Once we're inside, Harry pushes me against the door from the garage, shoving his tongue into my mouth. I moan, grabbing his hair. "Oh, yes, baby. I am going to make you moan my name in every room of this house."

"I mean, I guess." I pull him back to me, kissing him fiercely. He runs his hand under my dress and into my panties, his fingers sliding over that sensitive spot. "Harry."

He snaps his hand out. "And one room down. Where to next, baby?" I smack his shoulder. "Oh, baby. You are just asking for it." He lifts me over his shoulder. In the living room, he sets me on the sofa, peeling my panties from my body as he stands back up.

"Oh, no. My turn." I grab the waistband of his dark blue jeans and pull him closer, running my fingers down his still covered erection. "Take off your shirt," I command. I unbutton and lower the zipper on his jeans, then push them and his boxer briefs down to his knees.

I lick the trail of hair leading down, and he moans, pushing his hips forward. I kiss each hip, biting gently. I swirl my tongue around the head. "Oh, baby, don't tease me." I mean, you're one to talk. I take him into my mouth, giggling. "Oh, fuck. I can feel that everywhere." I suck hard. "Oh. Maddie." I start to move, bobbing my head faster as I suck harder. "Oh," he whimpers, coming into my mouth. I circle my tongue around the head again, and his whole body shudders. "Jesus." I sit back, blinking up at him, trying to look innocent. "God, you're beautiful."

"Thanks." He kisses me, sweet, gentle kisses. Like our New Year's Eve kisses. Our lips brush and retract, slide between and retract, brush and...over and over. His fingers graze the skin on my neck, my arm, my thigh, a tickling, teasing touch. "Hey," I murmur between kisses. "I know what you're doing."

"Hmm." He hums against the kiss, his other hand skimming the tops of my breasts. He unzips my dress and peels it down. "So beautiful. So delicate." He transfers his kisses to my neck. So soft. Too soft. His lips and hands caress my skin, over nearly my whole body, just barely making contact. I push my hips up. "So insatiable."

"Insatiable?" I practically shout. "I haven't been sated yet to be insatiable."

He laughs. "No fun to be teased, is it?"

"You started it," I pout.

"And I will finish it," he slides his fingers into me. I buck my hips, arching my back against the couch. "God, you're so wet." He pulls his fingers out and sucks on them.

"Harry!" I whine, hitting his shoulder again.

"What?" He puts on his best innocent face.

"I did not tease you this much."

"Okay, baby. Okay." He bites my nipple, my hip, my belly. And as he slides his fingers in again, his tongue slides down, circling and swiping.

I moan, "Jesus," lifting my hips again. He laughs against my tender skin, making me moan again. The pressure from both inside and out leaves me a shaking, shuddering mess. "Harry," I moan as my body gives into the sensation.

"Hmm. I answer to both." I laugh tiredly, gazing at my beautiful boy. "Where should we go next?"

I pet his hair. "You're not going to fuck me in here?"

His eyes shoot wide open. "Whoa. Jesus, Maddie. That mouth!"

"You love this mouth." I bite the inside of my lips to hold back the laughter and embarrassment ready to boil over. Where did my dirty dirty mouth come from?

He gapes at me. "Brazen," he whispers.

"Insatiable," I lean forward and kiss him forcefully, pushing my tongue into his mouth.

"And you love the taste of yourself on my lips, don't you?" He smirks.

"No," I kiss him again, running my tongue along his lower lip. "I love you."

"Come, my beautiful, insatiable girl. I want you across the arm of that sofa in the TV room." Oh. Okay.

"I mean, I guess." He pulls me to my feet and tickles me. I run for it, taking advantage of the fact that his legs are caught up in pants, while I can ditch my dress easily. I circle the sofa in the TV room. "Which arm was it exactly?" I move away each time he comes closer.

"Baby, I don't care which one. Whichever is closer when I finally catch you." He reaches for me again, and I squeal, dodging him.

I walk lazily to the one closest and sit on it. That's kind of gross, I realize in retrospect. I should get some upholstery cleaner. "Would you like me on this one? Like this?" He comes around the back of the couch, and I roll away again. "Or the other one? Like this?" I lean my chest over the arm, spreading my legs.

