Killian gathered his son's belongings, carrying them to the car before he grabbed Liam and strapped him into his car seat. The little lad was all smiles, bouncing up and down as Killian handed him his stuffed giraffe and dropped a kiss to his head.

His heart was a mixture of emotions as he got into the driver's seat and buckled up. He was glad that Liam was unaware that his parents were getting a divorce and was as happy as could be. Although, when he dropped him off at Charming Heart's Day Care for the first time, Liam would surely miss his parents. Milah had always been a stay-at-home mother, because she told him that was what she preferred. Apparently she felt differently, though, and never bothered to tell him. She felt the need to withhold many other things from him as well. For example, she never bothered to tell him that she had been having an affair for six months. He had to find out himself when he walked into their bedroom and found her in bed with another man.

He let out a heavy sigh as he drove in heavy traffic through Boston and looked at the digital clock below his dashboard that read 8:30. This was definitely going to be a long morning. As he waited at a red light, he took the opportunity to check his GPS, finding out that it wasn't too much further. He had never been to the daycare before but it was recommended by his friend, Robin, whose son had been going there since he was a baby, so Killian knew he could trust the facility.

When he finally pulled into the parking lot, it was crowded, but he managed to find a couple of open spots. He parked the car and got out, freeing Liam from his car seat and grabbed his diaper bag, locking the car doors behind him.

Emma was running late. She slept through her alarm and had to rush to get ready and take Henry to daycare before she could make the ten-mile drive to work in heavy traffic. It was not a good day, and given the fact that her marriage had gone down the tubes, it wasn't even a good year. It turned out, a cheating husband getting caught in the act, had that kind of effect on a marriage.

When she pulled in front of the day care center, she got out and walked around to the backseat door, unstrapping her one-year old son from his car-seat. He gave her a big smile, green eyes bright, as he held his arms out for her.

"Mama!"

She managed a smile as she picked him up, pressing a gentle kiss to the small patch of curly, brown hair on top of his head. She was glad that at least Henry was happy and completely unaware of what had transpired between his parents. She never wanted this for him. She never wanted her baby to live in a broken home. It just wasn't fair.

Holding him securely to her chest, she ducked inside the car to grab the diaper bag and Henry's blankey that he couldn't live without. She knocked his stuffed teddy bear out of the seat and onto the pavement in the process. Letting out a frustrated sigh, she tried to maneuver her way down, which was not a small feat in a black, pencil skirt with her hands full and shoulder strapped with the diaper bag.

"Let me get that for you, love."

She was startled by a deep, British accent as she saw a hand reach for the teddy. When she looked up, her green eyes met a brilliant shade of blue as he handed her the stuffed animal. Standing in front of her was a man... a very handsome man with dark hair and light stubble on his chin. He was dressed in a dark blue suit and tie and his hair was disheveled, like he just gotten out of bed, but somehow still managed to look picture perfect And then there was his smile, making her melt on the spot. It wasn't a smug or arrogant smile; it was the smile of a broken man. Broken like her, perhaps? She pondered that thought as she realized she had been staring for far too long. She also realized that he too was carrying a baby in his arms, who, by the looks of him, she figured was around Henry's age. And she was certain that the baby was this man's son because he had the same pair of blue eyes and the same dark hair on his head. He was also extremely adorable, so clearly he got his looks from his father.

"Thank you," she replied with a shy smile, a bit embarrassed because she was afraid that she looked like a complete train-wreck in front of this gorgeous man in front of her. She tried not to gaze into his mesmerizing eyes for too long, so instead, she looked at his son. "He's cute. What's his name?"

"His name is Liam. What's your little lad's name?"

"Henry."

"He's very cute as well. And dare I say, gets his looks from his mother," he confessed, nervously scratching a spot behind his ear with his free hand.

She felt blush taking over her cheeks and they both stood there for a moment, wordless as they got lost in each other's gaze. Finally, the tug of her shirt from her son's chubby hand brought her back to reality.

"Um, my name's Emma Nolan, by the way."

"Killian Jones."

"Sorry, I would shake your hand, but my hands are kind of full, as you can see," she laughed awkwardly.

"Not a problem, lass. We'll just have to give each other a mental handshake."

Okay, that was lame and she knew it. But that somehow didn't stop her from laughing like an idiot anyway. "Well, I should be heading in. I'm actually running late for work."

"Of course, love. I should get going, myself. Where do you work at?"

"I'm a counselor at the middle school. What about you?"

"Yacht broker."

"So, you sell boats? Sounds fun."

"Aye. Having to con rich, snobby folks to buy overly expensive boats... it is quite fun actually," he smirked as they both started towards the building, continuing to chit-chat.

"I haven't seen you here before. Are you new to Boston?" she asked as Henry reached for her chin, clutching onto it.

"Not really. We moved here from across town," he explained as Liam wrapped his hand around Killian's finger. "I take it your son is a regular here?"

