not at all! We did our homework there!" Elena laughs, typical nerd. She gives me some brief instructions before I start the car and ask my next question.

"You seriously never went through a rebellious phase? At all?" I ask her. I figured everyone did, I didn't think that was something that could be skipped.

"When would I have had the time? My dad left and my mum went crazy before I got the chance to go through my phases" Elena says with a small smile. I'm unsure of what to say, and luckily Elena saves me, placing a hand on my knee. "It's okay to laugh about my sad sad childhood, I do now" She tells me.

I shake my head with a small smile, almost in disbelief. This therapist must be really working wonders, I used to have to pry information out of Elena like I was a cop and she was a suspect. Oh, Elena in handcuffs....fuck stop getting distracted like that!

"So I'm allowed to ask about stuff from your childhood without making you uncomfortable?" I ask cautiously. It's a book we've never really opened, and I think it's probably time that we did. But if she's not comfortable then I can wait.

"Yes you are, thank you for asking me" She says with a sincere smile, threading her fingers through my free hand. She tells me to turn left and park as we come to the base of a rather tall hill. We both climb out and I go into the back seat, pulling the yellow sweater up and over my head and digging through my overnight bag for a white checkered cardigan.

"Too hot?" Elena asks, walking around to the open door and watching as I zip up the bag. The weather has gotten slightly warmer, but I'm more just trying not to stand out too much on the side of this hill for all to see.

"Little bit" I reply, I'm about to get out of the car when Elena holds up her hand.

"Bring your new guitar! You can play me a song" She instructs me with a megawatt grin. I sigh with a small smile and grab the handle of the guitar case, pulling it out with me and locking the door. Ascending the hillside hand in hand with Elena.

"Alright so what age range would young Elena come here and do homework with her friends?" I ask her as we sit down on an even patch of grass. Elena has apparently come prepared, and laid down a small rug for us both sit down on.

"Around 10 or 11. My mum told me to just get home before the street lights come on and not to get arrested" Elena recounts to me as she dusts some dirt off of her palms.

"That does not sound like the Claudia I know" I admit, sitting the guitar case down beside me and turning my full attention to her. She shakes her head and looks over the countryside below her.

"Nope, that was before all this stuff with my dad and her mental health. And she said that because she knew I'd always be home way before that anyway" She responds with a small nod.

"Why?" I ask.

"Because I wanted to go home and tell both my mum and dad about my day. I missed them when I was in school. We were a real tight unit" Elena tells me with a small smile. I don't know if I ever had that feeling, I always hated school and was never super keen to talk about it with my mum.

"And then he left" I say softly, watching as she slowly nods her head.

"And my mum slowly lost her mind" Elena adds quietly. I have about a thousand questions about that whole period of Elena's life, but I start with one.

"What happened after your mum went into the facility? Like, where did you live?" I ask her in a soft voice. Elena blinks for a second before sitting up slightly, pulling her knees against her chest and wrapping her arms around them.

"I had just turned 16 so legally I was still a child, if no family member was going to take me in I would have gone into the foster care system. But I begged my aunt to take me in even though she and my mum didn't have a very good relationship. And she agreed, but she only agreed to tell the government that I was there. She said she had her own family to look after and couldn't afford one more, so she gave me a little bit of money and a run down shitty car and sent me on my way" Elena tells me in a flat and even tone. The words churn in my gut, I'm practically holding back curse words and gasps of horror, but she's only just beginning.

"I stayed with a couple of friends for some of the time, but when their parents grew suspicious of my constant wish to sleep over I would sleep in my car. That became tricky during winter because of how cold it got. So I started going to school to sleep" She continues, as though the answers couldn't have been more obvious.

"You slept in your school?" I ask. "How?" I add when she nods her head. A small smile flits across her face before she readjusts her seated position and continues.