"You are teasing me," he says, staring at me from the far end. I wiggle my butt. "Good god. Please don't move." I smile at him mischievously as he comes closer. But I don't want to run anymore. I just want him inside me. He caresses my face, kissing me passionately. Then his hands slide down my back, around to my breasts, back up to my hips, which he pulls forcefully against him, entering me roughly. I moan loudly. "Oh, baby. Yes. You like me to fuck you hard." Jesus. He slams into me again, pulling my hair gently with one hand. I whimper, nodding. "And fast." He starts to move, really move, bracing my hips with his large hands, thrusting deeper and faster. Oh, that ache builds so quickly when he moves like this.

"Oh, fuck. Ha--" I can't even speak. His name is lost in a moan as I unravel.

He leans forward and drapes his body over mine, his hips rocking sloppily with his release, "oh, yes. Oh, Maddie." He finally stands up, pulling me to stand with him. I turn in his arms, wrapping my arms around his neck. "My beautiful girl. You look so sleepy."

"Mmm. Spent."

He laughs, kissing me tenderly. "Come, then, love."

"I already did."

"Oh, you cheeky girl." I laugh tiredly against his chest. "To the bed. We are back to the grind tomorrow."

"Already did that too."

He laughs so loud, his whole body shaking. "I love you, Maddie."

"I love you, Harry."

We walk hand-in-hand back to our bedroom and rinse off in the shower quickly before crawling into bed. I am fucking exhausted. Aw, shit. PMS. We fall asleep at fucking 8:30 like we're 70 fucking years old.

But the alarm is still annoying and too early at 4:30. Harry stretches and rolls toward me. "Ready to get back to the grind?"

"Depends which grind we're talking about."

"This one," he pushes his hips against me.

I laugh, kissing him. "I mean, if we make it quick. We have to leave in ten minutes."

"Baby, I'm the king of quick." He pauses, thinking about what he said. My laughter come out as a burst of sound, just an explosion of giggles. "I mean. Shut up," he shoves my hips away from him.

"Hey, come back," I reach for him, rolling back against his body. "your highness."

He rolls his eyes in annoyance, but I grip him, moving my hand slowly up and over the head. "I mean, I guess." He dips his fingers down between my legs, massaging. He lifts his hips up and nudges me to roll onto my back. He pushes into me and stops, resting his head on my chest. "Oh." I pull him further into me by hooking my legs around his hips. "Oh, fuck, baby." He slides back and then in again, slowly. I push my hips against him. Like, let's go!

"Harry, come on, love." I rock back and forward again, trying to quicken his pace.

He stops my hips with his hand, panting. "I can't. Go. Faster."

"Baby, you have to. We're gonna be late." I wiggle down against him again.

"Mmm. God, you feel so good. I'm already on the edge."

Oh. I shrug. "My love. Let go, it's okay." I move again, and he holds my hips harder.

"But--"

"Harry, so help me, I will roll you over and ride you till you come if you don't start moving." He lifts his head and stares at me with a shocked expression. And then he rolls us over. I rock my hips down and forward, holding onto his hands. He comes quickly, and rolls me back onto my back, sliding his fingers in where his cock used to be. "You don't have to--ahhh." But he slams them into me, hard and fast, his other hand working the sensitive nub outside. I fall apart in his hands.

"God, Maddie, hurry up. We're going to be late to work," he smirks at me. I smack his shoulder. "You will pay for that later."

"I hope so."

He laughs, wrapping his arms around me, kissing me. "My beautiful, witty, cheeky girl. I love you so much."

We are late to work.

And I don't care.

At school later, I get two things I now welcome, that I used to dread.

One. My period. I think I will always be happy to see it after that scare. I mean, until someday comes along. And now I should be over it by the time we get to Sydney on Friday.

Two. A phone call from Sheri. She asks me to pick a weeknight and weekend day for our visits. When I tell her I will be in Australia this weekend and next, she nags me about being there like I said I would.

