Summertime

It was only a few days later when Richie texted me to ask for my email address. He was buying the plane tickets and needed to send them somewhere when he finished. I responded quickly after considering how much these international texts were costing me. He only texted a few times a day asking how Harry was doing or wanting a photo but they had to be racking up by now.

I finally got around to speaking to the lady upstairs about watching Harry more often if I started working more hours or looked for a second job. I knew she lived off of government support after an injury at work but I also didn't want to take advantage of her kindness.

Finding a second job wasn't very hard. I only needed a few hours a week and I wasn't planning on staying for very long either. Nowhere would give me time off work if I'd only been working there for a handful of weeks.

I also knew I'd have to quit my job at the coffeeshop, even if I'd been there for nearly a year now, my boss wasn't going to let me go on a holiday longer than two weeks. Surely Richie would want us to visit longer than that.

A few days later I finally got the email I was looking forward to. I noticed the attachments to the email. One for Sophie Mathilda Green and one for Harrison Richard Sambora. I pulled out my phone to send him a text letting him know I received his email. Then opened the attachment to see the itinirary.

Departing flights on August 26th. It had all the info I needed, airport, time, terminal. It was all set out already.

I closed it to look for the return ticket but only found the two tickets I just checked.

I grabbed my phone yet, no response yet to my last text. I typed out the next one. "Where's the return ticket??"
I stared at the screen, waiting for a reply.

From his bedroom Harry announced he was awake. With a sigh I put the phone down and went to get him from his cot. Soon enough he'd want his tea and I still had to prepare it.

Having a chair for him made it much easier to cook for him. I could put him in the chair whenever I needed to do anything and know he was safe instead of crawling on the floor. Eventhough these days he was pulling himself up to walk more often. I just hoped he would wait for his dad to see.

After Harry had his tea and was kept busy with his toys, I picked up my phone to check for a response.

"I'll buy you a return ticket when you need it."

The road ahead

Richie spent the night again, we shared the pull out bed but intimacy wasn't there. It wasn't like a few years ago, things weren't the same. I knew that but I still wished they could be the same. I still loved him, even though I know I was only ever a one night stand to him. Nothing was supposed to happen from that one night. I'm glad that it did happen, I wouldn't wish Harrison away but things were definitely different.

Tomorrow morning Richie would leave again, the short European tour was over and he wouldn't be able to visit in between days anymore. He had his own life to continue with for a few weeks.

Applications for passports were sent in and Richie was going to make sure to follow up with me and Harrison. We agreed to skype a few times a week. Right now, I hope it won't bring up my internet bill too much. Life was already stressful enough.


The next morning Richie left for the airport, we said goodbye at my flat. Our goodbye was short but saying goodbye to Harrison took him longer. He hugged and cuddled him, gave him a couple gentle kisses and told him he loved him before he finally walked away.

I'm still amazed at how much and how easily he has accepted this change in his life. Especially such a big change but I'm glad he's there for Harry and I'm excited to go to L.A. at the end of the summer for a visit. I need to save money before we go. I don't want to spend less time with Harry but I need the money so I don't have to depend on Richie for every single thing. I'm an independent woman and it's not fair to rely on him for all of the stuff I might need while there. So I'm picking up extra hours at the coffee shop and looking into finding a second job for a few hours a week.

Richie left. It's only been a few weeks but the flat feels a little emptier without him. Harry makes himself noticed and I walk over to him to cuddle, my baby boy. My one year old, he just keeps growing, it's amazing. Every day he reminds me a little more of his daddy. I wonder what he'll be like in a few years or as a teenager but with life changing right now, I don't know how to imagine him anymore. Maybe Richie will have a huge impact on his life that I wouldn't have been able to give him otherwise.

Either way, Harrison is still the most important person in my life and I'm glad his father sees him in the same way.

Doubts

Maybe we should have discussed the situation a little more before deciding to change the birth certificate and giving Richie all the legal rights as a father.

As it was, I probably did not have the greatest case for custody. Harrison was a healthy boy and had everything he needed but was if a judge decided I didn't have the money to raise him and gave custody to the father he hardly knew. Was that a possibility?

Would Richie do that to me? He wanted me to come to Los Angeles, he never said he only wanted Harrison to come. I couldn't leave him either way, he was tiny and couldn't even walk or talk yet.

I had to trust the situation and go for it. Richie deserved his son and with custody happening, he might have to pay some child support. Not that I would admit needing it but it would be helpful and nice to get Harrison a few new things.