"In the library there was a back section that was filled with these massive bean bags where people would sit in and read during the day. After school I would go to the library and read until closing time, and after that I would hide underneath the bean bags as the security did a walk through before locking up. The security measures were basically just the security guard locking up at the end of the day because the school was too poor to install security cameras or motion detectors or anything like that."

"From then on I'd roam the halls basically. The teachers lounge had a jug where I could make noodles or cups of soup, there were vending machines for other snacks and the gym showers to freshen up in. I'd set an alarm on my phone an hour before anyone ever got there and go to the gym and have a shower, if anyone ever questioned why I was there so early I'd just say I had an early morning run" Elena tells me this almost proudly, smiling to herself as she recounts the details of what was essentially the tales of a homeless teenager.

"It got tricky if I had work in the afternoons, then I'd have to sleep in my car or try to find an unlocked door at the side of the building, but for the most part it was a foolproof plan" Despite her convincing smile and warm disposition, I can feel my heart breaking for my bub. How the fuck could so many people have failed her so many times?

"That's really rough bub" I say softly, unable to keep the sadness out of my voice. She tilts her head slightly to the side and shrugs her shoulders a little.

"I told you my life was sad" She responds with a knowing smile.

"How are you still so positive?" I ask her, she looks at me perplexed. "I just mean that life has continuously fucked you over, how are you still so nice to everyone?" I'm genuinely looking for an answer. She's so trusting and genuine and kind to everyone, even those who don't deserve it. I was a dick to her when we first met and yet she stuck by me, insisting the whole time that I was a good person when really she just pulled the goodness out of a place of pitch black darkness. 

"Because even though life isn't always nice it doesn't mean that people shouldn't be." She replies cheerfully, tucking her hair behind her ear. "If I walked through life and was mean to everyone or was cynical about how much life sucks all the time then I wouldn't have the wonderful things that I have now" She lays a hand on mine and gives it a reassuring squeeze. I guess it's true, if she had been a moody bitch I don't know if this would have worked. Because when I first saw her, holy fuck, it was just a big burst of light that shook me to my core.

"You know you could never lose me right?" I tell her with complete sincerity. This woman is my foundation, my home, my wild and my calm, and there is not a god damn thing that this world could do to take me from her. She looks as though she's suppressing a wide grin, and I believe she's about to say something philosophical about how 'I couldn't possibly know that', but I double down.

"I'm serious. I've told you this many times and I'll keep telling you this forever. You're stuck with me. You're so wildly wonderful and I fucking love you and you're totally stuck with me" I confess with a quiet grin, watching as she moves across from her spot and climbs into my lap as I speak. She dots a small row of kisses along my chin before I angle my head to press her lips against mine. Savouring the faint taste of strawberry chapstick, the honey and vanilla of her perfume, her hands threading through my hair with fingers covered in rings both hers and mine.

"I love you" She whispers sweetly against my lips, her breath ghosting over my lips as she does. "Now sing me a song" She demands before quickly scurrying off my lap and sitting beside me. I can't help but laugh at her eager nature as I reach around and open up the guitar case and take out the Fender.

"You're so bossy" I chuckle as I sit the Fender on my lap, testing out a few notes before launching into a quiet song. It's slightly out of tune, and I'm a little rusty, but bub wants a song so a song she'll get. And as it turns out, she loves an Elvis song.

————————————————————————

We've been back in London for a few days now, back to the dreadful day to day grind. I'm about to look over some numbers when my phone sitting on the desk in front of me lights up and begins to buzz.

HEATHER (Elena's friend)

Why is Heather calling me right now? We don't chat much, and when we do it's about Elena. Fuck something could be wrong with Elena.

"Hello?" I answer the phone.

"Hello Mr Millionaire. Sorry I know you're probably busy and so am I but I wanted to talk to you about planning Elena's birthday party" She responds quickly, putting my mind at ease. I've had her gifts sorted out for a while, but a party on the other hand may require more time and effort on my part.

"Yeah that's a good idea, do you have anything in mind?" I ask her, leaning back in my chair and spinning it around to look out the window at the view.