"I will be, Sheri. It's one week. I'll be back the following week, and we can start the routine then."

"Okay. But, he's going to be impossible while you're away."

"Do you have an iPad, or a Mac of any sort? We could FaceTime while I'm gone."

"No. We don't. We're PC people." Ick. I offer to buy them one, for him to use for games and to talk to me. She agrees, and we settle on Wednesday for the visit.

"Hi, baby," Harry greets me later. I kiss him, murmuring I love yous into his mouth. As we get into the car, he asks, "so, in which room should we be as loud and as naked as we want tonight?"

"Well, Harry, I am out of commission for the next few days."

"No!"

"But look on the bright side now I will be ready to go for Australia, beaches, Mick Jagger."

"Whoa whoa whoa, what do you mean you'll be ready to go for Mick Jagger?"

I smirk at him. "What? He's hot." Harry shakes his head. "He's like a shorter, skinnier 70-year-old you."

"I will cut off his hands if he touches you."

"Even a friendly hug?"

"Probably not."

I laugh, my stomach aching from all the laughter these last two days. "Kiss on the cheek?"

"Dead." He joins me laughing. "I can't believe we're going to meet them in just a few days." He pulls the car into the garage.

"Oh, speaking of meeting people. Ty is going to spend the evening with us Wednesday."

"That's great, baby." He kisses my hand.

Monday night, Tuesday, and Wednesday morning are all lost to work and school and our travel preparations. Wednesday afternoon, we drive over to my father's house after school. Ty runs out of the house as we pull into the driveway.

"Maddie Maddie Maddie!"

I climb out of the passenger seat and circle the car. "Hi, oomph," he crashes into me. "Hey, Ty." I run my fingers through his hair. "Did you have a good week so far?"

He shrugs. "I have homework tonight."

"Oh, okay. We'll do it at my house."

Sheri walks out with her car keys. "Hi, Maddie. Harry," she smiles. "Do you want to get the car seat set up?"

"Sure, of course," he smiles back.

"Do you have your stuff, Ty?"

"It's in the house," he points dramatically.

I reach down and pick him up. "Okay, my favorite little man, let's get it." He rests his head against my shoulder, his little hands clinging to my shirt. I open the door and grab his backpack. "Is this it?" He nods. I kiss the side of his head, and he turns to look at me.

"Are you and the wizard going to have kids?"

I nearly drop him.

"Um," I falter. "Someday." Harry stands up from behind the back door of the car and beams at us. "Someday, we will. And then you'll be an uncle."

"Will you still love me when you have your own kids?"

I push his hair out of his face, kissing his cheek. "Oh, Ty. I will always love you. I have always loved you." I kiss him again. "I'm sorry, honey. I'm sorry I wasn't here before." He scoots himself higher in my arms and wraps his arms tighter. "It wasn't your fault." I see Harry's face over Ty's shoulder. "I was hurting too much, I was selfish. But it wasn't about you, Ty. I love you."

He mumbles against my neck, "I love you," stressing the you like he did before.

"Come on, my little wizard. We don't have very much time tonight."

I set him in the car seat, and Harry straps him in. "It's good to see you again, Ty."

"My daddy doesn't like you, wizard."

"I know. He's just afraid."

"Afraid of what?" I miss the answer as I walk around the car to get in the passenger seat. "That's stupid. Why would you do that?"

"I wouldn't." He ruffles Ty's hair and climbs into the driver's seat.

When we get home, I take Ty into my office to work on his homework while Harry makes magic grilled cheese. After a little while, he looks up and stares at the picture of Matt above my bookshelf. "Is that him?"

"That's Matt. Matty, we called him when he was your age." I pick him up and hold him so he can see better. He runs his fingers over the picture.

"How old were you when he was my age?"

"Um, you're five, almost six." He nods. "I was three."

"When you were my age, he was..."

"Eight." He widens his eyes like that's so old. "Do you want to see pictures of me and him together from back then?" He nods.

"How much do you have left of your homework?"

"Two maths and two sentences." He's so cute.

"Why two of each?"

"I like to do one of each section, taking turns." I smile at the complete lunacy of this.