I signed the birth certificate and slid it over the desk back to get its official stamp. Harrison finally got his daddy.

As we walked out, with a new birth certificate, Richie asked his question again. "What does Harrison need?"

I sighed and finally gave in, showing Richie to the nearest baby shop instead of the charity shop.

By the time we got home, Harrison had a couple new outfits, new toys and stuffed animals and a new bedding set for his cot. Along with the basics of nappys, wipes and baby shampoo. A supply to last me at least til the end of the summer, by which time we were hopefully going on our trip anyway.

I knew I had way too many things for Harrison but it made his father happy and seeing the exact same twinkly happy eyes with the cute smile was what I loved in both of them.

New Beginning

After Harry's naptime, we did exactly what I had suggested.

Once we got outside, Richie helped setting up the foldable push chair and we were good to go. The tube station wasn't that far from my flat, a five minute walk, if that.

As Richie wanted, I let him push the pram. I had no problem with him taking up his fatherly duties.

It was easy to find the office, I knew where it was because I had been planning on visiting some day.

"You're sure about this?" I asked Richie.
"Of course I am, why wouldn't I be?"
"I don't know, it's always in the media how people claim to have celebrity their babies and you accepted this so easily."
"He looks just like me." Richie said, convinced that he was the father.
"He does, because he is your son but still, most people would want DNA tests."
Richie shook his head. "Too much hassle, Harrison doesn't need that. With you having to get everything arranged to visit in L.A. at the end of the summer will be busy enough for him." He explained. "I still need to arrange a few things for you then."
"For me?" I asked, opening the door to the office so he could push Harrison's stroller inside.
"Yes, moneywise. I need to be sure Harrison gets what he needs."
"He gets what he needs." I said, slightly annoyed because he was assuming Harrison was missing out on things because I wasn't rich like him.

I walked up to the reception and asked about the situation and where we exactly had to be.

"He has everything he needs." I told Richie again as I walked back to him and over to the lift to go to the third floor.
"I know but passports are expensive, plane tickets. I want to help out." He said.
"Oh." I didn't know he meant that. He was right, I did need help with those and maybe some things for Harry. He was growing very fast, his clothes were getting small.

We arrived to the third floor and easily found the office room we needed to be in. It was just like registering Harrison's birth again but this time he'd have a father.

Together we walked up to the reception of this office and asked for the documents to be changed. We were lead to a seperate room where Richie and I sat down in two chairs with Harrison between us.

Just like last time I gave up all the information about Harrison even though they could just copy it off his current birth certificate.

With nothing to keep him occupied, Harrison was getting bored and announcing it to everyone in the room. Quickly, before Richie could, I picked him up and cuddled him in my lap, trying to make him happy with that.

The clerk explained everything to Richie, how it would make Harrison officially his child and that we needed to arrange custody of our child too as we weren't together.

That was something I had forgotten about but certainly Richie wasn't taking that from me. I cuddled Harrison closer.

I watched Richie pick up the pen and read the certificate. "Harrison Richard?" He looked at me.
"Well, yeah." I said. I wasn't able to use his last name to give him a piece of his dad before so I gave him Richard.
"Sambora." He added when he read the full name and lifed his pen to sign his name on Harrison's birth certificate before passing pen and paper to me. His signature looked different from the autograph I had seen often.

Step 1

It was sweet to see Richie on the sofa with Harrison while I cleaned up the table after lunch. It was a moment he deserved, they both did.

I stalled in the kitchen as I watched Richie entertain Harrison with stuffed animals, making voices up for them and making Harrison laugh and clap. He was adjusting very easily to a new person.

When Harrison started to get tired and less interested in the stuffed animals acting silly, I decided to join them on the sofa.

"He's getting tired." Richie commented.
"It's naptime." I agreed with him. "Probably best to check his nappy before he falls asleep." I said, ready to pick up Harrison to go do so.

Richie picked him up and put him in his lap before I could.

"Let me do it. I'll get him to bed." He picked Harrison up and stood up with him. "Does he need pj's?"
"Just take his jeans off and he'll be fine." I told him. "Everything is at his changing table."
"We'll manage." Richie said before going to Harrison's room.

I heard him talk in the other room, telling Harrison that he had to go sleep and have some nice dreams. His voice was sweet and low, a soothing voice to get Harrison to sleep.