"I have a couple of different ideas. She loved the arcade last year that was a total slam dunk, so something similar to that is probably a good way to go" Heather replies with slight enthusiasm. I'm glad that party had her approval, and that Elena enjoyed it so much. If her first birthday as my girlfriend had been a total flop that wouldn't have been ideal.

"So activity based things?" I ask, a hundred different activities whirring through my head.

"Kind of. Activities we used to do when we were kids. Maybe not you because I know the only real entertainment you had in your childhood was a stick and a hoop" Heather laughs at her own joke, and even I crack a smile at it. I can only imagine the kind of old man jokes she and Elena crack at my expense when I'm not around. I'm really not even bothered by it, because I got the girl at the end of the day, I won.

"Ha ha. So what are some of your ideas" I say, grabbing a pen and a notepad sitting beside my laptop.

"I was thinking something like a roller rink party or maybe ice skating. Or we could do a couple of different escape rooms. Maybe a murder mystery. Or you know, you Mr Millionaire could fly us all out to Vegas since she'll be of age both in drinking and gambllinnnggg" She finishes on a high note. I take in a small breath before I chuckle softly.

"We both know Elena wouldn't take that much time off school to go to Las Vegas. And if we were going to go down that road then it would be Monaco" I tell her with a small grin, knowing that Elena's dedication to study is now standing in between her and a few days in Monaco. Some other time perhaps.

"Fine fine, so what about my other suggestions?" She asks with a sigh.

"They're good, but they're not big enough you know. She's turning 21, it's a big one, and it should be magnanimous" I say leaning back in my chair. Why is this so hard?

"I mean we can find a way to do all of them? Or at least a combination of a lot of them? Like we could start the morning in a roller rink, do an escape room or two, get some dinner and then close the night out with a celebration at a bar or nightclub" Heather suggests. I have a feeling that Elena will enjoy whatever kind of party we throw her, so long as the people she love are there. But that's not good enough for me, I want to blow her away, I want her to love every second of it so much that it completely blows her mind that this is her life.

"That's probably a good idea. I've got to get into a meeting now but let's give it a few days and have another talk about finalising a plan" I reply, scribbling down the suggestions she's given me.

"Okay good idea, talk to you later Mr Millionaire" She bids me farewell and I do the same before ending the call.

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Ideas for Elena's birthday are still rattling around in my head as I return back to the hotel later in the evening. I've never been so fucking thrilled for a weekend of doing nothing before. No christenings or flights or business meetings, just Elena and I spending time together for the full weekend. Maybe I should plan something, to make sure she doesn't use the time to do her studying.

"Mr Styles...excuse me, are you Harry Styles?" A slight disheveled man stops me on my way to the elevators. He's shorter than me, incredibly pale and seems to be sweating quite badly, wearing a pair of jeans, dirty workman boots and a large jacket.

"I am, who are you?" I frown as I look at him, trying desperately to place him in order to avoid offending him. He's looks like he's about to go and work on a construction site or climb into a long haul truck.

"Uh sir my name is Frank, Frank Graham...I'm Elena's father..." He tells me, barely meeting my eye line. I immediately take a step back away from him, I'm about to call security when he holds up a hand to me.

"I-I can prove it, I'm not just some whack job I promise. I have this photo of her from when she was 11" He takes out a torn and matted photo that looks like a school picture set against a blue backdrop. I recognise her almost instantly; her hair may be longer but her eyes are exactly the same, that's my girl. Holy fuck.

"I saw a picture of the two of you in the newspaper and I couldn't believe my eyes...my little girl after all these years....Is she here? Can I see her?" He asks frantically peering around me as he carefully tucks the photo back into a weathered brown wallet.

"No" I reply curtly. Thank fuck Elena's in class right now, I don't know how she would be feeling if he had just confronted her like this. I still don't really know what the fuck I should be doing right now, this isn't something I think I was ever prepared for. Normally when you abandon your child nearly a decade ago you stay gone, you don't just magically reappear. How fucking dare he just show up and announce himself like this, as though this might not be something quiet personal and traumatic for his daughter.