"Yeah. My sister-in-law runs this place, so I don't really have much of a choice. But she's really great with the kids. Your little Liam will be in very good hands."

"Ah. That's a relief to know. This place was recommended by my best mate, but it's still nerve-racking dropping Liam off with a complete stranger." He dropped a kiss to Liam's forehead, holding him close to his chest as his son rested his head into the crook of his Killian's neck.

"Oh, I know. The first time is always so stressful, but you have nothing to worry about, trust me."

"Okay, lass. I'm putting my complete faith in your judgment," he said as he flashed her heart-warming smile.

They headed into the daycare, almost getting knocked over by running children as they did.

"There's my little nephew!" A dark-haired women with a pixie cut greeted them, smiling excitedly as she took Henry from Emma. She bounced him on her hip as her eyes averted to Killian. "You must be Killian."

"I am. And this is my son, Liam."

"Well, hello there, little guy," she said in a soothing tone, reaching out to take his hand. "I'm Mary Margaret."

Liam turned his head and buried it into Killian's jacket.

Killian chuckled as he held onto the small of his son's back. "The lad's a tad shy, but he'll come around."

"I can see that. No worries, he'll fit in just fine. Come with me. We'll get him to the toddler room so he can play with kids his own age."

They followed Mary Margaret into the room and Killian kissed Liam's forehead before he had to say goodbye.

"Papa has to go now, lad, okay?"

"Papa!" Liam started to cry, tears spilling down his cheeks as he clutched onto Killian.

He held him closer and stroked his hair, whispering sweet nothings into his ear to calm him.

Emma's heart melted as she watched his interactions with his son. He had such love in his eyes for the little guy; it made her wish Henry's father had the same adoration for his son.

Mary Margaret gave Henry back to Emma and held her arms out to Liam. "It's okay; I'm very used to this. He'll warm up here in no time, though," she assured him as Killian transferred Liam over to her.

Liam's cries became louder at first as Killian grabbed his little hands and kissed them. "Don't worry, Liam. Daddy will be back to get you. I promise."

His words seemed to comfort him as Mary Margaret bounced him in her arms. "There, there. It'll be okay. We're going to have lots of fun today," Mary Margaret coaxed him softly.

"I'll be back around 4:00," Killian told her as he handed her Liam's diaper bag. "Liam sleeps a lot, so he shouldn't be much trouble."

"Don't worry about a thing, Killian. I got this," she assured him as she held Liam close, his cries becoming softer.

"Bye, Liam. Papa's gotta go." Liam shot up his arms to give him a hug. "Be good, lad," he whispered in his ear as he kissed him on the cheek and handed him his stuffed giraffe before he had to tear himself apart from his son.

Emma's heart clenched as she watched Killian reluctantly walk away from him. She gave Henry hugs and kisses before she set him on the floor, letting him crawl about.

Killian and Emma said their final goodbyes to their sons and Mary Margaret before they walked out the door together.

"It's always hard the first time. For me, it wasn't so bad because Mary Margaret is his aunt, but still, it hurts to walk away."

"Aye. Normally, Liam stays with his mother, but she got a new job... plus things are complicated right now and he's staying with me for the time being."

Emma's eyes softened as she looked at him. "Oh. I'm sorry. My husband and I are separated too. Divorce pending." She hadn't meant to expose so much, but the words slipped out before she could stop them.

Killian's heart ached for her and at first he wasn't keen on revealing his whole, messy situation to this woman, but seeing as she was going through the same thing, it made him feel more comfortable with her. "Sorry to hear... my wife and I are getting a divorce as well."

She gave him an empathetic look, knowing they were carrying the same burden. "Such a shame, isn't it? I mean one morning, life is everything you imagined it to be and the next, everything is crumbling around you."

"Aye. And now, all we can do is make sure our children are affected by it as less as possible."

"Exactly. Well, I really should get going. It was nice meeting you, Killian."

"You too, Emma." He held his hand out. "How about that handshake?"

She laughed as she reached out to take it. "I'm sure we'll see each other again."

"I'm counting on it."

She swallowed hard as he looked into her eyes and gave her a warm smile, neither of them aware that they were still holding the other's hand. For a moment, she even forgot to breathe.

They finally loosened their grip, laughing awkwardly as they did. "Bye, Killian."

"Bye, love."

He waved as she turned around to get into her car. As she drove away, she tried to pull herself together. Thinking about another man right now was the last thing she should be doing, she knew that. But she had just forgotten that there were actually decent ones out there.

When Killian got into his car, he put his face in his hands, trying to get those emerald green eyes and golden blonde hair out of his mind. His heart was racing and he had to steady his breathing as he tried to figure out how he could he be smitten for a woman he had just met when he had recently had his heart ripped out of his chest? And, God, could he have been any lamer? 'We'll just have to give each other a mental handshake'. She hadn't seemed to mind, but seriously, what was he thinking?