A few minutes later Richie walked back into the living room, pulling the bedroom door closed behind him, leaving it open for an inch.

"He's sound asleep." He said with a smile on his face as he sat down on the sofa next to me. "We need to talk."
I nodded.
"You should have tried harder to let me know about this-"
"I tried as hard as I could, Richie, I really did." I interrupted him straight away. He needed to know that I had done everything I could to let him know. "I wanted you to know about this because he is your son, you deserve each other."
"I know, I got it." He assured me. "But now we need to figure this out. I want him to be my son."
"He is your son."
"I mean on paper, his birth certificate and all that stuff."
I nodded, he was absolutely right. "We'll need to get that adjusted but then you need to be with me to sign those papers."
"We'll need to figure out how to do that."
I smiled and shook my head, watching him frown at me before I explained. "I did research, I asked when I registered his birth. They said that when the father wants to be on the birth certificate and recognize him as his child, we'd just have to go back, register him again and he gets a new birth certificate with your name on it."
"Just like that?" Richie frowned.
I nodded. "Yeah, we just need to go to the office and get it adjusted."
"So we could even do that now?"
"I think so."
"And how long does Harrison nap?"

We talked for the rest of Harrison's naptime. Agreeing on what had to be done.

As soon as Harrison was awake we'd go and get his new birth certificate, step one. With having that, I should be able to apply for a passport and afterwards,  work visa to get to the United States. Perhaps it wouldn't be on time to go with Richie but at least by the end of the summer to which he agreed. Knowing he was still busy during the summer and had another child at home that he needed to inform.

I agreed, while Richie was away now, I'd get everything in order. After the last concert in Scotland, he'd drop by London for a day or two before going home to Ava where he had to break some tough news to her.

Knowing that a work visa could take up to two years, he agreed to help out with it. After all, Harrison was his son which should be able to push the visa for both of us so Harrison could be with his father.

With that, Richie also agreed that Harrison and I could stay at his house until I could get by on my own. I wouldn't be his burden.

"You'd have to move to L.A., ,you're just okay with that? What about your friends and family? Your parents, wouldn't they miss you?"
I shrugged. "My parents live on the other side of the island, where I grew up, I haven't seen them since I started college here and I haven't heard from them since I told them I was pregnant and couldn't tell them who the dad was."
He frowned, as if he couldn't believe it. "What about friends?"
"They're all busy with school or jobhunting or being succesful. I have a child to watch 24/7, our lives are too different now."
"Oh." He didn't know what to say.
"Harrison is really the only person I have."

Step by Step

"A flat white."

I don't know how many orders I had filled that day but that was the first one that made me smile.

I made the cup of coffee and turned back to Richie.

"Is there anything else you'd like today?" I asked him politely.
"One of those paninis." He pointed at the glass screen at the one he wanted. "Maybe a croissant for your son and grab yourself something too."

A few minutes later I handed him his complete order to go.

"When do you get off work?" He asked me as he paid.
"Exactly at noon," I checked the time on the cash register. "three minutes."
He nodded. "I'll just wait then."

I helped the next person, watching Richie picking out a table to sit down for a few minutes. The coffee shop was small and there weren't much tables to pick from.


Just as promised, I caught up with him at his table a few minutes later.

"Finished." I smiled down at him. "Your panini is probably cold by now."
"It's fine." He said, pushing away his coffee cup and getting up with the bag of food.

Together we walked out of the shop and crossed the street back to the small space between two shops where my door was hidden. In unlocked it and showed him upstairs again.

"I'll go get Harrison." I told him after opening the door to the flat and letting him in.

When I returned to my flat with my little boy, the small table in the kitchen had been set and the panini were steaming heat. It made me smile.

"Thank you." I said to Richie as I passed Harrison over to him.
Harrison didn't mind at all and continued cuddling just as he had done with me.
"Where's his high chair?" Richie asked.
"Oh. I just hold him when I feed him or let him sit on the chair."
"Okay." Richie agreed and sat down, letting Harrison sit in his lap.

He grabbed the croissant he had bought and started ripping pieces off of it to feed Harrison.

I smiled and started eating the panini Richie had paid for me. Reheated twice but it still tasted great, they always did but I hardly ever bought them for myself, even with a 25% discount it was cheaper to make a sandwich.