"Oh okay, then could I maybe just have a talk with you, explain myself, maybe then you can tell Elena about me?" He pleads. I can see Elena so clearly in his face, they have the same nose and the same eyes. I'm really not sure what the call is here. I need to figure out why this guy is here, if he's after money then there's no fucking way I'm going to let him near Elena.

"Fine, Let's get a drink" I gesture behind him to the bar and he falls into step behind me fairly quickly.

"I don't drink, haven't for five years" He says proudly as I signal one of the waitresses. If he thinks I'll be asking a follow up question on that one then he's out of his mind. I have to admit I am morbidly curious about this man, about how he thought it was the right thing to leave a young girl with her mentally ill mother, and why he'd bother to show up again after all this time.

"We'll be in my section, whiskey and..." I gesture to frank, who has nervously propped his hands up on the edge of the bar.

"Just a coke thank you" he says politely to the waitress before I lead him over to a section in the back I normally come to review paperwork and get a drink. I've been trying not to take it all back to our apartment, so that when I'm upstairs it's just Elena and I spending time together. I settle into one of the black armchairs and lean back into it, whereas frank sits straight on the edge of his chair facing me, like he's in the principles office.

"So what do you want?" I ask forcefully. My first thought is that he's after a cheque. He's had no contact with his daughter for several years and now has suddenly emerged out of nowhere now that he's seen her with someone wealthy - it has to be money.

"I've been wanting to reach out to her, but I guess I've just been scared to do it. I'm scared that she hates me and that I've ruined her life by doing what I did. She's my first born and I've missed so much, I don't want to miss anymore" His words stutter out, and already he's pissing me off.

"Your first born? You've had others?" I ask, to which he nods slowly.

"My girl Lauren and I, we've got three. Philip is 6, Elise is 3 and we just had Georgina a year ago" He says proudly, smiling to himself as he rattles off his new kids information. Bloody bastard, leaves Elena 8 years ago and starts a whole new family only 2 years later.

"Not scared about abandoning them?" I ask cynically. He doesn't seem fazed, taking it and shaking his head.

"I made my mistakes with Elena and Claudia, I've been trying to better myself ever since I left" He replies, avoiding my eyeline. Yeah because that's what your 'first family' is, a practice round.

"So you got remarried then?" I ask as the waitress brings over our drinks, placing them both on napkins in front of us.

"Uh no, I couldn't, still technically married to Elena's mum" he replies sheepishly. "I suppose you met Claudia?" He asks, referring to Elena's mum.

" I have" I nod. "Wonderful woman"

"I always thought so, but we were only together for a short amount of time before she got pregnant. So we got married because of Elena, she was kind of the glue that held us together. She's doing well then?" He asks, blissfully unaware about the damage he left in his wake when he left. I struggle for an answer for a few seconds, wondering if it's my place to tell him what happened to Claudia.

"She is now, but she wasn't well for a while after you left. You really messed her up, left Elena to pick up the pieces" I tell him rather indelicately. If he doesn't appreciate my tone then he can fuck off, I'm not gonna sugar coat anything for this bastard.

"...I thought me leaving would have made things better..." Frank says more to himself than to me, staring at the ice floating around in his drink.

"You thought abandoning your mentally unstable wife with your pre-teen daughter would make things better?" I spit back at him. What a disgusting pitiful man.

"How bad did things get?" He asks quietly. I shrug my shoulders, might as well tell him everything.

"Pretty fucking bad, she's been in a facility since Elena was 16. That was after Elena had to go through Highschool while trying to look after her mum who practically fell apart" I reply. It may not be my place, but Elena shouldn't have to tell him these kinds of things, she shouldn't have to relive all this trauma with the man who caused most of it.

"How is she now?" He whispers, he looks like he's about to cry. Pathetic.