"Okay. Let's finish those, and then we'll eat magic sandwiches and look at pictures."

"I want to look at pictures now."

"It will be more fun if you don't have your homework to worry about anymore."

"I don't worry about my homework. Now!" He shouts. Whoa. What the fuck? "Pictures now!" He has scrunched his face up, and it's growing redder by the second.

"Hey," I run my fingers down his tensed arm. "I worry about your homework. Can you help me not worry? So I can have fun, too?"

He thinks this over, his face gradually unscrunching. "I guess." I mean, I guess.

"Thank you." I set him back down and he finishes the four questions quickly. "Whew," I sigh. "I'm so glad that's done. Let's eat."

"Magic grilled cheese is ready," Harry says from the doorway. Thank god. I'm drowning here alone. I give him a look of pure desperation. "Uh-oh, Ty. I've cast a levitation spell on you." He lifts Ty off the ground, and soars him into the dining room, flying with his stomach resting on Harry's arms. He giggles the whole way. Jesus. Harry makes it look so easy. I get the photo albums from the living room and set them on the table between us. As he eats his cheese toastie, he turns the pages of the book, smudging the corners with buttery fingers. But I don't care. He's happy. I'm happy.

He whips his head to look at me. "That's you."

I smile. "Yes."

"You look like me." He turns back to the picture and leans closer. His elbow knocks into his glass of juice, spilling it over the album. He whimpers. "I'm sorry." His body seems to fold in on itself as he makes himself as small as possible. Jesus. What has my fucking father done to this boy?

"It's okay, baby." I lift him into my lap, kissing him. "It's just a little juice. It's okay." I rock him back and forth. "Ty, you are way more important than any piece of paper or cup of juice." He relaxes a little.

Harry dabs at the album with a wad of napkins. He wears the same worried expression I have. I want to ask Ty if my father ever hit him, but I'm afraid to know the answer.

"I'm sorry," he whispers again.

I scratch his back gently. "Silly boy. It's okay. I'm not mad." He looks up at me, confused. "Do I look mad?"

He shakes his head. "They're always mad."

"Your mom and dad?" He nods. "Ty, I know it seems like they're mad at you. But when you accidentally knock a cup over, and they get so mad, it's not you they're mad at."

"Who is it?"

"Themselves."

He frowns. "Why would they be mad at themself?" His mistake is cute.

I don't actually know. I was sort of just making this shit up.

"People get mad at themselves when they do things they regret," Harry says. "And people stay mad at themselves when they don't ever make those things right."

Jesus. I'm in love with a fucking genius. A gorgeous fucking genius.

I nod. "Now, let's look at the last of these pictures." Ty looks shocked, like he expected me to take it away from him. "Are you done with your magic sandwich?" He looks at his empty plate, like duh. "All right, calm down." I pick him up and rest his heavy form on one hip and grab the wet album, carrying both back into the living room. Harry brings the other albums.

We spend the next couple of hours flipping through the pages, Ty tucked between me and Harry. The pictures Ty touches are the ones he likes best, I think, and I offer to give them to him.

"Really?" He says, barely a murmur.

"You can have any pictures you want." He chooses ten. It has to be an even number, he tells us over and over. And at 8, we drive him home. Harry again deals with the car seat as I walk Ty to his door.

Sheri opens it with a smile. "How was your visit?"

Ty hugs her leg. "Great. I did all my homework and the wizard made me fly and I spilled juice and they didn't get mad and and and Maddie gave me pictures of her when she was my age." He's out of breath by the end of that.

"Good, honey. Go brush your teeth," she pats his back. When he's gone, she says, "so any trouble?"

"Um, a little. I don't like how scared he got when he thought he was in trouble, Sheri. Please tell me my father doesn't hit him."

She shakes her head, frowning. "No! Of course not!"

"Well you say that like it's so fucking unreasonable, but that's what he did to Matt, so I have to ask." My father comes into view. "Why is your son so frightened, Matthew?"

He throws his can of soda against the wall. Oh, that's why. "You don't come into my house and accuse me--" he stops when he sees Ty. "Hi, Turtle Ty."