He couldn't really blame himself too much, though. She was beautiful and she seemed to be going through a similar situation as he. It was actually a breath of fresh air talking to someone who didn't have to pretend to understand what he was going through. But still, he had too much on his plate right now to be thinking about anyone like that.

He started his car and pulled out of the parking lot, heading to work. Meanwhile, all attempts of vanishing her from his mind were completely unsuccessful.

He tried to continue his day at the Marina as usual. However, it became difficult when he got bombarded with phone calls from Milah and his divorce lawyer, trying to set court dates, and from his concerned friend, trying to convince him to go to the bar with him that Friday night. Killian agreed that he could use some time to drown his sorrows in a glass or two of rum but he wasn't in much of the mood for socializing. He promptly declined, settling on the decision to go by himself instead. Milah was begging to see her son, anyway, and even though he wasn't the least bit looking forward to seeing her or hand over his son, she still had legal rights to him. Thus, the need to drink became ultimately greater. After he had a semi-successful day at work, he went to pick his son up at 4:00 as promised.

"Papa!" Liam held out his small arms for his father, excited to see him when Mary Margarete carried him out of the toddler room.

"How was he?"

"He was an absolute doll," Mary Margaret beamed as she transferred Liam to him and he clutched on to Killian tightly as he rested his head on his chest. "After you left, he made friends with Henry and some of the other kids and the rest of the day went smoothly. And you're right, he does sleep a lot. Which is good. It made for a less grumpy toddler."

"Good. I'm glad. I was worried about how he would act on his first day, not being used to daycare and all."

"Well he did great. And Emma will be happy to know that Henry made a new friend."

Killian found himself smiling at the sound of her name. "Glad to hear. Did they leave already?" He tried to be nonchalant about it, but judging by the slow smirk on the lady's face, he deemed himself unsuccessful.

"Actually, no. Emma always picks him up around 5:30, depending on traffic. But if you want, I can relay a message to her."

He ran his free hand through his hair as he felt his cheeks burn red. "Uh... "He had to think for a moment. This woman was already on to him, so there really wasn't any harm in sending a message was there? If anything, it might brighten the blonde beauty's day, which judging by the morning she was having, she could certainly use it. "Well, if you don't mind, just tell her that I hope her she had a better day."

"Not at all. I would more than happy to tell her."

"Thank you." Liam was getting antsy in his arms so he figured it was time to leave. "I'll be by the same time tomorrow to drop him off."

"Okay. Have a good night. Bye Liam."

"Bye-bye," Liam told her, clasping his hand shut to wave her goodbye.

Emma pulled up to the daycare at 5:35 to pick Henry up. There was a tiny part of her that was hoping that Killian was running late to get his son. She was disappointed; however, when she was informed by her sister-in-law that he had already came by to pick up Liam.

She held Henry in her arms as Mary Margaret handed her his belongings. "He did want me to send you a message, though."

If she said that her stomach didn't do flips at Mary Margaret's words, she'd be lying. "What was the message?" She tried not to sound excited in the least, but the tone in her voice gave her away and she was returned with a knowing smile from the brunette.

"He just wanted to wish you a better day... and that you have a beautiful smile."

Emma rolled her eyes. "He did not say that."

Mary Margaret sighed in defeat. "Okay, fine. He didn't say the last part, but he was thinking it."

"Oh, really? And how do you know that?"

"Because, Emma, I saw the way he looked at you this morning."

"Look, even if what you're saying is true, which it's not..." she teased. "He's going through a divorce, like I am. And I'm not ready to even think about another man in my life."

"I know, Emma." Mary Margaret placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "It takes time to heal, but that doesn't mean you can't be happy in the process."

Emma gave her a weak smile as she kissed Henry's brow. "The only thing that makes me happy is this little guy. He's all I need and the only good thing that came from my marriage." She leaned her head gently against her son's as he smiled.

"You're absolutely right, Emma. That's one thing Neal can never take from you. How is that going, anyway? You're fighting for full custody, right?"

"Yeah. Neal's not going anywhere near him. As much as I want Henry to have his father in his life, I don't trust him. How can I? All he ever did was let us down. And now this... I just don't know what to do..." She closed her eyes, trying to stop the tears that were threatening to fall.

"I can't even imagine what you're going through, but you know if ever need anyone to talk to, I'm here for you."

She opened her eyes again to see the concerned look on her sister-in-law's face. And she was right. Mary Margaret had no idea. Her marriage to David was perfect, like something out of a fairy-tale book. Emma could only dream to have something half as good as that.

"Well, we should get going."

"Okay. I'll see you tomorrow. Bye Henry." Mary Margaret waved as they turned around and walked out the door.

After they left the daycare, Emma went to the closest grocery store to pick up a few groceries. As tired as she was, Henry needed some more formula and diapers to get through the day tomorrow. She got out of the car and freed Henry from his car seat and carried him as she starting walking across the parking lot. It wasn't long before she noticed a familiar figure walking towards her, pushing a cart full of grocery bags. He did a double-take when he noticed her as well.

"Fancy seeing you here, love."