"Claudia? She's better now. Elena on the other hand..." I hesitate briefly, figuring out the best way to word what I'm wanting to get across. "Elena has scars that are never going to heal" It's not a lie, Elena should have been getting professional help for a long time and is only now dealing with all of this shit. It's deeply impacted her, and I hate this bastard for doing it to her.

"If I had thought for a second that that would have happened, I never would have left" He quickly tries to excuse himself.

"Oh shit that makes things better" I remark sarcastically. Frank must have prepared himself for a really frosty reception, as my harsh words haven't seemed to deter him at all.

"I knew it was never going to work with Claudia, but I knew that if I had taken Elena with me then Claudia would have never stopped looking for me, she never would have let me go. So I thought that I was doing the right thing. I was a terrible father, but I never wanted to leave my baby" He sniffs his nose and hastily wipes at a trickle of moisture that has rolled down his cheek. I refuse to feel bad for him.

"For your current kids sake I hope you got better at the father thing" I can't help myself.

"I was lousy with Elena. Everything I did to try and soothe her just made her cry, I couldn't hold down jobs enough to make a stable home for her and Claudia. I'm sure she's told you, everything I did all ended in disaster" He mumbles quietly.

"Elena does have some fond memories of you" I blurt out, and watch his eyes pop out of his head. I sigh and sit up slightly.

"She told me once about how you used to take her to work with you when you drove trucks. How she would sit in the front seat with you and listen to music and how you would always let her honk the horn if ever the time called for it." I repeat the story she told me a few days ago when we were in Highcliffe, picturing her sad smile as she confided in me for one of the first times about him. That seems to do it for frank, who starts to sob into his hands. I wait for him to finish, sipping my whiskey.

"Does she hate me?" He finally asks, wiping his nose with the back of his hand.

"Hard to say." I shrug. I doubt she'll be running into his arms and spending Christmas with him anytime soon, but I don't know if she's ever even entertained the possibility of him reentering her life.

"What's she like now?" He asks before taking a large sip of his coke. I struggle for words, but only because too many spring to my mind.

"She's incredible" I simply say. He doesn't deserve to have had her as a daughter, all of the wonderful things about her are in spite of him, not created by him.

"What does she do now?" He asks with a warm smile.

"She's finishing her degree in business, on track to graduate in just over a month" I reply proudly. Maybe that was a step too far. If he thinks I'm going to let him near her or her mother on her graduation day without her permission then he'll have hell to pay.

"Business? I always thought she'd do something more artistic. She used to love to paint, and the girl always had her nose in a book. I used to scour the local bookstore to try and find her name, thinking that she'd for sure become a writer. That or some kind of doctor, she was always far too clever for her age" He says wistfully. I choose not to tell him that she chose business because she needed to make money, instead of going after an degree in something she really wanted. That's something that maybe she should share with him, if she chooses to.

"How long have you been together?" He directs his attention back to me.

"Around 18 months" I reply. Discounting the time when she left to get therapy because of the damage he did. Again, her information to share not mine.

"Do you love her?" He asks pointedly. As if he could do a god damn thing about me being in her life.

"Of course I do" I reply defensively. I'm not going to sit here and defend my love for the daughter he abandoned. And if he thinks I'm going to ask him for her hand then he's out of his fucking mind. That's a conversation to be had with Claudia, and possibly Heather.

"What's she like?" He asks again, possibly wanting more details than I was initially willing to give.

"She's the best kind of person you could ever imagine. Despite all that she's gone through she's without a doubt the most kind, selfless and loving person I've ever known. And everyday that I'm with her is a day that I cherish. I guess I wish you had felt the same way" I tell him. I can't imagine how different she'd be if he had never left. Would she even be the same person or has the trauma he inflicted made her into the girl that I love so much?

"I felt that same way, and that's why leaving in that way was the worst mistake I've ever made. And I've spent the last eight years trying to make myself someone who could deserve to have a daughter like her, and eight years on I know that I'm not even close to being good enough" He replies full of sorrow, and he's absolutely right.