Ty giggles. I don't get it. Are neither of them hurting him, just angry around him? Am I just projecting shit from my own childhood onto him? Do all kids freak out when they think they're in trouble? I don't have any fucking clue.

"Bye, Ty." I wave.

"No!" He runs to me. "Stay."

I kneel in front of him and he puts his hands on my cheeks. "I am flying to Australia tomorrow," I say. "I'm going to bring you back a koala."

His eyes widen. "A real koala?"

"No," I laugh. "A stuffed one. But I will call you while I'm there, with the koalas so you can see."

"How can I see when you call?"

"On this," I hand him the new iPad. I tap the FaceTime app. "You choose this one. And then that's me. See my picture." It's the drawing he did of me. "And then we can talk by video." I pull my phone out and show him.

"Can I call you whenever?"

"No." He scowls. "I know. But Australia is upside down from here. It will be the opposite time of day there. I'll call you when I know you'll be home and awake."

"O-kay," he sighs. He hugs my neck. I pull him tighter, rubbing his back.

"I love you, Ty."

"I love you."

Harry and I crash right away when we get home. The kid is exhausting. And we have a long fucking day tomorrow.

Work at 5 am, classes until 3:30. Then a fifteen hour fucking flight. At least we get some sleep on the plane, landing Saturday morning, taking into account that we have crossed the international dateline. Sydney is bustling and temperate. Our hotel suite is luxurious. Harry would probably take me to task over the cost, but he doesn't ask. He just sinks happily into the bed. We nap for a few hours, then shower in the giant bathroom.

He kisses me. "I feel like I'm living a dream." His hands lather soap over my stomach and breasts.

"Same." I kiss him, pushing my tongue into his mouth.

"Mmmm." He hums into the kiss, grabbing the backs of my thighs and pushing me against the wall. I wrap my arms around his neck, and he lifts me. "My beautiful girl. I love you, Maddie." I will never tire of hearing that. Please don't ever stop telling me, Harry.

He slides me down the wall onto him, and I moan. "Harry. I love you so much." He thrusts up into me, pinning me against the wall with his hips. I claw at his shoulders, scratching his skin.

"Ah. Shit." He sets me down.

"I'm sorry. Did I scratch you too hard?"

"No, my knee sort of twisted." He flexes it a few times. "I'm good. Turn around."

I smirk at him over my shoulder as I comply with his command. "You just like it better from behind."

"Mmmm." He rubs his palm over my ass. "I do like this view." He pushes into me, grabbing my breasts. "Oh, god, baby." I think I might like it better from behind. He can move so fast. I am clutching the edges of the tile on the shower wall, trying not to collapse with my orgasm. And he is right behind me. Pun intended.

We order in room service for lunch and lay around in bed watching tv. So, this trip is pretty much like being at home so far. After lunch, we have sex again. Because it's just like being at home. This time I'm on top, and I think I like it best this way. "I prefer this view," he says as I grind my hips down onto him. His fingers trace my features, my eyebrows, my cheekbones, my lips. I kiss him, trying to put everything I feel in that kiss. To say I love you and I love you and I love you with my lips and tongue and no sounds. He comes, moaning I love you, sending me over the edge too. So I guess it worked.

That night, we go out on the town. People in Sydney recognize me. Both of us actually, but for the most part, they just wave or take photos from a distance. In a little club called Saucy, we dance badly and laugh and take stupid selfies. We meet a lot of nice people while we're there, including some young musicians who compliment Harry's band. They exchange information, and we agree to go see them mid-week right back here. I mean, why not? We're here for nine days. They agree to take us to the best places.

But the next day, Sunday, is the highlight of the whole trip. I will never forget waking up in Harry's arms, making love to him in the bright light of morning. I will never forget the incredible meal we get at a nearby restaurant, barbecued hamburgers with beetroot and pineapple on the side and pavlova for dessert. I will never forget the excitement as we entered the Allphones Arena, the stage adorned as a giant tongue.

But mostly, I will never forget the look on this sweet boy's face when his idols walked into the room, Mick Jagger calling him by name.