"He'll nap after lunch?" Richie asked when Harrison had eaten most of the croissant.
"Yeah for about two hours." I told him.
"Okay, then we need to talk and figure some things out."
"We do." I agreed, knowing that it wouldn't be easy but Richie had a right to see his son. "What about the tour? You're quite busy right now."
"That's why we need to talk." He continued feeding Harrison pieces of croissant. "When the tour is over, this part, I want to see him and I want to keep seeing him."
"We're not exactly neighbours." I pointed out.
"We'll have to figure it out." Richie said sternly.

I knew he was right but how would we cover that much distance so he was able to see Harrison? There was no way I had enough money to take Harrison all the way to California whenever Richie wanted to see his son.

"His birthday is soon." I reminded him.
"When?"
"July fourth."
"Really?" Richie asked, a little surprised. "That's original. I like that. So he'll be 1, are you having a party?"
I shrugged. "Who would I invite?"
"I'll be here." He said determined.
"I guessed you would be."
"What does he need?" Richie asked.
"What do you mean by that?"
"Something he needs, like clothes, a high chair."
"We get by." I assured him. All the money I earned by working, was mostly spent on rent and supporting Harrison. Personal items for me came last.
"Anything he needs?" Richie tried again.
"A dad."

The Morning After

I woke up, thinking I had heard Harrison but the flat was quiet. Sunshine was creeping into the room, it was early morning. Over my waist, I felt a warm, heavy arm. It rested there gently.

I knew I had to move away from him to go check on Harrison in a few minutes but I decided to wait in Richie's arms until Harrison woke up. This was exactly where I wanted to be, every single morning. Richie felt warm behind me, making the futon much warmer than it usually felt in the morning.

A whole fifteen joyous minutes I was able to spend in Richie's comfortable warmth. Did he know he was doing this or was it unconciously? I didn't mind, he was there and I was going to enjoy it while I could.

Harrison woke up quietly. He wasn't loud, just loud enough to let me know he was awake.

Carefully, I moved away from under Richie's arm, careful not to wake him up or disturb him.

Dressed in shorts and a loose tshirt, I quietly made my room around the small flat. Richie was right, it wasn't much, the rooms were plain except for Harrison's. His room had everything he needed.

I quietly walked into his room and picked him up out of his cot and cuddled him for a second before going to change his nappy.

The boy was his usual happy self as I carried him back to the living room. Even though Richie was still asleep, I put Harrison on the futon bed, it wasn't high and he often played on it. He knew where to stay and to stay on it.

I left him with sleeping Richie as I went back to the kitchen where I could still see the both of them on the futon.

Taking care of Harrison's breakfast first, I made him a bottle with formula milk, it was the easiest and cheapest but also gave him all the nutrients he needed in a day.

I checked the fridge for something Richie and I could eat.

To my surprise, I heard a giggle from the living room. I quickly put what I found on the counter to look around to the sitting room.

Harrison was laying down next to Richie, giggling as Richie played with him. I hadn't heard him wake up but was glad to see him have a sweet moment with his son, even if it was without me. I figured he needed a minute without me too.

Instead of interrupting, I continued cooking, letting Richie have a few moments to get to know his son. He deserved that just as much as any other father would, if not even more. He was right, he had missed a year in Harrison's life, which wasn't nothing.

Breakfast finished, I brought it over to the futon and sat down on the side where I had slept and where Harrison was laying right now.

"Hungry?" I asked Richie.
"Thanks." He said, sitting up on the bed, getting comfortable and able to eat.

I passed him a plate with with eggs, toast and ham, hoping he would like a simple breakfast for now. He accepted the plate and eagerly started eating.

Harrison drank his bottle by himself so I was able to eat too.

"So you leave for work soon?" Richie asked me.
"Yeah, in half an hour."
"And you'll be back by noon. So I can see Harrison the rest of the day."
"Of course." I agreed. I wanted him to see Harrison but I couldn't trust him to stay alone with Harrison for an entire day. Other than being Harrison's father, he was still pretty much a stranger to me.
"What about tomorrow?" Richie asked.
"If you can make it over, you can visit as often as you'd like."
He nodded, looking as if he really appreciated that.
"He's your son, he has to see you too."
"I don't know about tomorrow yet." He said, thinking it over.
"That's okay."
He shrugged, "I'm busy all month now but I want to see Harrison too. We need to talk about this when you're back from work."

I agreed, he was right. We needed to figure something out to make this all work. He had a very busy schedule right now but after that, there had to be some way that he would be able to see Harrison more often.