"You think you could show me a photo of her? One where she's not so dolled up?" He asks hopefully. I consider it for a second before I sigh and take out my phone and open up my photos. I pick one of my favourite photos of her, one that my mum took of her holding baby Theo after his christening. She was so relieved that it was over, that she hadn't messed up her lines and was able to keep him from crying or misbehaving throughout the ceremony. She's cradling him against her chest outside of the church underneath a tree. Mum sprung the camera on her and Elena shyly grinned in her direction.

"Relax, that's our godson" I tell him as I show him the photo, hearing him audibly gasp as he sees the bundle in her arms. He stares at it for a long time, probably trying to memorise it.

"Your godson?" He inquires. I nod slowly.

"Elena's really close with my family so my sister made us the godparents of her two kids. Theo is about a month old in that photo, Charlie my niece is three, and they both adore her" I tell him proudly.

"You both are the godparents?" He asks again, slightly perplexed.

"We are. Elena's a natural with them" I clarify.

"So she's close with your family?" He asks, his eyes never leaving the photo. I'm torn between wanting to snatch it back from him or showing him more photos of her. I leave the phone where it is.

"Yes they are. They've taken Elena and Claudia in as their own. We're all having Christmas together this year, including Claudia" I unveil our plans. I remember how much Elena enjoyed Christmas with my family last year, despite its hiccups.

"That's beautiful, really beautiful" he remarks as his eyes finally lift up from the photo.

"Does she still like to read?" His words a barely above a whisper.

"She's constantly reading" I confirm. I love that about Elena, she's always in the middle of a book and won't stop talking about a book once you get her started on it. My theory for her happiness and her reading is still well standing I think; when she's reading a new book then she feels okay, she's okay with some unexpected turns and possible heartbreaks. But when she's reading an old book; she needs comfort, stability, something that she can rely on to remain the same when things around her are unstable. She's currently reading some book about women's rights that my mum recommended to her at the christening. But I have a feeling after I bring her this news, she'll be back to Pride and Prejudice.

"And painting? She's a wonderful painter" Frank asks, his voice filling with pride.

"I know that" I tell him curtly. There's not much he'd be able to tell me about Elena that I don't already know, or maybe even know better than he does.

"I did some research on you, you've had quite the life" Frank's says after taking a big sip of his coke. I raise an eyebrow at him and recline back in my chair.

"I have" I nod.

"I guess I'm just surprised she picked someone like you. Elena never liked to make much noise or cause much fuss." He continues, I raise an eyebrow at him and allow him to continue to dig a nice grave for himself in my eyes.

"When I saw her in the society pages I almost couldn't believe my eyes, I'd have never thought she'd feel confident enough to put herself under the spotlight like that" He mutters quietly, like maybe I wasn't supposed to hear it.

"I guess she's not the same girl you abandoned 8 years ago" I say with a shrug as he looks back up at me. I can see him becoming angry, but he's nowhere near as angry as I am I can guarantee. I'm waiting for him to give me a reason to punch his lights out.

"Do you think she'd be willing to meet with me?" He shakes off the anger and asks me with renewed hope in his voice. I drain the last of my whiskey and put the glass down.

"I honestly don't know" I reply. I really don't have a fucking clue what she'd want to do about this. He digs into his front pocket and takes out a small piece of card, sliding it across the table to me.

"I gotta catch the train back to Oxford, could you give me a call and try and arrange a time for us to talk?" He asks, as though it's no big deal.

"Fine" I say after a sigh. "But if she says no and you try to come around here again looking for her like this I can assure you it won't end well for you" I tell him with a firm stare. I don't even know how I would choose to teach this guy a fucking lesson, the possibilities seem to be endless.

"Yes of course I promise. Tell her whenever she's ready I'm here" He repeats the message as we stand up. I gesture towards the front lobby and watch him show himself out, ensuring that he walks right out the front door.

How the fuck do I tell Elena?